A group of Us fans are organising a bid to improve the vocal backing for the team by encouraging fans who want to sing to get together in the area of the East Stand nearest the North Stand. February 12th against Rotherham has been earmarked as the day when a huge effort will be made and has been designated as Ultimate Support Saturday [2] following the first day against Aldershot earlier in the season.
12th Man is keen to back any initiative like this that will improve the atmosphere in the ground and give the team a lift as they push to consolidate a play-off position in the coming weeks. We would like to take this opportunity to give the event our full backing.
Tony Fallows, one of the organisers, has given us this summary:
With Oxford United’s re-emergence in the Football League thousands of fans have flocked to see The Us this season. Gates have been up and recent form has been magnificent, however, the atmosphere at the stadium has, at times, been flat.
This has led to a spontaneous movement springing up to try and improve matters. Organised via the fans’ forums, various supporters have contributed to a debate and volunteered their free time to make Oxford United’s game against Rotherham United on Saturday 12th February ‘Ultimate Support Saturday [2]’.
The aim of the ‘Bring The Noise’ movement is to lead a relocation of those fans who favour standing and singing at games to the top-right corner of the Oxford Mail stand. While the current situation of the consistent singers being spread out persists, the atmosphere can never achieve its true potential.
Posters were put up in the Oxford Mail stand concourses before the Shrewsbury match and further leafleting will occur on the day of the big game. The movement are hoping to attract as many people as possible to come and sing for the Rotherham game, with fans of all ages and from any stand welcome.
The hope is that grouping singers together will reduce the self-consciousness of singing on your own (as is often the case in the current circumstance) and therefore lead to more consistent singing over 90 minutes. If the scheme is successful, people will carry on standing at the top right and the atmosphere will spread outwards across the stand, it is intended as an evolution rather than a drastic revolution.
Those helping with organisation are also keen to stress that no one should feel like they would not belong, this is not an elitist thing. If you have ever felt that urge to sing and dampened it down, if you pipe up once a game and that’s usually it, if you sing the full 90 minutes anyway or if you just feel like joining in and having a bit of fun then come to the top right of the Oxford Mail stand (closest to the North Stand) against Rotherham and join in.
BACK ULTIMATE SUPPORT SATURDAY Mark II
12th Man
