Portlandia.

Need I say anything more?

The annual (and sometimes bi-annual) trip to our Cascadian neighbour in the land of no sales tax and outstanding beer is almost upon us.  And as such, as your dutiful Director of Away Travel, I have a wee update for you.

Away Travel Policies

Please read through the general away travel policies and the Southsiders Code of Conduct.  Anyone who travels with us is subject to these policies.  This means that you and your friends and/or family members that are making the trip with you are held to the same standard.  And ultimately, you are responsible for them.  If anyone in the group fails to abide by these rules, travel privileges will be revoked, and funds allocated to future away trips forfeited.  Basically, don’t be a dick, and you’ll be fine.

Volunteers

We require a handful of volunteers to help us make the trip go smoothly.  At this point, we only need a few people who are willing to keep an eye out on the rest of the group.  Basically, watch the game, but if you see people throwing bottles or trying to do something that doesn’t quite seem right, you just need to report it to the designated board members, Whitecaps security/staff and/or Jeld Wen security.  If you are interested in helping us out, please fill out the following survey by no later than Wednesday, July 31, 2013.

Overseers: We will need approximately 5 volunteers for this role.  These people will be in charge of keeping an eye on his or her fellow supporters, and reporting any issues back to board members, Whitecaps security staff and/or Jeld Wen security staff.

Seating

We are going to be standing in section 222 of Jeld Wen Field, along with members of the Curva Collective and Rain City Brigade.  We had a few issues in Seattle with people not paying attention to where they needed to be, and as a result, we’ve had a hard time convincing the front office that it would be a good idea to do general admission again.  So, a visual for you all:

We will have people in place to ensure that you are in the appropriate location, and not taking over the Whitecaps and Uniglobe seats.

As in Seattle, GENERAL ADMISSION means that the seats listed on your tickets aren’t actually your seats, and you need to find a place in the section that suits your needs.  This means that your “seating” location will be somewhere in Section 222, between rows A-R.

If you see areas of the stands that are taped or blocked off, DO NOT MOVE OR INTERFERE WITH THESE AREAS.  We have those spaces reserved for the drums, capos and other trip volunteers who are giving up large amounts of time so that YOU can enjoy yourselves. This was an issue in Seattle, and we want to avoid it again this time around.

Furthermore, if you are a Southsider that made your own ticketing arrangements (i.e. you purchased through the front office, StubHub or the Timbers directly), and are not standing with us, DO NOT COME TO 222.  There is a finite amount of space in Portland, and we simply DO NOT have room for you to come and join us.  There will be Jeld Wen staff looking at tickets and sending you elsewhere.

Ticket Distribution

First, please login to http://members.vancouversouthsiders.ca to see how many tickets you have for the match.  This is what shows up in our system, and this is off of what we will be basing our distribution.

Ticket distribution will begin at approximately 6:00pm at Gate 5 at Jeld Wen Field.  Once you have received your ticket, you will be subject to security screening, and begin entering the stadium.  Distribution will end at 6:20pm so that the volunteers can make their way to the security line, in order to enter immediately at 6:30 pm.  If you are not there, you won’t be watching the game with us, nor will you be getting your money back.  Let me say that again:

If you aren’t there to pick up your tickets on-time, you don’t get to watch the game with us. No exceptions.

After the game, we will be held in our section for safety purposes.  Please don’t try to leave at that time – you won’t be able to get out.  We will be escorted out of the stadium via Gate 5, and from there, you will be free to celebrate accordingly.

Itineraries

Ticket-Only

Overnight Bus Itinerary & Notes:

Bus Captains: Scott Misfeldt, Dan Olson

Long-Weekend Bus Itinerary & Notes:

Bus Captain: Brett Bird, Paul Sabourin-Hertzog

Notes

1.  “Southsiders Will Call” will have lines set up for different sections of the alphabet.  Please go to the appropriate line to expedite the process.

2. After picking up tickets, please queue for entry.  You will start heading into the stadium around 6:30 pm.

3. Enter the stadium, grab a snack and a beverage and settle in.  We’ll be going through some of the unfamiliar chants pre-game so that we can be at our best come kick-off.

4.  You will be held after the match.  This means that you won’t be able to use the washrooms at the end of the game.  Please plan accordingly.