A supporter’s perspective on Indy Eleven’s home opener
Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s happening. Indy Eleven is about to play its first home game. A story first reported by Soc Takes revealed what we know today – Indy XI will play in the USL, and will play its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But it almost didn’t happen. At this time three months ago, Indy XI was at a breaking point. The North American Soccer League (NASL) was as good as dead. Conversations with the USL had been difficult after Indy XI reneged on the opportunity to join the league in the fall, and time was running out.
Multiple Indy XI insiders were cognizant that the very existence of the club was in jeopardy. This would have meant that many front office jobs and technical staff positions would disappear overnight. This would have meant that the Brickyard Battalion would have had to find novel solutions to survive without having a club to support. This would have meant heartbreak for scores of fans, young and old alike, who had made “Indy Eleven supporter” a part of their very identity.
And the war isn’t over. There are insidious issues that are hurting this club. These include a dictatorial owner, the club’s lack of loyalty to personnel, a repeated failure to utilize and understand media relations, the lower-division issue of lack of revenue and the continued tribulation of the stadium conundrum.
Peter Evans. Credit: Brickyard Battalion
But perhaps it is time for folks like myself to focus and appreciate that the club is about to play its first home game at Lucas Oil Stadium. A home game against the USL’s poster child for success: FC Cincinnati.
There are many folks who deserve credit for making this happen: Firstly, the aforementioned dictatorial owner, who finally woke up to the reality of the plight of the NASL and desire of many supporters. Secondly, the front office staff, some of whom work absurdly long hours and are the pillars of this club. Thirdly, the Brickyard Battalion (BYB) board members who spend many volunteer hours every week ensuring your gameday experience is memorable. I’d like to specifically highlight two of them:
Peter Evans is known to all regular Indy XI supporters. You can see his translucent skin and unevenly follicul-ed upper lip leading the rambunctious chanting of the BYB. What goes unseen are the hours of planning and execution Evans leads in developing tifo for games. Ably assisted by his Puck-ian comrade Chad Irvine, Evans oversees every step of the process. Evans estimated Saturday’s tifo took him 40 hours. Read that again. Forty hours.
A recent picture of Josh Mason
A truly unsung hero is the president of the BYB, Josh Mason. Many people attending games at LOS this year will not recognize him. So here’s a picture of him (left). The cherubic Mason spends multiple hours of his life — away from his family and work — to integrate the disparate opinions and agendas of BYB board members and finds solutions to a multitude of problems.
It is almost entirely due to Mason’s efforts that the BYB has found an affordable parking and tailgating solution to the Lucas Oil conundrum. And I can assure you, this involved a lot of negotiating and appeasing. Unlike the Indy XI’s owner, the BYB’s president is collaborative, solution-oriented and innovative.
If you see Evans and Mason at Lucas Oil on Saturday, thank them.
Lucas Oil will pose logistical issues. While fans will welcome the improved amenities, optics and actual restrooms, we will simultaneously say goodbye to the freedom Carroll Stadium afforded us. For example, fans will say hello to actual seats, but bid farewell to smoke after goals.
#CueTheSeats. Nah, not doing it for me either.
In three months, the front office staff has worked miracles. They have sold thousands of tickets, addressed the infrastructural challenges of a much larger stadium and managed to navigate multiple logistical problems.
In three months, the coaching staff, including now-departed Trevor James, has worked miracles. They have turned over an entire squad and replaced it with a mix of experience and precocious talent. (So much so that certain folks are now positing Tyler Pasher as the new “bae.”)
In three months, the BYB has worked miracles.
On Saturday, it is time to turn it over to the fans. Be a part of an anticipated record-breaking crowd. Be a part of a new tailgate experience. Sing. Cheer. Bring friends. Buy tickets.
Because, while we will face challenges going forward, Saturday is truly a day of celebration.
And it will be one to remember.
Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.
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