The Nest – FAQ

Nest Seating Changes FAQs

How and why was the seating arrangement changed?

We believe this change will result in a more open, inclusive, and active club and an enhanced in-stadium experience, while at the same time reducing the significant burden of administering the Nest as an assigned-seating section.

On September 1st, in response to concerns raised by both club leadership and rank-and-file members over the course of the 2010 season, I sent out a message to the membership asking for volunteers for a committee to discuss the Nest’s future.

As the note indicated, the original plan was for the committee to be a collaborative body of 4 members of club leadership – namely our ticket person Nicole Gara and the 3 members of the “field team”, all of whom are intimately involved with Nest issues during the season – and 4-5 rank-and-file club members who sat in the Nest, but were not in club leadership.

The response was stronger than I expected, and as a result I expanded the number of “rank-and-file member” selections to 8.  That expansion allowed me to select committee members with an eye towards having all different kinds of Nest experiences at the table – short and tall, male and female, old and young, parent and childless, new members and longtime members.  Additionally, club founder Matt Mathai, who is no longer in SE leadership but obviously has a wealth of knowledge and experience with the club, volunteered to participate, and was included.

Those who expressed interest in participating but, due to size limitations, were not able to serve on the committee were given the opportunity to write up their opinions about the Nest and ideas for its future , all of which were considered in the committee’s discussions.

I personally facilitated the committee’s discussion  and provided historical background and context regarding the club, but limited my substantive participation.

The committee met twice in late September, with each meeting running around 3 to 3 ½ hours, and also had a very robust online discussion in which ideas and philosophies were raised and discussed.

Two key things stood out, both in terms of the feedback I had received prior to forming the committee and the feelings and beliefs of the Nest committee members themselves:

  1. The club has, for the past two seasons, not been as active as many of our members would have liked it to be in the stands, and because of the changes over the years in the atmosphere around it on the “Loud Side”, the Nest no longer offers an experience unique in RFK.
  2. The club is not as open or welcoming to new (and newer) members as it should be.

These feelings were not unanimous but did represent the great majority of the feedback provided.Additionally, there was concern within the Nest committee, especially amongst the members who are also SE leaders, about the continued long-term administrative burden in maintaining the assigned-seating policy, noting particularly the historical difficulty the club has had in finding volunteers willing to assist in its administration.

The Nest committee’s response to these three concerns was to consider a variety of ideas aimed at addressing these concerns.  In the course of its discussions, a number of suggestions – such as eliminating assigned seating for one or two of the three Nest sections, keeping the sections as all-assigned but allowing seat jumpers to come into empty areas, changes in Nest behavioral rules, and several other options – were considered.

Ultimately, the Nest committee voted to recommend elimination of assigned seating in Sections 132, 133, and 134, while maintaining prior Nest rules on ticket-holding, smoke bombs, flag-waving during the run of play, and other behavior.  The committee felt  that a change in the seat assignment policy would allow fans to congregate together based on their desired level of activity in the Nest, allow members to mix and mingle throughout the sections, and make it easier for members to bring both friends and large groups to the matches (no longer having to worry about finding a large bloc of tickets together via the assigned seating process).

The committee also recommended the establishment of a “Nest team” – an outgrowth of the current, smaller “field team” – to administer the section and work with stadium security during matches, as well as other changes (such as placement of song leaders) to both improve the atmosphere and make rule enforcement easier.  Those changes are addressed in more detail below.

Under the club’s bylaws, the Screaming Eagles Executive Committee, comprised of the 10 members who serve as primary club leaders, is tasked with making the final decision on all major club decisions.  Several days after the Nest committee made its recommendations, the executive committee met and voted unanimously to approve and implement the recommendations for the 2011 DC United season.

What does this change mean for Nest season ticket holders?

Season ticketholders will continue to receive the additional discount provided by the Screaming Eagles over and above DC United’s season ticket price, and they will continue to receive the season-ticketholder gifts provided by the team. The only change will be the lack of an assigned seat.   When you walk into the Nest for any given match, you will be free to watch the match from any open spot in 132, 133, or 134.

If I buy a day of game ticket, how will I be affected?

Every ticketholder will have a ticket that allows them to watch the match from any open spot in the Nest (Sections 132, 133, and 134), which will make it easier for members to bring both friends and large groups to the matches.

Are there other Screaming Eagles seating options?

The Perch (portions of Sections 231 and 232, directly above the Nest and seats in Section 228) and the Aerie (Section 139) are available as assigned seating options.

Will the change in seating affect the type of behavior that is unacceptable in the Nest?

As mentioned above, the rules on behavior aren’t changing.  Behavior that has always been prohibited – such as smoke bombs and flag-waving during play – will continue to be against the rules.  We will not tolerate aggressive or violent behavior, such as pushing, elbowing, or otherwise moving people out of a desired location.

The “Nest team” in the sections at each game will not be serving as security per se, but they will be working with stadium security to ensure that our rules are followed.  They will also serve as section ambassadors and provide assistance to ticketholders.

Let me be clear – we are committed to providing all of you with a safe and friendly place to cheer on DC United, and with a team in place to monitor the sections and improve communication between club leadership and stadium security, we will be in a better position than ever in 2011 to ensure that that is what the Nest is. We have always reserved the right – and occasionally exercised it – to remove people who don’t meet our club’s requirements from the Nest, and we will continue to do so.

I have heard concerns from a few of you that the atmosphere in the sections will resemble the free-for-all in the Nest at the recent US-Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier.  I can assure you that this will not be the case.  US National Team matches are wholly controlled by the US Soccer Federation, and while we are allowed to sell tickets in our sections when those matches come to RFK, the rules and management of the Nest for those matches is out of our control.  The Costa Rica match involved an additional wrinkle – USSF had told us that our sections would be managed as assigned-seating, and then on the day of the match they reversed course and treated the sections as general admission.  We had no opportunity to inform our members or make arrangements to mitigate the change, and the result was what occurred in that match.

DC United, on the other hand, gives our club a great deal of latitude in the management of the Nest.  We will exercise that control to ensure that our sections are fun, safe, and passionate.

Will there be any changes to tifo, the drum, and what we sing?

There will be changes to the setup of the Nest to improve singing coordination across all three sections.  The large bass drum will continue to be on the front railing of the Nest, but, for matches where the sections are full, the drum will be placed on the rail in the middle of Section 133 rather than on the aisle between Sections 133 and 134.  There will be two song leaders leading cheers from platforms located at field level – one in front of the 133/134 aisle, one in front of the 132/133 aisle.

To assist new members with songs and our club’s expectations for the Nest, we will be passing out sheets at all matches that include not only song lyrics, but section rules and the locations of both our song leaders and Nest team members.

Tifo and flags will continue to be utilized for certain games as they always have been.  The large DC United overhead jersey will also continue to be utilized as a show of support for the team and its sponsor.  However, we have asked that the team take stronger measures in 2011 to ensure that the jersey is cleaned regularly.  If the jersey is particularly dirty, we won’t put it up.

How can I help out in the Nest?

We are always looking for help, but in particular we are looking to add members in two areas: our new “Nest team” and the creation of tifo.  Members who volunteer for these two areas will be eligible for the benefits that other volunteers in these areas receive, including free tailgates and stadium access lanyards as needed.  For more information or to sign up, send me an e-mail at paul@screaming-eagles.com or e-mail our info box at info@screaming-eagles.com.

Will there be opportunities to discuss the change?

After the first of the year, we will organize a session where club leadership and representatives from the Nest committee will be available to answer questions and discuss the changes.