Introducing The Longhorn Chapter
We are proud to announce the launch of a brand-new Austin Anthem chapter: the Longhorn Chapter!
The new addition to the family was formed to bring University of Texas students and staff into the Anthem community. There is no question that UT plays a major and special role in the culture of the city, so it goes without saying that the thousands of students and other UT affiliates should be represented within Anthem. This chapter provides a way for all soccer-loving Longhorns to come together, and to advocate for student needs. As part of Austin Anthem, the Longhorn Chapter is able to interact with Austin FC directly and work with the front office to organize special student deals, and generally make MLS soccer more accessible to all students.
We truly believe that the UT community is the perfect group of people to come together to support local soccer. The scope of Texas football games shows the power and energy that UT can bring to a sporting event, and the Longhorn Chapter of Anthem provides students the opportunity to bring this same excitement to support the sport many of us love. The chapter welcomes all UT students and staff, and we hope to build a community of friends that provides the opportunity to meet new people from all corners of the campus and be a part of the larger community in Austin.
Even though the team has yet to play a single second of soccer, now is the most exciting possible time to get involved in the supporters group. Every soccer team around the globe has its own unique and special fan culture. The feeling fans get, of being part of something special and bigger than themselves, is part of what drives soccer’s massive global appeal and keeps people coming back to stadiums all their lives. Some of these cultures date back over a hundred years, building tradition as they go. This isn’t the case for us. Two years ago there was no team, and there were no fans. And so, we are faced with an opportunity so few soccer fans get: to build something new, and something good. We are the voice of the fans, the song of our city, and we can make our fan culture and our community whatever we want it to be. The opportunities are endless, bounded only by our excitement to make Austin the best damn soccer city in the world.
You can become a member of Austin Anthem and the Longhorn Chapter by sliding on over to austinanthem.org/membership and choosing the Longhorn Chapter at signup! You can sign up at either the $0 or $40 tiers and start supporting today.
What is Austin Anthem?
Austin Anthem is a supporters group for a future MLS team, Austin FC. The goal of the group is to build and sustain a big-tent community of people from all backgrounds and all walks of life, brought together by our love for soccer and the city of Austin. Anthem will be marching to the stadium, singing during every game, and generally creating an exciting and fun environment to celebrate all things soccer in the heart of Texas.
The group that would become Austin Anthem started as a group advocating to bring an MLS team to the capital of Texas. From there, it has grown quickly to a full-fledged, volunteer-run non-profit group, supporting local charities and soccer by hosting fundraisers, forming a band, and showing up to UT women’s soccer games. From the very beginning of the team’s existence, Austin FC has been striving to closely work with fans, and as the team’s official supporters group, Anthem members enjoy some special perks. For example, members have received early access to ticket depositing, special access to virtual stadium tours, and can look forward to more unique opportunities as a result of their early support of the team. As we move towards the first kick-off at McKalla Place, the Anthem supporters group wants to grow to include and reach as many people as possible, so when the eagerly awaited time comes, Austin FC will already have a thriving fan community and culture. Part of this effort is to create chapters, where existing communities can join together to support our team.
Marc Tost is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin and is the chapter officer of Austin Anthem’s Longhorn Chapter.
