Eat Local

When you look at several pro soccer teams across the country, you can see a trend in the beer and food. Now for TRFC, there is no beer sold at the games, but there is some of the best local food. Each home game, the team has a different food truck from the area come out. As much as I love hot dogs and eating them at sporting events, local food trucks top that every time. My favorite was when I ordered Barbecue Empanadas. For starters, I’m a simple guy and I rarely eat Empanadas. I would never have thought that you could throw BBQ in and they would taste so good.

I ended up getting three orders of them. (Photo Credit: Zack Leischner)

Pride

In sports today, teams and leagues state their views of discrimination and the LGBT community etc. The supporter group, Bright Leaf Battalion, has done a great job at doing this. The group flies a rainbow and a equality flag during games and at tailgates. They even like to have a little fun at showing that they like to care about these issues.

Luka The Lion Night

I had no idea what the Luka The Lion Foundation was. I saw some tweets a couple days before a game in early June stating that the game would be Luka The Lion night. When I went to the game, in the program was a piece of paper with information about what the foundation was and who it benefits. Luka The Lion is a foundation that supports kids with rare diseases. I thought this was an awesome cause at a minor league soccer game.

Live Stream

If you can’t make it to the games, Tobacco Road streams their home games and shares them on their YouTube channel. Yes, even something as little as live streaming games shows a lot of class. I wasn't able to make it to the first two home games of the season, but I was able to watch them anyway.

Live streaming is a new trend when it comes to the lower leagues of soccer. Not all the teams in the PDL stream their games, though they’re supposed to: Myrtle Beach Mutiny for example do not. TRFC played one game in Myrtle Beach, and because I couldn’t attend, I had no idea what was happening. It’s hard to keep up with a team if you can’t follow them when they’re on the road.

The YouTube announcers do a fantastic job. Some might even say they are better than the USL announcers.

Social Media

In today’s world, social media is huge: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat amongst a few others. Many professional teams use these, and Tobacco Road has done a great job in using all of these. It’s free to use and super easy to connect with fans. During home games, the team would be live on Periscope and film warmups and so forth.

Supporter Group

2017 marked the first year for Bright Leaf Battalion, TRFC’s independent supporter group, and they did a great job. They tailgate super early for games and encourage people to come meet and talk to them. They help give the team a extra voice.

(Photo Credit: Zack Leischner)

Even though BLB doesn't match up with other famous SGs like the Timbers Army, they all have to start somewhere. During the last home game of the year against the Charlotte Eagles, Bright Leaf Battalion lit a rainbow smoke bomb off after Tobacco Road scored the first and only goal of the game.

I loved it. I was not expecting it and neither were any of the other fans. Smoke bombs are awesome and help bring life to games, even to games where you can count the number of fans in the crowd.

They also have brought in drums to games and tried several different chants to engage the crowd.

It may not always be successful, but you have to start somewhere.

Zach Fisher was one of the several guys who started BLB. Zach told me about his desire to create a community where soccer fans can come and meet new folks and engage about the game of soccer.

“As a TRFC fan last season, we really went from game to game with no organization or culture to speak of. For Eben, Mike and I, it was our goal to create that for this season, and I am proud of what BLB was able to do through the season, from the tailgates, to the flags, scarves, drums, Batala Durham performance and smoke at the last game! We wanted to create a physical space, and community for TRFC fans to be able to connect, and be welcomed into.”

(Photo Credit: Zack Leischner)

What I Would Like to See

North Carolina “Friendlies”

Scheduling for lower division soccer games is hard. Look at the problem the NPSL faced in their championship game. Midland Odessa was barely able to field a team in mid-August when college players have to report back to school.

But one thing I would like to see is a match between some different Carolina soccer clubs. Not just the ones in the PDL, but in the NPSL. Asheville City SC was one of the most talked about clubs in the country when it came to lower division. They had a huge following in just their first season.

A match up between these two clubs would be one of the most exciting soccer games in North Carolina that season. But both of the league’s seasons are short, and you have to think about playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches, and training.

If this could be pulled off, I would pay a arm and a leg to go watch.

Reaching out more to the community

Tobacco Road has started off on the right foot when it comes to being local. The organization has done a fantastic job at this, but I feel like there is still room to grow. The club doesn’t have many sponsors. And sadly, money makes the world go round in the soccer world. It is tough to get sponsors for a lower division team, I get that, but there are plenty of local businesses that would like to support a local soccer team.

In Durham and the Triangle, there are dozens of tech companies and new start ups. The scene in downtown Durham is growing. The Durham Bulls are part of that downtown culture. Tobacco Road FC has huge potential to become part of that as well.

If TRFC can connect with these new companies and the downtown scene, the club could have a huge impact. There are also two major universities just down the road. Duke University is just 10 minutes away. UNC Chapel Hill is only 20 minutes. Both of those schools have rich history in their soccer programs. Connecting with these schools and students is a huge opportunity to draw new fans.

(Photo Credit: Bright Leaf Battalion)

The future of soccer is bright in Durham.

Soccer is growing in this region of the country like crazy. The soccer scene in Durham is only going to grow. In my eyes, as a fan and a supporter, I think this club has done a great job; they are moving in the right direction.

2017 was a great season. Joining the PDL was a smart move. This club has the right people in charge, people that are passionate about the game and about the Bull City.

I am very excited to see what 2018 will bring for Tobacco Road FC and Bull City USA.