This is a statement posted on behalf of the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee:

On Monday, February 5th, members of the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee met with the Bhathal family after their formal introductory press conference. As the Thorns enter a new era, so too does our relationship with a new Front Office. 

The Bhathals were attentive to the history of the club, engaged with a wide vision for what the club can be, and incredibly appreciative of the culture of the North End. The discussion was positive and productive. There was a free exchange of ideas and feedback between the Riveters Steering Committee and the Bhathals.

They spoke about their listening tour this year while also building out their staff for the business side to be less dependent on the Timbers staff, which has been brought up in previous interviews. They are also wanting to learn more about the culture we have in the North End and throughout the Park so they can connect more with our community. 

We maintain a stance of cautious optimism, and are excited to see what kind of a relationship will be fostered moving forward. 

Members of the Riveters Steering Committee will be meeting with new Thorns ownership prior to the meet & greet at the Soop on Monday. We have not yet been in direct communication with the new owners, but have sent a welcome letter, which we wanted to share with our members here.

Hello from the North End,

We are members of the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee. We are writing to introduce ourselves, to say “Welcome to Portland!” and to begin what we hope will be a productive and positive ongoing conversation during this new era for the Portland Thorns FC.

First, welcome to the Rose City! We are full of anticipation for this new era. We’ve read and listened to what you have said since finalizing the purchase and we agree– this club and this city are special. Under your stewardship, we believe that the players of the Portland Thorns will get the facilities, staff, and marketing they deserve, and we are happy to support that goal in any way we can. We often say how fortunate we are that we get to watch the best players in the world right here in Portland, and we can’t wait for even more people to come join in the celebration.

A little about us. We are the Rose City Riveters, the independent supporters group for the Portland Thorns. The Rose City Riveters have existed since the club’s inception, and are here to support the club. This has meant many things over the years. Most visibly, it means we show up on game day. The North End of Providence Park (the General Admissions seating in sections 101-108, and 202 through 208) is a beloved home to many of us, though Riveters are scattered throughout the stadium and the world. At games, you’ve seen our capos on the stage leading chants and popping smoke to celebrate goals, several sections of standing supporters singing their hearts out, flags, drums, trumpets, and a passion that is deeply rooted in community. Our actions also extend outside the stadium. Riveters are under the umbrella of the 107 Independent Supporters Trust, a registered not-for-profit organization that supports soccer in the Rose City from the grassroots to the highest professional level. The 107IST supports and partners with many local community organizations: both soccer- and service-focused. We are loud, we are passionate, and we are all volunteers who give our time and heart to this club and city. The past few years have admittedly been very difficult for our community, and we look forward with cautious optimism toward what comes next.

In early 2023, we shared a blog post, in which we spoke directly to the players, supporters and future owners of the club. These words continue to feel as true as ever, so we share them with you today:

To the new owners in 2024, you undoubtedly realize that you have inherited an unruly horde of supporters along with your purchase of the club. We hope that you have also come to realize that our passion is only matched by our caring and our dreams. We dream of true equality, emotional and physical safety, and playing environments that match the excellence we see before us each season. While we might make you uncomfortable at times, we share your hopes and dreams for this team. We welcome you, the new owners of the Thorns, and are hopeful for a future where we can play our independent roles in harmony– for the greater good of Portland soccer. 

As the club transitions to your stewardship, we know there must be a million and one items on your to-do list. We welcome the opportunity to meet with you, introduce you to this community, and begin getting to know one another.

As the long-time supporters of this club, we want to extend to you our warmest welcome and gratitude for your investment in its future. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Sincerely,

The Rose City Riveters Steering Committee

Wendy Broussard
Sarah Williams Brown
Tina Ettlin
Rachel Greenough
Hannah Mueller
Sheridan Nichols
Sam Prince
Gabby Rosas
Chris Spalding
Jennifer Sato

The following is a statement from the Rose City Riveters Steering Committee.

The Rose City Riveters are relieved that the sale has been completed and thrilled we can start a new chapter with the Portland Thorns, especially before the NWSL Draft. After years of transition and upheaval, we are hopeful that this move to new ownership offers stability for both the players on the field and the supporters in the stands. 

We are aware what the Bhathal ownership group have been able to accomplish in the NBA and are cautiously optimistic about what they can do for the Portland Thorns. We are open to and look forward to forging this new relationship, to conveying our passion about supporting the players, the club, and Portland. We look forward to learning more about the Bhathal plan for continuing the path of keeping the Thorns a place players and fans want to be. 

Bon bon bon bon... sing wherever we go...

This year’s player gift is a treat box that includes candies/chocolates, candles that resemble smoke bombs but smell like a favorite cereal, maple leaf wax melts, and a custom embroidered THORNIES NEVER SAY DIE towel.

Each season, the Rose City Riveters honor a singularly exceptional Thorns player who exhibits brilliant talent and stellar character – a player who elevates their teammates, our club, and the City of Portland with the consistency and inspiring awe of a constellation.

