COVID-19

Got Austin FC Tickets You Won’t Be Using?

September 7, 2021 by Shawn Collins

I’ve seen some people on social media saying they won’t be making it to future Austin FC games this season for a variety of reasons… COVID-19 concerns, too much going on, fair-weather fans, etc.

Whatever the reason, if you have Austin FC tickets that you won’t be using, please sell or give them away to people who do want to be there.

There are many kids and adults who would love to make it to a match or two.

This situation takes me back 25 years to a similar circumstance when I was living in the NYC area. It was during one of the typical, horrible seasons for the New York Jets (they went 1-15 that season) and the majority of fans were not attending the games by December.

I was a big brother in Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City at the time, and I was talking to my little brother about it, and he said how much he wished he could go to a pro sports game.

I didn’t have the means to bring him to an NFL game or any other sport at the time, but I had an idea.

Maybe I could connect the people with unused tickets to people who wanted to go to games. Win-Win.

So, I wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Daily News…

There were 55,985 no-shows for the Jets-Oilers game. What a selfish waste! Hey, Jets season ticket holders: if you’re not going to use ’em, why not get into the holiday spirit and send them to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City? The address is 223 E. 30th St., New York, NY 10016. My little brother, Marquis, and I would love to see Gang Green battle the Eagles or Dolphins this month.

My letter was the featured letter in the paper shortly after. And then came a call from Big Brothers/Big Sisters asking what I had done, because they were being deluged with tickets for every team in the NYC area, as well as cash from people who wanted to help kids see games.

It was an amazing outpouring of sports love and any littles and bigs that wanted to see games now had a variety of tickets to choose from – they let Marquis and I pick first and I got to take him in nice tickets to see the Jets, Knicks, Rangers, etc.

Don’t let your tickets go to waste – reach out in your neighborhood, local soccer league, Los Verdes, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, etc. Help more people catch verde fever.

Austin FC Will Have 100% Capacity for the First Match at Q2 Stadium

May 24, 2021 by Shawn Collins

Austin FC and Austin Public Health (APH) announced attendance guidelines today for Q2 Stadium, and the stadium will be at full capacity for Austin FC’s home opener vs. the San Jose Earthquakes on June 19, 2021.

APH’s attendance guidelines for the 20,500+ seat Q2 Stadium also allow Q2 Stadium to operate at near full capacity for the recently announced U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) friendly vs. Nigeria on June 16, 2021.

All events scheduled for Q2 Stadium, including those scheduled beyond June, will operate under APH’s updated attendance guidelines until APH makes any amendments to the guidelines.

As a result of today’s announcement, Austin FC Season Ticket Members will receive a series of communications related to accessing tickets for the 2021 MLS regular season matches played at Q2 Stadium.

Austin FC Oak Collective Waitlist Members will also be informed about their opportunity to purchase single-match tickets.

More details about tickets for the USWNT friendly match vs. Nigeria on June 16, 2021, will be released by U.S. Soccer soon.

Austin FC Meet and Greet in the Age of COVID-19

May 21, 2020 by Shawn Collins

I got an email from Austin FC a week or so ago to announce a series of virtual meet and greet sessions since the in-person events are on hold due to coronavirus.

The last meet and greet from Austin FC was back on March 4 at Valentina’s Tex Mex. I was regularly attending these Austin FC events and they were one of many things I’ve missed during the COVID-19 shutdown.

So I was happy to get this invite as a season ticket member for next year.

This meet and greet took place on Zoom and it was hosted by Austin FC Vice President of Public Relations and Broadcast Tom Webb, with Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna and Head Coach Josh Wolff answering questions from season ticket holders.

It was great to hear from the team and stay connected during this time.

I hope to see these virtual meet and greets continue until we can get back to normal with the in-person events.

Austin FC, Yeti, and You Help Raise Funds for the Central Texas Food Bank

April 21, 2020 by Shawn Collins

Austin FC and YETI have launched a campaign to raise funds for the Central Texas Food Bank.

Since Austin FC is the 27th team in MLS, they set a fundraising goal of $27,000 by April 27, 2020 (that’s my birthday in case anybody wants to get me an Austin FC jersey).

Austin FC will match every dollar raised until they reach their target, and YETI will provide the top ten donors with a YETI Roadie 24 Hard Cooler.

All of the funds raised will support families in need in Austin and across Central Texas.

Please donate to help feed families in need.

Construction is Back On for the Austin FC Stadium

April 6, 2020 by Shawn Collins

Just a week ago the construction for the Austin FC stadium looked like it was going to be shut down for a while, due to COVID-19, but now all construction in Austin is allowed again.

The City of Austin Development Services Department released a letter stating that all construction is considered essential and that Austin code inspectors will be monitoring construction sites to confirm they are practicing social distancing and recommended hygiene practices.