Five-year-old Benjamin Franklin Mitchell has been attending Union games since he was born during the franchise’s inaugural season.

“He and the team share a birth year,” said his father, Jeffrey Mitchell.

His parents, Jeffrey and Rachel Mitchell, attended the first-ever Union match and were instantly hooked. They became season ticket holders and members of the Sons of Bens by the second game and haven’t looked back since.

When Benjamin was born six months into the inaugural season, his parents wasted little time before bringing him to games. Now, he’s a regular in the River End. He knows every chant, helps paint the tifo’s and has been to at least 80 games.

“We’ve taken him to other sports games,” Jeffrey said, “They’re just passive for him compared to standing and singing with the Sons of Ben.”

Jeffrey is the director of social media for the Sons of Ben this year. He has been involved with running its Facebook page since 2011 and said the group was the inspiration behind his son’s middle name, along with Benjamin Franklin himself.

“We knew we were naming him Benjamin,” Jeffrey said, “And middle names are usually boring, so we wanted to keep it interesting.”

At Sons of Ben tailgates, Benjamin can be found running around and collecting soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House.

“He’s like the mayor, everyone knows his name,” Jeffrey said about his son at Sons of Ben events.

Benjamin is a well-recognized face with Union players as well.

“The players have always treated Ben like family,” Jeffrey said, “We care about them and they care about the fans the same way.”

Benjamin’s favorite player is Zach Pfeffer, someone who is no stranger to the Mitchell family.

“They’ve been very supportive and very nice to me and we’ve kind of grown to be like family friends now,” Pfeffer said, “So every time I see them I love talking to them and spending time with them.”

Pfeffer was the Union’s first homegrown player and a source of pride for long-time fans like the Mitchells.

Benjamin and his parents first met Pfeffer soon after he signed with the Union. Jeffrey could tell the kindness he showed to Benjamin was genuine.

“We are practicing Catholics, but we teach Ben about all the other faiths. When he [Benjamin] heard that Zach celebrated Hanukkah around the same time we celebrate Christmas he wanted to know all about it,” Jeffrey said.

Pfeffer and his family were happy to answer Benjamin’s questions about Hanukah. Then, they surprised him on the first night by face-timing him so he could pray, sing and light the first candle with them. *

“It makes you proud to support these guys because they’re great people off the field too,” Jeffrey said.

He thinks Benjamin will start playing organized soccer this year, but is making sure to give him the choice.

“He loves the sport,” Jeffrey said. “But we’re letting him choose his own path.”

Contact Union writer Nina Cusmano at ncusmano@philadelphiaunion.com.