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  1. #1
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    Default Why do you love TFC?

    Why do you love TFC? I know we all love this club, but what pulls you in and takes control? Do you ever question it, wonder if it has too much of a hold you? Do others wonder if its an obsession. What makes you stick around. It now 14 years strong, do you hold the same enthusiasm that you did in the past? Its a healthy conversation to have, mental health and the role of sports that plays within it. Saturday will be here before we know.

    Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!

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    Why do I love TFC? Fell in love with them mostly because of the supporter groups. Started following at the start of 2013 after watching tons of videos of TFC fans doing the chants and away game road trips, tifos, and got hooked instantly. In a sports city like Toronto where the fan atmosphere is heavily fabricated, it's a breath of fresh air to see organic chants and hype coming from BMO Field.

    Edit: Just to add that I believe that the safe standing installation will enhance the atmosphere and I can't wait
    Last edited by sn0re; 03-04-2020 at 01:13 AM.

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    I first fell in love with TFC back in 2009ish. What drew me in was it was an atmosphere like nothing else the city has when it comes to sporting events. My love for the club was tested during the dark years (2011 - 2014) but even at the end of every year even though I was disappointed, frustrated and frankly pissed off that my club had let me down and under preformed once again, the thought of turning my back on the club never seriously entered my mind. I would often question myself as to why I wanted to sit through another late game collapse on the train ride home, pondering if spending my hard earned money on a club that was run like the Costa Concordia under Francesco Schettino. There was times as I exited the gates after a game that I swore I was done with this team. They had let me down for the last time, I told myself time and time again. But as it is in every day life when you and your significant other get into a fight or an argument, once the initial emotional re-action subsides, you remember why you love them.

    It is about the friends that have become family that surround your seat, sharing life events over a pint and hot dog pre-game or at the half. It is about the songs we sing for the men that don the crest of our club. It is about the jubilation you feel as you see the ball cross the line into the other teams net. The pride and honour of helping the team defend the city we all love.

    Then Tim Leiweke did something that affirmed our love for the city. He demanded more for us that showed up week in week out. He saw the hunger for success that we all felt and put in motion the pieces required to build the greatest team in league history.

    I guess what I am trying to say is, it is easy to be a fan when the titles and championships are rolling in but in order to be there when things are going completely sideways, that takes love. I was there for the season we finished under 30 points. I was there for the worst team in the world. I was there for the 6-2 embarrassment to Philly and I was there in February when it was -20 and we were down 4-1 on aggregate. Why? Because this club is part of my family and family sticks together.

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    I grew up in Toronto and was always a fan of anything Toronto, even when I moved to Ottawa. I also liked soccer and when TFC came into the picture, it was a no-brainer to support them from a distance. As soon as Montreal joined, my son and I and various friends would make an annual trek to Montreal to see TFC whenever they played there. I lurked here on the boards for almost two years before i got the nerve to start posting (I was afraid I'd say something to raise roogsy's ire). It was through my connections here that I managed to snag a pair of tickets for the 2017 MLS Cup Final. It's the connections to my hometown and on this board that I continue to support TFC, even through the ABC years when things just seemed to be on a downward spiral.

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    Why do I love TFC, well being born in Blackpool England, I have always loved football, my Dad was and still is a member of the ManU supporters club here in Toronto, my Uncle (godfather) was a Rangers supporter, so it was a natural to love TFC and become a supporter, I supported Blackpool back home, and years ago my dad had season tickets to the Toronto Blizzard whose home was CNE grandstand.

    The passion, atmosphere and gameday experience are second to none in any sport in Toronto, I enjoy having those discussions with non football fans on why football is the beautiful game, and being different than the usual NA sports fan. Being able to have your fellow TFC supporter whom is also a say a Millwall fan and me a Blackpool fan beside on another and not have that ugly fear of Football Hooliganism at BMO and throughout the MLS is refreshing.

    Cheers

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    In 2006 I was starting University and discovered Toronto was getting a soccer team. 14 years later here we are. I love the club, the highs, the lows, the people, the atmosphere, the drama, high theater, and the romanticism of it all. I'm lucky to share these experiences with close friends, my girlfriend, and her family as well. There is something about having a beer with your people in 112 on a sunny afternoon at lakeshore.

