WATERLOO — The chant starts low, but grows louder as players walk on to the pitch.

"We're the black and blue army," sings a group of K-W United FC supporters nestled into a corner of University Stadium.

The words match the tune of The White Stripes' hit "Seven Nation Army" and remind the hometown players that the fans have their back.

The ditty is one of several belted out on a sunny Sunday afternoon that sees the Premier Development League club down the visiting West Virginia Chaos 3-1.

Like the anthem, the supporters — who call themselves "Grand River Union" — are also increasing in volume.

What started out as a handful of soccer enthusiasts, now numbers more than 100 members from across Waterloo Region, Guelph and even as far as Chatham.

They're security guards, project managers, students, graphic designers — and moms.

But they all share one passion — soccer, specifically the baby blue, black and white colours of K-W United FC.

They're dreamers, too.

They see a day when a professional soccer team will touch down in Waterloo Region.

The recently-sanctioned Canadian Premier League — and its desire to field a team here — has only spiked interest.

"We will get a (pro) team, I really do believe that," said GRU member Nathanael Martin. "We hope fan support will just be ramped up that much more by then. We'll have been there since Day 1."

K-W United FC, which plays in the amateur PDL, has had pockets of fan groups since it came to the area from Hamilton five years ago. But the faithful merged into Grand River Union about six months back, as CPL talks heated up.

Now they have thrown themselves behind United in an effort to convince the fledgling CPL that Waterloo Region can in fact support a pro team.

"Our biggest focus is to get as many people to the United games as possible, to prove that we have a soccer culture here," said Martin.

And they're coming out in force.

Earlier this month, a caravan headed across the border for United's season debut against the Michigan Bucks in Pontiac, MI.

This past Sunday the troops mobilized at Ethel's Lounge in Waterloo a few hours before the team's home opener. It was a sea of baby blue and white on the patio, as fans shared a pre-game beverage and talked shop.

They reflected on how a true national premier league would give Canadian players the attention and playing time they deserve. They mused about potential rivalries and the thrill of small town clubs upsetting their big city counterparts.

Mostly they revelled in the thought of having a pro team to call their own.

"I love Toronto FC (of Major League Soccer)," said Elmira native and GRU member Adrian Martin. "It has been my club. But it's not my city. It's an hour and a half away. I want to be like Germany, Spain and Italy where each town has their club to get behind and support.

"I see the sport growing in our region. I see immigrants coming here that bring their love of the sport. It's an opportunity that is just waiting to burst out."

During the pre-game party, a patron at Ethel's sees the blue and white colours and stops one of the crew to ask why there are so many Argentina fans at the watering hole.

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And that illustrates one of the main challenges.

Despite its success — United won a PDL crown two years back — the team is still relatively unknown and has yet to develop a mainstream following like the Kitchener Rangers.

The football franchise will need to bring in about 5,000 fans per game if it wants a seat in the CPL, according to United president Barry MacLean, who is spearheading the bid to bring pro soccer to the region.

"This is a market that is on their (CPL) agenda," he said. "I think the two questions are: Can we create the fan base and grow it into something more significant? And can we get a stadium plan?"

The latter is more complicated.

But MacLean likes what he sees so far on the supporter front.

About 20 GRU members marched to University Stadium for Sunday's home opener where they met up with close to 1,000 like-minded folks.

They cheered nonstop throughout the match and held a postgame party at the Huether Hotel's Barley Works Public House and Grill, where they held a raffle, gave speeches and hosted a question-and-answer session with MacLean.

"The fact that there are so many people excited is really a positive," said MacLean, who hopes United can be apart of the CPL's launch or join the second season.

"The thing I like about it (GRU) is that it's happening organically. If that happens then I think you have something. It's not like we're going and pushing it."

MacLean says attendance numbers can be deceiving and points to Toronto, where footie fans rarely supported local lower level soccer clubs; but the came out in droves when Toronto FC joined the professional MLS circuit.

"There is enthusiasm here," he said. "To make it a real viable entity we're going to need a much bigger (supporter) group; but this is a fantastic starting point."

The GRU is eager to do its part.

"It's an opportunity for me, my friends and whoever to get involved at the ground level and be apart of something special," Adrian Martin said about why he joined the fan club.

"It's not just about supporting one team, it's about meeting each other and engaging and getting to know our neighbours and broadening our horizons through our mutual love of the sport."