Dairon Asprilla and Sophia Smith aren’t the only ones that can surprise a crowd--the 107IST is excited to announce our pop-up location at 1919 SW Morrison Street for the remainder of the 2023 Thorns and Timbers seasons!

For many it might come as a shock - to have such a close location to where we all enter into the stadium to cheer on the players. While the Civic plaza is a staple of many on match days, we've seen the loss of Uno Mas and most recently, Hot Lips Pizza. Through a serendipitous encounter, we were fortunate to be presented with the opportunity to rent a space for the season. Having a location so close to where many spend a significant portion of their match days, presents an abundance of opportunity -- to reintroduce ourselves to the broader PTFC community, reconnect with those we have not seen since the before times, and a place for 107IST members to gather.

As our occupancy of 1919 Morrison is a bit of an experiment, we'd like to take this chance to encourage folks who are in the neighborhood on match days to stop by--see RivetGear and No Pity Originals merch close up, talk to the folks who help our organization run, drop off Match Day Drive donations, and meet one another! 

For those who are new to the game day experience, this new space serves as an initial welcome into the North End - for Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army supporters to learn about who we are, what we do, and how to get involved. We'll continue to utilize the Fanladen for meetings, Office Hours, membership questions (address changes, membership status, etc.) and the Warehouse for general operations and tifo creation, but this experimental space is an exciting opportunity and we'd love to welcome you by. 

We are very excited for the opportunity to combine our storefronts of supporter made merch and bring our community even closer together. This experiment has brought a new level of collaboration to our organization and we are excited for what the possibilities are. And we hope that on Thorns and Timbers match days, you’ll stop by and see the growth and change as we work to make the space our own. 

When will we be ready to open our doors? Starting today, before the Thorns take on Louisville FC, we’ll have the doors open and we’ll have a DJ, 107IST leadership present, and folks from the membership committee who will be able to answer questions. You can drop off your diapers for IRCO on the way to the match, too. Going forward, 100% of Riveters matchday activities will take place at the 1919 Morrison location. We're excited to welcome you to the new space, whether that's today or ahead of the Open Cup match on April 26th.

See you on SW Morrison and in the North End!

Our stadium has evolved over time, but one thing remains constant—The North End. The supporters of today—and of the future—simply want leadership from our Front Office. That desire is an extension of why we are in the North End in the first place: Team, Town, and Timbers Army/Rose City Riveters. Even from our earliest humble days, we have always been here to support the players and celebrate our community, while also seeking and speaking truth.

While the Timbers Army, Rose City Riveters, and 107IST board continue to push for accountability and changes in our Front Office, we are going to use the celebration of the players to help heal our community. Supporting the players in the stands doesn't mean not holding the Front Office accountable. Rather, the two goals work in concert with one another. We want a Front Office as aligned and excited about our ethos and mission as we are; an organization that our community deserves. Our work is not finished. That work cannot punish the players who work day in and day out to produce results and go through the highs and lows of emotions—just like us. If we let the North End fall silent, those who abuse power will not face opposition.

We ask each of you—regardless of how long you have been a supporter—to bring the energy, the noise, the passion. Remember the reasons why you first started coming and returning to matches, and harness those reasons with the frustration you may have to make sure everyone knows the North End is not going away. A unified North End is a powerful tool to support the players and bring accountability.

We also recognize that, for some supporters, the transgressions of the Front Office cut too deeply to allow them to stand in the North End right now. Despite their deep love for Team, Town, and TA/Riveters, the pain caused by the actions of PTFC executive leaders is so profound and unforgivable that they cannot see themselves at Providence Park while the current owners remain. If this is where you are as a supporter, we recognize and empathize with your dilemma. We can be unified in other ways to support our teams. Together, we can assist with match day drives, organize watch parties, and be present and passionate supporters at away games. We know you love the Timbers and Thorns, and we want to join you in making sure players hear your voices and feel your support.

Let’s get stuck in with our hearts and voices to help heal and move forward.

Onward, Rose City!

The following is a post from Stephan Lewis.

We know this past year has been taxing on all of us, and there is a crisis of faith that permeates the clubs. Even the most die-hard supporters have questioned their commitment among the slow drip of disheartening information oozing out of PTFC — ultimately leading to things being far worse than even the most pessimistic supporters had ever anticipated. It has been described as a rollercoaster year, both emotionally and spiritually. Everyone from supporters to long-time, committed volunteers is burned out.