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    Similar to Derko, I was born in the UK and have supported Bristol Rovers (hometown) and Liverpool (where I went to Uni and worked for 10yrs) for as long as i can remember. My Grandad used to work for Coventry City in the thirties (pre war) and he was always very involved in the game and took me to lots of games when i was a kid. With regards to TFC, I moved to Toronto in early 2000 and when the team was first announced, me and a Brazilian buddy bought 2 seasons because...... hey it's football, right?

    The early years were tough, but hey, Bristol Rovers ain't exactly a stellar team, so it wasn't a big deal. The coaching and player turn over was though!
    The atmosphere and the fact that TFC are "our" team is what keeps me coming back, results are great, but not the only driver.


    edit, the Brazillian guy turned out to be a euro snob and left after 2 years. shame.

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    The fascination with the local got me interested.

    Going to the second memorable Dichio goal-scoring game (the end of season game against NER with that goal) got me wanting to keep watching.

    Getting tickets to see them in CCL against teams from Panama and Mexico got me hooked on coming to games.

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    Because I love soccer and it's the local team. It's my source of Live soccer action. Watching a European game live, I'll only be able to do once every few years when I go, but TFC I can watch live consistently. Plus, the game times work out perfectly because it's our time zone. I rarely watch UEFA Champions Leagues games just because they're on while I'm at work, TFC games are at night and weekends so I can watch majority of the time barring other commitments.

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    Because they love us back

  11. #11
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    Very interesting reading all the stories.

    I used to never really watch soccer at all prior to 1998 even though I have family in the Rangers organization but my dad never really took an interest for my family in particular in Canada. I was a hockey fan growing up and played hockey all year round all my life until 1998 when I was badly injured and hospitalized from a hit from behind that I was never able to fully recover from despite years of rehab for my injuries. When I was in the hospital it happened to be World Cup 98 in France so I watched all the games because I couldn't move much in the bed and I really started to love the game of soccer and I could no longer watch hockey for a very long time due to some post trauma mentally from my injury. I started to follow EPL, SPL and La Liga once out of the hospital and rehabbing at home and loved the game even more and started to follow teams I enjoyed watching including the Rangers. When I heard Toronto was getting an MLS team I thought that is very cool to have that in Toronto but when I never followed MLS due to them playing on NFL fields and baseball diamonds so I didn't jump into tickets right away at the start. I grabbed a few pairs for the opening season and thought I would go from there. My first game I had tickets for was the seat cushion day vs Chicago and after that game I thought to myself I have to be here for every damn game but by that time tickets sales went crazy so I couldn't get down to all that many and I refuse to buy scalpers. I contacted the club to get on a waiting list and they didn't have one at the time but started making one so I was on there early so got season tix the next season and been at the stadium since for most games and dragged many people there with me that also became fans. Through the ups and downs and all that it has been quite the ride. My kids are 15 and 17 so basically grew up going to the games as part of their life. I am sure our family will be at the top of 114 for many years and generations to come.
    Last edited by Joe Kool; 03-04-2020 at 12:21 PM.

  12. #12
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    I hated soccer growing up. I thought it was boring and sucked. That all said I didn't really watch much sports as a kid. If it wasn't a cartoon, I wasn't interested. But I did see the Jays win the World Series and the Raptors come into existence. I pretty much only played basketball as a kid since all you needed was a ball and hoops were readily available in Parkdale. I would catch the odd Leafs playoff game but I didn't have much interest in hockey. My parents didn't have much money so I could count on 1 hand how many live Jays games I went to. The rest, forget it, money wasn't there.

    A lot of this stems from not having a soccer team to follow. Canada only qualified for the World Cup the one time the year I was born. Canada and Poland both sucked hard in the 90s. My dad would mention the glory years of Boniek in the 70s, but I had no frame of reference as I grew up in Toronto, so I had no real emotional connection to past Polish glory. My Italian and Portuguese friends at least had something to watch at Euro or World Cup time, they all seemed to have an uncle who had whatever satellite channel that showed games from the old country. No such thing for me. I think World Cup 94 completely flew under my radar. Add to that no Toronto team to watch and nothing on regular TV and you have a kid who could not care less about soccer.

    In high school I started watching some hockey and the NFL. Then the 2002 World Cup rolled around and lo and behold Poland had qualified. Even with the time zone issues, I had something to watch. From then on every two years I had some soccer I could watch (Poland or not). Little by little my interest in the sport would increase. I decided to visit my family in Poland in 2006 for about a month. The World Cup was happening in Germany so I ended up watching a bunch of games on TV and went to a WKS Slask game when they were still in the 2nd division. I was starting to love the game but it was still an every 2 years thing.

