The Third Rail at the MLS Expansion Priority Draft

Third Rail member Tiffany Slagle was chosen to represent us (and NYCFC) at the Expansion Priority Draft event in Midtown Manhattan today.


Tiffany got to prepare the envelopes and assist with the draw. Love the Third Rail tshirt!

Here she poses with her opposite number, Orlando City fan Ha'Ani Hogan:

Even though we didn't win the draw, Tiffany did a fantastic job.

We've had members present for all the major club announcements, and we will continue to offer as many of these opportunities as we can. If you're yet not a member, you know what to do.

And Orlando... we'll see you on the pitch next year!

And so it begins... @ThirdRailSC @HaONeee @OrlandoCitySC @NYCFC pic.twitter.com/XBgVtSQ083

— Tiffany Slagle (@tiffanyslagle) September 24, 2014

Enter to Win a Ticket to Tomorrow's Expansion Priority Draft!

Tomorrow afternoon, New York City FC and Orlando City SC will go head-to-head in the Expansion Priority Draft, and the Third Rail will be there!

The Third Rail has one and only one ticket to this strictly invitation-only event, and we'd like to give it to you!

Not only can you attend this event, but you will participate as well! There will be a draw between supporters to decide which club goes first.

Here's how MLS describes the Draft:

After a draw conducted by supporters of both clubs to determine which club goes first, head coaches Jason Kreis (New York City) and Adrian Heath (Orlando City) will then alternate selections for priority among the following eight player acquisition mechanisms (for details on all the MLS player acquisition mechanisms, click here):

1. MLS Expansion Draft (Picks 1 or 2)
2. MLS SuperDraft (Picks 1 or 2)
3. USL PRO/NASL Player Priority Ranking (Picks 1 or 2)
4. Designated Player Ranking (Picks 1 or 2)
5. Allocation Ranking (Picks 1 or 2)
6. Discovery Ranking (Picks 20 or 21)
7. Waiver/Re-Entry Draft Ranking (Picks 20 or 21)
8. Lottery Ranking (Picks 20 or 21)

NYCFC and OCSC receive priority in five of the eight mechanisms (picks 1 or 2). They are last in three of the rankings (picks 20 or 21): Discovery ranking, Waiver/Re-Entry Draft ranking and the Lottery ranking.

The league confirmed that it's the same protocol used for recent expansion sides Montreal Impact (2012), as well as Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps (2011).

That's right, you can actually be involved in the draw. Enter now for your chance to represent the Third Rail at this amazing moment in our club's history!

The Expansion Priority Draft is being held at the MLS Digital Office on 38th St between 5th and Madison, from 12:30 to 2:30PM. You must commit to being present for the entire time.

This contest is open to Third Rail members only. Check your email for details on how to enter. Not a member yet? There's still time to join!

1000!

Yesterday, the Third Rail added our 1,000th member!

This is an incredibly exciting time for us. We continue to grow by leaps and bounds, and with less than two hundred days to the start of the 2015 season, the good times are almost upon us.

And don't forget; if you want to sit with us in Sections 236 and 237 of Yankee Stadium, you can buy those now.

Thank you all for being a part of this amazing movement, welcoming Major League Soccer to the greatest city in the world.

 

It's Time to Select Your Seats!

Seat selection for 2015 season tickets begins next week, and Director of Membership Samuel Youn has created this FAQ to answer as many questions as possible. 

New York City FC will be calling Third Rail members at their respective appointment times to process seat selection for the Third Rail Supporter Sections (236 & 237). New York City FC will cross reference your Ticket Master information with the PayPal information you provided when signing up for the Third Rail: if your Third Rail name does not match your ticket master name, update your information immediately on this form. 

If you have multiple memberships under the same name, please use the form to update the contact information for other members under your account.

Please read the following FAQ carefully before reaching out with questions.

How will they know to call me?

New York City FC has a list of Third Rail members, updated at the end of every day. They will cross reference that list and call you by the number you listed when you originally put down your deposit on Tickemaster. New York City FC will be calling the number you put down in Ticket Master.  If you just signed up that day, please be prepared with your confirmation email from PayPal. 

What if my Paypal name is different than the New York City FC deposit Name?

Fill out this form immediately to update your name and contact information.

What if I want to purchase my membership the day of my seat selection?

The ticketing agent on the phone will walk you through the steps to purchase membership online. Once membership is purchased, the ticketing agent will request that you forward your PayPal confirmation email to verify your membership.

What happens if I don't get a phone call?

E-mail fanservices@nycfc.com with your name, ticket master confirmation number and your Third Rail membership number.

