How to fix quiet atmosphere at Maple Leafs games? Take lessons from soccer

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After the 2016-17 Maple Leafs season — my first covering the team full-time — a vacation to watch soccer in Germany opened my eyes, and my ears, to the importance of fan involvement.

On the evening of April 29, 2017, I fell asleep with ringing in my ears: the remnants of a rabid crowd refusing to go quietly into the night.

The 81,360 in attendance at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park earlier weren’t treated to a banger; few highlights exist of the 0-0 draw between Borussia Dortmund and FC Koln. But it didn’t matter. The stadium’s “Yellow Wall” of supporters led the way with near-constant singing and chanting. It was the best atmosphere I’ve experienced at a club soccer game.

That trip revealed how wide the gulf can be between Toronto Maple Leafs home games, criticized for years for being relatively quiet affairs, and other sporting events.

Even before covering the Leafs, I’d heard Scotiabank Arena’s patrons weren’t as vociferous as those in other NHL rinks. Having witnessed the atmosphere up close, some of the cliches feel true: Extremely high-priced lower bowl seats rarely go to hardcore fans and are often more an opportunity for ticket holders to entertain corporate clients — a scenario that doesn’t exactly lend itself to enthusiastic behaviour.

Players notice, too.

“I would’ve liked a little more energy from the crowd after that (fight),” captain Auston Matthews said following a January loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in which then-Leafs forward Ryan Reaves fought Mathieu Olivier in the first period. “I thought it was a little quiet tonight, especially after two guys like that go at it.”

The debate over how to make Scotiabank Arena louder was brought back into focus Friday, reading James Mirtle’s examination of how to fix quieter in-game atmospheres at NHL games.

That piece offers good suggestions from experts in the hockey world. But inspiration might be found in soccer stadiums, as well.

I’ve been fortunate to run the gamut of soccer experiences across the world. Almost every time, I leave stadiums with the same thought about the Leafs: How does one of the most storied franchises in North American sports consistently play in one of the quietest arenas in the game?

Obviously, 80,000-plus fans in German stadiums will almost certainly make for a louder, better atmosphere than the 19,000 or so who fill Scotiabank Arena. Still, there are some fun potential fixes from soccer stadiums and fan culture — even if some of the following suggestions are unlikely to happen in Toronto anytime soon.

Create a supporters’ section

A ticket to watch a game in the aforementioned Yellow Wall this season — What Borussia Dortmund call “Standing Place,” so the instructions can’t be misconstrued — is €18.50. That’s just under $30 Canadian.

Stop yourself if you’re muttering “that’s nuts!” while reading that number. Heavily reduced ticket prices to supporters’ sections inside soccer stadiums are par for the course across Europe.

Of course, these tickets come with an assignment. Fans are expected to sing, chant, stay on their feet and fuel the atmosphere. They’re never allowed to wear the opposition team’s colours. They are the heartbeat of the stadium.

Could the Leafs install a supporters’ section at one end of Scotiabank Arena with heavily reduced ticket prices? Toronto FC has this setup in the south end at BMO Field. And when TFC wasn’t the tire fire of a team it is now, it didn’t take long for fans to understand the assignment and propel the team with chants.

The Leafs could learn something from their MLSE brethren.

Consider section 114 at the end of the ice in Scotiabank Arena where the Leafs shoot twice. It doesn’t always offer the most optimal view, but it’s perfect for fans who want to lose their minds.

The Leafs should not sell season tickets to a supporters’ section in the first season. They should ensure fans understand — with clear instructions on the ticket — that by buying a ticket in this section, the purchaser is expected to stay on their feet and sing throughout the entire game.

Of course, the economics of this likely don’t make sense. MLSE would have to convert one immensely profitable section into something far less so.

Still, what’s lost in ticket revenue could potentially create an experience the Leafs could market to fans.

I bought my tickets to that aforementioned Dortmund game on the secondary marketplace. And with my pick, I spent more money so I could be close to the Yellow Wall. The ticket prices reflected the proximity to the wall. The Leafs could likely justify jacking up prices to nearby sections, so fans could get closer to the Blue Lake, or whatever they want to call it. Looking for proof of concept? Supporters’ sections exist at some European hockey games, too.

It would be a long play, but one that could pay off for MLSE. Or maybe this would be a more practical idea in the event the Leafs one day build a much larger arena.

Sell cheaper drinks (and food)

I couldn’t take a few steps within the Bundesliga stadiums without bumping into a fan’s beer. And that’s with good reason: According to the Bundesliga, the average price for a half-litre of beer inside a top-level Germany stadium this season was just under €5.20, or approximately $8 Canadian.

Yes, beer arguably has more of a cultural foothold in Germany than Canada. But at those prices, grabbing a beer and giving into the song and dance that comes afterward is far easier to do. (Personal research confirms this).

