Soccer during COVID: The Supporters

Written by Dave Wasiolek

In 2014 – inspired by the vision and leadership of Chris Jones, Ron Deal, and others – Nashville Football Club (NFC) played its inaugural season in the NPSL. This was the first step in a larger dream of one day reaching the ranks of the MLS. Through the support of thousands of devoted fans and a dedicated ownership group, this dream came true far quicker than ever imagined when on February 29, 2020 the Nashville Soccer Club played their first MLS match in front of the deafening cheers of 59,000 fans.

Then there was silence.

Four and a half months later, through COVID-driven shutdowns and disappointments, those devoted fans are still perched with anticipation for one more opportunity to light the smoke and roar the chants.  

The most devout of these fans belong to one of 6 NSC-recognized supporter groups including The Roadies, The Assembly, The Eastern Front, The Music City Supporters, The Heaters, and the newly formed La Oro Brigada. Like everyone, the COVID shutdown has been hard on the supporters. From job uncertainty and health concerns regarding their most vulnerable family members, these worries can create significant stress on a family. All of us have our distractions that help us cope in difficult times but, unfortunately for these supporters, one of their key distractions was taken from them with the delay of the MLS season.

Then, as the economy began its tentative foray into reopening, a light appeared at the end of soccer tunnel when the MLS Is Back tournament was announced. The Roadies, the largest of the supporter groups, looked into a socially distanced drive-in viewing party for Nashville’s first match of the tournament. Unfortunately, COVID still had another kick to the cherries to deliver and it swept through the squad in Orlando, causing Nashville to withdraw from the tournament.

Still, the fans were not deterred and in talking with Newton Dominey – President of the Roadies – he is encouraged by the way the soccer community handled all the setbacks and challenges during this difficult time. “Thank God for Slack and Zoom,” Newton exclaimed as he expounded on how the community has maintained their spirits and supported each other throughout the crisis. “We are like a family, we try to be there for each other and do whatever we can to help one another.”

Watching the supporters band together and reach out to care for one another gives us all a glimpse of our better reflection and I am reminded of a song I heard somewhere

                                Hey brother, hey sister, I’ll never give up on you

                                Hey missus, hey mister, I’ll see this all the way through

                                No matter how far, the sun and the moon

                                I’ll never give up… on you

Keep heart: soon we will all be together once again with drums pounding, smoke billowing, and chants bellowing – willing the boys in Blue and Gold onward as they thunder across the pitch to victory.

The Supporters Section… before social distancing, anyway.