The schedule isn’t ready yet, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be. The season’s fast approaching- we’ve even been gifted a date and time for our first game.

But before the roar of the crowd begins, before the flags are unfurled and the capos take their place, preparation must take place. Ignoring the sheer amount of time, tears, and cheap liquor that goes into tifo painting and planning, there’s also a cost. The fabric on which the images are raised, the paint in which it is etched. As the standard bearer for fans of women’s soccer, we like to dedicate all we can to the effort.

So I ask that you join us, and the wonderful Whipsaws FC, who raising for their trip to the World Masters Games, which is happening this year in New Zealand. The date? March 2, a Thursday. Pre-sale tickets are available from now until noon, the day of the event for $15 and the processing fee. Tickets for minors are available for 5$, and tickets at the door will be 20$. The ticket allows you entrance, all the food you can eat, and two drink tickets. There will be additional drink tickets available for purchase inside, but the entire event will be cash only, so make sure you’re prepared. It will run from 6 to 9, and there will be time for those of you who enjoy trading to swap scarves, patches, and the like. For those of you who plan to hit up the Timbers Army event, a group will brave the half mile walk to Cider Riot after the event.

The drinks list is more than decent. Lagunitas alone has provided Pilsner, an IPA, New Dog Town Pale Ale, Stoopid Wit, Aunt Sally Sour, and Little Something. Columbia Distributing has provided a Crest Match Day Red Blend if you fancy a touch of wine. 2 Towns has offered their Rhubarbarian for those of you who prefer ciders, there will also be San Pellegrino Limonata there for those of you who prefer to avoid alcohol altogether, legally should, or just aren’t in the mood. There will also be food there to mop it all up. All of the donors were incredibly generous in their offerings.

The opening game of the 2017 NWSL season for Thorns FC will be at Providence Park, hosting the Orlando Pride April 15.

This will be a rare “double header”; Thorns taking the pitch at 12:00 noon and Timbers playing at 7:30 p.m.

The Thorns vs. Pride match will be televised as Lifetime Game of the Week. (Lifetime is available through local cable providers- but of course, we expect to see most of you in the stadium.)

Portland is 4-0-0 in home openers, and last season won against the Pride 2-1.

Let’s Go Thorns!

It’s been a long off-season; let’s go plant some trees!

The Rose City Riveters will be participating in the March 4th Saturday tree plant with Friends of Trees at Errol Heights. All ages are welcome (volunteers under 18 will need a signed waiver) and all Riveters are welcome.

From Friends of Trees:

Please arrive by 8:45am to register and be assigned to a planting crew. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather: wear sturdy shoes/boots (rubber rain boots are perfect if you have them), rain-proof layers are always great, and be prepared to get a little dirty. We provide gloves, tools, and planting guidance–as well as breakfast snacks and hot coffee/tea to get everyone fueled up. We’ll be planting hundreds of native trees and shrubs to improve watershed health and add beauty to this special site — and this work wouldn’t be possible without volunteer groups like yours!

If you have any questions, feel free to email this event’s organizer Hannah Mueller: han.mueller.nah@gmail.com

Friends of Trees can be contacted at Volunteer@FriendsofTrees.org or (503) 595-0213

Hope to see you March 4th!

(Cross-posted from timbersarmy.org)

“To support soccer from the grassroots to the highest professional level”

Chances are that if you’re at all familiar with the 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST), you recognize that as our mission. Those words have been the guiding force behind everything we’ve done as organization since we were formed in 2009.

The 107IST was born out of the Timbers Army with the purpose of doing the heavy lifting on behalf of a vibrant supporters’ culture that was in the midst of a transition to MLS and the associated stadium renovations. The establishment of the non-profit organization was necessary to provide a stable point of contact to the Front Office on all issues facing supporters, be accountable for the management of all finances, house the intellectual and physical assets, as well as build on our already established record in the community.

The 107IST was founded to be the engine that drives the Timbers Army.

In the early days there really was little distinction between the Timbers Army and the 107IST. The 107IST Board of Directors supported the operations of the Timbers Army, and the two entities were viewed by most people as being synonymous.

However, in 2012, a change occurred with the announcement of the National Women’s Soccer League and the news Portland would have a team. When the Portland Thorns FC announcement was made official, supporters were already working to come together, organize, and plan for showing their dedication to the new team. The Rose City Riveters supporters group was born out of passion, anticipation, and civic pride, and quickly joined the 107ist community. From the beginning, in accordance with our mission and the wishes of the 107IST members, there has been a close relationship between the 107IST and the Rose City Riveters. This has included everything from knowledge sharing, to organizational support, to sharing the 107IST infrastructure. The Riveters have supported the Thorns from day one, and have set the standard on a global scale for what it means to support a women’s soccer team. Their tifo is second to none, they travel across the country to support their club, and they share this knowledge freely with other burgeoning SGs.

To be sure, there have been growing pains over the past few years, but there has also been much work done to identify problems and work through them.

