The MLS in Austin Prequel

I created the initial version of Supporters Union in 2013 to promote and assist soccer supporter groups, organizations, and charitable soccer-related efforts in the Austin, Texas area. It was essentially a "wiki" for Austin soccer.

The city is home to many diverse fanbases from all over the country and the world, but it was a very segmented community prior to Austin FC. English Premier League fans were supporting their teams at various places, LigaMX fans would do the same, and there were a smattering of MLS groups supporting teams from where they were from. The local PDL/USL team the Austin AzTeX just didn't have the gravity to unify the local soccer fanbase. In addition to all of this, hundreds of people a day were moving to Austin, many of whom were soccer fans in need of guidance to find their people.

The project was an early component of the larger plan to bring an MLS team to Austin. The only clear national indicators of the massive soccer fanbase in Austin were the television ratings from US and Mexico National team matches. The site was to help show the potential of the whole city through the local pieces and become a reference internationally to show Austin's passion for the beautiful game.

Once the MLS in Austin movement launched into orbit after the 2017 announcement that the league and an owner were looking to bring a team to town, resources and information became more focused on securing a local Major League Soccer club. MLS in Austin / Austin Anthem led the communication, coordination, and supporter effort to ensure we got our team. Supporters Union resources were rolled into MLS in Austin.

The "scarf person" logo was added into the MLS in Austin badge however, so a small piece of Supporters Union continued to be part of the movement to bring a team to Austin. It's like soccer-logo inception!

More Supporter Stories to Tell

One of the biggest takeaways from my years of experience championing and growing supporting culture in Austin is that there are still many untold stories in this space that deserve to be told. I'm looking into new ways to tell them.