Guardians,



Yesterday evening was the monthly FC Dallas Supporters' Forum, and the first opportunity to gain clarification following Saturday's game. As we promised, we took the concerns of our members to the Front Office asking for clarification on different fronts. In a productive meeting with a good turnout for the open portion of the forum, FC Dallas Operations & Security have detailed a new stadium policy, and we have established a protocol for dealing with supporters that fail to comply.



Addressing the Questions We Promised via E-Mail:



1. What is the protocol after being removed? Where do the names go and what is done with the people's personal information?



People who are removed from the Garden will either be escorted to the gates or to the security office. In the security office, they will be asked to have their ID's scanned as a measure to record how many ejections happened to Major League Soccer. It was brought up by a member that they were using a personal phone to take these photos and that the concern was what was being done with his information and where was it going because a phone is not a secure device. It has been stated that going forward, all ID's will be scanned in on a scanner and kept on the FC Dallas security computers. Their personal information does not go to the league at this point. Numbers do go on a league report, but the names do not. Names only go to the league if a citation or arrest happens. At that point, the consequence is recognized league wide. If you have a 30 day ban at Toyota Stadium, you will then have that same ban at all other stadiums.





2. Clarification of policy of vulgar language -- what words cannot be said? What extent will this be enforced? Can we or can we not curse outside of organized chanting?



Our front office broke down the way things happen with our security. The yellow shirts are contracted and essentially answer to the white shirts. The white shirts work for Toyota Stadium. They have essentially 3 bosses: MLS, Frisco PD, and FC Dallas. They're having to take cues from all three during the game. MLS is saying "we will fine you if this happens..." -- Dan Hunt is on the FC Dallas side calling shots as well. He is saying "we will take the fine for this, we won't take the fine for that." That's where the cursing and decision on how it will be enforced comes into play. Our FO has decided to turn a blind eye to cursing that is reactionary or responsive to the game. If the cursing comes in the form of an organized chant and is not reactionary or responsive to a play, they will remove people.





3. Is cursing allowed in another language?



The policy stands regardless of language. Bucky Deichert commented that if we are trying to stay one step ahead and use different languages, it's not the point of everything.





4. Are these same rules being enforced league wide? Is there a document that states, "If you do this, this will be the consequences"?



The league has a set policy and the executive sides of every front office gets to choose how to enforce that. This is why we are able to do things that some clubs can't and can't do things others can. There basically is no consistency around the league. With that, every offense is taken on a case by case basis. There is no set document that outlines your consequence for your actions.





So what was the main thing that came out of all of this?



We have now established a line of communication that should help protect all those in our section. From here on out, there will be communication to leadership if anything changes prior to game day so that we can alert our members first. For example, we now know that flyers will be going out about foul language every game.



Also, at games, there will be a protocol:

1. Toyota Stadium security will notify Supporters' Group Liaison, Joe Bellow, of any offenses.

2. Joe will notify a member of DBG leadership, and the member(s) of leadership will personally appeal to the person(s) about their conduct.

3. Should this continue to occur, security will exercise the right to remove fans.

4. Upon removal, they will be told where they are going and/or someone will be asked to relay that information to anybody who is with them. As long as there is no arrest, cell phones may be used to communicate as well.

5. Any fans that have been removed will either be escorted to the stadium gates, or taken to the security office where their ID will be copied for record keeping. If there is an arrest, a copy of the ID will be sent to Major League Soccer. If there is a ban given, such as with a citation, the length will be communicated to MLS and will apply to all MLS stadia.

Likewise, we need to remind our members that if they have issues to come to us and we will take them to Joe Bellow.





How will we be moving forward as a Supporters Group?



Our main goal with the Dallas Beer Guardians has been and will continue to be to support our players on the field regardless of conditions. With that being said, we believe strides have been made with our Front Office this year including the use of the pulley system for tifos and supporter led drums. This is not an us vs. the front office fight. We need your support in the Garden on game day to go through with new chants and variations that will be coming from our Capo group. We will be evaluating chants that are cherished and loved and see how they can be worked so that all of our members and visitors to the section are protected. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to reach out to dbgofficial@gmail.com. We will strive to work within the parameters set before us to continue to support the team we love so much.



We look forward to returning to the Garden on Sunday, May 14 against New York City FC as one family supporting our boys in red. We would like to thank you in advance for working with us and making sure we can create the best atmosphere possible at Toyota Stadium.



Sincerely,

DBG Leadership