How did you become a NYCFC fan?

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Matt96

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Hi everyone!

I am a PhD Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, assessing fans from Liverpool FC, Everton FC, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Manchester City FC, Manchester United FC, New York City FC or New York Red Bulls.

I am trying to understand HOW people become fans of the teams they support.

To clarify, HOW is seen as a method or process. For example if I were to ask you how you baked a cake, you’d tell me the method you took to bake that cake. By commenting on the post you provide consent for me to use your full quote and consent to that, therefore please state otherwise.

I want to know the process or method that you took to the point where you then knew that you supported New York City FC.

Feel free to also discuss alongside how you became a fan, why you became a fan and anything else you feel is important to discuss. Also if you feel comfortable, please mention your location too.
Thank you everyone!
 
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Long story short, I decided to give MLS a chance when I saw NYCFC was beginning -- I went to a game early in their first season and had a blast. The atmosphere was amazing, unlike anything I had experienced in any other New York sports event, and the game on the field was exciting. I was hooked from there.
 
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I was a fan of soccer in Europe (Borussia Dortmund only, at the time). I found out that the MLS exists in the winter of 2016 right before the 2016 season began. I found out that there were two New York teams, and decided to go to both opening games of the season. Needless to say, I clearly enjoyed the NYCFC experience way more, and that's how it started for me.
I guess the main things that helped me decide this was
a) Located in NYC
b) Blue / Orange themed
c) The players and tactics were more fun to watch
 
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Matt96 said:
Hi everyone!

I am a PhD Researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University in England, assessing fans from Liverpool FC, Everton FC, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Manchester City FC, Manchester United FC, New York City FC or New York Red Bulls.

I am trying to understand HOW people become fans of the teams they support.

To clarify, HOW is seen as a method or process. For example if I were to ask you how you baked a cake, you’d tell me the method you took to bake that cake. By commenting on the post you provide consent for me to use your full quote and consent to that, therefore please state otherwise.

I want to know the process or method that you took to the point where you then knew that you supported New York City FC.

Feel free to also discuss alongside how you became a fan, why you became a fan and anything else you feel is important to discuss. Also if you feel comfortable, please mention your location too.
Thank you everyone!
Click to expand...
I had been a soccer fan of Bayern Munich and the German National team and an avid follower of soccer in Europe. I wanted to try to do my part to help grow the game over here, and originally became a season ticket holder for RBNJ as they were the only "local" professional team in the league. I knew the league level was going to be less than the European Leagues, but support and money are needed to become better. Soccer won't grow here in the US if we only watch German, English, Spanish, and/or Italian clubs. I was only in college at the time, but would go and invite friends to attend games and bask in the atmosphere unlike most other US sports. I've continued to bring friends to NYCFC games and they all (for the most part) tend to love the atmosphere and excitement of a soccer match. Also, the ability to make plans at a decent time, knowing the whole match will be complete within two hours.

Once NYCFC was announced I immediately jumped ship to not only support a team closer to home, but to also be a part of something new in a sporting way. Most NY sport fans become fans due to lineage or location, and a lot of those teams are steeped in history, having been around for decades. I felt it was interesting to support a brand new team in one of the biggest cities in the world, another step in expanding soccer in the US (specifically the NYC region). How many people can say they were there from the beginning for a team in NYC? Not many at my age.

I know the league is still below the level of the highest ones in Europe, but it has improved significantly in the 5 years since the inaugural NYCFC season.

In short, how I became a fan;
1 part Desire to Support Local Pro Soccer
1 part Helping Expand/Teach Soccer to Friends/Family
1 part Desire to Support the Beginning of a new NYC team
2 parts Jaegermeister
 
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I grew up in Peru and have always been a soccer fan. I used to watch a ton of soccer on TV before I came to the US in 1997 at age 25, but maybe because nobody else in my household cared about sports at all (my parents and my older brother were literally against sports) I had never been a fan of any particular team. I had never been to a stadium.

