The Spring season is over, and wow was that a busy couple of months! June alone was packed, between Valour games, the Voyageurs Cup, Gold Cup and World Cup. On July 2nd, as I looked ahead to 16 days without any games, it almost felt like a welcome reprieve. But after 6 days, I’m already feeling a little bit of withdrawal. And we are facing a long 3 weeks before we can get back to The Trench on July 27th.
If, like me, you are looking for ways to keep the support going through July, I highly recommend travelling to an away game. It’s a fun way to connect with other travelling supporters, and there is a comraderie that comes while supporting on the road. With 276 people in our section, it’s hard to get to know everyone and away days are a great way to meet more faces from The Trench. There is also the obvious benefit of getting to visit other parts of the country, but most importantly, it gives the team a boost knowing that we have travelled to support them.
We have two away games before our next home match on July 27th, and we already have a few people planning to travel to each game.
On July 17th we are away in Edmonton. There are a few people that I know of who are going to this game, and it would be great to get more of the Valour Army in the stands. I travelled to the Edmonton game last month, and Clarke Stadium offers a chance to be a lot closer to the action. The designated away section (101) has a nice view of the pitch, you are close enough to the action that the players can hear you even if it is a small group, and there is a bar about 100 steps away from the section! If you can make this game, you will find information on booking in the away section here. We have a travelling flag and pole that breaks down to fit in carry-on sized luggage, and a flag with corner grommets that can be hung on the fence. If you buy tickets in the away section and want to take these with you let me know before July 12th, and I will get them to you.
On July 20th we are away in Hamilton. Again, we have a few people coming to this one already (including me!). While I did attend the inaugural Canadian Premiere League match back in April, this will be my first Valour away in Hamilton. The experience at Tim Horton’s field is quite similar to IG Field, right down to a very loud home supporter group. Our away section is 118, which is at the corner of the pitch. We may have a marginally better view there than at home, but most importantly, we will make sure the boys hear us and know we are there. If you want to join us for this one, the Facebook event is here. To book tickets in the away section, contact James at 905-527-3674 x 332.
On July 25th, Saskatoon is hosting the second game of the SK Summer Soccer Series. It might not be immediately obvious how this helps support Valour, but this series is the first step in getting a CanPL team to Saskatchewan, and a much closer regional rival for Valour. We also have a connection to one of the players on the SK Selects squad. Tobias Hyrich-Krueger is from Winnipeg, and his mom has season tickets in 144. Tobias currently plays for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in addition to the SK Selects, and he is dreaming of playing in the Canadian Premiere League. Tobias even travelled to Edmonton to support Valour last month, so let’s support Tobias as he works to bring another team to the league, and an important regional rival for us. You can book tickets here.
If you are interested in traveling to other away games over the Fall season, you can find information on our website about booking tickets in the away sections, and links to our Facebook Events for each game. And if you are planning to travel, connect with the local supporter groups. We are all enemies for 90 minutes, but before and after the games, I have found the home supporters in each city to be very welcoming. You can find a list of the other groups here.
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