In recent articles regarding supporter style, match day information, travel, tifo, and the ongoing “Why We …” series you may have gotten a sense that the ECS is deliberately heading in a certain direction. The path leads to our vision as a unified group occupying the entire Brougham End at Royal Brougham Park. Let’s take a step back from discussing how we get there and what tools we use to get there. Let’s just talk about the vision leadership has for the future of the Brougham End.
The vision that we as a group have been working towards since joining MLS has been to create the best and largest supporter terrace in North America. We see the entire Brougham End (sections 119-125) being just like, and even better than, the current sections known now as “GA”. Currently we have six sections in which supporters are expected to be singing, standing, and giving their full 90 without complaints about chants choices and obstructed views by flags and other tifo. We want a free flowing section in which several groups exist and work together to bring tifo and help spread the songs lead by the capos. We want communities to be built within the Brougham End, we want people to be able to bring their flags into the Brougham End regardless of location or size of flag. We want to do all this without hooliganism, politics or violence.
Everything ECS leadership does is geared towards this vision and enabling ECS members to support to their fullest in the Brougham End. The leadership team’s goal is to set up, expand, and manage a support structure behind the scenes that takes the operational needs of a large supporter group off the hands of its members so that its members can focus on the primary mission for each ECS member: support the Seattle Sounders Football Club when playing on the pitch.
Within this framework we expect all members to respect one another and to encourage new members and new fans to embrace our culture. We encourage our members to educate others that may have not been around as long. If you are new, the best approach is to listen and learn. Being a soccer supporter is a lot different than being a fan of other sports.
Most importantly, we ask that our members internalize this vision and preach it to your neighbors in the Brougham End. All of us were new to this group at one point or another and had to take time to learn the group’s culture, its mood, and its ultimate goal: a packed Brougham End with supporters singing and waving flags to push our boys on the field to victory.
In this vein we as that our members take a couple steps to help the ECS get closer to its vision:
1) Get new season tickets or relocate your existing season tickets in the Supporters Section. If you can’t get into the supporters section, get tickets around it or generally in the Brougham End (Sections 119-125). All the information you need is provided on our season ticket page.
2) If you are already a season ticket holder regardless of what section you are in please take the time to select ECS as you supporter group. As part of the Season ticket renewal process you will be solicited to select from a drop down menu which supporter group you belong to. You can access the designation directly. This designation helps with conversations with the Sounders front office and will be key to the expansion of the section to make our vision a reality. Please take the time to select ECS.
Please share below in the comments any thoughts you have on this vision or if you'd like to help make this a reality.
Thank you for your support. Up the Sounders! Up the ECS!
Greg Mockos, ECS Co-President
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