I had been following NYCFC on TV during the first few months of the 2015 season, and then around August 2015 I had the chance to work a few gigs as a Spanish interpreter for the club, hang out with Iraola, Angelino, Villa, etc. and I became a committed fan. I remember Iraola complaining that his whole body was sore because here they privileged fitness training over ball training, at least compared with La Liga. He had been here only a few weeks at that point.
 
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My wife bought us tickets for my birthday because Pirlo was playing for NYCFC and I was a long-time fan of his. We went to a second game after that and became season ticket holders for two seasons after that.
 
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I feel like I already answered this question here but I'm on a Megabus back from Philly and feeling good about NYCFC things (and NYC things) so what the hell.

I've been a fan of football ever since I got too small to compete in basketball, rugby or Australian Rules football, but never supported a team that played in the city I lived because I never liked those cities enough to want to put down those kinds of roots. New York is the first place that's ever met that standard and so as a lover of football, I felt like it was time to find a club and as others have mentioned, do my part to help NYC and the USA become the kind of soccer environment I wish I'd had the chance to grow up in.

NYRB doesn't feel like New York at all, and it's not just about geography. I wouldn't say NYCFC quite hits the mark either, but at least as a founding member I feel like there's more I can do to participate in the making of what that is.
 
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Been a lifelong fan of The World Famous Dundee United and have played and watched football all my life, so any chance to watch a game and support a team in my new home town was going to be appealing. Add to that that the closest alternative is in a lifeless stadium in a garbage state that you have to travel for so long to get to and I was more than ready to sign up to be a NYCFC fan. Once we got Villa, Pirlo et al the allure of watching World Cup winners was a big draw, then luckily the team turned out to play an exciting (at times) and attractive brand of football, and the atmosphere in the supporters section is a riot, so I was hooked.
 
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I'm from Connecticut which doesn't really have any teams of it's own most people are split between Boston and New York. I was just getting into soccer when MLS launched but I never completely engaged with The Revolution or Metrostars. Whether it was kits, name, badge just never felt totally right. Also neither Mass or Jersey are really convenient enough from my part of Connecticut to think of either as a legit local team.

Enter NYCFC. MLS has improved a lot, the kit, colors, badge etc all feel more in line with what I want from a football team than the older teams. Getting to the Bronx isn't too difficult and I've supported Manchester City since 1999 so it all came together. David Villa from the start didn't hurt either.
 
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I am a life long NYer who roots for local teams. I never had cable as a kid so anything I could watch had to be on over the air television. I played club soccer but had no where to watch except for the world cup every 4 years. I watched other sports like football all the time but never wanted to travel to jersey to see the Giants live. I was not much of a baseball fan and yet I went to plenty of Mets games due to proximity to me in Queens.

When I heard there was a new MLS club potentially coming to NYC and might be located in Queens I jumped on board. I attended the prospective meetings in Queens and whatnot. I was disappointed when I found out the ownership rights were given to CFG and Yankees and that they'd be playing in the Bronx. I figured I already missed the boat on Metrostars. I was too young to buy season tickets and travel on my own and by the time I was financially independent they moved to Jersey and had a stupid corporate sponsor as a team name. I wasn't interested in supporting RB, so even though it wasn't looking like the new club would be in Queens I figured this was going the be the best I was going to get. So I bought into the club. They checked all the boxes for me NYC based soccer club - actually located in NYC proper (most important to me) - that I could be a founding member in (moderate importance). The travel time wasn't obscene - Astoria > Yankee stadium is okay (moderate importance) - and I'm partial the color blue (minor importance).