This year’s recipient has scored goals, tallied assists, garnered fouls, and earned the admiration of vast numbers with her caliber on the pitch.

All this, coupled with her qualities as a rising leader, her fondness for extroverted antics, the confidence she carries, and the empathy she models, made the choice evident.

Morgan Weaver is The Rose City Riveters’ Supporters’ Player of the Year 2023.

From her youth league days, through her successful collegiate career in Pullman, Washington, to her professional journey in Portland, Oregon, Morgan’s abilities shine bright.

Today, Morgan Weaver's brilliance is our focus – deserving and remarkable among a group of stars, such as those among the Thorns and all who shine across football's vast spaces.

It is our honor to present to her this trophy, our recognition, and our gratitude. Thank you, Morgan Weaver!

- By Any Other Name #BAONPDX

The following is a post from the RivetGear team.

We are excited to announce that we have two t-shirts designed by Meghan Klingenberg in collaboration with RivetGear and PTFC Stand Together available starting today, July 21. The designs are a multi-colored ode to queer joy, celebrating the intersection of identity and fandom. 100% of the sales of these shirts are a fundraiser for New Avenues for Youth.

The shirts are $25 each, and will be sold pre-match exclusively by RivetGear at 1919 Morrison Street. The space opens at 5PM on July 21st, and opens once again in close proximity to the match ending. A small portion of remaining stock will be online the next day and we will announce when it is available via social media. The shirts will be available in size XS through 4XL, with limited quantities available.

The RivetGear team is excited to collaborate with Meghan and Dr. Robin Beavers on this effort  and excited to continue to support our amazing community partners like New Avenues for Youth!

With five Thorns headed to this world cup (along with so many other fantastic athletes) there's bound to be some good watch parties happening around town (and beyond). So, we're starting a list: 2023 World Cup Watch Parties 

If you know of any watch parties that you think should be added to the list, please drop us a line! Include date/time, location, and any other pertinent details that might be helpful (all ages/21+, food, drinks, etc.) 

The following is a guest blog post written by Lauren Eads from New Avenues for Youth. This year's Prideraiser 2023 campaign benefits New Avenues / SMYRC, and when you read the post you will understand what makes this organization so special. Please consider pledging to the campaign and/or donating directly.

New Avenues for Youth is a Portland-based nonprofit dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness. Our services for young people (ages 9-25) focus on the individual—their experiences, identities, needs, and goals—and helping them make positive change in their lives. From meals and counseling to job training and housing, their equity-based services address the many barriers to stability and well-being that young people face. Each and every day, we show up in compassionate, creative ways, ensuring that they always have a place to turn.

Through our 25 years of operating in the Portland area, we have seen that LGBTQIA2S+ youth are disproportionately represented in the young people we serve. In fact, 57% of young people accessing New Avenues programs identify as queer or trans, with only 9.5% the general population self-identifying with LGBTQIA2S+. Family conflict is the primary cause of homelessness for LGBTQIA2S+ youth, which is disproportionately due to a lack of acceptance by family members of a youth’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Many youth also identify aging out of the foster care system, poverty, and shortages of shelters and housing programs as the reason for their homelessness. Queer and Trans youth are also more likely to experience assault, trauma, depression, and suicide when compared to non-LGBTQ+ populations while also being homeless.

Because of this, we offer both culturally specific programs for this group, as well as staff integrated into each of our programs to support specific needs along their journey. The Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC) provides culturally specific case management, counseling, education, engagement activities, and more for LGBTQIA2S+ youth in Portland, and The Living Room provides programs and services in Clackamas County. We also offer Bridge 13 community education, which provides workshops for schools, businesses, and organizations on how to better support and affirm LGBTQIA2S+ individuals.

New Avenues and our LGBTQIA2S+ programs depend on community support to provide a safe space, resources, referrals, and fun activities for the youth we serve. We love partnering with folks to host donation drives to collect safety supplies, body affirming undergarments, cosmetics, and hygiene supplies for young people throughout our programming. And of course, your financial support makes all of our work possible. Donate today at newavenues.org.

To learn more about how you can get involved email Lauren Eads, Director of Development & Communications, at leads@newavenues.org or visit the website at www.newavenues.org.  

The following is an open letter from the Riveters Steering Committee:

Dear Providence Park – An optimistic open letter to the players, staff, supporters, and owners of the team in the year 2024!

We’re so glad to see you here in 2024. We have all been through a lot these last few years, and we’re glad to see you that you are still here in the new year, breathing deeply in the fresh air of tomorrow. That’s not to say everything is done and dusted. It’s not to say we’ve achieved a plateau of perfection or that we’ve stopped striving for more, but we are still here. And that means a lot.

Players of the Thorns, we want the world for you. You impress us every day, and are the center of what brings us together. Looking ahead from our perch in early 2023, we see many opportunities and dreams ahead. We see you playing soccer and achieving great things on the pitch, and we see your success in whatever endeavors you choose to focus on as you heal from this hurricane of a time. For years, you have achieved at the highest level– despite the abuse faced by many of you and your teammates, despite the fact that you were not given all that you deserved. We look ahead and see a future where the sky’s the limit. We see training facilities, staff, marketing, and sponsorship that is focused on you and your accomplishments. As importantly, we see an environment that ensures your safety and security, and meets your needs as elite athletes. We are looking ahead now, and we can see that the road is paved with possibility. We can’t wait to see where it goes and what you will achieve.

