Photographer Martin Gonzales (left) and Bytown Boys SC founding member Stephane Brisson-Merrick (right) were ready to bring the noise before boarding the bus to New York. THE JUNCTION/Curtis Panke.
It’s 5:30 a.m. on a chilly Sunday morning outside a barren TD Place. The only thing breaking the silence is the rumble of an idling bus awaiting its passengers: members of Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys SC, Ottawa Fury FC’s die-hard fans.
The reason for being up so early? It’s match day. These fans are busing down to Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., to watch their beloved team take on the New York Cosmos in the Soccer Bowl, the North American Soccer League (NASL) championship game. After placing ninth out of 11 teams in this year’s spring season, the team rose to first in the fall, earning the chance to compete in the playoffs.
Kendra Shannon, a founding member of Stony Monday Riot, encourages women to get involved with supporters’ clubs. She has been supporting the Fury since 2013. THE JUNCTION/Curtis Panke.
“I’m tired, but pretty excited,” says Kendra Shannon, one of Stony Monday Riot’s founding members. “It’s almost like Christmas morning.”
With kickoff less than 12 hours away, Shannon, who’s dressed head-to-toe in Stony Monday Riot gear, says she is doing her best to save her energy. “I’m trying to keep everything level until the match.”
Supporters’ clubs, which are wildly popular in European sports, are relatively new in North America, existing only in soccer – for now. In cities across Canada, members gather at games to cheer on their teams, waving props such as flags, banners and scarfs, or creating unique songs and chants accompanied by loud drums.
“That was kind of the message that we wanted to send — that we’re a little bit rebellious and Ottawa is a little tame. We need to bring that back to the community, that spirit of pressure, passion, excitement and aggression.”
Matt Hawkins, who is a PhD student at Carleton University, and another founding member of Stony Monday Riot, says that while chaotic, the commotion is definitely worth it. “It’s loud. We have drums going, people yelling, chanting, and singing. It’s 90 minutes of support.”
While the supporters can get rowdy during matches, they separate themselves from some of their European counterparts, as they don’t participate in hooliganism. Soccer violence is a stigma linked to supporters’ clubs, but for Hawkins “it’s so far away from Canadian context” that it shouldn’t be an issue for people.
Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys SC started supporting the Fury before the team was promoted to the NASL in 2014 from the Premier Development League. The Bytown Boys was founded in 2011, with Stony Monday Riot entering the scene two years later.
“We decided to create our own supporters’ group with the idea of making a supporters’ culture that belongs to Canada and Ottawa,” Hawkins says.
The Stony Monday Riot culture draws on the club’s name, a reference to a brawl of the same name between Tory and Reform political supporters that took place in Ottawa on Sept. 17, 1849.
“That was kind of the message that we wanted to send,” Hawkins says. “That we’re a little bit rebellious and Ottawa is a little tame. We need to bring that back to the community, that spirit of pressure, passion, excitement and aggression.”
The Bytown Boys SC took a similar approach, rooting itself in Ottawa history by taking the city’s original name.
Creating an all-inclusive space
However, with Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys SC, it’s not just about supporting the Fury on match days; it’s also about creating a welcoming environment for its members and those who join them at games.
“It’s a small community vibe,” says Stephane Brisson-Merrick, a founding member of the Bytown Boys SC. “We’re all friends and we all know each other.” With members between six and 66 years old, Brisson-Merrick describes the club as a place where they “treat everyone like Norm from Cheers.”
Stony Monday Riot was created by Ottawa newcomers looking to feel connected to their city. “A lot of our members moved to Ottawa for school and work,” says Hawkins, who moved to Ottawa from Burlington, Ont. “A big part of what we wanted to create is a sense of community – a culture – that is supportive of wherever you come from. We use the Fury as our anchor point.”
Shannon adds that club members “really wanted to make sure that women, men and everyone who wants to get involved could get involved in a positive way.”
“This is a family thing, man,” says Martin Gonzales, a photographer joining the supporters’ clubs on their trip across the border. “If you love soccer, you’re in the right place with these guys.”
Active in the community
For these supporters’ clubs, community involvement is just as important as getting together on match day.
The Bytown Boys SC has raised money for various causes, including muscular dystrophy awareness and Ottawa Street Soccer, a non-profit organization that gives homeless people the chance to be part of a team.
Section W tifo today, thanks for the pic, @furyfc. Be generous
with your donations, and talk to your fam/friends/MPs about helping our fellow
humans around the world. @stonymondayriot @naslofficial #RefugeesWelcome
#FuryFC
PDT
This year, in the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis, Stony Monday Riot raised money for Matthew House, a charitable organization that helps settle refugees in Ottawa. “I think we all realized that it was a bigger issue than just moral support,” Hawkins says. “We want to be more involved in our community and use the strength of our collective membership to do things that are important.” The pride these clubs take from being active in the community fuels their support for the Fury, whether the team wins or loses. As Brisson-Merrick says, “When a team screws up, you get over it and move on,” because there’s always another match. Despite the Fury losing the NASL championship on Sunday, Hawkins says he hopes the team’s recent success will create a stronger bond between the team and its fans. He says it should be “about supporting the team whether we’re winning or losing, because it’s more about the community than the successes.” Whether it’s in the stands or in the community, rejoicing in victory or mourning defeat, the members of Stony Monday Riot and the Bytown Boys SC say they will be there for the Fury and the city of Ottawa. As one of the raucous chants heard at TD Place goes, “Fury, always with you.”
