The head of the SKA fan movement spoke about the relationship between fans and players

Throughout the regular season and playoff matches, the St. Petersburg team was supported by the fan sector – those same active fans who “turn on” the arena and chant: “Red and blue are the strongest!” The fan movement originated in the SKA 1983/84 season and is considered one of the best in Russian hockey. “MK in St. Petersburg” talked with the head of the fan movement Mikhail Dudkovsky. In an interview with our publication, he spoke about the special atmosphere in the fan sector, interaction with team players and the rules for joining the ranks of fans.

EACH DEPARTURE IS A SEPARATE STORY

— How did you react to the team’s elimination from the Cup? What emotions are you experiencing?

– Definitely a disappointment. I wanted to go as far as possible. Who knows, they wanted to take the Cup again. Still, the emotions in 2015 and 2017 were indescribable. I want to try them again.

— It is clear that the stands are full at home matches. What about on the road? How do you support the team in other cities?

— This season we have been to all of the team’s away matches. Of course, the composition of visiting fans is not constant, because everyone has work and schedules may not coincide. For some trips, the club provides us with a bus, and fans pay for long trips on their own, traveling to other cities by train, plane, or car. The choice of transport depends, of course, on the city in which the team plays. The most memorable trip of this season was the trip to Vladivostok in September. The weather was good, we went to Russky Island, swam in the ocean, the water in which was surprisingly warm. In general, each trip is a separate story and its own special memories.

— Do fewer people travel to distant cities than to Yaroslavl?

— It all depends on what day of the week the team plays and the distance to the city where the match is taking place. It is clear that more people gather for short-term trips than for matches taking place in the Urals or Siberia. And again, not everything is so simple. More St. Petersburg fans can come to Chelyabinsk on a weekend than to Yaroslavl in the middle of the week.

BLUE TOP AND LOVE FOR THE TEAM

— Mikhail, how long have you been a fan of SKA and what function do you perform in the fan movement?

— I am one of the leaders of the fan movement, now I work at the club. I have been a fan of SKA since 1993, and joined the fan movement a few years later. First of all, we support the team, defend its honor and represent it in the stands. Our task is to drive the team forward and help it win.

— What has changed in fan culture since the 1990s?

“During this time, everything has changed: life, hockey, spectators and mentality. Almost nothing remains from those years. There was more romance then, but now there is more comfort and quality of organization. Some remained in their thoughts in those times, while others adapted to new conditions and live today’s lives.

— How many people are in your ranks at the moment?

– There is an asset – about 200 people, plus 200-300 people, so to speak, close ones. The section at the SKA Arena can accommodate 450 people, and it was full at almost all matches this year.

— Can anyone get on the fan platform or do they need to pass an exam, for example, on knowledge of chants or the history of the club?

— Anyone who is ready to actively support the team can join us. There is no specific exam, rather an interview. Of course, there are rules of conduct in the sector that must be followed. It doesn’t happen that a person comes who doesn’t know anything about the team and hockey. Why then does he want to join the fan movement? By the way, we have no age restrictions. People often come to the sector with children of all ages.

— Is there any dress code? What should a fan look like on the fan stand?

– You must wear a blue top – a T-shirt or sweatshirt with fan or club symbols. We also recommend wearing SKA scarves to games.

“ACTIONS DEPEND ON SCORE”

— Is there, so to speak, the main ringleader of the stands?

– Yes, we have leaders and drummers. They are, one might say, professionals in their field. Over time, a certain strategy for their work was developed. Everything came with experience. They watch the game and adapt to what is happening on the ice. Of course, you can’t adjust perfectly, but the guys are trying. During games, we unfurl the team flag – this is a kind of tribute to the established tradition. Our actions depend on the score. Usually the intensity of passions becomes brighter by the third period. But sometimes, clashes occur in the first period.

— What fan movements of KHL clubs can you highlight?

— Lokomotiv, Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev have good fans. But every club has active fans. And all fan movements have their own specifics, so it’s difficult to single out anyone.

— Do you interact with fans of other clubs?

— There are certain contacts with fan movements of all clubs. We are friends with some, for example, fans of CSKA and Lokomotiv, and with others we just keep in touch.

— Do conflicts happen?

– Anything has happened. Now there are, of course, fewer conflicts. Control has been tightened in the arenas. And before there were clashes with both Atlant and Spartak.

— Did it come to fights?

– And before them too. Sometimes there were conflicts in the stands: fans behave differently, someone may start to provoke fans of the other team. But, I repeat, now there are fewer such stories due to tightening control.

“THE FAN MOVEMENT WILL PARTLY DIE”

— Does the fan movement interact with the team or exist separately?

— The team lives behind closed doors, but periodically there are meetings with players and club management. There is communication, but not close. This year, for example, hockey players came to the podium: we agreed with the club for this, explained that we want to show the players how we live, how we root for them. There is one atmosphere on the ice, and another in the stands. There is a special spirit in the fan sector.

— Roman Rotenberg and hockey players often thank fans for their support. Is this just politeness or is it still a tribute?

— Of course, we feel a certain amount of attention from the team: after the match, the players drive up to our sector to thank us for the atmosphere created during the game.

— By the way, how do you like the SKA Arena? Do you feel the difference with “Ice”?

— Of course, the scale is felt. The sector is huge, thanks to which more people began to come to the matches. We are still getting used to the new stadium, there are certain difficulties. But in fairness, I note that the same situation happened with Ledov. In a word, we are settling in.

— Does the club regulate your work? Maybe he’s monitoring what’s being chanted from the sector?

— The chants are not coordinated with the club, but of course there is a certain censorship. KHL regulations prohibit the use of abusive chants: the League issues fines for violations.

— Last season, Fan ID was introduced into the RPL, after which the Zenit fan “Virage” stopped attending the club’s matches. If the KHL introduces the same system, will you continue to support SKA?

— If Fan ID is introduced, many active SKA fans will stop attending games. I definitely won’t apply for a fan card, and they’re unlikely to give me one. For example, at the World Cup in 2018, I was not given a fan card: they refused without explanation. If the KHL introduces Fan ID, the fan movement will partly die and the sector will definitely not be the same as it is now.