Danish soccer club FC Copenhagen may have solved one of the
Ottawa Senator’s biggest problems.
According to Yahoo! Sports soccer blog Dirty Tackle on August 31 2013, FC Copenhagen, who is scheduled to compete against
teams like Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, has developed an innovative way
to ensure enemy fans don’t mingle with their own supporters during home
games. This idea is way outside the
box. The box in this case is a
metaphorical area where human decency and racial sensitivity reside.
FC Copenhagen will cancel ticket orders for fans whose
names do not sound Danish.
This will not affect anyone named Jensen, Nielsen, Hansen,
or anyone else whose surname ends in SEN.
FC Copenhagen players Christian Bolanos Navarro and
Claudemir Domingues de Souza should perhaps be worried.
FC Copenhagen cited safety concerns as their primary
motivator.
The Ottawa Senators also have an enemy fan invasion
problem. The club may share geographical
proximity with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, but not their storied
history. As a result, when the Leafs or
Canadiens come to Ottawa the arena is always packed with fans whose hockey loyalties
were determined before the modern Senators existed.
The Ottawa Senators organization has tried to solve this
problem. During the 2012-2013 season the Senators sent this letter urging
season ticket holder to sell their tickets only to other Sens fans if they
couldn't attend a Leafs or Canadiens game.
The campaign was picked up by the media and widely ridiculed.
Enter the FC Copenhagen model.
For Montreal Canadiens fans, the application of this model is
easy. Despite numerous attempts, the
Ottawa Senators have not succeeded in securing the allegiance of the local
French population. From this failure an
opportunity arises.
Do you have a French sounding last name and want to attend
an Ottawa Senators game?
Non. Alors vous ne pouvez pas venir.
Keeping Leafs fans out of the newly (and unfortunately)
named Canadian Tire Centre is more problematic.
Not even fresh DNA samples acquired by Ottawa Senators employees with
bladed shoe attachments could help distinguish a Maple Leafs fan from a
Senators fan.
While racial, ethnic, and religious differences serve as the
easiest ways for a sports clubs to filter out undesirable elements, sometimes solid
research and a good work ethic have to do.
Email hacking, phone call monitoring, and home ransacking are all excellent
ways to ascertain team affiliation.
Inquisition style tribunals also provide good results but these
methods are simply not cost effective in an era where thumbscrews can only be
purchased in obscure antique shops.
FC Copenhagen and the Ottawa Senators may eventually elect
to try a simpler and more effective strategy.
FC Copenhagen and the Ottawa Senators could show some
appreciation and respect to paying customers regardless of team affiliation. Building a fan base is best done by
consistently delivering a strong product, and through marketing and community
involvement. If a team is looking to
increase the percentage of home team fans at their games they need to promote
their team effectively and be patient.
If a team wants to ensure safety in their stadium they need to enhance
their security procedures, and do what they can to create a safe fun
environment for their fans.
The benefit of this strategy is it is far less likely to
turn your team into a laughing stock.
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