    TFC itself wasn't on my radar really the first 2 seasons. Yeah I would see people streaming around the neighbourhood after games in their jerseys, but I really couldn't be bothered. I think part of it was some naysayers telling me how the quality was shit and we played on plastic. But then in 2009 a friend of mine decided to grab a pair of tickets on a whim. We went, and I had a super fun time. The noise coming from the south end blew me away. I ended up buying a scarf at the game (which is now adorned in many a TFC signature). I went to 4 more games next season (one being that friendly against Bolton and I believe a CCL game), and I bought a jersey from the Adidas store downtown. I tried to watch some more games but the broadcasting situation in those years was terrible. Remember Gol TV? Who the hell had that channel? It was a mess. Streaming also wasn't that great either.

    Regardless. I was sold. I was in. I decided I wanted season tickets. I looked on cragislist early 2011 and a guy was selling his seasons since he was moving away. I've been in 111 every since. My seatmates bailed after that season but I held onto my one seat. At this point you'll have to bury me there because as Leo said - I'm not fucking leaving! I've only missed a couple games for weddings and such and over time I would watch more and more away games. I rarely miss one nowadays and generally plan my year around TFC. My wife and I have traveled to Montreal a few times together in the past few years. The Eastern Final series against the Limpact is the greatest sports thing I have ever witnessed. Nearly missed my megabus back from Montreal because of the the paint issue. Besides watching some NFL due to a pool, I have completely checked out of other sports.

    Think about the possibilities available to kids now for soccer entertainment. Streams galore, matches on regular TV, FIFA, and a local team that has become successful. In 15 years when those kids are university age and want to party, like when I first got into TFC, they will be in hook line and sinker.

    Toronto Til I Die.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derko View Post
    Why do I love TFC, well being born in Blackpool England, I have always loved football, my Dad was and still is a member of the ManU supporters club here in Toronto, my Uncle (godfather) was a Rangers supporter, so it was a natural to love TFC and become a supporter, I supported Blackpool back home, and years ago my dad had season tickets to the Toronto Blizzard whose home was CNE grandstand.

    The passion, atmosphere and gameday experience are second to none in any sport in Toronto, I enjoy having those discussions with non football fans on why football is the beautiful game, and being different than the usual NA sports fan. Being able to have your fellow TFC supporter whom is also a say a Millwall fan and me a Blackpool fan beside on another and not have that ugly fear of Football Hooliganism at BMO and throughout the MLS is refreshing.

    Cheers
    Tell your mate Millwall sucks. CAFC, we hate Millwall!


    But on the topic, TFC is my local club and I’ll always support local football. I grew up around the likes of Oso and my brothers knew a bunch of the guys from the TFC original squad like Nana, AJ Gray, Joey Melo, and Gabe Gala. So it’s always been a bit special seeing some of the guys I grew up with in the community getting the chance to make it pro.

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    TFC was my relatively late in life gateway to football. I grew up playing hockey and baseball even though my old man represented Canada at the multiple youth levels in the 70s. Quite honestly, when the buzz around the bloody big deal happened in the City, I started checking in as a lurker, but TFCs trip to the MLS Cup in 2016 was the thing that got me. I went from not knowing much to watching every game and spending all my spare weekend moments trying to catch any game in any league I can. Not having any real attachment to any team other than TFC makes it incredible to just watch games for the fun of it. Thank you TFC for that gift.

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    I love TFC in because it winds up Argos fans.

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    Funnily enough, my introduction to TFC was in part inspired by RPB & the other supporter clubs that exploded in Toronto during that first year.

    First off, I have always been a big footie fan but probably like most, followed my Dads team most my life. He came to Canada from Scotland and was a die hard Celtic supporter. Anyway, when I was around 10 years old, my Dad took me to a Celtic game on a trip back to Glasgow and the experience blew my mind. Packed stadium with crazy, enthusiastic supporters singing team chants through out the game. Loved it so much that I never forgot that feeling and chased it from their on. Unfortunately, most of my experiences back in Toronto were going to pubs in the early morning to watch Celtic with local supporters which was fun but never anywhere near the levels of being at Celtic Park (of course).

