Sam's Army Match Guidelines
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY
IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE SAM'S ARMY SECTION AT US NATIONAL TEAM MATCHES
The Sam's Army section has had many curiosity seekers come in and not participate as well as some who have come into the section and not willing to follow group dynamics. If you are not interested in helping us with the following, then PLEASE RECONSIDER ATTENDING A MATCH WITH US IN THE FUTURE.
STANDING- The section is a standing section. We stand for the whole match. if you are looking to relax for 90 minutes, this is not the place for you.
PARTICIPATION- This is required. It is the essence of what we are about. To energize the team and other fans by creating vocal support.
GENERAL ADMISSION- Despite there being a row and seat number on your ticket, the Sam's Army sections tend to be a General Admission area which allows people to move freely. If someone asks you for their exact seat, let them have it. If YOU are the person who demands to have their exact seat, then please reconsider coming into the section in the future. Also, try to let kids who cannot see get to the front, but please leave the first few rows free for home town season ticket holders.
WEAR RED!!- Sam's Army has been creating pools of red in stadiums since 1995. Our efforts to get fans to wear red has spurred the U.S. to create a red jersey! The U.S. now has a red jersey with "Indivisible" embroidered on it to solidify an indivisible link between player and fan. Please try to help us change this pool into a "Sea of Red"
ORGANIZATION- We are trying to get the most vocal people and drums together in the center portion of the Sam's Army section. This will help in songs starting and spreading throughout the section. If you want to be part of the core group to start songs then work together with one another! If you are a drummer who wants to bang a drum, make noise, and not help in coordinating ONE VOICE, then please reconsider joining us in future matches.
BEHAVIOR- DO NOT THROW ANYTHING ON THE FIELD!!! If you see someone doing this, tell them to stop or get security to eject them. We do not promote violent or racist behavior in any form. Language and behavior in the section is no different than what one experiences at other sporting events. Though we do not condone this, we can not control the behavior of everyone. If you are the person acting this way, we do not want you in the section or with us at future matches.
TICKETS- If you are purchasing tickets for others a or resell your tickets, BE SURE everyone in your group and the persons you sell your tickets to know about these guidelines.
The events surrounding a U.S. match are to provide our team with true home field advantage as well as to celebrate the game in the most positive light we can. We want to cheer on our team not root against the opposing team. We have something in common with fans that support the opposition, we all love the game and that should be celebrated! So at our tailgate, offer an opposing fan a "dog", a burger, or a beverage and they will walk away having had a good time. Who knows, next time around, that American fan wearing the opponents jersey may be wearing a U.S. jersey in the future because of our hospitality!
The guidelines above have been in place since our inception and have always been on our site. They have changed very little over the many years we have been cheering on the U.S.
From Portland to DC with fans from Costa Rica, Scotland, and Mexico, we have been able to join with other fans, regardless of who they support, to celebrate the game. It is important that we continue this tradition because nobody is bigger than the game. It is about respect and we are glad to see US Soccer is promoting this as well. You can check out the video and read more about it here: http://www.ussoccer.com/Community/Respect-Campaign.aspx
Enjoy the matches!
Sam's Army