Will individual tickets be sold for the Third Rail Supporters Section?

New York City FC is not selling single tickets at this time. The club's priority is to sell out supporter sections to season ticket holders. If these sections are not sold out by the time the 2015 season begins, it will be up to the discretion of New York City FC to allow single ticket purchases to our section. If space permits and single ticket purchases are allowed, all Third Rail single ticket purchasers are welcome to join us. However, we highly recommend Third Rail members to purchase Season Tickets to make sure they can sit with us in the supporter sections.

I have multiple season tickets under my name. Do I need to buy multiple Third Rail memberships?

One Third Rail membership will permit all of your season tickets to be seated in the Third Rail sections. 

What if I have season tickets to another section in the stadium, am I permitted to join the Third Rail sections for certain games?

No. You must have tickets to the specific sections (236 or 237) in order to join the section for each game.

Will Sections 236 and 237 be general admission or assigned seating?

Seating is General Admission by section. If you have tickets to section 236, you may sit anywhere within that section. However, you may not move between sections 236 and 237. Make sure you and your friends decide on which section to sit in so that you can be together.

So what happens if I want to attend a single game in the Third Rail sections?

We will have a Third Rail ticket exchange where Third Rail season ticket holders can sell their individual game tickets to other members.

If you have questions that were not answered in the FAQ, please email Director of Membership Samuel Youn at thirdrailmembership@gmail.com and he will be happy to help you. 

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Yankee Stadium!

Third Rail Tshirts Are In!

We are pleased to announce that our first-ever tshirts are now available!

We have men's shirts available both sky blue and navy, in size M, L, XL and XXL.

We also have women's shirts in gray, size M and L.

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UPDATE: The shirts are no longer available. Check out our full line of Third Rail merchandise on Upper 90's online store, and stop by any one of our meetings to check out our exclusive merchandise!

Wall Street Journal: "700 Soccer Fans and Counting"

Tomorrow morning's Wall Street Journal will a great feature on our group on the first page of the "Greater NY" section, and the online version is up now!

Jocelyn Perez, left, and Jodi Honeycutt pick up their Third Rail membership cards at an Aug. 9 meeting of the group.
Kevin Hagen for The Wall Street Journal

700 Soccer Fans and Counting: Fan Club Third Rail Builds Ranks
New York City Football Club's Supporters Society Expands

By Ryan Wallerson
Sept. 4, 2014 9:31 p.m. ET

When the clock passed 2 p.m. on a recent Saturday at the Midtown sports bar Nevada Smiths, a crowd of several dozen soccer fans had already ensured that the third meeting of the Third Rail, the independent group formally recognized by New York City Football Club as its official supporters society, would be the largest in its short history.

Despite the strong showing, group president Chance Michaels waited a bit to start the meeting. After about 20 more people arrived, he opened with a few items of pressing business: Membership cards would be distributed for the first time; a vote on the design for the group's charter-member scarf would be held; and, most important, the Third Rail had secured exclusive ticket access to sections 236 and 237 for home games at Yankee Stadium, where Major League Soccer's new expansion franchise will begin play in 2015.

These are the kinds of details that a budding fan base must hammer out ahead of game day.

"The state of the Third Rail is booming!" Michaels proclaimed, surveying the throng of fans whose favorite soccer team barely even exists.

Like the Third Rail, NYCFC is still under construction. Its payroll currently comprises six players and two coaches, and its home at Yankee Stadium is only temporary, with a permanent stadium and training facility as yet unsecured. By contrast, its unaffiliated fan group has a roster of more than 700 people. They began to assemble on the very day in May 2013 when the Yankees and the English Premier League's Manchester City Football Club unveiled their plan to co-launch an MLS franchise in New York.

"When we originally found each other, we had a name, an ownership group and not much else," said Michaels, who has worked as a theater producer in New York. "A bunch of us found each other on social media in the aftermath of the announcement and said, 'We are going to follow this team.'"

In the 15 months since, that initiative has pulled itself up by unfinished bootstraps. The nascent group, which adopted its name via a member vote, held its first meeting in February. In May, a leadership group was formed, and another general-member meeting was held in June. They played out more like auditions. Some fans signed up immediately; others were there to get a feel for the team, the group and the people involved.

Carlos Reyes, Joan Reyes and Alexis Gonzalez are proud members of the Third Rail, the independent fan group recognized by New York City Football Club; the Major League Soccer franchise begins play next year. Kevin Hagen for The Wall Street Journal

"I set my goal at wanting 500 paying members by the time NYCFC played its first game," Michaels said. "We eclipsed that in a couple of months. We did our first big membership drive, we started taking memberships online and the effort just blew up."

