If you happen to stumble into the Terrapin Bar at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at halftime of an Atlanta United game, it is likely you will run into the supporters group AllStripes. An LGBTQ+ supporters group of Atlanta United FC, All Stripes uses the Section 106 bar as a halftime meetup spot. Full of rainbow scarves, “Y’all Means All” t-shirts and intense tactical discussions, this group would appear to be like any other Atlanta United FC supporters group. During this halftime meet up, All Stripes members are hopefully optimistic as their club leads Portland Timbers 1-0 at halftime of the MLS Cup Final. A quick group picture ensues and members scurry off to their seats, not wanting to miss Atlanta United FC claim their first MLS Cup Trophy.
Days later, after fans have had time to reflect upon the historic Atlanta United FC championship season, leadership of All Stripes is able to do the same. In a world where sports can appear intimidating and exclusive of the LGBTQ community, All Stripes strives to create and maintain a safe space for members and allies alike to enjoy the beautiful game.
While All Stripes is an incorporated, 501(c)3 non-profit organization (a status recently bestowed upon it by the federal and state governments), it is NOT an officially recognized supporters group of Atlanta United FC. Formed in 2017, All Stripes is currently waiting on the Atlanta United front office, the four original supporter groups and MLS to finalize bylaws in order to achieve “official” status with the team. While it has taken some time for these bylaws to be created, All Stripes has done its due-diligence by growing membership numbers, increasing season ticket holder membership and engaging in community service fundraising and philanthropy. By the start of the 2019 season, All Stripes is hoping it can submit its candidacy for becoming an officially recognized supporters group of Atlanta United FC. I caught up with All Stripes members David Prophitt and Nick Jones to learn more about the creation of All Stripes, where the group can improve going forward and what their vision for the future looks like.
David Prophitt, the unofficial President of All Stripes, currently works as the Director of Advancement for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Prophitt grew up playing soccer in high school and was ecstatic when he heard the news that MLS was expanding into the Atlanta market. He purchased season tickets immediately and after a few games thought there had to be more LGBTQ fans. His aptitude to connect groups of people and his candid ability to communicate with and act as a leader helped create the foundation for All Stripes.
AM: How did All Stripes get started? Where did your idea for this group come from?
DP: I bought season tickets and was so excited for this team. After the first couple of games, I noticed that my friends and colleagues from the LGBTQ community were “checking in” to the game on Facebook. I was astonished. I had no idea that so many people from my community liked soccer. I knew there were other supporters groups and thought the club was missing an opportunity without an LGBTQ supporters group.
So one night I am watching RuPaul’s Drag Race at a friend’s house and I meet Nick Jones (unofficial Vice President of All Stripes) who also had season tickets. We started talking about Atlanta United and the lack of an LGBTQ supporters group and how we should create one. Nick loved the idea. The next day Nick started a Facebook group and we went from there.
AM: You are the leader of this group and I know that it entails a ton of work to organize and run, can you speak to the time and effort that goes into making a supporters group successful?
DP: There are so many moving parts. We really rely on technology to make this work efficiently. It is quite ridiculous the number of Slack channels we have as a leadership group from Tailgate, Decisions, Community Involvement, Social, Watch Party, By-Laws, 501(c)(3) status and much more. During the season there is a game practically every week so we must plan tailgates and/or away watch party events weekly. In terms of an away watch party, we must deal with who from the committee is staffing the event, where will it be hosted, will we have merchandise for sale, who will run the selling of merchandise, what deals will we have for food and drinks and so much more. When you look at tailgates, we must plan on who is going to be there early to setup, who is catering food, who is picking up the food, how much liquor do we have, what liquor do we need, what staff will be in attendance, etc. And this is just the event side of things. It does not even look at our community involvement, our social media presence, creating and selling merchandise, etc. The list never ends.
We just finalized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization status. This will allow us to seek sponsorship from organizations to help grow our group and provide better services to our members. There are a ton of moving parts in the process to make these things happen.
AM: This has grown into something really special for the LGBTQ community in Atlanta. Did you ever think the group would turn out to be this big or reach this many people? Is this what you thought it would be and what is next for the group?
DP: When I reflect on this, we initially thought this would be a group of people, maybe 30 people who would hang out before the games and have a good time. But to see us grow to over 800 Facebook members and over 350 paid members, I would have never thought this would happen. We have a branded 10X10X10 tailgate tent. I never even thought about something like that in the start of this. We had over 125 people purchase tailgate tickets for the MLS Cup Final. That was definitely not in my initial plans.
We always wanted this group to be about having fun, but we are also really serious about making this a safe space for LGBTQ people and allies to come together and enjoy soccer. LGBTQ people do like sports; we do watch and play soccer and we need the respect from the larger Georgia community. We want to be known as a group that has a great time but we also want to spread the word within the larger Atlanta United community about our group and our mission and that the LGBTQ community is a part of this experience that is Atlanta United.