Our community is in crisis. The question then becomes: How do we start to heal? How do we rebuild? And what does that look like for next year’s board?

As we roll into another election cycle, we’ve been pondering about the future and ruminating on the past. Last year’s post still seems relevant: What does it mean to be on the board today? Real talk: It's complicated. It’s safe to say that more of you have a deeper understanding of what we were talking about now — wanting to create a more healthy, professional relationship with the FO. That shit was toxic. (And, like at this point last year, we’re back to not meeting with them.)

One of the age-old questions in our elections is: Are we a working or strategic board? While that answer for a long time was "a working board with aspirations of being more strategic," we have actually made that transition for the most part. The 107IST board of ?the past few years is different from what many have past experienced or understood.

Thinking forward, and looking back over the past year, the org could really benefit from members with more professional services experience. Anthing from financial services/accounting, fundraising, data wrangling, to the management of complex relationships. While having these skills on the board would be great, we would openly welcome involvement on many of our committees from Finance to Community Outreach. We’re all volunteers, and many hands make light work, as we say. Maybe more so, however, we could use more help rebuilding our community. That’s likely to be an all-hands-on-deck situation, but someone may have unique skills that could help.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The Thorns lifted the championship trophy, and the Cascadia Cup is back home. We also saw a return in the number of people coming out to paint tifo this year. We’re hoping to be in a place where we can offer our sweat equity to some of the other organizations we support again.

We all have legitimate reasons for joining this community in the first place, and a reflection of those reasons and those moments may just be the key. 

Everybody hurts. Hold on. We can get through this, but only if we work together.

https://107ist.org/Blog/12118181
https://107ist.org/Blog/12960780

A lot has happened since the last home match at Providence Park. The Yates Report was made public by USSF, which resulted in positive changes: Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson were removed from the club and Merritt Paulson stepped down as CEO. While we acknowledge that Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports continue as majority owners of PTFC, we also want to call attention to the significant changes that have occurred in less than three weeks. 

On October 3, the 107IST board, the Rose City Riveters steering committee and the Timbers Army steering committee issued the following statement: 

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

Last night (October 18), members of our leadership teams met to discuss how the recent club changes affect our position with the FO. Many questions remain about the future of the club, what the NWSL/NWSLPA investigation report will reveal, and how the club’s new leadership will approach additional changes needed in the organization. 

On top of all of these moving pieces, there is a playoff match this weekend at home. On Sunday, the Thorns take on the San Diego Wave at 2 p.m. at Providence Park. There are two rally events before the match that we want to be sure you are aware of:

• Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m.: SCAN is hosting a rally on SW 18th and Morrison. More information can be found on their Facebook page. 

• Sunday, Oct. 23, 11:30 a.m.: The Rose City Riveters are hosting a rally on SW 20th near Yamhill. This event is to show enthusiasm and support for the players as they arrive at the stadium. Please note:

• • This is not a photo op or chance for signatures. We will be working to create distance between the rally and the players so they can focus on the task at hand — punching a ticket to the NWSL Championship. 
  • This is a positive event for the players. We will ask any anti-FO banners or signs to be taken down while the rally is happening. 

Yes, game days may look a little different — still. While we still need to navigate relationships today and prepare for what comes next, we are also individual supporters processing what has come to light. 

We are committed to advocating for positive change with our club. We are committed to supporting the players. We want to bring our community together. Please be patient as we all sort out how to do those things: We have not been here before. 

It’s October, which means it’s time to think about renewing your 107IST membership for the coming year (and it’s always a good time to sign up for the first time!). Normally we open up renewals November 1st, but we’re opening them up a little earlier this year.

In past renewal campaigns, I’ve written about the benefits of 107IST membership, with everything from supporting game day operations (tifo, flags, smoke, drums, trumpets) to community outreach (donation baskets, donation drives, direct financial donations to community organizations, both soccer-specific like StreetSoccerUSA, and others like IRCO and StreetRoots), as well as initial travel outlays allowing for direct access to away day tickets, and discounts with amazing local partner businesses. All of these reasons to renew still exist — but we’re also at a critical moment as an organization, and every single membership counts now more than ever.

We need you. And we need each other.

The mission of the 107IST continues to be to “support soccer in and around Portland, from the grassroots to the highest professional level.” This is who we have been since before MLS came to Portland and before the NWSL came to exist. As a nonprofit, independent entity, it is who we will always be, regardless of leagues or owners.

