More Than Just for Kicks

More Than
Just for Kicks
The Red Bulls––and their fans––take over Harrison
By Charles Curtis
P H oto : J e f f Z e l e va n s k y / N e w Yo r k R e d B u l l s
We love ya, we love ya, we love ya
And where you play we follow, we follow, we follow
‘Cause we support the Red Bulls, the Red Bulls, the Red Bulls
And that’s the way we like it, we like it, we like it.
“We Love Ya,”
one of the
many New York
Red Bulls
supporters’
chants
I
magine standing on your feet for nearly two
hours, bellowing these lyrics at the top of
your lungs to the tune of Little Peggy March’s
classic “I Will Follow Him,” all while
jumping and dancing around, flag in hand.
That’s just a taste of the fan mania found
at Red Bull Arena, the home of the Major
League Soccer (MLS ) franchise New York Red
Bulls. Located in Harrison, N.J., a mere
mile or so away from the center of Newark,
the place rocks on game day.
Ask any fan of the Red Bulls what makes
attending a game so special and they’ll talk
about the die-hard “supporters” who spend the
entire match rooting on the team in “the South
Ward,” as it’s known, the section behind one of
the goals. Made up of groups like the Empire
Supporters Club, the Garden State Ultras
and Viking Army Supporters, their passion is
infectious.
“That’s kind of the hook,” says Matt
Coyne, the managing editor of Red Bulls blog
NewarkBound | SUMMER . FALL . 2014 | 45