The last three weeks of MLS competition have seen victory come to the Portland Timbers. The team now sits in fourth place in conference play and is seeing a long awaited turn around on the pitch.
With all the success following the squad on the field, it is hard to imagine their focus going anywhere beyond Providence Park. However, June 8-14 marks the fourth annual Stand Together Week for the Timbers, T2, Thorns FC and many local groups and organizations.
What is Stand Together Week? Every day this week is being dedicated to service around the Portland area. Players, coaching staff and ownership are all pitching in to carry out multiple projects a day.
Monday included sorting food for the Sunshine Division, beautifying the grounds at the Portland Children’s Museum and holding a youth soccer clinic at Lincoln Park Elementary, among other activities.
Every day since has brought much of the same with between three and seven service projects a day, and the work will continue at that same pace until Sunday.
There are those out there that would say such efforts are a waste of time. Some would even go as far as to say it’s irresponsible for a club striving to bring home hardware to waste valuable mid-season preparation time on community outreach.
Many more of us out there, I’m sure, are thrilled to hear about such efforts. Why are such activities important, though? Why does community matter?
The love that is shared by soccer fans around the Portland area is something special. The Timbers represent a culture that is spreading like wildfire not only in our communities, but around the country.
Giving back to your fans and future generations is just as vital to the future success of the Timbers organization as bringing home trophies. Scratch that … it’s more vital!
The love of the game in Portland is what brought Major League Soccer to our town. Years of building a fan base and nurturing it made us Soccer City USA. We need to keep that fan base and grow it.
We didn’t get an MLS team because of our product on the pitch. We didn’t get a team because we attracted international talent. We got a team because the fans showed Don Garber that soccer could, and would, thrive here.
The fans are what keep this amazing team in Portland. If Merritt Paulson knows what’s good for him he won’t forget that and he will take care of his fan base. These kinds of outreach programs show that the organization has their priorities straight.
Furthermore, on a psychological level, it’s beneficial for the players to see and understand what they are playing for. They need to see Portland and its people and feel connected. When the players know who they are fighting with, who they win for, and who they celebrate with, they will perform with purpose. That is a beautiful thing.
For more information on this weekend’s service projects and to sign up to help, click here.
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