At this moment, leadership at both the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. As independent supporters of the game we love, our advocacy and our investment is an essential component of working to ensure that everyone who works for PTFC — both the players and the laborers on the business side of the organization — can expect transparency and accountability, and can be assured of a safe and welcoming work environment. Your voice matters.

At the same time, as an organization, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust faces challenges of our own. Just as we advocate for soccer for all, with access to reasonably priced tickets for supporters, we advocate for keeping membership costs affordable. Our dues have remained constant at $25 since 2011. Unfortunately, like most other things in life, the prices we pay as an organization have increased. Everything, from the cost of smoke and fabric to the monthly leases on the warehouse and the Fanladen, costs us much more than it did in 2011. And, following a record number of 107IST members the year after the 2018 MLS Cup, membership understandably waned in the last couple of years in the wake of both a pandemic and the scandals surrounding Timbers and Thorns leadership.

By choice, the board operated the organization in the red during the last couple of years because we felt that there were mission-critical things we still needed to undertake, even as we understood the many reasons that individual membership in a sports-loving organization might not be part of people’s plans in the midst of a pandemic. We continued to pay rent for a warehouse and the Fanladen, even when we had no games to attend, using these spaces instead to do things like distribute masks to those in need. We donated money in the form of microgrants to those hardest hit by the pandemic in the community, focusing on BIPOC community members as well as organizations who might not have access to federal or state grants.

While these practices align with our core values, it is obviously not a viable long-term strategy for a nonprofit organization, so we need to address our revenue issue head on. We have both short-term costs to consider (such as rent and utilities on two work spaces, day-to-day administrative expenses, and tifo and other game day expenses) and long-term bigger costs that will require something more substantial (e.g. a capital campaign targeted at securing permanent work space).

The membership team debated long and hard about whether to raise the cost of membership this year; most things that cost $25 in 2011 certainly cost a lot more now. At the same time, we want to make sure that we keep membership accessible for those for whom a cost increase would present a hardship. We also know that there are members who regularly donate extra membership dollars of their own volition, because they can.

We’d like to encourage additional donations as long as you can afford them.

This year, we are offering you a chance to direct your additional dollars to your organizational priorities. In addition to your $25 membership dues, you may opt to pay $25 additional dollars (and get an inexpensive, but very cool enamel pin) for any/each of the following “pay what you can afford” memberships:

• Community Outreach: additional $25 directed toward outreach projects

• The Rent Is Too Damn High: additional $25 directed toward administrative costs, like rent, software and utilities

• Bring The Noise: additional $25 directed toward drums, trumpets, flags and smoke

• Expose Yourself to Art: additional $25 directed toward the cost of tifo

If you select all four, you also get an Everything Bagel pin.

We’re piloting this model in the hopes that it keeps membership affordable for everyone, while at the same time giving those who can afford it a way to have some input into budgeting decisions. If it doesn’t hit the revenue targets we’re projecting, we will absolutely raise the base price of membership dues for everyone next year, because it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Will you still get that sweet Nike pass for early renewal? We certainly expect so. Will you still get happy hour prices at some of your favorite places around town? Sure. Will you get a cool lapel pin (or three or five) with your additional donation dollars? Absolutely. But more importantly you’ll be showing your support for Team, Town, Timbers Army and Riveters, while still keeping membership affordable for all. Sign up or renew now.  And if you can afford it, now is the time to dig deeper.

And as always, thank you for all that you do for each other, and for soccer in and around Portland and beyond, from the grassroots to the highest professional level. Spread the love.

From the board and steering committees

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, we welcome the news that Merritt Paulson is no longer involved in day-to-day decision-making for the Club and that he has removed himself as CEO. The Timbers and Thorns are one club, and this change in leadership for PTFC is a long overdue step in the process to make this club safer and better for everyone who works there.

At this moment, it’s important to center the players and employees — both those who came forward and those who suffered in silence — and we hope their voices continue to be heard. We support and love the players and this town, and we want to express our ongoing commitment to ensuring that PTFC is a safe and welcoming place to work, both on and off the pitch. We hope that this is the start of the healing process, as well as an opportunity to advocate for the additional changes needed in the National Women's Soccer League, the Portland Timbers and Thorns organization, and our community.

While the personnel changes announced in the past few days are an important step in the right direction, as long as Merritt Paulson is an owner with a financial stake in the club, he is still in a position of power and control. We continue to call for the sale of both teams and for the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports. We acknowledge that this will likely be a long and complex process.

