The Pelé Sports Fan Ambassador Club – August 2012

Fans come when things are good and disappear when things go bad, but supporters are always there for their club and their sport. They live, breathe, and love their club. You won’t see people switching sides or jumping on a bandwagon; they are too proud and too loyal for that. The idea of a soccer supporter puts a lot of images in a person’s mind. A lot of stereotypes come up, but they are far from reality.

Michigan’s Gene Butcher is part of a new generation of soccer supporters that want to grow the game and help the community as well. He has been involved with the sport for 30+ years, experiencing the highs and lows of the American game.

The height of his soccer experience was attending World Cup matches in his hometown of Pontiac as international teams played several games at the Silverdome in 1994. This helped build a love for the beautiful game that has not tarnished over the years. Even though Gene admittedly lives and breathes the sport, there is more to life than soccer.

Gene and his brother, a fellow Detroit City FC supporter named Ken, decided to adopt a charity as a way to show people that soccer supporters really care about their communities. So the “Hooligans for Heroes” program was born with the sole purpose of raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Being part of a military family showed them how important it is to give back to veterans and active members of the armed forces.

A local soldier, who happened to be a soccer supporter, fighting in Afghanistan inspired the charity as he wrote about two friends that sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of an IED. When Gene and Ken read about this, they knew they found their charity. And the rest is history as an impressive response to the project has quickly raised funds for the veterans’ charity.

Gene is truly a hero himself, serving as a firefighter and paramedic by day. By night (and on game day) he is a passionate DCFC supporter.

People like Gene have helped DCFC create an incredible atmosphere for their players and fans. The Northern Guard Supporters have joined with the Motor City Supporters and Le Rouge Supporters to make sure Detroit soccer receives passionate, enthusiastic, “over the top” support.

“We have a lot of drums,” Gene commented. “We start chanting two hours before the game and we don’t stop chanting until after the game. It’s loud. It’s rowdy. It’s a lot of fun.”

Detroit City is blessed with 500-700 supporters at every home match. But it doesn’t stop there.

Gene was also a huge part of getting a derby started among several NPSL teams: Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo. The idea became known as the Rust Belt Derby. It is completely supporter-driven and focuses on promoting soccer on a grassroots level.

The supporters came up with a points system and even had a special trophy designed by a Detroit artist. The hardware went to AFC Cleveland in 2012, but the rivalry will last much longer. The best thing about the derby is that it brings the supporters together so they can share their love for the sport. There are no hard feelings or any sort animosity among the different groups from different clubs, but rather a friendship founded upon a mutual respect for the game.

Supporters like Gene are doing things the right way to grow the game and support their club and community. If every team had Gene’s passion and enthusiasm, then soccer could truly make a run at America’s big three in the sporting world: baseball, basketball, and football. Maybe, just maybe some day soccer will be America’s Favorite Pastime.

Pelé is unquestionably the world’s greatest soccer ambassador, spreading his love of the Beautiful Revolution wherever he goes. He has become the game’s strongest supporter and has been the source of inspiration for millions around the globe. From the streets of New York to the fields of South Africa, Pelé Sports is a name synonymous with passion, creativity and innovating the game the way it should be played. A world without Pelé would be a world without soccer with millions missing out on the joy and the Beautiful Revolution we all love in this game.

Today’s supporters carry on the prestigious legacy of Pelé, growing and promoting the game in their own communities and passing the torch to a new generation of footballers. Mainstream media outlets have failed to give a face to these fans, people who do extraordinary things everyday and have stories that deserve to be told. Whether it is an Iraqi War veteran who is a passionate supporter of his favorite MLS side or a student making an impact on the college game, the concept of ambassadorship is alive and well here in North America. Today’s supporters are not hooligans or fanatics or even überfans, but rather gatekeepers to the true spirit of the beautiful game.

International Soccer Network, in conjunction with Pelé Sports, plans to celebrate the contributions of North American soccer fans every month with a new series of feature articles.