https://ictfc.com/drummin-up-support-for-the-team

First steps in trying to work with the club in order to encourage youngsters and the young at heart to make a bit more noise in supporting the lads on the pitch.  Hopefully a good vocal support against Morton on Saturday.

Can someone give the suggestee a skelp round the back of the head?

The drum's always been in Section E because it's central and easily heard from either end of the stand. Shifting it to Section A, and in future to the A9 stand, is a quick and easy way to kill off any form of atmosphere, as it'll be too far from the main foothold of the vocal support, and be too quiet to hear decently in the Main Stand end of the North Stand.

Daft decision. 

1 hour ago, DoofersDad said:

https://ictfc.com/drummin-up-support-for-the-team

First steps in trying to work with the club in order to encourage youngsters and the young at heart to make a bit more noise in supporting the lads on the pitch.  Hopefully a good vocal support against Morton on Saturday.

Our drummers provided a great atmosphere during our rise through the divisions two decades or more ago.

A new generation not just tolerated but welcomed and encouraged by the club would be a great addition to particularly home games where atmosphere is not always what it might be.

A welcome development.

1 hour ago, Kingsmills said:

A new generation not just tolerated but welcomed and encouraged by the club would be a great addition to particularly home games where atmosphere is not always what it might be.

A welcome development.

A welcome development would be to hire stewards who aren't complete arseholes about what happens, rather than shoving the noise off to the side.

On away days, we make a ton of noise, but at home, it's just dead because they know if they try to make the slightest bit of noise, then they'll be booted out by the stewards, then be sent a letter saying how they're no longer welcome.

The vocal lads behind the goal used to be a rather large group, taking up the front 4 rows, but now it's only a handful because they've been banned for nonsense reasons or they've been handed a too harsh a sentence and have turned their back on the club.

Moving them to the end of the stand isn't a positive development in the slightest, it's a veiled statement which roughly translates to "we don't want you here getting other fans on their feet, sod off to your own part of the ground".

I assume they haven't actually spoke to any of the young team to see what they think about the suggestion? If they have fair enough. 

However, I'm not sure how moving the small band of vocal youth et al to the far corner or an West exposed stand, tarp or no is supposed to increase atmosphere. I sit in second E and I don't see the problem where they are. 

ETA: if they are doing this as a precursor to making the West stand safe standing then it might be received a bit more positively perhaps? 

Edited November 24, 20213 yr by Fraz

There hasn't been a drum at a home game for some time. I know they are kept up the back of the North Stand but they are seldom used. The young lads have dwindled in number for some reason as well preferring to go to away games which, whether you like it or not, are better for creating an atmosphere than home matches. Recent matches at TCS have been like a morgue and it's getting worse if that is even possible. To be clear this is not a slant on the YT or the support in general. Home supports are almost always quiet and the number of fans attending games continues to dwindle whether it's malaise brough on by remaining in the second tier and / or COVID concerns.

I'd like to think the club were in touch with the YT about this move, perhaps to find out why they don't really attend home matches in any great number any more, engaged with them to try and encourage more of them back to games in Inverness and so on. As mentioned above their "home" is the front of Section E and they have generated some great noise in the past but it's not really happening now and no one really helps them out.

I feel we (as in ICT) could learn a lot from Motherwell and how they work with the Motherwell Bois. Their little corner of Fir Park is really good and something we should look to emulate. I'm not sure this move is the way to do it however.

Edited November 24, 20213 yr by RiG

It should be the first 10 rows of the section directly behind the goals. Offer anyone who currently has a season ticket in that area a subsidised season ticket if they move to another section in lieu of people who want to create an atmosphere. 

Edited November 24, 20213 yr by Fontaines ICT

It seems to me that the club directors want the youngsters to make a lot of noise to support the team but as far away from the rest of us supporters!  There are hundreds of empty seats in the centre of the north stand that would be better used than going to more expense of a covered area on the A9 side.

