New Year’s resolution time.
Nashville SC will compete in MLS, and whether that’s in 2019 or 2020, it’s still a long ways off. “Self,” you may ask yourself, “what can I do to support the team now?”
You should have asked me, instead of yourself, frankly. I’m butting into that private conversation regardless. My apologies.
Understand that NSC is already around
And it has been for awhile! Whether the NPSL team of years past (as Nashville FC) or the U-23 outfit that competed in the PDL last year, there’s been a presence for several years now. Avoid being called a bandwagoner in the future, and understand that there is already a team to support. That team will play its first professional season this Summer, competing in the USL – currently the third division of the sport in our country, but likely to receive Division-2 sanctioning (if only on a temporary basis for the second year in a row).
Buy tickets
This is the most important one, and would be first if not for the fact that it can’t be made clear enough that there is already a team. Buy season tickets for the inaugural USL campaign, or plan your schedule and prepare to pick up single-game tickets when they enter the open market. It’s important that Nashville __ what was indeed a leap of faith by MLS – which didn’t have much external evidence that Music City is indeed a soccer city before rewarding the franchise. Averaging 21,199 like Cincinnati did last Summer is out of the question (First Tennessee Park can hold only half that), but the closer to it, the better.
Join a supporters group
To my knowledge there are only two prominent ones: The Roadies and The Assembly. You can join them both! You can start your own! I recommend starting with the Roadies (the original supporters group), and doing as you wish from there. Supporting the team is great. Officially supporting the team is better.
Get some swag
A team just a week removed from announcing an MLS franchise probably should have prepared a bit better than to have almost everything sold out from their team store, (and to have the physical location completely closed the entire period between Dec. 22 and the New Year), but if your sizes are available, gear up. I can’t wait to see what the team comes up with when their offerings extend beyond “replica jersey” and “training shirt.” By buying gear, you’re helping support the team financially, and by wearing it you’re providing support from an advertising perspective, as well.
Get to know the team
Read up on the personnel with breakdowns in their introduction posts here. Get to know the guys we’ll be seeing on the field come Feb. 10 (of course, with many more signings to come before the opening game). Also check out a bit on head coach Gary Smith with the breakdown of his history by our friends over at Golden Goal (with more to come in this space soon).
Follow soccer media
On a larger scale, don’t forget to follow this site on Twitter, as well as some of our other friends that are going to be taking a look at NSC going forward. The more informed you are the better, and the more support soccer media receive, the more opportunity there is to not only show just how serious the city is about soccer, but make for even more coverage going forward.
Know thy enemy
Brush up on some of the top teams (and the other new teams) in USL, like Swope Park Rangers, FC Cincinnati, and Louisville City FC before the Boys in Gold take them on this year. It might be wise to take a look not only at friendly opponent Atlanta United, but the top of MLS as well, just to be prepared for the future.
The following will be less direct ways to support NSC specifically, but if you’ve ever read the site, you know about my belief in grassroots and a soccer culture’s importance to the game overall.
Play
Whether you’ve never played or are a former college/semi-pro/pro, get out and play somewhere. It’s that building of a soccer culture that we simply don’t have enough of. There are multiple rec leagues in the area (in my experience, I’d recommend against Nashville Sports Leagues, though in fairness I haven’t compared to their competitors – it’s just the only one I know, and I know it’s literally four times as expensive for a worse product than when I’ve played in other states), you can join a club through the state’s governing association,
Watch
You don’t have to wait for our home team to arrive to support the game in the Mid-State. Head to a soccer-friendly bar, join one of the many supporters’ groups for Premier League squads (or supporters of teams from other leagues), and show that Nashville isn’t a soccer city only because a pro team is almost here, but rather because the city simply supports the game.
Contribute
Whatever your cause, do some good in the world. Soccer-related charities (or totally unrelated – you can do good without it having to relate to soccer) are always looking for help whether via donations or volunteers. Learn to coach and contribute time to a local youth team, donate balls, goals, cleats to youth who can’t afford them, anything to help grow the game and win lifelong fans not just for the good of NSC or the future of soccer, but for your local community. Get involved with #OurClubOurCause if you want to tie it more directly into soccer.
What else do you have planned to support soccer in Nashville before Feb. 10? If you have an idea I didn’t share it in the comments.
Club and Country 