There are sights and sounds inherently linked to soccer supporter culture. Lavender Legion president Leigh Nieves heard them all when she connected her phone’s match audio into her car, coming home from a wedding. Drums beat in unison, Racing Louisville FC supporters sang familiar songs, and the bagpipes roared.
Wait, were those bagpipes?
“’ When did we get bagpipes? What is this!?’” recalls Nieves on a rare evening when she wasn’t yelling into a microphone on the capo stand or singing with thousands at Lynn Family Stadium. “An awesome supporter just showed up to the game and was like ‘I know all your chants, can I play bagpipes?’” The response was a no-brainer, “yes, absolutely!”
Nieves is part of a board of members that run expansion Racing Louisville FC’s supporters’ club, the Lavender Legion. The Legion is an expansion side themselves, forming in the excitement of Louisville, Kentucky’s addition to the National Women’s Soccer League.
Since their launch in Aug. 2020, they’ve navigated everything from the easier decisions of bagpipes to normal growing pains. Like finding their own voice when responsibilities shifted to ridiculing the league that awarded Louisville a team. A love of the game, and help from others in the Louisville soccer community, turned pandemic zoom meeting brainstorming sessions into memorable matchday experiences for anybody that attends a Racing Louisville match.
Two Teams, One City
Nieves, and the board of the Lavender Legion, followed the NWSL for years before the announcement. Their league knowledge and passion couldn’t be matched in Louisville, but logistically they didn’t know how to start a group of their own.
Fortunately, spreading that passion to the city had a huge advantage with the men’s soccer club Louisville City FC. Soccer Holdings LLC owns both Lou City and Racing Louisville. So, when Nieves and the future board noticed a gap in support for Racing, it was a Liverpudlian, affectionately/appropriately known around the Louisville soccer scene as Scouse, that provided the framework for what supporters see today.
“He called myself and a couple other girls who are now board members, and was like ‘Hey, I obviously have this supporters’ group with Lou City. I think it’d be really cool, if you want, I’ll guide you all through starting a supporters’ group and helping you get aboard,’” said Nieves. “’ Once you get going, I’ll step out. It’s your thing. I just know you’re all obsessed with women’s soccer.’”
Scouse runs the appropriately named Scouse’s House supporter’s group. One of many groups for Lou City FC. Lou City’s reach helped Lavender Legion’s introduction to the league and many supporters began supporting both city’s teams equally; regardless of who is playing on the field.
The city’s ever-growing soccer community is evident not only in the environment created by the Legion on matchdays. Louisville’s attendance numbers are near the top of the league. In their first season, Racing Louisville’s attendance ranks second, only behind the Portland Thorns. Figures and rankings are great, but they’re usually more important to a team’s bottom line. It doesn’t assess the health of a supporters’ group.
Groups are judged on. The strength of their relationship with the people they support: the players.
Protocols & Skittles
Goalkeeper Michelle Betos is no stranger to new environments. Betos, Racing Louisville’s on and off-field leader, has a strong collection of goalkeeper kits from past clubs. So far in Betos’ 12-year career, she’s played with 12 clubs, in six countries, across four continents. Even with all that experience, the 2015 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year had no idea what to expect moving to Kentucky.
“When I got picked up in the expansion draft, I didn’t know anything about Louisville,” said Betos. “When you go to an expansion club, you just really have no idea how they’re going to embrace you or what the city is like. I think all the girls would say the same though: they’ve been incredibly welcoming and exciting and just really embraced us in the city.”
The Lavender Legion has had to embrace Racing from afar. In normal times, clubs send players into the community to meet residents. It’s done through community outreach, pub nights, or going out to schools and playing soccer with kids. With the COVID-19 global pandemic, this new group of supporters had to get creative, since none of the usual options to meet their team were available.
“From the moment we got here, it’s been incredible,” said Betos about Racing Louisville’s support right off the bat. “When we walked into the stadium, at our lockers, was a welcome package. It had a gift card to all the local places they recommended. It was all these little touches and just welcoming us.”
Those little touches didn’t stop there. Now that the NWSL season is in full force, the Lavender Legion takes specific steps in assuring that Racing feels their support. After matches, supporters in the Estopinal End, the Louisville supporters’ section, don’t tear down any of their equipment, remove banners, or leave until players have circled the stadium.
