John Porter, a regular reader on The Mag, asked me a question on the comments section the other day, that made me really think. “How are the Mackems in Minnesota (not Milan obviously)?” And that caused me to have a long, hard think.
I’m in my sixth decade now and for almost 40 years I have traveled throughout the world and every corner of the USA and Canada. In that time, you’d think I’d have come across some Black Cats, right?
Well, not exactly. In fact, it’s only happened once in all those years and all those places. So, I decided to do a little digging.
What I discovered. . . But of course, it didn’t.
I searched the internet for “Sunderland USA Supporters’ Groups” and the first page that came up was “Sunderland Association Football Club – North American Supporters’ Group (SAFC NASA)”.
At the moment he lists his Facebook page.
No third-ranked ads popped up in my search.
I wonder if Sunderland would say their club is BIG. What doesn’t surprise me is that they aren’t.
SAFC NASA charges $5/person to be a member – I don’t think this qualifies as a big revenue generator for this BIG club. The membership has the club assist in getting tickets to their home matches (as if assistance was needed!), regular gatherings of supporters, and “members only” merchandise. Perhaps they also get entry to the Nissan plant where Mackems gather instead of in their stadium?
NASA’s SAFC organization began in 2014, according to its website. Since North America is a giant in terms of population and area, it must be assumed that the time has come to increase the number of its members. Guy, I dug even deeper. There’s a board of directors, a page on the club’s history, and even a virtual ‘trophy cabinet’. In short: a fan organization sponsored through a club that represents all of North America and the surrounding spaces since 2014. It’s legitimate.
Then I went to the Facebook page; “Sunderland AFC – NASA North American Supporters Association”. This started a year before the official website sponsored by the club: 2013. Ten years of content! I was impressed, especially when I saw that 2500 other people liked the page. Again, let’s summarize: another 2,500 people have liked the Facebook page that has been operational since 2013 across North America. They have also published five posts in the last two weeks. . . It’s an active site.
People who live in Wisconsin are called Badgers so I decided to keep digging.
The Facebook posts appear to be posted through the organization and not through individual members. I’m no expert, but it turns out that active members would like to participate and be heard. I saw a message “Happy birthday to the follower. ” . . . ” last week.
There will also be a fan occasion at Niagara Falls on November 4 with nine (nine) participants.
And the NEXT post is for a event gathering on December, 2023 in Toronto. Two are attending with one “interested”.
Let’s go back to John’s question: “How are the Mackems doing in Minnesota?
Then, let’s go back to my answer that I’ve only met / seen one in the last 40 years of extensive travel, as there is a correlation.
Answer: The BIG club, Sunderland A.F.C. is, in fact, not a very big club at all, with minimal support in the USA and Canada with a combined population of about 380,000,000. It’s no wonder I have not come across any… they simply statistically do not exist!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Toon Army USA has a NUFC fan organization in each and every major city in North America and gathers for any and all games with full pubs throughout our club.
Wow, I already talked about meeting a Mackem and I deserve it.
I worked in the office of a car rental company at the Milwaukee airport. He refused to serve me (jokingly) because I was wearing a NUFC hat. It was 2013 and I saw it while I was doing a job at a company there. And if I don’t forget correctly, we finished one position above your club!I have to say she was a lovely woman and we had a lot of friendly banter.
I’ve never been to Sunderland personally, because there’s no explanation as to why it’s done, but if it’s indicative of the other people there, it’s not too bad. Just especially.
And the comments here and the shenanigans they got into in the relegation war make me hate most of them.
Anyway, I’m happy to ask you some questions and find an answer. That’s what the game is all about and for me it’s another way to help the actually BIG club in the North East of England – Newcastle United.
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