7 hours ago, Jack Waddington said:

Can someone give the suggestee a skelp round the back of the head?  

  You can't do that Jack!

The drum's always been in Section E because it's central and easily heard from either end of the stand. Shifting it to Section A, and in future to the A9 stand, is a quick and easy way to kill off any form of atmosphere, as it'll be too far from the main foothold of the vocal support, and be too quiet to hear decently in the Main Stand end of the North Stand.

Daft decision. 

You are right Jack.

A chink of light from the club with this idea, only for the darkness to return with banishment to section A or the West terrace...

The sparsely populated north stand needs a vocal(focal) point in the heart of it, smack bang in the middle. Drums,big flags etc etc

I understand the criticisms here, but please remember that this is just a first step in trying to get more youngsters into the ground and to create a bit more atmosphere.  Nobody is suggesting that what is being proposed for the Morton game should be a long term solution.  It is a stepping stone.  There has been a bit of fan engagement regarding this and a small group of youngsters where involved in that, but we need much more.  Hopefully the stewards will be told to give folk a bit of leeway and likewise the youngsters will respect the boundaries of the leeway they are being given and Saturday will be a success.  If people engage positively with the process, then my hope would be that we can learn from the experience and bring in more people for wider and more representative discussion moving forwards.

As someone who used to stand behind the goal when I was a lad in the 60s and 70s, I would like nothing better than for a large vocal standing area behind the goal, but we live in changed times.  The club needs to work within current legislation and the regulations of the footballing authorities.  It may need to seek appropriate planning consents for physical changes to the stands.  It meeds to work within its budget.  And this is not just about the youngsters.  There are also other people to consider.  For instance, there are long standing season ticket holders who have had seats in the sections behind the goals for years.  It would be completely unacceptable to simply tell them they will have to move without any proper consultation.

I am sure we all want to encourage more youngsters to come to games and for there to be a better atmosphere.  Where there will be disagreement is how we achieve that.  Giving everyone what they want is simply not possible. There is no magic solution, so the way to move forward is for as many people as possible to engage constructively with the process.  The more everyone understands what is important to others and what the barriers to change are, the more likely we are to reach a solution that represents a good compromise.

The club has been much criticised for not engaging with fans.  The club is engaging with fans on this, so it really is important that fans take the club at its word and engage constructively too.  What is being proposed for Saturday is far from perfect but it is a step forward.  If folk don't engage and support the initiative then it will be a lot harder to move forward to achieve the best solution.

As long as the young crew are not left marrooned on that 'stepping stone'

They are the future of the club unlike the likes of me who sits quietly in the Main Stand occasionally clapping, even less often shouting and constantly moaning albeit generally about the catering rather than the team.

A step in the right direction but a very modest one indeed.

If the club got rid of it's draconian and over zealous stewards they may be on to a winner. The noise makers need to be behind the goal and not stuck out on a limb or half way to Drumnadrochit.

5 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

 There are also other people to consider.  For instance, there are long standing season ticket holders who have had seats in the sections behind the goals for years.  It would be completely unacceptable to simply tell them they will have to move without any proper consultation.

 

As section E has been a designated area for a very long time for signing, id find it strange that there would be an issue with season ticket holders to have the young team back in the front rows.

And yes, my season ticket is in section E

5 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

I understand the criticisms here, but please remember that this is just a first step in trying to get more youngsters into the ground and to create a bit more atmosphere.  Nobody is suggesting that what is being proposed for the Morton game should be a long term solution.  It is a stepping stone.  There has been a bit of fan engagement regarding this and a small group of youngsters where involved in that, but we need much more.  Hopefully the stewards will be told to give folk a bit of leeway and likewise the youngsters will respect the boundaries of the leeway they are being given and Saturday will be a success.  If people engage positively with the process, then my hope would be that we can learn from the experience and bring in more people for wider and more representative discussion moving forwards.

