Emerald City Supporters

This article is about the supporters group in Seattle. For other fanclubs with this name, see Sydney FC.
Emerald City Supporters

Team Seattle Sounders FC
Location CenturyLink Field sections 121-123
Established 2005
Website WeAreECS.com

Emerald City Supporters (ECS) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. The ECS is known for large choreographed tifo displays.[1][2]

History and name

Supporters in 2008

Emerald City Supporters was founded in 2005 by the supporters of the now defunct Seattle Sounders soccer team that played in the United Soccer Leagues First Division.[3] The name first appeared on a banner used as early as 2003 by a now defunct supporters' group known as The Pod, and was adopted by the new group upon its formation between the 2004 and 2005 seasons.[4] The name reflects city pride, as Emerald City is a well-known nickname for the city of Seattle. When the arrival of a new MLS franchise in Seattle was announced in 2008 and it was clear that the USL Sounders were going to fold, the ECS decided to become supporters of the new club.[5] When the name of the new club was decided by vote, the ECS was very active in rallying votes for the Sounders moniker. When the Sounders played in the USL the ECS had fewer than a hundred members.[6] The arrival of MLS in Seattle resulted in a rapid growth of ECS membership, and by the inaugural game of Seattle Sounders FC in March 2009 ECS had about 600 members.[7] By the end of 2009 the membership had risen to 1,400.[3] In June 2010 the membership had passed the 2,000 mark.[8] In 2012 the annual paid membership was about 2,700.

Gameday

A display for Sounders FC's inaugural game

ECS occupies sections 121–123 at CenturyLink Field, the home ground of the Sounders. These sections are general-admission sections located behind the goal at the south end of CenturyLink Field, also known as The Brougham End. On the day of a home game the ECS congregates at bars in the Pioneer Square area, and marches together the half-mile distance from Occidental Park to CenturyLink Field.[7][9][10][11] During games the ECS contributes to a supporters atmosphere through standing, singing, and tifo. Songs are led by a capo with the aid of a PA system and megaphones.[7][12]

Songs

Emerald City Supporters are vocal and seek organized and forceful expressions during games. Their style of cheering would normally be reserved for teams in Europe or Latin America.[3] The European influence shows in songs that involve coordinated movement, such as pogoing and scarf waving, and in many traditional British football chants such as Sounders Till I Die and Guinness Boys. In addition, the ECS has adapted some punk rock songs such as the Cock Sparrer song "Take 'Em All" and the Sick of It All song "Us vs. Them"'.[10] At kick-off, the ECS sings the first verse of the Perry Como song "Seattle".

Sub-groups

Several sub-groups exist within the Emerald City Supporters . To be considered an official regional sub-group there must be at least 25 ECS members affiliated with the group; groups based on a common cause other than geography (such as La Barra Fuerza Verde and Pride of the Sound) require 50 ECS members to be officially recognized.[13] There are many official sub-groups, including:

253 Defiance

253 Defiance represent Tacoma, Puyallup and all of the surrounding areas covered by the 253 area code. The origin of the name comes from Point Defiance Park, the local area code, and behavior.

Anchor and Rose 48s

The AnRs is a regional sub-group based in Portland, Oregon.

Armed Services Group

The Armed Services Group is a sub-group for veterans and active duty military members.

Black Hills Militia

The Black Hills Militia is a regional sub-group based in Olympia, Washington.

Fog City Faithful

Fog City Faithful is an official regional ECS sub-group of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

Heartland Horde

Heartland Horde is a regional sub-group for the Midwest

La Barra Fuerza Verde

La Barra Fuerza Verde is a Seattle based sub-group whose purpose is to bridge the Sounders with the Pacific Northwest Latino Community.

Pride of the Sound

Pride of the Sound is a Seattle based sub-group whose mission is to provide a safe and fun space for LGTBQ and their allies within the broader ECS family.

Seattle Sounders East

Seattle Sounders East is a sub-group representing all ECS Members on the East Coast. The sub-group aims at attending away matches at New York, New England, Philadelphia, DC, Toronto, Chicago and Columbus.

SoCal Sound

SoCal Sound is a regional sub-group based in Southern California that attends Sounders games played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

West Sound Armada

West Sound Armada is a regional sub-group based in communities located west of Puget Sound.

Rival groups

References

  1. ↑ Mayers, Joshua (May 17, 2011). "Emerald City Supporters' amazing display draws national acclaim". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ Kwesi O'Mard, Marcus (October 8, 2012). "Seattle Sounders Have Best Fans in America as ECS Sets New Standard With 'All In' Tifo". The New England Sports Network. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Brewer, Jerry (December 30, 2009). "Fanatomy Part 5: Record-setting first season puts Sounders FC fans on world's soccer map". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Seattle vs. Los Angeles US Open Cup August 27, 2003 Seahawks Stadium". GoalSeattle.com. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  5. ↑ Clare, Steve (August 18, 2008). "Seattle United FC?". European Weekly. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Wir stehen und singen die gesamte Spielzeit über". Stadionwelt. March 20, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 O'Neill, Danny (March 30, 2009). "Converted to the other game of football". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  8. ↑ Lacitis, Erik (June 10, 2010). "Soccer-mad Seattle gets pumped up for the World Cup". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ Chen, Joyce (October 30, 2009). "Playoff excitement tickles Seattle Sounders fans". The News Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Booth, Tim (June 28, 2009). "Sounders make noise". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  11. ↑ Vito, "Christopher A." (March 24, 2010). "Sons of Ben will hear from Sounders fans". Delaware County Daily Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  12. ↑ Clark, Dave (April 18, 2010). "Supporter for a Day - From within the ECS". SB Nation. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  13. ↑ https://www.weareecs.com/subgroups. Retrieved 15 March 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ Romero, José Miguel (August 8, 2003). "206 vs. 503: Soccer rivalry still simmers". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  15. ↑ Romero, José Miguel (June 30, 2009). "Portland Timbers fans take rivalry with Sounders FC to another level". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 30, 2009.
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