Hey, artsy types. We need your help.

Now that we’ve settled on a name, we’re going to need a badge. We need something that represents us, that tells our story, that helps people understand all of the things we stand for.

Here come those words again: dedication, strength, perseverance, loyalty, community.

You can do this.

Please send your designs to rosecityriveters@gmail.com by noon April 21st. We’ll pick the top four or five to present to the world and the winning design will eventually be used, well, EVERYWHERE. For your trouble, we’ll set you up with the new scarf when it comes out as well as copies of whatever items your crest appears on this season. In addition, you will receive FAME and GLORY. And, if you’re of age, someone somewhere will probably buy you a beer, though that’s not guaranteed.*

Here’s the fine print: any and all submissions become the property of Rose City Riveters and may be reproduced in the future at the discretion of RCR.

*Okay, if you win, I’ll buy you a beer. But I’ll need to see your ID first if you look like you might be under 30.

We united under the Thorns Alliance banner for one purpose: to support Portland Thorns FC.

Forty-five of us gathered in a house in Northeast Portland on a cold January night. We laughed, we argued, we brainstormed ideas. How do we go about this whole thing? What needs to be done? Flags and tifo, chants and drums, a social media presence. What else?

An identity.

Dedication. Strength. Perseverance.

Loyalty. Community.

How do you convey all of this?

Well, I think we’ve managed to do that with the name we’ve chosen.

The poll went up four nights ago. Voting was close and, at the end of the day, the name chosen is Rose City Riveters.

We’re all familiar with the image of Rosie the Riveter. She was a composite of many different “Rosies,” women who went to work in the defense industry in the ’40s. In Seattle, Rosies went to work for Boeing. In Detroit, they built automobiles. In Portland, they worked for the Kaiser shipyards. At one point in those war years, two-thirds of Portland’s workforce worked for Kaiser, many of them women who had never before worked outside the home.

It was a time in our history when many people were called to serve their country in many ways. It was a time that required that everyone do their part.

In Portland, it was a time of change. In addition to Portland’s Rosies, people came from across the country to work for Kaiser, many purely out of a sense of duty. When affordable housing was scarce, Kaiser lobbied the federal government to build Vanport. And when soldiers began returning from the war and required retraining to enter the workforce, the Vanport Extension Center was opened. After the Vanport Flood of 1948, VEC moved into downtown Portland and became what we now know as Portland State University.

So, there’s your bit of Portland history. Now, about those rivets.

In the simplest of terms, rivets are the things that hold stuff together.

Recognizing that two professional women’s soccer leagues have failed in recent history, we believe that now more than ever, it is the responsibility of supporters and supporters groups to be the rivets that hold this new league together. Owners and players can only give so much. If we don’t show up to support – and show up en masse – the league will crumble as those that came before.

And more than that, because of where we are, here in Soccer City, USA, the bar is set pretty high. We will set the standard for the support of women’s professional soccer in the United States.

Get ready.

Rose City Riveters

By Any Other Name

A post went up on the Facebook page last night offering options for the renaming of what is now the Thorns Alliance and asking people to carefully consider and vote for the one that best represents this group.

While we would love to be able to hold tight to the Thorns Alliance name, we would also like to avoid any sort of trademark issues like the ones the 107ist has been dealing with over the last year, most recently the dispute with MLS over the rights to the Cascadia Cup. The 107ist has been incredibly helpful to us and the last thing we want to do is add an undue burden to their already heavy workload.

Thanks to all who have participated in the process thus far. The poll will be up until Sunday at 5 p.m.

If you were at the friendly at Merlo yesterday, or if you’ve been on the Facebook page, you’ve probably seen The Scarf.

It’s pretty simple, a red and black bar scarf with red and green fringe. “Thorns Alliance” appears in white on one side and, on the other, the words “BY ANY OTHER NAME.” It’s a pretty sharp-looking piece and, suddenly, everyone wants one.

But here’s the problem: they were done in a very limited run by an individual, not the group. If you’re lucky enough to have one in your possession, treasure it. It is unlikely that another run will be produced without some significant changes.

