Senators creating a "supporters section" for 2014-15
Looks like the Sens are trying to beef up the atmosphere at home game by creating a supporters like section.
Quote:
The Red Scarf Union will have some backup at Ottawa Senators games this season.
With the organization looking to expand the fan experience at Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators have targeted 10 games this season to try out a new, soccer-esque, official supporters section at the arena.
I think this is a great idea myself, something like this would really liven up the dome. European hockey teams have this type of atmosphere at games, as an example:
It's overdue for the NHL to try it, other sports that do it well have a way better atmosphere in the buildings, they tend to feed off each other and make the whole building louder. Also takes lot of the younger guys who are there to be loud and get trashed out of the other sections and often makes the rest of the building more family friendly. It is a lot more of an authentic way to encourage an atmosphere than cheezy crap like cheerleaders and giveaways.
Downsides, it encourages hyper partisanship often leading to violence or aggression against other teams fans in the building and when it is done badly it can be pretty cringe inducing. In the AFL for instance (aussie rules football) it is a family section with pom poms etc.
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I 'sat' in the 'supporters section' for an SC Bern game against Zurich. It's rush seating on the upper half of one long side of the stands. The atmosphere was amazing and I would be in full support of seeing this adopted into North American hockey.
Nothing wrong with the concept, but don't see how it's going to work out the same as hockey, or soccer "ultras" in Europe.
First, as they said, they'll encourage standing, which is key. Noisemakers (lets face it, drums are key) allowed under arena rules are key and need to be numerous.
To make it really work:
-You need about 5-10 guys to be the leaders of the group, usually at the front, starting the chants and basically being bat #### crazy for the full 2.5h, each of the 10 games, revving everyone else up in the section.
-Everyone else in the section will want to be revved up, and for the most part, be regulars at all the 10 games. And, revved up, not just for the first 5 minutes, but again, the full 60 minutes of game time, at constant, sometimes full voice. During the play, and whistles.
To be authentic Euro, there needs to be chants (often well offside), whistles instead of boos, and the section needs to be adjacent to a Skoda.
But, this will likely more turn into a place/reason for some in that section to just drink their faces off first and foremost. If you don't have the same guys/gals there at each game, in the right spot in the section, to get everyone else going and have others in the section, and other sections, feed off that energy and participate fully, it falls flat...it really can't be forced, it really has to be a combination of fired up fans, directed by an even more fired up pack of leaders, with enough material, energy, and voice to carry it through for a couple hours. If that consistency and willing to go out on that limb is not there for that 50-100 people, it won't work at all.
That's a pretty big step out of the norm for hockey fans and North American sports fans in general. Baseball is the ideal sport for it given the lack of action minute by minute, but it's never been seen it anywhere in North America there either (though the King Felix section in Seattle is as close as it comes, without the chanting and constant cheering).
Soccer, I know which is probably not a good comparison, as we'll never see the in-venue sports culture adopt there here, but this this shows what sort of consistency and energy required to make these sorts of groups effective/are intended. And yeah, you get a group going, a bunch of other casual fans join in and it turns crazy.
This is from a couple years back when word got out that Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier league, due to financial improprieties, were going to knock them out of the Scottish Premier league and down a couple divisions and rival Celtic fans catching wind of this (who had traveled to a game at tiny Inverness) broke out into "Believe us believe us, the Huns are going bust"....
Imagine 6+ minutes of uninterrupted "Edmonton is no good"-related chants in the Dome? Sadly, neither can I.
Last edited by browna; 09-06-2014 at 09:54 AM.
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I'd sit there every game. My friends and I always try to be loud goofballs but most hockey game attendees are not interested in joining in.
The most fun I've had at the 'Dome in a long time was this year's lacrosse final. The place was sold out and going nuts for the whole game. If we could have that kind of atmosphere at everything it would be spectacular.
When I was at a Boston College game this past spring watching JG light it up I noticed they did this with the sections behind each net:
It was pretty neat and definitely added to the atmosphere, I think this is a great idea for hockey teams.. especially those that are about to be struggling.
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I love this idea. I feel somewhat bad for Sens fans. They are stuck between the two biggest hockey fanbases. To the point where their home games with those teams are more like away games. I'd love to see these cheering sections tilt the crowd noise back in the Sens favour.
I'm curious to see how this works out for Ottawa. I hope it sticks and makes its way to Calgary.
Keep in mind this is as much about attendance as it is about a cool new idea for an NHL team.
What does Ottawa have that the other 6 Canadian teams don't? 4000 empty seats for most games. Their arena holds 20500 fans, their attendance was often in the 16k range last season. They have the ability to grab a thousand seats and turn them into a supporters section. Especially in the corners of the lower bowl, that were completely empty many games.
I can't see how any other Canadian team could do this without major relocation of current season ticket holders. Calgary's the only team that could even facilitate such a thing, and that's because our nosebleeds are empty most nights, but what would be the point of putting a supporters section up there?
No one would buy in because they wouldn't be seen and barely heard.
Great idea, but won't work, especially in Ottawa of all places. Maybe I'm wrong, but they don't strike me as the type of fan base that would be rabid enough to make this take off. Not that Calgary would be any better.
I also think for something like this, there actually has to be acceptance of some level of hostility towards the visiting team. No, I don't think people need to be idiots and beat up opposing fans, but there has to be some vitriol towards the other team. Doesn't the dome still have signs asking people not to use foul language?
The reason this works in soccer is:
a) because people genuinely LOVE their team, its not entertainment, its religion
b) people HATE their rivals, and are not afraid to vocalize it.
Many people at hockey games are generally far too casual to create that type of atmosphere. Also, hockey fans seem incapable of chants that are more than 3 words long, like "Go x Go".
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Last edited by Igottago; 09-06-2014 at 04:08 PM.
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The reason soccer fans are singing, and dancing, and fighting in the stands is because the on field product is so slow and boring, so you have to keep yourself entertained somehow. I do not see how you can go to an NHL game game, and actually pay attention to the play, when your sole focus is waving your stupid flag, chanting stupid chants, and trying to make sure you are in sync with everyone around you.
Pro hockey is a fast, intense watching experience if you are there to actually watch the ice. There isn't a lot of time to be a manufactured wannabe hooligan lite.
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The reason soccer fans are singing, and dancing, and fighting in the stands is because the on field product is so slow and boring, so you have to keep yourself entertained somehow. I do not see how you can go to an NHL game game, and actually pay attention to the play, when your sole focus is waving your stupid flag, chanting stupid chants, and trying to make sure you are in sync with everyone around you.
Pro hockey is a fast, intense watching experience if you are there to actually watch the ice. There isn't a lot of time to be a manufactured wannabe hooligan lite.
It doesn't have to be full of flags and stuff.
Just a standing section for people who want to be more vocal and support their team. Rather than get told to sit down and shut up by the people behind you
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Most NHL arenas have awful fan atmospheres, actually pretty much all of them are terrible relative to college sports or Euro soccer. It's hilarious how much hype a couple of buildings get for so loud and tough to play in when the only times it actually gets truly loud is after a goal.
Chicago during the anthem Game 5 against Calgary is the best I've ever been in for an NHL game. Calgary in the cup in 04 was very good as well. Other than those, college hockey arenas way louder and more exciting in the stands than any NHL game I've been to.
So it's a good idea to generate more actual noise and excitement.
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Senators creating a "supporters section" for 2014-15
