Here we are again, another home match week! It feels like forever since we have been inside Werner Park cheering on our Owls. We have a big game ahead of us this week, no only is it to climb up in the rankings but it is to knock off an old rival. Oh, and how could I forget, KEEP THE BELT! We have made Werner Park a fortress, only losing at home 4 times since our debut! As we know the only way we make that happen is by having a great team AND great fan support. Continuing my series on supporters groups around USL League One we have a special one for you today. Our very own @Luke_Opperman, President of The Parliament is here for an interview with yours truly. You can hear him on the pod as well so this may be a little weird seeing his responses on screen but I am sure that we can all imagine him answering in his podcast voice.
Q: When/how did you start following the club?
A: Started following the day it was announced, being relatively new to the metro at the time, having a local pro soccer team was extremely exciting to me.
Q: How did your SG get its start?
A: The SG predates me, as far as I know it started with a Facebook chat that turned into a discussion of how to best support the new pro club. From there and the brand reveal turned into Omaha Parliament whose goal is to support soccer’s growth throughout the Omaha metro especially through support of Union Omaha.
Q: How many members do you currently have?
A: We’re currently around 550 members.
Q: What’s your goal as a SG?
A: Our mission statement is as follows : “Our Mission is to support Union Omaha and the growth of soccer in the Greater Omaha Metro Area at the pro and amateur level.”
Q: What do you feel you add to the SG scene that differs from other SG?
A: As of writing this, we are the only Union Omaha supporter’s group that is also a 501c3 nonprofit. This legally requires us to give back to the community, which we do through a number of fundraising and volunteer initiatives.
Q:Do you have a tailgate spot you want to let everyone know about?
A: We’re set up by lot F3, beverages and food are free(donations welcome), we’ve got merch for sale, and it is always one hell of a good time.
Q: How does one join your SG?
A: It’s totally free and has some great perks, one can sign up at https://omahaparliament.org/signup/.
Q: What’s one thing you’d like to see from all of the supporters around our team?
A: A greater presence in all aspects of the metro soccer community.
Q: Is there anything you’d like to see all of the SG do together?
A: I’d love to see the evolution of a “tailgate village”, a one stop spot for all your Union Omaha SG tailgates.
Q: Is there something we can do as supporters/SG pre-match to make the environment better for us all? Or to make the pre-match scene better?
A: We’re always investing in the game day environment, whether it be international flags so that players feel supported, drums and TIFOs to keep the crowd and players engaged, or partnering with businesses on tailgates that are ever changing in terms of offerings.
Q: How much communication do you have with the Front office?
A: We have regular communication to coordinate activities at games, watchparties, and around the community.
Q: Anything you’ve wanted to do in stadium that isn’t allowed or isnt logistically possible?
A: We’d love to have our own section instead of just the berm, but unfortunately having the most accessible seats means being on the berm without any seats.
Q: And finally what’s on your ultimate goal? If money/time we’re no issue, what do you want your SG to be?
A: I’d love to see our SG as well recognized for the good works it does across the full spectrum of the Omaha soccer community, while at the same time making every home game hell for the visiting team. It’d also be great to be able to heavily subsidize away day fan experiences, but currently the revenue streams are not available.
Some great things happening around our team and our supporters groups. Hopefully we see an increase of membership and momentum for all of our supporters groups and our team with this amazing Open Cup run we are having. I want to thank Luke for agreeing to answer a few questions for me to pass along to our readers. Look for the next installment of our supporters group series before the next home match!
Who Gives A Hoot? 