In the search for the top football fan club, FanWide has interviewed the leaders of several prominent football fan clubs across the league and across the nation. One prominent club leader we spoke to was Ralph Valdez, leader of the SoCal (Southern California) Rams Booster Club, which played an instrumental role in welcoming the team back to Los Angeles.
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FanWide asked him the following questions about what makes his club one of the top clubs in the nation:
1. What is your name?:
Ralph Valdez
2. What city are you from?:
3 chapters for SoCal Rams, HQ in Santa Fe Springs; started 15 years ago
3. Which fan club do you support?:
LA Rams
3. Where does your fan club meet (name, location)?:
Maggie’s Pub, Santa Fe Springs, CA; Santa Anna (Applebee’s), Sonora Bar & Grill (Moreno Valley)
4. How many members are in your fan club?:
500 in our main group at headquarters and about 600 in total
5. What makes your fan club unique?:
- We are seeing an increased interest, especially with young people,
- We do require a membership or any dues,
- All Rams fans welcome
- We have our own booster club shirts and logo (see website or social media).
- Host raffles every week (authentic Rams merchandise)
- Vendor on location to sell merchandise
- Ex-Rams players attend and give autographs
- Foundation called SoCal Rams Cares where we have a toy drive for to families; feed the homeless, and give out blankets
- We invested our own cheers and fan lingo, which is used everywhere:
- “Whose house? Rams house!”
- “Horns Up!”
- “Ramly”
6. Do you have any connections to the team?:
- Some former and current players
- We have done some charity events
7. What is your favorite memory?:
Around 2015 or 2016 we hosted a rally at The Colosseum to bring back the team. It had about 2500 people attend and was covered by the news.
Another time, when the Rams announced they would come back to LA, my son and I drove to Englewood and celebrated in the parking lot with thousands of other fans, and had a party to celebrate. I had tears in my eyes and it was “exhilarating”.
8. Beside watching the games, what other activities does the club participate in?:
- We tailgate at home games (in Lot 6) and during the offseason we go bowling, play in golf tournaments, have a “Ram-fest” picnic which has several thousands fans.
Influential fan groups like the SoCal Rams Booster Club have played a vital role in this year’s Rams Super Bowl run. With excellent all-around qualifications, the SoCal Rams Booster Club certainly has what it takes to be considered one of the Top Football Fan Clubs. We are still accepting entries to be named the Top Football Fan Club – to learn more or enter visit http://fanwi.de/TFFC.
