

Posted by

Eric Anderton ,

September 22, 2014 Email

Eric Anderton



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@Eric_RNO Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device



Some may suggest that the lack of passion in the stands at BMO Field will solve itself if/when results improve. The Raptors pushed their infectious “We The North” campaign around a playoff run. The Argos had the city buzzing when they won the Grey Cup. It was exciting, but it was all a bit too fabricated. They were attempts to manufacture support around the premise that these teams were legitimate contenders. It perhaps was successful at the time, but you can’t generate sustainable, authentic support by riding a bandwagon. After all, despite the fact that Toronto FC’s marketing campaign around the “Bloody Big Deal” was outstanding, look where we are now. Plus, who knows how long it may be before MLSE can leverage a playoff run for the club. Without question, Toronto as a city still has a huge appetite for football. What is key though is that people seem to have simply grown tired of the way that this appetite is manifested at BMO Field. To consider it broadly, a change to Toronto FC's supporter culture is needed. On any given match day at BMO Field, you can run into a wide variety of TFC supporter sub-cultures. This in itself is an issue for another article, so for the purposes of this discussion I’m choosing to focus on the particular niche that is most likely to read this piece: the vocal and passionate. Everybody in this category should be working together. It seems obvious, but one of the problems is that there are supporters or supporters' groups scattered in various sections and there isn't a single place to congregate and show this spirit. Look at what happened at the Canadian Men’s National Team game against Jamaica not long ago. Attendance was barely north of 10 000, not unlike some TFC games over the last few years, but there was something notably different about the southeast corner of the ground. It gradually became a general admission zone. It was clear if you wanted to stand and cheer, this was the place to be. What happened when Jamaica scored? The south east corners stayed standing and kept singing. Ticketholders abandoned their seat designations and a good couple hundred fans packed into that corner to sing away the closing minutes. Granted, a few goals (and perhaps a few beers too) had fans in good spirits. But there is power in numbers, and it’s liberating to not be tied to the few square feet a ticketed seat designates for you. We have been pitched this concept of the south end at BMO Field being a supporters’ section. However, the potential benefits of this designation have been watered down by ticketholders not engaged in this notion. There are people who enjoy going to the match and singing. This kind of supporter is a dying breed at BMO Field, but by bringing them together, we can capitalize and build on this desire. Essentially, what I'd propose is a rebuilding of the general concept of the supporters’ section at BMO Field. People have grown too comfortable sitting down in the cheapest pricing tier, as if it were any other part of the ground. It’s sometimes as if the vast majority of the stadium is one big family-friendly section. Perhaps general admission in the whole end is a bit ambitious, but perhaps removing assigned seating from 112-114/115, for example. Invite all the people who want to stand up and sing songs, wave flags or hang banners. The others, well they’ll get the picture soon enough if it's not for them. The entire stadium has become a bit too sterile. This will not be reversed until we take back the one segment of the ground that was intentionally allocated to the vocal and passionate. Have an opinion on general admission at BMO Field or other ways to revitalize the atmosphere? Leave a comment below or tweet me (@Eric_RNO).