    Anyway, I used to work out of a building down at King/Strachan and was working late one night back in 2007 when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like a riot happening out on King Street. I looked out of the 3rd story window and saw this huge crowd of Footie supporters, including RPB, marching down the street, chanting and waving TFC flags. Right away, I knew this was a group of footie supporters but this time for a team based in Toronto, the city that I was born and raised in and loved. I couldn't believe that what I had always wanted was actually occurring here in Toronto and so right then and there I knew I had to be a part of it.

    Anyway, from that day, I bought tickets to the next TFC game and never looked back. I knew I was in and would support this team forever, through thick & thin. It was even better though as when I did attend my first game after that night in 2007, I couldn't believe that the whole south end & 127 in the north end was full of crazy footie supporters like myself. Even though my tickets were in 106 at the time, I squeezed into the supporters section every game and chanted my ass off. It was exactly the same feeling that I had first experienced back at Celtic Park, all those years ago. Eventually, I also joined RPB and have been obsessed with TFC ever since, experiencing every game & related activity (club event, RPB events, etc..) that I can. My passion for TFC keeps getting stronger every year and I am so proud to be a supporter of the club.

    These days, it is even getting better as I have introduced my two sons to the team and they are starting to enjoy the same things I had. It is amazing that my passion for TFC has come full circle to my boys, in the same way my Dad introduced me to it all those years ago for the club he supported.

    To this day, chants like Forever (we love you) choke me up as I feel as much a part of this club as the players, maybe even more so.

    TFC!

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by BelfastBoy View Post
    I love TFC in because it winds up Argos fans.
    I have to agree with you on that one

  18. #18
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    Honestly, I love the beautiful game and it's all we had at the time, but I was all in right from the start. Over the years TFC has been a big part of my life, traveling with the team, spreading the whole TFC experience to new people, so many nights at Joes and then our first Championship win/Epic Jozy speech. Having said that, I am learning to really hate ML$E. The second TFC are sold to an independently wealthy SOB that wants to win at all costs and isn't in it to gouge the F out of us will be one of the happiest days of my life (a man can dream). As a Raptors STH also, the hate runs deep on the gouging. Pissing off the Argos fans is truly a bonus (Oskee!) I can't take the CPL seriously yet.

    Bones...

  19. #19
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    Honestly Soccer is my favorite sport and TFC was something Toronto Soccer fans needed. I always reamained loyal even during those dark days between 2011 and 2013 knowing that improvement was going to happen, The day we bought Gio and Jozy I knew happier days wer on the horizon. I also want to thank RPB for having this forum and at the same time making my game day experience enjoyable either at BMO or Shoeless

  20. #20
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    Because I do.

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    Because they haven't lost a game all season.

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    The view from my seat high in the East Stand.
    Being able to cycle to the game.
    Seeing fans walking westward to the game as I cycle by them.
    Shouting out the names of the players a la Bundesliga.
    The old Austrian, Adi, and his son, next to me.
    The lovely Lolita from Guyana in front of me...

    What I hate...
    The fact half the crowd arrive 15 minutes into the game.
    The fact half the crowd seem more interested in buying burgers than watching the game.
    The fact half the crowd leave 15 minutes before the end of the game!

    Missing it!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. #23
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    For me its not just the game - its the game AND community combined.

    I love belting out Legend TFC, Oh Canada, and Dichio and Just Can't Get enough at matches with everyone. Its a one-heart one-mind moment with everyone around me that got me into watching football (that very first match at BMO was no turning back!) - sadly cannot be replicated by watching matches on the tele unless you are all together with your group.

    Drama on and off the field! Love the other regulars/SSH - we don't tend to connect much off season - but always love game 1 and seeing everyone and catching up! Over the years been introduced to new babies and watching little ones sprout up into tweens. Witnessed a number of lovey-doveys, breakups and some interesting 'first dates' :-)

    'Tourists' don't bother me much - they provide comic relief (like the the one who managed to sneak in a cooler and tupperware full of food, or the one who sat down, thoroughly laid out a full spread, and then looked confused when everyone stood up blocking her view, and can't forget the poor guy in a windbreaker this March with no sweater shivering his *ss off the entire match- I felt so bad I gave him all my handwarmers to stuff into his shirt. Props for his sticking it out to the very end tho!).

    Its not just winning - its winning with people who are wholly invested in the team, the city, and the supporters. We've had some world class players win some matches with us but I'd take a lesser player and a loss that he takes to heart and celebrates the win for all of us than shallow win for points on a table or a paycheck.

 

 

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