Mike McGinty, new head coach of the Saint Louis University men’s soccer team, is a busy man.
Here are some of the more important items on his to-do list right now:
–Communicating a new mentality and culture to his team before the end of the five-week-long spring season.
–Preparing his team for the next spring game, this Sunday, April 18, at 3 p.m. at Hermann Stadium against Washington University.
–Recruiting potential newcomers to join next year’s squad.
But McGinty and the men’s soccer program are also prioritizing something else this spring—and that is increasing fan support and creating a buzz about the Billiken soccer team.
Two seasons ago, when McGinty was an assistant coach at the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers set a NCAA record for attendance. He and his staff believe that this kind of environment can exist at SLU if they, the players, and the school do all they can to get behind the team.
Assistant coach Tim Kelly has been doing all he can to take advantage of the resources at SLU to maximize fan support for the team. He and McGinty have met with Legion 1818, the student club that supports the soccer program, to discuss ideas and promotions for next season. Kelly has also reached out to SLU’s temporary students from the Madrid, Spain campus and encouraged them to support the team.
“The Spanish students were itching to have more involvement on campus,” Kelly said. “Being born and raised in Spain, they grew up in a place where soccer is the main sport. We’re trying to get them more involved with the team here.”
All of this emphasis on fan support is backed by a proven theory in sports—that crowd noise and formidable support impacts success.
“The 12th man theory is true,” Kelly said. “If you’re a player and it’s the 85th minute and you’re gassed, hearing a loud crowd behind you means that you don’t have to say anything as a coach.”
McGinty acknowledges that there is enough space on the north end of Hermann Stadium to construct more stands.
“If we sell lots of tickets, we can put those stands behind the goal,” McGinty said. “Above all, we want students at our games getting loud and supporting the school.”
Sophomore Mike Roach knows that the best way to get fans to attend a game is for the team to perform to the best of its ability.
“It starts on the field. The most important thing is winning games so that people want to go to the games,” Roach said.
Kelly agrees.
“The environment we create depends on the success of the team,” Kelly said.
Freshman Nick Maglasang said that having a new coach means that the players have a new chance to prove themselves—not only to McGinty, but also to the fans.
“We want to show our St. Louis soccer fans and supporters that we’re out here working hard. We also want to show the college soccer scene what we’re all about,” Maglasang said.
Back on March 28, SLU played its first spring game under the tutelage of McGinty against AC St. Louis, the new expansion team in the North American Soccer League. The result was a 2-2 draw.
But to Roach, a conversation with a referee stood out to him more than the result.
“The [referee] told me that he could see the new mindset and determination in our eyes,” Roach said.
After the game against Washington University on Sunday, fans will be invited to a reception at Humphrey’s with free appetizers. That is the kind of interaction and sociability that the men’s soccer team is hoping will become commonplace at SLU.
