As the first professional sports team in Tampa Bay ahead of the Buccaneers’ arrival in 1976, the Rowdies have retained a special place for the fans of that era, who subsequently passed on stories of when Van der Beck, Rodney Marsh, Mike Connell and Farrukh Quraishi played for the side. The club’s original song – featuring the line “the Rowdies are a kick in the grass” that now adorns Big Storm Brewing’s official club beer – still plays at Al Lang Stadium, and through that the fans’ identification with the team has remained.

A lot of that also has to do with Ralph’s Mob, a local supporters’ group that has cheered on the modern-day franchise since it took the field for the first time in 2010.

“We have a lot of historical pride and memory. A lot of our Mob members were fannies of the original Rowdies and all that stuff,” said Aron Retkes, Vice President of Ralph’s Mob. “So, we have a lot of historical sense of pride here that I think a lot of other groups can be kind of jealous about because we have such a long history.”

Ralph’s Mob is forging quite the history of its own as it heads into its 10th anniversary season. The group, which started talking on message boards in 2008 when the FC Tampa Bay project was first announced, is expecting more support than ever during the 2019 USL Championship season.

“In the beginning, we kind of started as a chant-only group and that’s kind of how it is formulated even to the present day,” said Retkes. “We focus and prioritize our voices versus a whole bunch of drums and everything like that. We try to be kind of a unified sound.”

From player-specific chants to traditional team ones, that sound can be heard in full force at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg all season long. That’s not the only place you’ll hear them, though.

“We love to focus a little bit more on away trips now that we have more trips within striking distance with Birmingham [Legion FC] coming in,” said Retkes. “Anything out of Florida is a long trip because it’s a 5-6 hour drive just to get out of the state, so anything in the Southeast region that pops up, we’re always excited about.”

In addition to going to Birmingham for the first time this season, the Mob is making the trip to Slugger Field when the Rowdies take on two-time defending USL Cup champion Louisville City FC in September.

There are also plans in place for the group’s annual trip to Charleston, which is set to take on new meaning this year. The Mob has partnered with the Skyway Casuals – a new Rowdies supporters’ group – and Battery fan groups Queen Anne’s Revenge and The Regiment to start a new cup competition.