Mar
26
Whiteout Loyalty
Posted by: rodfcua | March 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment
I have seen the Canucks, Giants, Lions, and even the old Whitecaps play live, but this game surpassed every single one of those experiences. The build-up to this game, like I said before, was huge. A 30-day countdown that saw Vancouver be taken over by Whitecaps logos and merchandise. I can honestly say I’ve never been in an arena where fan support was this overwhelming. The energy was high both on and off the field and when all was said and done every one walked out a winner (well maybe not the couple dozen Toronto fans, but c’mon…)
For one rare day in what seems like an endless winter the sold-out crowd of over 23,000 at Empire Stadium enjoyed a great game of soccer under clear skies looking upon a landscape of snow-capped mountains. The Whitecaps played well defeating Toronto FC 4-2, but it wasn’t the convincing win that made this game amazing. It was the energy of the fans.
As of last Friday the huge marketing campaign was basically over. The only request the team had of its fans was that they all wear white to the game to coincide with the team who sport their white jerseys at home. I was honestly expecting everyone to be wearing a white t-shirt, sweatshirt, or an old whitecaps jersey. When I showed up, however, it was what the Whitecaps referred to as a “Whiteout.” It seemed like every fan had on the brand new white jersey with the over-sized Bell logo on the front. The team could not have asked for anything better from the fans as they got exactly what they wanted. These jerseys don’t come cheap ($130), but this didn’t seem to matter on Saturday. It also seemed like I was literally the only one at Empire Field without a new Whitecaps scarf! It was pretty surreal seeing thousands of fans line up just to get into the team store. Once inside people were dropping money like it was nothing. Perhaps it was the setting, perhaps it was the few fans that didn’t get the whiteout memo, or maybe it was just the fact that all the merchandise is so darn nice that people like me just want to buy everything. Regardless of what it was and what it is, the Whitecaps are a hit.
Let me remind everyone of the fact that the Vancouver Whitecaps are a brand new MLS expansion team. I mentioned before that when they played at Swangard that they never lacked support from the 5000 or so fans that watched them play, but how on earth did this new team, assembled of basically random players from an unfamiliar league, gain so much support in such little time? As of last Saturday they had already sold 15,000 season tickets and were still expecting to sell more before this week’s upcoming game against Philadelphia. To me the answer lies in the fact that they did not disappoint. In every aspect including team play, merchandise, and fan appreciation (scarf/poncho/drum giveaways) the Whitecaps sealed the loyalty deal. With the experience they provided last week I can almost guarantee that every single person in that arena will attend another game.
Personally I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I was part of something special. I know right now we’re one week in to the season, and to base an entire teams success on the first week seems erroneous, however, there seems to be nothing but up from here. If I wasn’t a struggling student I wouldn’t even think twice about getting season tickets. I’ll definitely go watch them again this season whenever I can. The atmosphere is just incomparable. I encourage you all to do the same.
GO CAPS!