They always make a grand entrance, banging on drums and chanting a series of cleverly crafted songs.

As Ottawa Fury FC has grown, so has the club's official supporters groups, the Bytown Boys and Stony Monday Riot. They occupy Section W at home games, gather at the pub to catch road games and setup shop at team events, working to convert newcomers to the Fury cause.

There to both cheer the home team and heckle the visitors, the groups exist to offer like-minded individuals a social outlet preaching inclusiveness and centres around one common theme.

Though relatively young and still growing, both groups are loud and have successfully created an entertaining soccer atmosphere bound to attract bigger numbers.

"For us, the big motivation has always been being able to reach out to different types of people in the city," said Stony Monday Riot president Matt Hawkins. “Whenever we have a gathering, we have so many members that go out and just walk up to someone and say, 'Hi, what's your name? What do you like about football? Lets share a drink.' People feel welcome that way.”

The groups are basically social clubs spending days between games planning for the next one. Writing new songs, painting flags, signs and talking soccer is always on the agenda.

The excitement created by Stony Monday Riot and Bytown Boys can turn even a dull game into great entertainment.

“The biggest part is you're engaged in the game,” Hawkins said. “You get the rhythm of the drums pounding through you, you've got songs and chants going on. It's a chance for you to really say something in the stadium; you can express yourself, whether it's pure joy at a beautiful goal, anger at the referee or just silly banter to lighten the mood in the tense moments of a game.”

Members of both Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys know each other well and that familiarity mixed with a slightly different way of doing things has made for a healthy rivalry. Both are cross-sections of the Ottawa community, with the ages of members as diverse as what they do for a living. But they all share at least one common interest and that's good enough.

“It makes the section stronger,” Hawkins said. “Obviously there's a rivalry but it allows for different types of people to have different forms of expression. There's more diversity. Sometimes I think a rivalry, even within the supporters' section, pushes people to be a bit more out there, a bit more creative and attached to what's going on.”

It helps that both groups share one common objective: Making soccer a success in Ottawa and getting more people out to games. It's a process that won't happen overnight, but everyone is optimistic.

“People who have said they weren't big soccer fans before have come out and turned into fanatics because of the experience and the connections they've made.”

For more information on both Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys, visit their websites, StonyMondayRiot.com and BytownBoys.ca.