The Collection in Columbus

I am highly overdue in my posting of banner or overall tifo work from our Nordecke Supporters section . My epiphany of sorts came this week as I was awarded the 2009 Fan of The Year award from the Columbus Crew Soccer Club. While driving my 138 miles home from the awards ceremony, I was full of thoughts, but one that came to mind was how much the Nordecke and overall supporter culture has grown over the past few years. And while some may have sent me plaudits in regards to banners, there are several others who have played their part by stepping up and doing some form of display, whether by banner, flag, etc. Collectively, and together the Nordecke has and will become a top notch supporters section with vision.

I (photos by Studio79, Ryan, and others) will now feature the workings from other supporters, first from 2008.

Strictly for Cups and the Playoffs

After a couple of days of easy work, I'm finally finished and this was painted and dried inside my too small apartment. This banner was supposed to have included a more scary individual in the middle of the banner with the words on either side, but I had to improvise. The font called 'MASSACRE', to which I hope Columbus massacres all opponents in it's way during the MLS CUP playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and the CONCACAF Champions League (and hopefully one day, the Club World Cup.

A break due to..........chibi manga?

Some may have visited this site wondering why I haven't been doing updates. I have been working on banner ideas, but for right now, I have started a keen re-kindling of my interest in Japanese anime/manga. As of right now, I have done the sketches of the players of Columbus. After the 1-0 away victory vs. New England to get Columbus closer to solidifying the number one position for the regular season, my first 'comic' looks as such

Lamar Hunt: True Original

If this were the United Kingdom, Lamar Hunt would surely be known as Sir Lamar Hunt. His contributions to soccer and sports in general in the U.S.A. were truly massive. In terms of the Columbus Crew, during his ownership of the club, his top highlight was the funding of Columbus Crew Stadium with his own money. This stadium built, finished in 1999, was the first top flight soccer specific stadium in the U.S.A. Major League Soccer teams have followed and continue to follow in this trend that Lamar Hunt has started.


This banner was done randomly, but as always I aimed to do it with meaning. In banner making, it starts with brainstorming.

Then comes the actually work. For this banner it took me two and a half days to paint. Why? Well, for the simple fact that the font I used required patience in painting it technically correct.


So this is the final result. The font used is called Outlaw. I chose this for a couple of reasons. Lamar Hunt was raised in Texas, hence the Wild Western type of theme. Also all things considered, Mr. Hunt was considered by American sports standards as an outlaw in that he promoted and was dedicated to the sport of soccer from the late 1960's onwards. The NFL thought of Mr. Hunt as an outlaw because they felt that the North American Soccer League was starting to become a threat to the fan base of the NFL. But Mr. Hunt persevered through the ups and downs of the NASL and the fruits of his labor is seen with Major League Soccer today.

The border pays homage to the western theme, as seen with stars. The True Originals idea is for the fact that the very first soccer club announced in Major League soccer in 1996 is the Columbus Crew. The first True Original soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer is Columbus Crew Stadium.

The People's Choice in August: What Do You Prefer To Wear At Matches?

Only 20 people voted, and it's pretty much even. Ten people decided that wearing the club's brand (Official/replica kits, shirts, hats, etc.) is the preference at matches. Nine people wear supporter's group type of gear. Casual clothing was voted by four people, and two people chose Other, one probably in a mascot suit and another probably nude.

Me? Well, I usually lean towards the creative and often inexpensive Supporter's group.

Aggro In Thought

Columbus Crew Soccer Club have some time away from home, which means that I'll have some time to work on new banners. Everyday this week, my objective is to aim for a banner idea per day. Not too tough in my humble opinion, it's just a thing in which a person simply puts idea to paper.

Painting On Black

Painting on black fabric seems to be a tough obstacle for me in making banners. No other fabric makes the paint bleed quicker than black. Maybe I need to use a different paint or fabric.

But one thing I've found out in the last week and a half is that determination to go along with trial and error can bring positive results. So I've wised up and recalled my days painting a cutter ship, where we'd use a base coat of Kilz primer and then applies the two-three top coats. It's saved me time, and mental strain.