On the negative side I don't love the inauthentic ownership of CFG. I don't genuinely believe they see us as anything other then a spoke in their global wheel. Nor do I love the Yankee's and their Bronx connections being that I am a Queens kid. They both have winning mentality, which is great but it feels like the source of their success comes by outspending opponents. It keeps me around for the perceived success and potential to have superstar caliber players (in as much as MLS has stars compared to Europe that is), but makes us a target for being "plastic" fans. I am not foolish enough to think a single billionaire owner is going to be much better then CFG/NYY (see the NY Knicks as an example of a "oh god please no" owner, but then look at the NY Rangers and say "oh okay I can live with that"...... and then realize that its the same guy and go huh?!? ) but it would have been nice if a local rich guy got the rights and made the club brand from scratch, cause as much as I like blue I don't really love being Man City lite.

TL;DR
I wanted to support a NYC soccer club actually in NYC first and foremost. NYCFC ticked the box and it being the inaugural season and I had money/freedom I bought in as a season ticket holder with further ingrained me to the club. I'd be a lifer if they settle in Queens, less so in Bronx. Would prefer a NYC based owner but i'll take what we got.
 
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Rimil said:
I am a life long NYer who roots for local teams. I never had cable as a kid so anything I could watch had to be on over the air television. I played club soccer but had no where to watch except for the world cup every 4 years. I watched other sports like football all the time but never wanted to travel to jersey to see the Giants live. I was not much of a baseball fan and yet I went to plenty of Mets games due to proximity to me in Queens.

When I heard there was a new MLS club potentially coming to NYC and might be located in Queens I jumped on board. I attended the prospective meetings in Queens and whatnot. I was disappointed when I found out the ownership rights were given to CFG and Yankees and that they'd be playing in the Bronx. I figured I already missed the boat on Metrostars. I was too young to buy season tickets and travel on my own and by the time I was financially independent they moved to Jersey and had a stupid corporate sponsor as a team name. I wasn't interested in supporting RB, so even though it wasn't looking like the new club would be in Queens I figured this was going the be the best I was going to get. So I bought into the club. They checked all the boxes for me NYC based soccer club - actually located in NYC proper (most important to me) - that I could be a founding member in (moderate importance). The travel time wasn't obscene - Astoria > Yankee stadium is okay (moderate importance) - and I'm partial the color blue (minor importance).

On the negative side I don't love the inauthentic ownership of CFG. I don't genuinely believe they see us as anything other then a spoke in their global wheel. Nor do I love the Yankee's and their Bronx connections being that I am a Queens kid. They both have winning mentality, which is great but it feels like the source of their success comes by outspending opponents. It keeps me around for the perceived success and potential to have superstar caliber players (in as much as MLS has stars compared to Europe that is), but makes us a target for being "plastic" fans. I am not foolish enough to think a single billionaire owner is going to be much better then CFG/NYY but it would have been nice if a local rich guy got the rights and made the club brand from scratch, cause as much as I like blue I don't really love being Man City lite.

TL;DR
I wanted to support a NYC soccer club actually in NYC first and foremost. NYCFC ticked the box and it being the inaugural season and I had money/freedom I bought in as a season ticket holder with further ingrained me to the club. I'd be a lifer if they settle in Queens, less so in Bronx. Would prefer a NYC based owner but i'll take what we got.
Click to expand...
At least they can't (justifiably) claim that we're winning by overspending:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1177346609421725706
 
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I'm 51 years old. In other words, OLD. I grew up in the 70s/80s playing soccer for my school teams when the sport was EXOTIC. I watched the world cup through the 80s and early 90s. When we hosted the '94 world cup it was AMAZING, I was a young adult teaching English as a second language in New York City and hopeful that soccer would catch on. I followed the early years of MLS and watched many NY/NJ MetroStars games, even went to some, even though I felt the name, colors, and atmosphere (at Giants Stadium) were cringy. When Red Bull bought them, that was even worse. Although my (new) wife said, "Red Bulls" are a better name than "MetroStars". I followed the Red Bulls albeit with some embarrassment at their name and lack of identification with the city where I was raising my family, in Brooklyn. My son was a soccer prodigy, attending Red Bull camps, and my daughter and her soccer team (Gotham Girls) held hands with the Colorodo Rapids walking out onto the field in the final season of Red Bulls at Giants Stadium. My family was at the 2010 opening of Red Bull Arena, we still have the passes. I also followed the Cosmos who at that time seemed like they might become "the" NYC team, but instead they crashed and burned.

