Who is The Crow Collective?
We are the passionate supporters group for Vancouver Rise FC of the Northern Super League. We are a group of supporters that live, breathe, and love everything about soccer and supporters’ culture. We are dedicated to the advancement of women in sport. We understand the importance of representation, the adage “you can’t be what you can’t see,” resonates even now, as women and girls have until very recently been denied equal opportunities in sport. But with the start of our very own Canadian professional women’s soccer league, the NSL, we hope this becomes not a statement of fact, but a reflection of historical wrongs made right.
As a collective of mostly women and non-binary folks who have played, coached and supported soccer over many lifetimes, we came together when the idea of the NSL was first being discussed. We all knew that we wanted to be a part of developing the league, supporting our club and encouraging other women and girls to love the game as much as we do.
Although most of the original members of the collective identify as women, we do not discriminate against men or those who identify as men. Everyone who respects our mandate and our code of conduct is welcome. We are a collective of like-minded, inclusive, anti-fascist people welcoming anyone interested in creating and maintaining a safe space for all. See you at Swangard Stadium to cheer on Vancouver Rise FC!
How did the Crow Collective begin?
Hands up to Mel for creating the Mountaineers as a placeholder for our supporters’ group. Mel’s fast thinking efforts allowed the newly formed Rise front office a point of contact, to share information about the football club and the league. Quickly though, a dedicated group of us came together to lend a hand and our support by forming a collective. The business of creating and growing a supporters’ group requires many hands and lots of creative minds to flourish.
We are a collective because decision-making and operations are discussed and determined together. There is no one leader or hierarchy. We are a group. Each individual member has the right to vote and we require a quorum of at least 5 members to carry a decision. After deciding that the collective decision-making process would work best for us. We felt that a name change would cement this movement going forward and The Crow Collective was born!
What is the significance of the name?
Anyone who lives in East Vancouver or the Lower Mainland, has probably witnessed the daily mass crow flight to roost in Burnaby. Tens of thousands of crows rise with the sun, do their crow-like activities and then darken the sky on their return flight, to Burnaby by sunset. It is an auspicious phenomenon and a sight to behold.
Like these crows, we supporters also come from everywhere across the Lower Mainland and beyond to gather in our masses at our stadium in Burnaby every game day. We will gather to roost in our Crows Nest, or section A, in the stands and behind the net of our beloved Vancouver Rise FC.
Indeed, the crow has been seen as an omen with many different meanings across time and cultures. In some Indigenous communities across the Pacific Northwest, the crow or raven has a special significance within their culture. They are a symbol that represents creation, knowledge, trickery and transformation. The raven appears in many myths as a powerful trickster figure who brings about change and shapes the world around them. Across other cultures, the crow has complex symbolism that oscillate between light/dark life/death and wisdom/curse. The crow has been revered as a divine messenger, a spiritual guide and an omen of death. Intelligent and adaptable, crows are known for their cleverness and are often seen for their resourcefulness and quick thinking. In Ireland the crow was linked to the goddess Morrigan, a goddess of war, who transformed to influence the course of the battle. In Asia, the crow is associated to light and the sun. In China, the crow is a solar bird. In Japan, a symbol of filial gratitude and familial love. There’s also the influence of Gothic and Romantic elements, the poem by Edgar Allen Poe.
Whatever you personally believe whether it’s an omen or a warning to our opposition, we mean business and we will sing, chant and caw for our team till the end.