Supporters of the Thorns, you are the heart and soul of soccer in Portland. What we do here is bigger than spectatorship, bigger than fandom, and bigger than one team. Supporters of the women’s game, inclusive of its non-binary and trans players, know that we support players who succeed in the face of tough odds, who are living their dreams, and for whom those dreams have never held a certain foothold in the reality of the sports landscape.

You have been riding a roller coaster that you never signed up for these past few years. Looking ahead at 2024, we hope to celebrate this team with you once again. In the 2024 we envision, the team’s new owners are still settling in– but already making great strides. We are excited and supportive of these changes, we are glad for the transparency they demonstrate when possible, we watch closely and listen to the players as we welcome this new ownership and new era for our team. We are still here. This place is still home, and we will protect this place.

Rose City Riveters, our word this year is community, and we dream of the community that will thrive as we move into a new era for the team. Community is internal– it is who we are, what we do, and how we stand up for one another. It is in the stadium– the place that means the world to so many of us – and the friends and family we have met there. It is even bigger than that. It is how we engage with the city around us and the people who live here. 

To the new owners in 2024, you undoubtedly realize that you have inherited an unruly horde of supporters along with your purchase of the club. We hope that you have also come to realize that our passion is only matched by our caring and our dreams. We dream of true equality, emotional and physical safety, and playing environments that match the excellence we see before us each season. While we might make you uncomfortable at times, we share your hopes and dreams for this team. We welcome you, the new owners of the Thorns, and are hopeful for a future where we can play our independent roles in harmony– for the greater good of Portland soccer.

We, the Steering Committee, have heard all of you, and we have been working on becoming bigger, broader, and better. We are turning on the porch lights wherever we can, and opening the gates. 2024 Steering Committee, we see you with your crowded table, full of folks representing the breadth of passion in this community. Gameday, community, events, and so much more. There are perspectives that are new, ones that have found space to return, and those that have been around for a while. Around this table we challenge one another with care and respect, we welcome other voices to speak up and contribute.

To everyone who makes this team what it is, we have a lot to do in 2023, but we look forward with hope for 2024 and beyond. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” These words may never have been more true for the Riveters and the Thorns than they are today.

What might we be at this time next year? The possibilities are limitless.

Sincerely, 

The Riveters Steering Committee
#BAONPDX

Welcome creatives! We are looking for your take on what Riveters should be sporting in 2023 to celebrate the 2022 Championship. This is the third star and we’re looking for your inspiration.

Please use the size guides or templates below to create your submissions.

• T-shirt - Max print size of 15” x 20”, please limit designs to 5 colors
• Scarf - Design template here, limit of 7 colors
• Patch - please provide dimensions, no color limit
• Sticker - please provide dimensions, no color limit

Winners will receive one (1) merch item that they designed, in the specific size as needed.

Submission Guidelines and How to Enter:

The contest is open for submissions until noon on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 Pacific Standard Time (PST). Late submissions may not be eligible for this specific contest, though you can submit your design ideas anytime by emailing merch@rosecityriveters.org. We are always open to new ideas, so keep us in mind!

Members of the Riveters Merch Team will review designs to ensure they meet the guidelines and parameters. Feedback will be provided to those who have not followed the guidelines and parameters or if modifications are needed.

Finalists designs for the contest will be posted for community voting the week of February 20, 2023.

Voting will take place for 1 week and a winner will be notified by the end of February.

Entries can be submitted electronically by emailing merch@rosecityriveters.org or dropped off at the Fanladen (1633 SW Alder) during Office Hours on Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 8pm. Submissions must include the full name(s) of the person(s) who designed the entry, along with their email address and/or postal address and phone number.

One or more submissions per person is acceptable. Please submit each design in a separate email.

There is no fee to enter the contest.

Design Guidelines and Parameters:

The purpose of this contest is to design artwork that will be made into merchandise by the RivetGear team and sold in our Shopify store, both online and in person, with proceeds going to Riveters Gameday Operations such as tifo, smoke, facilities rent, and other operating costs for our organization.

The artwork should convey excitement and/or positivity regarding the 2022 NWSL Championship victory.

The artwork can include either the Riveters primary or secondary marks.

The artwork must be appropriate for all ages.

The artwork must be an entrant's own original artwork, have not been copied from others, and must not violate the intellectual property rights of any other person or entity. For this reason, RivetGear cannot accept entries that include the use of the words or images of the Portland Thorns, NWSL, NWSL trophy, player or coach names or likeness or other images that belong to others.

Electronic entries can be submitted as JPEG or AI files. For quality production purposes, the winning entry must later be made available in scalable vector graphic format. Contestants are advised to avoid t-shirt designs that require more than 5 colors to aid in keeping production costs low.