When NYCFC announced their arrival I was immediately transfixed. Please note that I am a city planner/geographer/graphic designer/engineer that works for a firm that is the go-to firm for all New York City's environmental impact studies. I loved NYCFC from the moment they unveiled their crest, a beautiful amalgam of NYC iconography, and commitment to soccer of the highest order. I was already a fan of Barcelona (my son's club team played there) and Manchester City, and everything fell into place. I was glad to be rid of the weird New Jersey, Red Bull energy drink, etc connection. My firm worked for the club on the environmental permitting and geotechnical work for the Orangetown training facility, and now hopes to work on the stadium in the Bronx (or whereever it ends up). I attend most of the home games and continue to be a die hard fan, taking family and co-workers to games at every opportunity. Also, I love this forum and read it and post on it pretty much every day. (I am also a Tottenham Hotspur fan, as is my son, and a life-long New York Jets fan, which is a WHOLE NOTHER story that you should write about, i.e. Jets vs. Giants fans and Mets vs. Yankees fans).

Good luck on your PhD! I am considering applying for a PhD program myself, for Geography. Can't decide whether I am up for it, with kids going to college and all, or if I just want to RELAX.
 
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I support a few different teams in different leagues.

MLS - originally a Miami fusion fan which was where i grew up,I hate most NY teams including the Metrostars (now Red Bulls). Since the fusion are gone, i had no MLS team so when the new franchise was announced it was a natural fit.

Spurs- where my family was from.

Juve- they had all the Italian national team players.

Other sports - all south Florida teams.
 
I never played any sports growing up, my family did not have any interest in following any sports team. I remember Alexi Lalas’ appearance and that looked fun. It at least captured my attention.

When i had kids, they played town sports, soccer and baseball. This is when they were seven years old maybe. I found myself getting very excited watching my son play soccer. I wanted to learn more about socver so I started following West Bromwich Albion because that was the closest team to where my English ancestors were from.

I found out in January 2015 New York City was going to be getting a professional team. A friend of mine who lives on Long Island told me about it. He got me tickets to a game in 2015 and it was a blast.

I remember thinking I was pleased that the company that owned Manchester City also owned NYC FC. There would presumably be substantial financial backing and that our team would not be done on the cheap.

2016 I decided to sit in the supporter section, no season-ticket, just individual games when I could make it down. After the first game I realize that that is where I belong. The energy and passion was unmatched in any other sporting event I had been to.

Before the 2017 season I got a phone call from the club trying to sell me on a season ticket holder package. The thing that sold me was the trade in program which had just been started. So I was a season ticket holder 2017, 2018, 2019.

i’ve never lived anywhere close to New York City. I live four hours away from Yankee stadium. My parents were born there though, my dad was born in Brooklyn and my mom in Flushing. A lot of my extended family lives down there. So I do feel at least a little connection to the area.

I still follow West Brom in the Championship (Come On You Baggies). I pay a little attention to Werder Bremen since that is where my grandfather’s family immigrated from, and I certainly support the US national team. I’ve been to three of their matches in the last three years
 
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I've been a fan of soccer since I can remember. As a kid, I rocked a Chicago Sting license plate on my bicycle, haha. I was stationed in Germany in 97/98 when I started following (as well as I could) MLS. That was the year the Chicago Fire started. Before then, the only teams I really followed were Arsenal and TSV 1860 Munich. When I got back to the states, I was stationed in NY, then Alaska, then NY again. I would go to Fire matches when I could and always in the supporter's section (section 8). I just recently started really following NYCFC 2 years ago. I've lived in NY longer than anywhere else in my life and wanted to support a "local" team (I live up near Canada...haha). The more games I watched the more I really enjoyed this team. I haven't made it to a match yet, but I am hoping to be able to next season.
 
