Move over Blue, Red is in Town!

THE FUN STARTS HERE

“Oleeeee Ole Ole Ole” bet you thought you were in a massive soccer stadium in England or Italy, with a capacity of 50,000. Well you thought wrong! Just look a little northeast, oh, and look up too – do you see the CN Tower? You’re right here in Toronto at BMO Field – home of the Toronto Football Club and by “football” I mean soccer. You actually might be walking past a few soccer hooligans shouting obscenities at visiting teams, guzzling down a couple of beers in the parking lot, might even catch a whiff of some barbecued hotdogs coming from the vendors who have been strategically placed at every exit of the stadium. When you step inside BMO field, there is so much to take in: the finely groomed grass, the masses of seats that seem to reach to the sky, and the droves of people piling in to watch their team in action.

GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME

The fun really starts when the clock starts ticking – 45 minutes of constant running – a quick break and back again for another three-quarter hour. What makes the atmosphere inside so intense, so energetic? The crowd: over 20,000 screaming fans, chanting, laughing with friends, and cheering for the home team. These are the people that you work with, the guys on your summer softball team, people you go to business meetings with, the dads on your son or daughter’s hockey team, the PTA moms at your children’s school – normal folks – except when its ‘Red’ season in Toronto. These people are soccer SUPERFANS! They are the dedicated, loud, and energetic fans that have made the Toronto FC the number one summer team in the city.

These fans have a lot to be proud of.  In 2007, the TFC was the first non-American team to join Major League Soccer (MLS). Every single home game held at BMO field has been sold-out, as well as having every season ticket sold in both 2007 and 2008. In its first year, the TFC sold all of their 14,000 season tickets.  It is obvious that fan support have made the TFC a success story in Toronto.

WHY IS WINTER SO LONG?

Most were surprised that soccer would be able to compete with other sports teams in the city, ahem – The Toronto Maple Leafs – who actually own the Toronto-based soccer club. It helps that the hockey boys occupy the fans when the snow is on the ground, but many TFC fans aren’t into the aggressive, physical play of hockey.

THE NUMBERS

While the soccer season in Toronto is relatively short, this so-called “summer” game has evolved into one of the fastest growing sports in Canada. According to www.thesoccerhalloffame.ca, soccer league participation grew an astounding 36 percent in 2006 and has been on the rise ever since major league soccer has come to the country. It is also projected that the fan-base will grow another 44 percent by 2009.

Soccer is one of the most affordable sports to play. The average cost to register a child with a community-based soccer league ranges from $50 to $120 (canadasoccer.com). Registration costs for sports are indirectly related to ticket prices for the respected professional teams. The average ticket price to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs is just over $200 a pair, and at almost half the price TFC tickets are much more affordable at $100 a pair.

BECKHAM AND HIS BOYS ARE NO MATCH FOR THE TFC

So many times we see soccer hooligans causing fights with opposing fans, throwing things onto the field, and generally being annoying, but Toronto soccer fans are truly Canadian: respectful, loyal, honest, hard-working, and generally nice folks. Like the fans, these are the traits that make the team so successful. The club was undefeated in the season at 4-0 when David Beckham came to town with the LA Galaxy. The home team kept its Canadian-like demeanour when Beckham and his teammates came to town in May. A composed defensive strategy led the home team to a 2-0 win. The TFC proved that they could compete with the big-boys. The crowd couldn’t have been more ecstatic, solidifying that their team – in their eyes and on the score sheet, was destined to be on top.

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