We’re hopeful that, sometime in the future, we will grow to be a large enough group that a scarf run will be possible, but it will be different than the scarf that has already been produced.

In the meantime, your best bet is joining the Facebook group and checking the discussion there to see if anyone has an extra they’d like to sell or trade.

Q. I want to stand, chant, and wave flags during matches. Where in the stadium should I go?
A. General Admission at Thorns matches is Sections 101-110. The supporters group will stand in Section 107 and will spread out to Sections 106-108 as 107 fills up. You should expect your views in the supporters section to be obscured with waving flags, and your ears to be filled with chants which may get salty. We also stand all game long. If you’re in the supporters section, you’re expected to participate! It is up to us to make all that joyous noise to propel our team to victory. If someone urges you to sing, don’t get mad, get LOUD.

Q. What is everybody singing? I want to sing but I don’t know the words. 
A. Look around for someone giving out red and yellow cards. No, no, not the ref. Someone in the stands. Those cards have the lyrics to the current group of chants on them.

You may also see people who don’t seem to be watching the game. They are focused on singing. They face the crowd, not the game, and they mouth the words very carefully. These people are called capos* and are there to help you learn the words. They are also important in large crowds since they keep us all singing the same verse at the same time so songs don’t turn into rounds. Watch them closely and follow their lead.

Q. Oh! I see the capos! They’re on that cool stage in front of 107! Can I go on it? Can I let my kids climb into the smaller capo nests? Can me and my buddies go up and hang out in the flag cage?
A. No.

Q. I want to spend the whole game sitting down quietly and looking at my phone/video game. Where should I go?
A. I think you know the answer to that.

Q. The flags are awesome. Where did they come from?
A. The flags belong to the 107ist, a non-profit organization that you should join today.  Members of the supporters group decorated some of the flags—you can get involved doing this too!  If there’s a flag at your seat, you should wave it! Try to be considerate of the people around you and the flow of the game.

THE FLAGS ARE NOT GIFTS.

LEAVE THEM IN THE STADIUM AFTER THE MATCH.  

If you see someone stealing a flag, alert someone official. The flag budget is limited, and the ones we have need to last all season.
If you want to help out by rolling your flag back up after the game, gathering flags, or bringing them back up to the top of the stairs, you are warmly invited to do so and it will be very much appreciated.

Q. How do you come up with chants?
A. Different members of the supporters group suggest chants and we try them out. The best ones take off! To take part in our chant discussions, join the forums on this site and post your ideas!

Q. What if I come up with a great chant idea at the game?
A. Try it out! If there’s not another chant going on, just yell it out. Teach it to the people around you; chants have a better chance of catching on if a few people are singing them.

Q. I have a great idea for a two-stick banner. What should I do?
A. Make it! Here’s a very helpful forum post with instructions from our own JNyen. Here are some handy tips from the Timbers Army. There are a few conventions you’ll want to keep in mind when creating your own flags and banners.

Q. What was that spectacular thing that happened right after the National Anthem?
A. For some games, there are coordinated displays. They are called tifo. Sometimes a tifo display involves the participation of some or all of the supporters, so if you get to your seat and there are instructions there, please read them and be sure the people around you do the same and follow them carefully. The creation of larger tifo displays often requires a lot of people to help in the weeks and days before a match.

Q. I totally want to get involved with creating tifo! I want to play drums! I want to be a capo! I want to help in some other way!
A. Those aren’t questions, but your enthusiasm is admirable. Just join the forums on this site and participate in discussions in the Volunteer Opportunities forum. This is currently where we issue calls for help with tifo painting and setup. You can also ask around at games to find members of the game day crew.

*Note to the writer of the linked article: Of course there are female capos out there, silly boy.

Every passing day brings us a little closer to seeing our Thorns on the pitch at Jeld-Wen for the first time in competition in the NWSL.

Tifo plans are underway, chants are being fine-tuned. We’re. Almost. There.

Now’s the time to get involved. Now’s the time to get stuck in.