As someone who used to stand behind the goal when I was a lad in the 60s and 70s, I would like nothing better than for a large vocal standing area behind the goal, but we live in changed times.  The club needs to work within current legislation and the regulations of the footballing authorities.  It may need to seek appropriate planning consents for physical changes to the stands.  It meeds to work within its budget.  And this is not just about the youngsters.  There are also other people to consider.  For instance, there are long standing season ticket holders who have had seats in the sections behind the goals for years.  It would be completely unacceptable to simply tell them they will have to move without any proper consultation.

I am sure we all want to encourage more youngsters to come to games and for there to be a better atmosphere.  Where there will be disagreement is how we achieve that.  Giving everyone what they want is simply not possible. There is no magic solution, so the way to move forward is for as many people as possible to engage constructively with the process.  The more everyone understands what is important to others and what the barriers to change are, the more likely we are to reach a solution that represents a good compromise.

The club has been much criticised for not engaging with fans.  The club is engaging with fans on this, so it really is important that fans take the club at its word and engage constructively too.  What is being proposed for Saturday is far from perfect but it is a step forward.  If folk don't engage and support the initiative then it will be a lot harder to move forward to achieve the best solution.

My seat has always been in Section G.   A lot of the “young ones / singing section were around me for years and they were moved “because they occasionally used bad language which may be heard by those in the then “Family Section”.   Accordingly quite a lot of season ticket holders had to change their seats.  Now there’s no “Family Section” and children in every part of the Stadium.    I’m unhappy that drums etc may be moved even further from the Main Stand and my seat in North Stand (maybe to be as far from the Main Stand as possible to disturb the sweetie rustlers!?)  I also don’t agree that fans wouldn’t change their seats if asked nicely to accommodate singing/drumming behind the goals.   It’s no wonder that the fans going to away games have a much better experience, noisy together, than it is at our stadium.  

I always thought the boys at the front of E singing and drumming were brilliant and I was rear of G at the time. They created a brilliant atmosphere and a bit of fun and actually got the quieter fans going too. The club shot itself in the foot by the harsh way it treated the boys after whatever it was that happened and effectively just discouraged them from coming back. It's a small step but forcing them into A away from everyone and bad viewpoint for them is not a great solution. The "atmosphere" at the last game I attended was frankly embarrassing, I could actually hear someone shouting up on the bridge and the oyster catchers on the shore. The stewards need to be reigned in, not all but a good proportion of them I think only do the job because they want to throw their weight about. Ex failed bouncers 

I hope that the club are taking note of the enthusiasm for this, even among us old sweetie rustlers, with so far not a dissenting voice.

Over zelous stewarding has been a persistent problem ever since the North Stand was built so an opportunity to address this long standing issue and kill two birds with one stone with the advantage of improving the atmosphere and increasing attendances at the same time.

I am at the back of section F in the north stand and although I don't make much noise myself it was a lot better when we had a crowd of youngsters making a noise behind the goals in the past.  

No need for lengthy consultations etc., this isn't HS2. The club would only have to send a few letters and make a few calls at almost no cost to have something a lot better in place by the start of next season.

There was a drummer and group of youngsters in Section A of the North Stand at the Arbroath game. Unfortunately the stewards set about them that night and ejected about four of the lads. For what I don't know as I was watching what was happening on the pitch. The rest left in disgust at half time. Hopefully the stewards will lay off this time.

Just to add to this with the reason why.

Pretty sure the club already saw them on thin ice after damaging the train they took to Elgin. And were supposedly caught smoking up the back of the stand, hence the initial ejection.

Whether or not the rest of the group left because they were ejected I’m not sure, but they weren’t initially thrown out over making noise or anything similar. A chunk of the group ended up moving from section to section throughout the game

If we take the concept rather than any of the individuals - past or present - out of the discussion then the best place for a noisy section is right behind the goals. Look at a lot of clubs and with only a few exceptions, the loudest and most raucous sections are right there. Not only does it fire up our players, but it can also be distracting to the opposition when defending their own goal.  Looks good on TV too when we score at our own end and there is a load of celebrating fans. 