Even though this relationship is now entering its fifth year, we still see a lot of confusion amongst members of the Portland soccer community. We thought that as we head into the 2017 seasons for both teams, it would be a good time to put out a succinct statement that clarifies the relationship between the 107IST, Rose City Riveters, and Timbers Army.

The 107IST is the umbrella under which both supporters groups live. It supports both groups as equal peers. Today the 107IST Board is still the de facto board for the Timbers Army, while the Rose City Riveters have their own steering committee. Lexi Stern sits on the steering committee as a 107IST Board member, and the rest of those positions are filled by core Rose City Riveters volunteers who oversee Riveters subcommittees.

As our work has evolved, we have incorporated both Rose City Riveters and Timbers Army work on the 107IST Community Outreach committee. We are looking to continue to evolve this cooperative participation at the 107IST committee level in several other areas, such as in travel and membership.

Over time we expect this “cross-pollination” to grow. We also expect that certain committees will work closely together, but remain separate as it makes the most sense. Game day is a good example here: we use the collective buying power of the 107IST to the benefit of both groups, but the actual day-to-day management of stadium operations are handled by two distinct teams.

Additionally, as time goes on, you’ll see the 107IST and the Timbers Army becoming more distinct from each other when appropriate. This started with the 107IST newsletter (which has always included both Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters news) as well as with Green Weekend (where both SGs have participated for the past few years). As we continue to grow and evolve, you’ll likely see some messages come from 107IST, some from Timbers Army, some from Rose City Riveters, and some from combinations of the three, as appropriate.

In the end, the best summary of all of this is with an updated tagline that we’ve actually been using for a while:

The 107 Independent Supporters Trust: The engine behind the Timbers Army and Rose City Riveters.

Respectfully Signed,

The 107IST Board of Directors and Rose City Riveters Steering Committee 

When we started this historic fourth season of NWSL, we were enamored with our Twitter-hip new coach and snazzy lineup, but mindful of the challenges we would face losing so many players to the Rio Olympics. One thing was clear: the Thorns would need our support more than ever. We needed to be organized and loud, and continue to set the bar for other NWSL SGs starting to make more visible efforts.

Thanks to the success of the tifo donation pin and our already-solid merchandise sales, Riveters’ operating budget sat at a comfortable level early in the season. It became clear we had the capacity to do a bit more.

I volunteered to represent the Riveters on (read: invited myself to) the Community Outreach committee for 107IST. Since we didn’t have a specific seat there already, and I was kind of a noob, I just brought cookies and hoped for the best.

Needless to say, they were all extremely welcoming and eager to help us extend our impact. As it turns out, all I needed to do was ask a few simple questions and magical things started to happen around me.

We chose a handful of local organizations for our Match Day Donation Drives, anticipating possibly meager first-attempt results…and we were totally wrong. Let’s just say I now know the exact diaper capacity of a 2010 Prius and it’s pretty impressive.

By the end of the 2016 season, we made over a dozen donation drops from the match day drives. It felt so good to stand there and just stuff the bare shelves at some of these places. Our mission of choosing severely underfunded organizations made me see just how quickly those resources get used, though.

In 2016 we also sold A TON of merchandise. New t-shirts, some really nice patches and buttons, and a trusty old bandana had our bank balance looking very tidy, indeed. After sorting out next season’s operating needs, I am proud to say the Rose City Riveters were able to donate $5000 back into our community for the first time!

Five $1000 donations were made this week to:

Rose Haven http://rosehaven.org/

Raphael House http://raphaelhouse.com/

ImpactNW https://impactnw.org/

OutsideIN http://outsidein.org/

The Living Room http://www.thelivingroomyouth.org/

These funds are going to have a huge impact on these small, local organizations, and I can’t thank you all enough for pitching in cash, great ideas, supplies, vehicles, and braun when you had them available. We have some new volunteers joining the ranks, and planning for 2017 is well underway. I am so excited to see how much bigger, better and, most importantly, LOUDER the Rose City Riveters can be!

Don’t forget, the Timbers Army Winter Classic is coming up, and there’s still a short window of time to register.

There are men’s, women’s, and co-ed divisions, and the tournament will be at the all-new Rose City Futsal West location. What’s not to like? For $250 per team or $30 per individual, you get a three game guarantee, too. Why not join in on the fun?

With the Thorns season extending into the playoffs, we’re also extending our Match Day Drives. This Sunday, please plan to lend a hand to the individuals and families served by Impact NW.

Impact NW is a local organization that has been helping low-income Portland residents since 1966. Today, they have services available in Multnomah, Clark, Washington and Clackamas Counties and parts of Washington state.

“By working with schools, businesses, faith communities, other community-based organizations and governmental agencies we create a safety net and springboard for community members to improve their quality of life and achieve independence.”

Impact NW offers immediate assistance to those in our community who are either homeless or in transition, and often those they are helping do not have access to food prep stations.

