This past matchday Parliament was put into the standing drink rail section at our beloved home of Werner Park. While the move had it’s upsides it also came with a few downsides. However it was a good experiment and possible trial run for the proposed stadium, and something I think is worth exploring for future matches.
First I may disappoint some people here and go with the downsides. After seeing the discourse online and hearing from a couple of people who regularly sit in the section there was a few issues that hindered some of the enjoyment of the match. First of which was the difficulty in getting enough room for the flags that usually grace the berm. Flags are a huge part of supporter culture and something that can also spread the message that they want to see. I would love to see more flags as the group continues to grow and that may not be entirely possible with a section move.
Secondly there was an issue with the drum placement. Placing it on the drink rails potentially creates the hazard of spills, which lets be honest who wants to spill their beer? (Especially with the prices at Werner) I am sure that there is a solution that could be ironed out in the future but still a drawback none the less.
Next up is the smoke, another huge part of the supporter groups important role in the gameday experience. While I personally love the smell, it reminds me of the 4th of july smoke bombs my cousins and I would light off and run through, there are some around me in section 105 that don’t feel the same way.
Lastly there was the tremendous job of the drum core for Parliament, while they did an amazing job of creating an atmosphere that would make any team envious I have heard rumblings of people getting headaches from it. A simple offer to move their seats a bit further away would resolve this issue and keep the amazing atmosphere the drummers were able to create.
Let’s get to the positives, because these are all huge things.
First off the accessibility is greatly improved. With smooth concrete at the top of the section those who would love to be a part of the amazing group of supporters we have but were previously unable to because of the berm now could. Which is something I know we are all in favor of.
Next is the much better angle of the sun. Instead of being in the direct sunlight in the faces of our supporters it was off to the side which is much more manageable, especially if you partake in the amazing pre match tailgate scene.
Let’s get to my favorite part of the move, the noise level. Wow. That’s really all that I can say and that doesn’t do it justice at all. With the move to the drink rails the drums and chants could be heard louder and clearer for the seatback sections. I heard people around me that usually don’t participate in the chants getting into it and feeding into the environment. The noise bouncing off of the seats and “roof” of the stadium helped a ton as well. I am a big fan of this, as I am sure the players are as well.
Overall I think that the experiment to move the SG to the drink rails was a worthy one. One that could and should be explored more. In my opinion it helped create an atmosphere that was more like 5000 people rather than the 2500 that were there. Now don’t get me wrong here, the berm is a great place as well for our SG, and will be utilized for the foreseeable future, however perhaps extending it would be an option for the future. That is way above my paygrade though.
Parliament continues to bring the noise and atmosphere week in and week out. That is what they have done and will continue to do, wherever they end up, all I know is I could use another one of those matches to keep this adrenaline going in my body and they know how to bring it.
Who Gives A Hoot? 