AM: What are the biggest challenges this group faces and what are things the leadership committee is looking to improve heading into 2019?
DP: The biggest challenge right now is just waiting on the front office and others to finalize the bylaws for becoming an officially recognized supporters group. They have really worked with us, however we need more of a runway to becoming an official supporters group. Once we have a clear defined path of what needs to happen, then we will do whatever it takes to make us an officially recognized support’s group of Atlanta United. That is our main goal for 2019. The other supporters groups have been 100% supportive of us and we hope that the club and all of the bylaws that are being created are finished sooner rather than later.
AM: What do you think Atlanta United means to this group and the LGBTQ community? How do you see All Stripes as being the vehicle that connects these two entities?
DP: Well you do not often go to an event, where throughout the entire event, the people who have purchased tickets are thanking you for providing such a space and experience. I really think this is a part of why we are so successful. The LGBTQ community in Georgia knows of spaces that they can go, enjoy their time, feel safe, be themselves and feel welcomed. And this is what All Stripes has become for LGBTQ people of Georgia and the Southeast. I love that we also have provided a space for allies of our community to come to our tailgates and see that we love sports and just want to party and cheer on Atlanta United like they do. Creating this type of space is what is going to change the minds and ideologies of some people in Georgia about the LGBTQ community.
Nick Jones, unofficial Vice President of All Stripes was another piece of the puzzle that helped in the creation of All Stripes. Working in Risk Management for Cox Automotive, the “tech guy” was sold on Atlanta United on day one. Known as the technology guy for the All Stripes leadership committee, his expertise lies in the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running the All Stripes website, email marketing and analytics and handling the merchandising budget and projections. His skillset helps make sure the wheels are constantly turning for All Stripes. I also caught up with him during the MLS Cup Final.
AM: What drew you to Atlanta United? Were you a founding member or did you join after All Stripes was created.
NJ: I already had season tickets as a founding member. I had fallen in love with soccer after watching the 2014 World Cup. I did not know that much about soccer and had this passion to learn. I also wanted to do something different than going to bars and drinking on the weekend. This helped lead to the creation of this group.
AM: It has been a fantastic year for All Stripes with how far the group has grown and evolved since the first season. How has All Stripes matured over these two years?
NJ: My initial expectation for the group were 10-20 close-knit friends hanging out at a bar for away matches and getting together before home games. I never expected to have a tailgate with over 150 people, sponsored food and drinks and a fire pit. I have loved every single bit of this journey. Even though it was not what I expected, it has grown to be even better.
AM: What plans and priorities does All Stripes have for next season?
NJ: I think the number one thing for me is to diversify this group even more. We have a lot of members who identify as gay males within our group and we have to find a way to appeal and communicate to the community as a whole. We are the LGBTQ supporters group of Atlanta United and we need to have full representation from all segments. We are also looking at ways to make the tailgate experience even bigger and better for next season.
AM: What do you think this group means to these people and the people who have found this community?
NJ: It means a lot. Sports are one of these things in our community that is not the norm and you are sometimes made fun of if you follow them. Then on the flip side if you do not know anything about sports, yet you want to learn more or become apart of a sports group there really is not much here in Atlanta. So, we should provide a place for people who know nothing about soccer and want to learn more, for people who have played the sport their whole lives and for those who just want to have fun and cheer on an Atlanta sports team.
AM: What are the biggest challenges in running an All Stripes event?
NJ: The unknown. Trying to plan for anything and everything that can happen. For example, the tailgate for this match was a free-for-all. There were so many random people walking up and buying tickets to our tailgate who are not All Stripes members. This is great for us, but how do we plan to make sure there is enough alcohol, food, space and entertainment for everybody. It is a challenge and a learning process that we are continuing to improve upon.
I happen to be on the All Stripes leadership committee and I cannot express how happy and surprised I am for what this group has become for LGBTQ people of Atlanta. All Stripes has grown immensely over the past two years and our involvement with Atlanta United FC continues to grow. What I would love to see next year is our connectivity and collaboration with other LGBTQ supporters groups across the entire league increase. Our social media channels are filled with humor and fun trash talking between other LGBTQ supporter groups like Queen City Queens (FC Cincinnati), Pride Republic (LAFC), DC United with Pride (DC United), Impact LGBT (Montreal Impact) and Pride of the Sound (Seattle Sounders). We are interested in creating partnerships with these other groups where traveling away fans can tailgate and connect with other LGBTQ supporter groups across MLS. Ultimately this game is about connecting people and having a network of LGBTQ supporter groups across MLS that work together would be incredible. Furthermore, standing together with these groups gives the power and acknowledgement we need to influence and change MLS. One day, it would be great to be able to work with MLS on issues such as homophobia in football and have these initiatives created by the people who have experienced this firsthand. The future for All Stripes is extremely bright and it will be exciting to see how far the group can go. I am just thankful I have found a place where I can support my team and be undeniably and authentically me.
To follow the progress of and to support All Stripes, check out their website at: https://allstripesatl.com/