Change takes time — and we are in this for the long haul.

Onward, Rose City.

#BAONPDX #RCTID #CutTheRotOut

One way you can get involved is contact PTFC sponsors with your concerns. Let them know that you want real change. The firings of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub are a good start, but a change in ownership is the real way to save our club.

If you’re looking to help further, supporters have created a Google doc with a list of sponsors, their contact info, and a sample letter/tweets. (Be sure to check the different tabs.) Feel free to copy the text completely, use it as a starting point and adjust to your liking, or come up with your own letter.

Note: Some of the sponsors listed have already released statements. Contact them anyway! There's strength in numbers, and continued requests only keeps the pressure building.

We truly believe letting the sponsors know is one of the most impactful things we (that means you too) can do.

The following is a statement from the 107IST board, the Timbers Army Steering Committee, and the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee. 

As supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers we welcome, at long last, moves toward concrete, visible accountability through the firing of Gavin Wilkinson and Mike Golub.

We hope this sends a strong message to everyone working in sports, especially women’s sports, that — no matter your job title, salary, tenure, or share in ownership — the time for toxic, abusive, and coercive behavior in the workplace is over.

We recognize that Merritt Paulson has stepped aside from his duties with the Thorns. We hope that he has truly been removed from day-to-day operations of both teams. We acknowledge that while it may be a complex and long process, we will continue to call for the sale of both teams and the sale, divestment, or removal of interest/control from all professional, development, and youth soccer leagues by Peregrine Sports.

We remain aware that these actions have come only after the public disclosure of information that was previously known by this club, the National Women’s Soccer League, and United States Soccer Federation for years. These men and the individuals they protected and promoted were allowed to cause harm to players, staff, and this community for far too long. The findings in the investigation completed by the team led by Sally Yates confirms their persistent misconduct damaged the club, league, and game. They had no place in our club. 

It should not have taken so many players and staff submitting reports multiple times and to multiple agencies before sharing their stories publicly because of a complete lack of action. It should not have taken several public investigative reports, in-depth articles and a documentary. It should not have taken relentless pressure from supporters. It should not have taken a year-long formal investigation.

We thank all the individuals who came forward — and we know that many more have been, and still are, suffering in silence. We support you and we believe you; you have always deserved safe and welcoming workplaces. We will not stop speaking out and pushing for improvements on your behalf. 

#RCTID #BAONPDX #CutTheRotOut

A few words from John Nyen. 

"Daddy, why didn't we get to move back and forward in the stands at the Timbers game like last time," she asked from the near slumber of bedtime.

"You mean Tetris?" I stated

"Yeah, Why didn't we Tetris," she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Well, because we didn't win. Sometimes we do, but we didn't this time,' I said as I moved to the door.

"I like when we do that. Can I have two more songs," she said.

"Sure."

"What about You Are My Sunshine and Twinkle Twinkle," she said.

"Ok, kiddo."

She settled back under her blanket resting her head on the pillow underneath her Little Timbers and Little Thorns scarf hanging above her bed and looked at me.

I started into the refrain, my voice still cracking from the game just yesterday.

"You are my sunshine.... my only sunshine.... you make me happy, when skies are grey.... you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away...."

I lifted my hands like we do at the game and she smiled.

Closing the door softly I walked back from her bedtime routine past the banner I brought to the stadium to protest the stewardship of Merritt Paulson.

I finally told her today about the truth of the Timbers and Thorns. I told her that they are run by bad men. That the people who run her favorite teams aren't good people. I told her that we support the teams because they are our teams, but that they can be owned by people who aren't good people.

I've said to friends and to family that I run, in part, because if I keep myself healthy, I should be able to outlive the ownership of Merritt Paulson simply by age and attrition.

Honestly, though, outliving Merritt Paulson's reign in Portland isn't just for me because I want to give my children the joy of cheering for a team that doesn't contain an ownership group that is actively involved in a hideous sexual abuse and domestic violence cover-up. I want my daughters to have the option, if they are lucky enough in life, to play soccer for a team that isn't owned by a man who I know employed a sociopathic monster and stayed friends with him even after he knew that he harassed, abused and demeaned the players under his watch.  

For a long time, I thought about it and I realized I didn't want to give money and time to a man who actively seeks to protect employees who endanger, belittle and sexually harass their employees. I didn't want my team to have a fixer who goes out on domestic violence calls to shield players from the police and justice.

