This offseason, the Houston Dynamo has moved its Zona Naranja–the designated section for its three supporters’ groups–to the 200-level of the stadium’s north end.
The new section is definitely bigger, with room for about 75 percent more fans than those who could wedge into the former Zona location along the southeast corner at field level.
But the fresh Zona Naranja isn’t just bigger—the aim is to make it much better, too. The whole project stems from collaborative discussions among front office representatives, former and current players, and supporters’ group representatives from the Brickwall Firm, El Batallon, and the Texian Army.
Together, they’re inviting both new and established fans will be invited to come to BBVA Compass Stadium this coming Saturday afternoon, Feb. 13, to effectively test-drive it from 2 to 4 p.m.
“It’s very simple,” says Dynamo president Chris Canetti. “Our objective is to grow the supporters' group and to create a better environment in and around the stadium during our matches. That was the sole purpose for initiating the move, and that’s what we hope to achieve from it.”
Canetti notes the new Zona (in Sections 215-217, located under the stadium’s north end scoreboard), is better situated for tifo staging and instruments than the supporters’ former location. As an added bonus, supporters will get full access to the Budweiser Deck, a canopy-covered beer garden abutting the Zona, which had formerly been available to corporate sponsors reserving the section for events.
The Dynamo envisions Saturday’s event as a combination planning session and pep rally. Current squad members will be there to talk about the impact that chanting, drumming, scarf-wielding fans have on a team’s psyche. Fans curious to determine whether a supporters’ group is right for them will also get to meet and talk to organizers from the trio of Dynamo groups.
James Hromadka, president of the Texian Army, sees the event as a sort of “coming out” party for the section, noting that it’s important for supporters who haven’t been in the north end of the stadium to experience it for themselves.
“As part of our meetings with the front office, it was important for me to go to the stadium, see the sightlines to get a sense of what it would be like and what was in store for people,” Hromadka says.
The bigger block of seats is meant to help fans who prefer to wade into supporters’ culture rather than plunge headlong into it. If a new fan who first gets to know Texian Army members through watch parties or tailgates wants to participate, for example, the new Zona allows for a fan to purchase a single-game ticket to stand among the hardcore before fully committing to a season ticket.
“Seeing people in the supporters’ section standing the whole time is kind of new to some people going to their first Dynamo game,” Hromadka says, laughing.
The Dynamo are entering their fifth season at BBVA Compass Stadium. But some still remember the Dynamo’s time in Robertson Stadium, on the University of Houston campus, where the team originally relocated from San Jose in 2005. (It’s also where they celebrated back-to-back MLS Cup-winning seasons in 2006 and 2007).
Despite “the Rob” being a well-weathered stadium that was never intended to be a permanent home for the Dynamo, current and former players involved with the Zona Naranja project fondly remember the energy that fans brought to that stadium.
“For as crappy as that stadium was, you had a group of people--a very large group of people--who made a game day experience something special,” says Eddie Robinson, who is currently the team’s analyst for the Dynamo television broadcasts. “These were people whose happiness for the next week depended on whether we won or lost. And if it was against Dallas, it was two weeks.”
Robinson sees great potential in the newly reconfigured Zona. He also said he feels that it’s incumbent on the supporters’ groups to unite and bring Robertson-level energy to the stadium.
Hromadka feels the groups are up to the task; it was particularly inspirational to him that current Dynamo players Will Bruin and Tyler Deric took time to attend the planning meetings. “It really impressed me that the players were involved,” he notes. “One of the meetings was right after Christmas, and to see them take that time from their very preciously small offseason that they get was really impressive.”
For Bruin, who played his rookie season at the Rob and has been in the new stadium ever since, it’s an investment in what he sees as an important component of the team’s success.
“I want us to be more interactive with the fans,” he says. “At the end of the day, they’re the ones supporting you, and you’re playing for them, and you want to get to know them. The better relationship you have with the fans, the more they’re pulling for you. They’re almost as important as the players, because they can raise you to another level.”