 

I can only go back to my Toronto experience for this kind of thing and we have had - from day 1 - a 'supporters section'. This started off as two sections of one of the stands, but is now an entire stand at the south end of BMO Field. Expanding it did involve moving people but they had the option to stay or to be relocated. Most stayed as it is the cheapest stand in the stadium, and in that entire section fans are encouraged to stand, wave flags, make noise etc. I've had my season ticket in here since 2007 and its brilliant.  (Pre-Covid) It was always full, people trying to sneak in and join the fun, and although somewhat self-policing there are also rules with consequences. Some of the supporters groups have fallen foul of those rules and people were kicked out, even arrested and/or banned, but on the whole the different supporters groups work with the club to stick within the rules. It took work, but the drums came in as did controlled smoke (as opposed to early attempts by fans to use road flares!) ... Nowadays, the players are even involved and after a victory you will often see them come down to the South end, pull the drum out of the crowd and one of the players will lead the 'viking chant' (another Motherwell reference I guess) while banging the drum. Even in a stadium with close to 30K fans, the players always say how important it is to them to have that South end being raucous and loud .... the rest of the stadium is not silent but sitting (and by extension sweetie rustling) tends to tone down the atmosphere in those sections.  I've had a few ICT supporting friends at TFC over the years and they all commented on the atmosphere! 

As for using bad language to justify not putting a supporters section behind the goal or away from a family section (in the past), I always thought that was wrong. Its a football game, not church, so you expect to hear some colourful language. I have been taking my son to TFC since he was about a year old ... I try to minimise my bad language when he is with me (or when I see other kids around) but unless someone is getting really foul mouthed on a constant basis then I am not going to get upset .... he hears the same thing on the school playground. 

 

1 hour ago, DanielH8199 said:

Just to add to this with the reason why.

Pretty sure the club already saw them on thin ice after damaging the train they took to Elgin. And were supposedly caught smoking up the back of the stand, hence the initial ejection.

Whether or not the rest of the group left because they were ejected I’m not sure, but they weren’t initially thrown out over making noise or anything similar. A chunk of the group ended up moving from section to section throughout the game

It is never right to punish the many for the actions of the few.

Competent and proportionate stewarding could have and should have nipped any such problems in the bud.

On 11/24/2021 at 7:26 PM, RiG said:

There hasn't been a drum at a home game for some time. I know they are kept up the back of the North Stand but they are seldom used. The young lads have dwindled in number for some reason as well preferring to go to away games which, whether you like it or not, are better for creating an atmosphere than home matches. Recent matches at TCS have been like a morgue and it's getting worse if that is even possible. To be clear this is not a slant on the YT or the support in general. Home supports are almost always quiet and the number of fans attending games continues to dwindle whether it's malaise brough on by remaining in the second tier and / or COVID concerns.

I'd like to think the club were in touch with the YT about this move, perhaps to find out why they don't really attend home matches in any great number any more, engaged with them to try and encourage more of them back to games in Inverness and so on. As mentioned above their "home" is the front of Section E and they have generated some great noise in the past but it's not really happening now and no one really helps them out.

I feel we (as in ICT) could learn a lot from Motherwell and how they work with the Motherwell Bois. Their little corner of Fir Park is really good and something we should look to emulate. I'm not sure this move is the way to do it however.

I think the YT would like similar. And yes in reply to above some members were involved in this move. Baby steps 

Not sure if it's cos of the lack of attendees, but as it sounds, this move has been disastrous. Can only really hear the drum...

2 hours ago, Jack Waddington said:

Not sure if it's cos of the lack of attendees, but as it sounds, this move has been disastrous. Can only really hear the drum...

I did hear the drum in the distance a couple of times in the second half and a young schoolkid shouting but that was it.