Michaels and his leadership group have employed various tactics to attract new members. During the summer, they exploited World Cup fever by staging viewing parties around the city. There they recruited new members, searched for an official game-day pub, and co-hosted a gathering for the semifinals with NYCFC officials.

Though it is wholly independent, the Third Rail can mine its early collaborations to ascend to the level of the MLS's elite supporters clubs.

"This is different than some of the more recent expansion markets like Seattle, Portland, Montreal, where those teams and brands had previously existed in their market before jumping up to MLS," said Tim Pernetti, NYCFC's chief business officer. "To see the direction, organization and vision that they have in place in just over one year, for a club that has never played a game and only has a handful of players, is very impressive."

NYCFC became aware of the Third Rail during the group's first round of organized events, and approached it in February—on social media, of course—about forging a relationship.

"Our staff connected with them through Twitter and started a conversation with some of the people that got their group started, said Pernetti. "We have been in constant communication since."

It was important to Michaels and his group that they develop organically, with no direct involvement from the team, a preference NYCFC has thus far respected.

"We are open to whatever type of relationship the Third Rail prefers, [because] we recognize them as our first official supporters group," said Pernetti. "Supporters' culture in soccer and in MLS is different than other sports in [America]. These groups are independent and able to have their own voice."

The deference the team pays the group is a selling point for the recruitment effort, although its leaders go to lengths to ensure that prospective members are aware of the alliance.

"You don't see a lot of clubs directly shout out their supporter clubs like that," said Brooklynite Jeff Weisinger, 27, who was at the meeting at Nevada Smiths. "I joined for the FC, but the closeness that the Third Rail has developed with the team is probably what kept me here. It's awesome to see."

Weisinger was referring to Third Rail FC, a soccer team made up of group members that was initially intended as an icebreaker. Now it's one of the Third Rail's biggest membership drivers.

Erwin Seguia, a physical therapist from Astoria who also plays with Third Rail FC, recognized a lot of faces at the meeting. "A lot of guys that were there were from the practice pitch," he said.

Since the meeting, the club's membership has surpassed 700, a blue and orange scarf design has been chosen, and Third Rail FC's first-string team reached the semifinals of the seventh annual Supporters Cup Tournament, which was sponsored by NYCFC.

The MLS's newest team has plenty of work to do, but it can take comfort in knowing that its fan base is taking care of itself and will be ready when players yet to be signed take the field in March.

"The third rail powers the subway, the lifeblood of New York City," Michaels told the crowd at Nevada Smiths. "The Third Rail wants to power NYCFC. You don't step on the third rail, and when you're in Yankee Stadium next season, everyone will know why."

We Want YOU... on the Third Rail Board!

One of the questions we hear most frequently is "How can I get more involved with the Third Rail?" Right now, we have some fantastic opportunities to do just that. There are currently four openings on our Board of Directors, and we would like to fill them in the next month.

We are looking for qualified and engaged applicants for the following positions:

• Treasurer;
• Director of Communications;
• Director of Merchandising; and
• Gameday Director.

The Treasurer is responsible for recommending financial policies and procedures which promote and maintain the fiscal stability of the Corporation. This involves coordinating with other directors in support of their activities and developing their annual budgets, tracking/recording all cash receipts and disbursements as well as other financial records, developing the overall budget, overseeing charitable fundraising activities; provides monthly income/expense reports as per our bylaws and working with tax advisor to prepare our annual filings. A background in accounting or a related field, as well as familiarity with the appropriate software, is preferred.

The Director of Communications develops a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy for the Third Rail, working with our Board of Directors and any external public relations entities to ensure all public statements advance that strategy.

The Director of Merchandising coordinates the design, production and sale of merchandise, developing new product lines and revenue streams. He or she must work closely with the Treasurer on regular financial accounting.

Our Gameday Director designs (in consultation with the rest of the Board) and executes a plan for the in-stadium experience. This includes recruiting and coordinating teams of artists craftspersons, and volunteers for our tifo displays. He or she will also help develop a repository of songs, chants and slogans created by our members and disseminate them as needed.

These positions are open to anyone 18 and over who is able to attend monthly meetings in Manhattan as well as home games at Yankee Stadium next year.

If you are interested in any of these positions, please send an email to ThirdRailNYC@gmail.com. Include your resume with any related experience, along with a short description of how you feel these skills would assist you in the position and any ideas you have for it.

Applications are due by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, September 10. We will start interviewing shortly after that.

We look forward to hearing from you!