Sounders, Timbers and Whitecaps Fans Unite on Derbies The lead supporters groups for all three Pacific Northwest MLS 2011 clubs have united to oppose plans to impose an artificial restriction of 150 tickets for away fans in the local derbies next season. The threats to do so have been emanating mostly from Sounders FC's Front Office but it appears that all three groups have resisted the temptation to turn this into a club v club battle and decided that fans of the sport need to stay united to protect its integrity. The issue was first raised in the media by our article on the issue on September 30th (It’s Our Game. Fans Must be Allowed to Attend Derbies – Prost Amerika Special Comment), with the mainstream media being reluctant to ever air the issue, far less support fans' demands. Since then, the weight of public support in all three cities for the concept of a vibrant traveling fan culture in the Pacific Northwest has forced the issue beyond the normal smaller circles of local fan discussion. To their credit, years of cool relationships between the fan groups have been put to one side for the greater good of the game, and leaders of all three are to be commended. http://www.sounderatheart.com/2010/10/24/1771128/cascadian-away-support-facts-and-solutions This a large look, at a complex issue. It reviews how an issue has gone from simmer to nearly boiling, but ideally will include new data, new opinions, and a way that we in this region of over 10 Million people can continue to move forward in our love of sport. About a month ago an article was published which claimed that Away fans would be forbidden from attending matches amongst the Cascadian teams in MLS beyond the MLS-mandated 150 tickets. It clearly laid the blame upon the Seattle Sounders FC front office and heavily leveraged statements that Joe Roth and Gary Wright made to myself and other members of the Alliance Council at our last two live face-to-face meetings to create a bit of controversy. While that original story referenced the abbreviated recap provided by Matt Gaschk on the team's website, Matt's story was about events weeks before the second of two meetings with the Alliance Council and representatives of the Front Office. His statements were condensed, and only a partial view of a discussion that has taken place over multiple meetings and hours of talk. For four weeks things have simmered. I have received emails, facebook messages, tweets and phone calls from around both countries concerning this issue, an issue that largely exists because of one site's story. It continues to simmer, and has even led to the Southsiders of Vancouver to issue a Press Release regarding their opinion on the upcoming Cascadia Derbies.
For Seattle fans, away ticket plan "a good start" Plan allocates 500 tickets for traveling fans in Cascadia matches Five hundred tickets will not meet the demand, but it’s a good start. That was the general reaction in Seattle to Wednesday's announcement that 500 tickets will be set aside for traveling fans during 2011 MLS matches between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. As anticipation builds for the Cascadia rivalry, many had hoped for more. However, a large majority of fans posting on message boards and fan sites considered it to be a good starting point. “I would have liked to see more seats allocated for away fans, but 500 is better than 150,” wrote one commenter on the website Prost Amerika, echoing the comments of many Seattle-based supporters on message boards and comment threads. Optimistically, some fans were hoping 5 percent of each stadium’s capacity — which is the amount recommended by FIFA — to be set aside for away support. The news, which was announced nearly simultaneously by all three clubs, falls short of that mark, although it should be noted that 500 tickets represents a much larger ratio in Portland’s PGE Park and Vancouver’s temporary Empire Fields than it does in Seattle’s higher-capacity Qwest Field. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/seattle-fans-away-ticket-plan-good-start