Now, no one here is foolish enough to think MLSE is going to lower its food and beer prices just because. As in any establishment that sells food and beverage, it’s the markup on alcohol sales that often keeps the doors open.

But do you ever wonder why Scotiabank Arena sounds so quiet at the start of games? Anecdotal research suggests it’s because fans are often still eating and drinking at nearby restaurants. Good luck finding a table on Front Street at 6 p.m. on game nights.

It’s not uncommon to have fans show up late to the party. Why not try to get those same fans into the building before a game? The Leafs should lower beer prices, with a catch.

I’m going to steal an idea from the Canadian Premier League’s Forge FC: The club sells cans of beer for $5 before kickoff, before prices go back up. I suspect that’s part of the reason fans are loud and active from kickoff and don’t need vocal cues from in-game hosts to make themselves heard.

Imagine it at Scotiabank Arena: $5 beers and sugar-laced soft drinks from 6 p.m. to puck drop. Those are drink sales MLSE might not have made otherwise.

And those are drink sales that could help fill the arena earlier and create a loosened-up, louder atmosphere.

Sing songs unique to the Maple Leafs

If you’ve been to a Leafs game, you know the setlist: Stompin’ Tom Connors’ “The Hockey Song” will be played. So, too, will a Tragically Hip song (justifiably so).

And if you’ve been to, say, an English Premier League game or even a TFC game before your first Leafs game, you’re probably thinking: Why isn’t anyone singing along?

Crowds at Leafs games don’t just sit on their hands. They remain quiet — even when there are hockey anthems right there to sing. They’re missing out.

At soccer stadiums, singing along is a rite of passage. Sometimes songs are written by fan clubs and are tailored to taunt that day’s opponent. Sometimes they’re more chants than songs and are born out of club-specific events. Come the 24th minute of every Toronto FC game at BMO Field, for example, fans sing and chant Danny Dichio’s name, commemorating the club’s first ever goal, which the English forward scored in the 24th minute of a 2007 match.

Sometimes popular songs are adopted by fans as their own.

I’ve been to one Liverpool game and I learned the words to the Gerry and the Pacemakers 1963 hit “You’ll Never Walk Alone” beforehand. There was no way I was missing out on one of the sport’s most honoured fan traditions. Below, you can see just how different a fan experience can be between soccer stadiums and Scotiabank Arena. Seeing fans united in song is as spine-tingling and rousing an experience as you can have inside a stadium.

Now, Liverpool fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was the result of a horrific stadium disaster. But it has united generations of fans.

Hockey has examples, too. Colorado Avalanche fans inside the Ball Arena in Denver adopted Blink-182’s “All the Small Things” for a time, don’t forget.

If the Leafs in-game production crew wanted to improve the atmosphere, it would find a song by a Toronto-based artist with lyrics that are easy to sing. It would play the song without lyrics and literally tell fans to sing along. The Leafs are seemingly unable to develop any traditions organically, so they should maybe just tell people what their goal is and try to hook young fans in the process.

There is nothing prohibitive about creating songs that can be tied to a fan experience inside Scotiabank Arena. It’s a potential free, quick fix. They just have to find the right song.

The Leafs missed a prime opportunity to turn Ronnie Hawkins’ “Peace and Quiet” into a sing-along. This remains the best — actually, maybe the only good — piece of in-game content the Leafs have created recently.

Sell scarves, and a lot of them

Even in summer-like temperatures, the majority of fans I saw in Germany wore team-themed scarves.

There were scarves made for specific past games. Others made to honour players. Others to celebrate team achievements. Other generic ones for newcomers.

The Leafs should adopt scarves.

Collecting scarves throughout seasons becomes a badge of honour for fans. They’re conversation starters. You don’t sit in isolation. Live sports events are at their best when the viewing is a communal experience.

And when the national anthems are played, fans can raise their scarves high for an impressive visual experience. It’s an easy way to get involved and create a buzz early in games.

So many Leafs games take place in the middle of winter, when you’d be silly not to wear a scarf anyway. It’s an easily marketable piece of clothing. One that could differentiate the Leafs from other teams and arena atmospheres.

Not every fan in Germany wore a jersey to games. But even the most stylishly dressed wore their scarves over dark, tailored jackets. In that sense, scarves could find a home even among the corporate crowd at Scotiabank Arena.

I fondly remember the 20-minute walk from the train station in Leverkusen to the BayArena to watch Bayer Leverkusen being filled with stands selling scarves of every sort.

It was an experience in itself — and an easy way for first-timers to buy a piece of clothing to help them feel like they belonged at the game.

Toronto should take note.

(Photo: Michael Chisholm / NHLI via Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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