Please bring non-perishable pantry items to the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder St) before you head into the stadium. The individuals and families these organizations are helping may not have access to a safe home to go and cook in, so if your item requires cooking, please make it microwavable and easy to open. Often those seeking help are in need of very substantial foods, like peanut butter or tuna. Below is a complete list of the items we are looking to collect:

• Oatmeal (packets)
• Peanut butter (jars and single-serve cups)
• Cereals (single-serve packages)
• Pop-Tarts
• Noodles and pasta (canned with pop-up lids, cups, or microwavable bags)
• Rice dishes (cups, microwavable bags)
• Mac & cheese (regular boxed and microwavable)
• Fruit cups
• Fruit leather
• Granola/trail bars
• Crackers
• Rice cakes (Quaker)
• Assorted nuts (single-serve packages)
• Juice box packs
• Canned goods (pop-up lids are best, please) – Soup, vegetables, tuna, chili

When people ask me about the differences in supporting the Timbers and the Thorns, I give complicated answers about the different fan bases and supporters groups, and the intersections and overlaps of the two, and demographics and visibility and growth and whatnot.

But then I find myself at the airport just after noon on a Monday to greet a team who’s just won a league Shield and I forget all those things.

It’s not about the number of butts in seats. It’s not about who sells how many jerseys. It’s not even about that Shield.

It’s about support.

We will be there, win or lose. We will be there, rain or shine. We will be there.

There were somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 of us at PDX Monday afternoon to greet the team as they arrived home as 2016’s NWSL Shield winners. They looked tired from their travels, but happy to be home, and ready to get to work preparing for Sunday’s playoff match, the first home playoff match for the Thorns in franchise history.

Among stalwart supporters and national team members, is one of the littlest Riveters, Harper. She’s new to us, but to me, she represents future generations of players and supporters.

She wore sparkly shoes to the last home match. She sat on her dad’s shoulders and waved a flag as the team came off the field. She’s one of us. She’s all of us. She’s just a tad shorter. But someday, she’ll kick a ball on that field or design tifo that’s raised in the stands. Next level, next generation support.

Last we checked, there were still a few tickets left for Sunday’s match. Go get them. Bring a friend.

Start thinking about what possible excuses you can give your boss should the need for another airport greeting arise.

In each of the four National Women’s Soccer League seasons, the Rose City Riveters have presented a trophy to the Thorns player who exemplifies what the supporters consider to be vanguard traits: connecting the spirit of the club with the city’s character, and their selfless contributions to both. These trophies have evolved over the years and intentionally carry an element describable as “We-Can-Do-It-Ourselves” if you may. Utilizing the makers and engineers at the local creative space ADX Portland, this year’s trophy features a reclaimed industrial gear, hand-crafted rose made of copper and steel, and fabricated steel background featuring the Riveters badge. It also has some fancy words on it which are about to be explained.

Some schools of thought insist that it is defense which wins games. The Rose City Riveters have determined that its consummate defender and backline leader has won not just hardware but their hearts. Emily Menges, who has worn her fervency like a badge of honor for her whole career, was voted as Player of the Year after a week-long poll contributed to by hundreds of Riveters. To commemorate this choice, Menges was presented this unique trophy after the final home match of the 2016 season on September 11th.

Throughout this season Menges has been a standout, a vital play-maker who has helped to keep the Thorns in the NWSL playoff race. She has shown to be a steady, reliable and club-minded player during a season loaded with instability thanks to national team call-ups, unfortunate injuries and the dreams of success for all who played at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Her individual production on the pitch is the stuff of highlight reels. Amazing as those efforts have been, when combined with her numerous displays of genuine appreciation to her teammates, supporters and everyday fans of the Thorns (those smiles and finger-points and waves which are less noticeable by the large cameras but noted and shared all the same by individuals), they have endeared Menges to us as a step above all.

It is interesting to note that the 2016 Riveters Player of the Year choice was the first year where the figures showed significant parity among the candidates rather than a singular, distinctive pick. This should be considered as high praise not just to the choice of Menges, but to all who were close in the running, who were voted for en masse, as well as those who have been considered in the past. We are fortunate to have a proud club, one that is full of talented and impassioned players to consider and honor.

Congratulations to Emily Menges, thank you to all of the players, and Onward Rose City.

Ever had a moment (or several) of incredible gratitude for our amazing capos, drums, and horns? How many times have you thought to yourself, “I should buy them a drink!”

Now is your chance.

BYCAP—Buy Your Capo A Pint—will be held September 11th, when the Thorns take on WNY Flash. In advance of the match, we’ll pass the hat (well—buckets) throughout the north end to collect your cash contributions towards pints. These “pint dollars” will in turn be funneled back into our community to provide financial aid opportunities at nonprofit Rock & Roll Camp for Girls, which aims to build girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance.

“Creative voices of girls and women need to be amplified to create social change. Girls need positive role models and support for their creative endeavors. We can build a community where girls support each other rather than tear each other down. We can empower girls to recognize, understand and respond to discrimination. ‘Girls Rock’ is more than just a slogan.” —Rock & Roll Camp for Girls

Please help your beloved capos, drums, and horns give back to our community through BYCAP.