Time for new leadership of the V's.........

[redhat]

You know, perhaps nfitz's complaints as to how to actually join raises an area of concern that finally needs to be addressed. Do we even have an explanation on the site yet as to how to join?

Who is going to make the final call on who takes over for WF?

My apologies to nfitz if he thought my post about stepping up applied solely to him. Not at all !

The thread was about getting someone to fill in WF shoes in being the Voyageurs liason with the CSA and the clubs. This position is VERY important as much of what we do as a supporters group is done behind the scenes and done informally.

Respectfully, this may not apply to new members and would likely apply to someone already familiar with the Voyageurs and the current professional clubs. As for "how to join", well that's another thread ... This is an informal group that eventually, in the future, will likely
be formalized. By posting on this board, helping out at MNT and club events, and attending Voyageur events in different cities, you're already a Voyageur.

Personally my criteria for being a Voyageur is being able to defend our MNT against all ignorant nay-sayers, as well as going through all the obstacles of following our MNT (internet radio, international travel, ridicule of fans of other nations), only to be let down by poor call by an incompetant or corrupt CONCACAF referee. I'm sure every Voyageur understands what I mean.

[socceronly]

Fair enough. The only reason I thought there was something formal is that when I bought a t-shirt at the 2008 Jamaica game, I was asked if I was a member.

That is confusing.

As vBulletin 4, the version we are using brings back features of 3 (go figure) such as customized profiles ect... we will have something that is customized so that it appears to be that you are signing up for a group and not a forum, but you are still just signing up for a forum.

Connecting people is what will count, newsletters, social media connections from vBulletin to Facebook, Twitter ect.. will also make a big difference. It's going to be the connection that ultimately counts, not how they sign up.

[mattbin]

It's been a while since I've posted here, and even a while since I've lurked, so... hi, guys. (I saw the TFC team photo with the V-Cup and thought of y'all!)

Just wanted to add a couple of things to the discussion, here.

First, WF has done a fantastic job of representing the Voyageurs over the years, and anyone with any connection to the V's owes him a debt of thanks.

Second, while I never did as much as WF did, I was very involved with the Voyageurs Cup for its first four or five years, and was responsible for the communications with all the clubs (five of them in 2004! Can you believe it?) as well as the media and the CSA. If anyone is considering doing this -- and I know socceronly has thrown his hat in the ring, which is fantastic -- I just want to point out that you get a lot out of it. Understanding how organizations work (whether they're soccer clubs, non-profits, businesses, whatever) is really useful knowledge.

Honestly, it's something I still bring up when I have job interviews and the like. "Volunteer experience? Well, you know the Voyageurs Cup that the Toronto team just won? Yeah, I was the PR guy for the first few years, and actually presented it to the winners in the first year." It means I do stuff, get involved, help make things happen. Just this past spring, when interviewing for a certain position, I described what I did for the V-Cup to demonstrate that I'm able to communicate with large groups and that I'm comfortable talking on radio and television. So there's definitely an up-side to being involved.

I don't think I need to repeat how important having someone like WF around is, or the kinds of things that that someone needs to have or needs to be. But no one mentioned that it's really a good thing to do, and it really does pay off in a lot of unexpected ways.

Here's hoping the position is filled successfully. And a round of applause, again, for WF, and everyone else who's contributed to the betterment of the overall group over the years. Hope to see it keep going.

Okay, sermon over. See y'all in a couple of years...