“We stand and acknowledge them, regardless of the outcome of the game,” said Nieves. “We’re trying very hard to start traditions without being able to hand them gifts or hand them whatever.” There aren’t gifts that exchange hands, but that doesn’t mean players won’t get a small token of supporters’ love.
“There’s this whole long story about how I used to keep Skittles in my pocket as a little kid, playing in goal,” said Betos. “Now, every game, the supporters’ group throws down a bag of Skittles during my warmup. They’ve really embraced us individually and really invested in us individually, and as a collective.”
Finding Their Voice
That collective stretches beyond those on the Racing Louisville roster and coaching staff. For the Lavender Legion, they’re also learning to navigate changes that impact the entire NWSL fanbase. How the Legion reacts to these changes is part of their continuing growth.
In July, the NWSL announced a partnership with RISE; a group working across sports leagues, in the United States, to facilitate conversations around race and social justice. Frustration and anger followed the announcement, especially across social media.
Washington Spirit group Rose Room Collective, North Carolina Courage’s Uproar, and Chicago Red Stars’ Chicago Local 134 all publicly shared their stances. Absent from the online discussion was Lavender Legion. According to Nieves, that wasn’t for lack of anger at the league’s involvement. Instead, it’s about learning how to navigate troubled waters as a new group.
“Some of us chose not to tweet about it because we didn’t want to go off the rails, and not know some certain stuff,” said Nieves. “We do have a lot of very strong opinions and I know that there are a lot things going on behind doors with these initiatives and we’re very fortunate to be part of ISC (Independent Supporters Council) and different supporters councils.”
Within their own lavender world, the Legion has a strong relationship with the front office, especially team president Brad Estes. In 2021, they’ve had active, private, conversations with Estes regarding many issues. Including, player response to the Lynn Family Stadium light show and updated expansion draft rules. Even if it isn’t in a Twitter vacuum, the Lavender Legion is building confidence to make more public statements. Especially when it impacts their club, and aspiring to be like other supporters’ group in that regard.
“I love Chicago [Local 134]. They know who they are and know what they stand for and say whatever the heck they feel. That’s bomb, and probably one of the reasons why I stan them so hard. I do think that in the future, we’ll become more outspoken than we are right now. We’re trying to find our voice,” said Nieves.
Even though it’s taking time, it doesn’t mean the Legion has no feelings towards announcements like RISE.
“There is a lot of stuff going on behind doors that we aren’t public about, but we all are like, ‘yeah, this fucking pisses us off, let’s do something about it,’” said Nieves.
Since the announcement, supporters’ group across the league spoke with NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird about their concerns.
Non-Elitist Soccer Fandom
As the Lavender Legion continues to grow in voice and membership, one goal in the group remains the same: bring people from all backgrounds together. The Legion features all levels of experience: NWSL supporters from years past that can recall historic moments throughout the league’s nine-season history and Louisville residents that have never heard of the NWSL until Racing existed.
Nieves and the Legion are always open to new member questions. Whether it’s about the team, the league, or their opponents. Lavender Legion even holds regular focus groups, held on Zoom and more recently in person. Each session gives any Racing supporter a platform to share their feelings about the supporters’ group, allowing it to grow and for the board to recognize a diverse set of viewpoints.
“There’s no gatekeeping at all. People want to help and introduce people to this game,” said Nieves. “It’s been incredible to watch unfold.”
What’s also incredible is not just Racing’s growth as they finish up their roster and build chemistry on the field; it’s how Lavender Legion is growing alongside them.
“Every player on this roster is loved, supported and appreciated. They’re so excited about all of it. They’re so invested,” said Betos. “I swear they get louder and louder every game because it gets harder and harder to talk to my midfield and talk to my center backs and stuff like that, which is a good problem to have.”
Aug. 2021 marks the one-year birthday of the Lavender Legion. While they know where they want to grow and are building onto a strong Louisville soccer community, the league is starting to hear them; bagpipes and all.
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the NWSL, WNBA, and more. Thomas Costello is on Twitter @1ThomasCostello.