So, I gave up my two season tickets in the winter of 2021. I stopped going to games unless I could get a ticket for free or buy one directly from a friend who already had a ticket. Even then it just felt wrong. I missed my friends, my passion for the team and one of my life loves. It was an enormously difficult decision but every single horrible thing that came out of the news in 2021 and 2022 reinforced that I did the right thing for me and my situation. I watched as, together, my friends grappled with what to do in their own life situations. Some gave up their tickets to one team or both, some made certain their voices were heard. All tried their best, as flawed human beings, to navigate a situation that they were put in by the feckless ownership group that runs both teams.

The reality is this, though.

Merritt Paulson does not deserve this city. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Thorns. Merritt Paulson does not deserve the supporters of the Portland Timbers.

The only way forward is for Merritt Paulson to sell the Thorns and Timbers. No firing of executives, peacemaking or gladhanding will solve this situation. The relationship is broken beyond repair with Merritt Paulson and his cronies. The only way we can move beyond this horrific situation as a fanbase is after the moment we watch Merritt Paulson slink back into the slime and disappear from the city. 

There will be no peace until he is gone and no reconciliation until the last vestiges of his bullshit are swept from both teams.

Until then, every sponsor, every partner, and every single financial institution that supports the Timbers and Thorns must be made aware that their money perpetuates a system that is designed to harbor and protect sexual, emotional and physical abuse of employees and players.

We will outlast him. We will outlive him. We will pass along our love of these teams to our children and they to their children and we will endlessly tell the stories of the time we watched Merritt Paulson ooze out of Portland.

And when I sing You Are My Sunshine and see that smile, I know that she will keep that hope alive. That one day she will stand in the North End and root for a Thorns or Timbers team that doesn't have a Paulson in the owner's box. And she will know that I did my best and that I stood up when it mattered. 

Because you will not take our sunshine away.

Views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of the 107IST, the Timbers Army, or the Rose City Riveters. 

While we were prepared for the worst, nothing prepared us for what was contained in the USSF/Sally Yates report.

We are seething and we are heartbroken.

First and foremost: To all Portland Thorns players, past and present, you will always have our love and support. Words will never convey the pain we feel knowing that you had to endure anything less than the full support, respect, and encouragement of your coaches, staff, and club leadership. You were failed — multiple times and by many people.

As a supporters group, you are an integral part of who we are and what we do. We show up and show our support for you. The findings detailed in this report (and we know there will be more to come) aren’t what you, or anyone else, signed up for.

As a leadership group, we were lied to. Although we remained cautiously optimistic at each meeting and in each interaction with PTFC leadership, reading the report highlighted the multiple bold-faced lies we were told, both in meetings and in town halls.

They said they couldn’t speak freely until the investigation results were public. “Wait until the results are in before reaching any conclusions,” they said. Well, we honored that request. The results are in. And those results are far worse than even the initial reports had indicated.

The time for waiting has passed. The toxic culture that allowed these behaviors to exist and continue in our clubs’ organizations runs too long, too deep, and too high. Mike Golub and Gavin Wilkinson have no place in the Timbers and Thorns organization, or in Soccer City, USA; and Merritt Paulson and Peregrine Sports need to sell the teams. 

In spite of the challenges, our members have told us repeatedly that they wish for us to remain in conversation with club leadership. Keep going to meetings. Keep the dialogue going. Having read the investigative report and its conclusions, however, we don’t see a way forward anymore.

At this point and for the foreseeable future, the leadership of the 107IST, Timbers Army, and Rose City Riveters are suspending relations with the Portland Timbers and Thorns Football Club while the leadership team includes Merritt Paulson, Mike Golub, and Gavin Wilkinson. With playoffs approaching, yes, it means that game days might look different. It’s time to build a bonfire.

The players make our clubs what they are. We, the supporters of the Portland Thorns and Portland Timbers, strive to make our support both in the stands and on the streets what it should be every day in Soccer City, USA. To supporters around the globe and to our regional supporters groups: This is it. This is the moment. We’ll need every one of us to come together to make our voices heard — from Providence Park to Portland, Maine, and from Paris and the Philippines. As each of us digest the information in this report and the forthcoming NWSL/NWSLPA investigative report, we need to answer the call: who are we.

We were here before the current leagues and owners, and we’ll be here long after. Our love for Team/Town/Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters runs deeper than any league or ownership.