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ZYanksRule said:
Long story short, I decided to give MLS a chance when I saw NYCFC was beginning -- I went to a game early in their first season and had a blast. The atmosphere was amazing, unlike anything I had experienced in any other New York sports event, and the game on the field was exciting. I was hooked from there.
Click to expand...
Why NYCFC? And why did you decide to give them a chance when you did?
When did you realise you were a fan?
 
Shwafta said:
I was a fan of soccer in Europe (Borussia Dortmund only, at the time). I found out that the MLS exists in the winter of 2016 right before the 2016 season began. I found out that there were two New York teams, and decided to go to both opening games of the season. Needless to say, I clearly enjoyed the NYCFC experience way more, and that's how it started for me.
I guess the main things that helped me decide this was
a) Located in NYC
b) Blue / Orange themed
c) The players and tactics were more fun to watch
Click to expand...
What was it about the blue and orange for you?
What was it about that experience on the day too?
 
Dnigly13 said:
I support a few different teams in different leagues.

MLS - originally a Miami fusion fan which was where i grew up,I hate most NY teams including the Metrostars (now Red Bulls). Since the fusion are gone, i had no MLS team so when the new franchise was announced it was a natural fit.

Spurs- where my family was from.

Juve- they had all the Italian national team players.

Other sports - all south Florida teams.
Click to expand...

Why were NYCFC a natural fit?
 
Kenny said:
I'm 51 years old. In other words, OLD. I grew up in the 70s/80s playing soccer for my school teams when the sport was EXOTIC. I watched the world cup through the 80s and early 90s. When we hosted the '94 world cup it was AMAZING, I was a young adult teaching English as a second language in New York City and hopeful that soccer would catch on. I followed the early years of MLS and watched many NY/NJ MetroStars games, even went to some, even though I felt the name, colors, and atmosphere (at Giants Stadium) were cringy. When Red Bull bought them, that was even worse. Although my (new) wife said, "Red Bulls" are a better name than "MetroStars". I followed the Red Bulls albeit with some embarrassment at their name and lack of identification with the city where I was raising my family, in Brooklyn. My son was a soccer prodigy, attending Red Bull camps, and my daughter and her soccer team (Gotham Girls) held hands with the Colorodo Rapids walking out onto the field in the final season of Red Bulls at Giants Stadium. My family was at the 2010 opening of Red Bull Arena, we still have the passes. I also followed the Cosmos who at that time seemed like they might become "the" NYC team, but instead they crashed and burned.

When NYCFC announced their arrival I was immediately transfixed. Please note that I am a city planner/geographer/graphic designer/engineer that works for a firm that is the go-to firm for all New York City's environmental impact studies. I loved NYCFC from the moment they unveiled their crest, a beautiful amalgam of NYC iconography, and commitment to soccer of the highest order. I was already a fan of Barcelona (my son's club team played there) and Manchester City, and everything fell into place. I was glad to be rid of the weird New Jersey, Red Bull energy drink, etc connection. My firm worked for the club on the environmental permitting and geotechnical work for the Orangetown training facility, and now hopes to work on the stadium in the Bronx (or whereever it ends up). I attend most of the home games and continue to be a die hard fan, taking family and co-workers to games at every opportunity. Also, I love this forum and read it and post on it pretty much every day. (I am also a Tottenham Hotspur fan, as is my son, and a life-long New York Jets fan, which is a WHOLE NOTHER story that you should write about, i.e. Jets vs. Giants fans and Mets vs. Yankees fans).

Good luck on your PhD! I am considering applying for a PhD program myself, for Geography. Can't decide whether I am up for it, with kids going to college and all, or if I just want to RELAX.
Click to expand...

This is great, thank you!

You really should do a PhD- but you won't stop thinking about it once you start!!

Did you follow the Yankees before NYCFC and any other NY sports teams?
How did Tottenham come about?
 
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