From the heart and mind of Hannah Cool:

Well, 107ist friends, it’s that time of year again; the leaves start to change, the days shorten and our beloved Portland soccer teams approach their final home matches for the regular season. Before we say our final goodbyes to the North End for 2026, we must first attend to some business: BYCAP. 

Buy Your Capo A Pint or BYCAP is an annual fundraiser driven by the capos and DnT (drums & trumpets) for the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters during their final regular season home matches.

For the full history of how BYCAP came to be, please read last year’s blog post here!

While I do highly encourage reading the full story of BYCAP, I’ve been encouraged to share a different perspective - one from a decades long fan turned novice capo. 

After the last home Thorns match, a father walked down to my capo nest with his daughters. We exchanged high fives, chatted a bit about the outcome of the match before the dad smiled down at one of his daughters and asked her, “can I tell her what you told me?” The girl, who could not have been older than 13, nodded her head shyly. He turned back to me and said, “she told me she wants to be you when she grows up.” 

I was floored. “You know what? I used to say the same thing about Sunday when I was in the stands! And now look!” This little girl was beaming. “I promise I’ll keep this capo nest warm until you’re old enough to take my place.” 

They left, but it's two weeks later and I still haven’t been able to stop thinking about this interaction. It felt like such a full circle moment for me. While my time as a capo only began in 2024, my love affair with the North End began many years prior. 

I was still in high school when my mom brought me to my first Timbers match. Although I knew absolutely nothing about soccer, I still fell in love almost instantly. I wasn’t just enamoured  by the North End energy, but by the capos leading it all. In fact, there were numerous matches where I spent more time watching Patch or Sunday than the actual players on the pitch. I’d leave the gates of the Park with chants playing on repeat in my head for days on end. It didn’t matter how the match ended. The energy was contagious. 

I grew up my entire life being told I was “too loud” or “too much”, only being summoned upon when someone needed to get a group's attention or make an announcement in a crowded room. My brief time as a capo has shown me that this voice I have isn’t a curse but a gift - a lesson I never would have learned without the capos that came before me. 

Now, how the hell does this story tie into BYCAP? BYCAP allows us, as capos, to continue to use our voices for those who can’t because we know that this is all so much more than just soccer. From its infancy, our 107IST organization and all that comes from it has had a mission that extends far beyond the walls of the North End because we know that soccer does not exist without community; that WE don’t exist without community. That moment with a dad and a daughter reminded me of the privilege it is to stand up there and use my voice, no matter what else happened on the pitch behind me. 

For BYCAP donations this year, The Timbers Army have chosen Camp Meadowoodsprings, a summer camp that helps children with communication difficulties. The Riveters have chosen Friends of Trees, a volunteer organization that works to improve our world by planting trees together. 

Although BYCAP makes for a clever acronym,  we know the North End doesn’t happen without the entirety of our talented crew of volunteers. If you’ve ever wondered how to show your appreciation for the capos chanting, the intricate tifos, the banging drums or the elaborate rail banners, now is your chance. At the final regular season home matches for both Timbers (11/1) and Thorns (10/23), your capos and DnT will have buckets in the stadium for cash donations as well as QR codes for digital donations.  (Or donate online via this link!)

Thorns' final regular-season home match:

Friday Oct 23rd - vs North Carolina Courage
100% of Proceeds to: https://friendsoftrees.org/

Timbers' final regular-season home match:

Sunday Nov 1st - vs Houston Dynamo
100% of Proceeds to: https://www.meadowoodsprings.org/

Donation URL for both events:   https://107ist.org/107ist/donate