Five hundred tickets will not meet the demand, but it’s a good start.
That was the general reaction in Seattle to Wednesday's announcement that 500 tickets will be set aside for traveling fans during 2011 MLS matches between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.
As anticipation builds for the Cascadia rivalry, many had hoped for more. However, a large majority of fans posting on message boards and fan sites considered it to be a good starting point.
“I would have liked to see more seats allocated for away fans, but 500 is better than 150,” wrote one commenter on the website Prost Amerika, echoing the comments of many Seattle-based supporters on message boards and comment threads.
Optimistically, some fans were hoping 5 percent of each stadium’s capacity — which is the amount recommended by FIFA — to be set aside for away support.
The news, which was announced nearly simultaneously by all three clubs, falls short of that mark, although it should be noted that 500 tickets represents a much larger ratio in Portland’s PGE Park and Vancouver’s temporary Empire Fields than it does in Seattle’s higher-capacity Qwest Field.
"It's a good start, but shouldn't be the end goal,” wrote Emerald City Supporters co-president Keith Hodo.
[inline_node:306366]“Eventually we should honor the FIFA guidelines of 5 percent of tickets being allocated to away support,” Hodo’s statement continued. “This is going to be the premier rivalries in MLS and in order to grow the sport in America we need more away supporters at all games.”
It is unclear how each club will distribute these tickets to supporters. According to the statement released by each of the three MLS clubs, detailed operational plans are still being developed.
“We're committed to working with the front offices of the clubs to ensure that we support and foster this rivalry in the right way,” Hodo wrote. “Eventually these derbies will be the ones that American supporters circle on their calendar. We want to get to the point where supporters from across the nation and the globe will be able to descend on Seattle, Vancouver or Portland and see a truly world-class football atmosphere."
The 2011 MLS schedule has not yet been announced.
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