Vol 2 Issue 3

MARCHING ON

MARCHING ON

We're entering the business end of the season, and York are in the midst of an alltime playoff fight. We. Can't. Stop.

FOR THE FANS, BY THE FANS

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2023

Volume 2, Issue 3 A YORK UNITED FANZINE

Pg.3YUFC AWAYDAYS

Pg.7EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELIJAH

ADEKUGBE

Pg.8

Pg.9

Pg.12

TAKING ON THE TRIDENTS

THE CSL LIVES ON IN CPL PLAYERS

BOOK REVIEW - ALPHONSO DAVIES: A NEW HOPE

Pg.15BREAKING DOWN THE CSB DEAL

I P E S F O R E V E R

Pg.18A MINSTERMAN'S TAKE ON A YU GAMEDAY

Pg.20GAMES

Pg.22SLAVA UKRAINI - FANZINES FOR HOPE

N I N E S T R

STAND UP. SHOES OFF. MICS ON.

LISTEN WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS

AND FOLLOW @YORKSUPPORTERS FOR MONTHLY TWITTER SPACES

AWAY DAYS

by Namu Yoon

Away days always have that little bit something special. Home days at YLS are always welcome, that familiar sound and sight we’ve become accustomed to over the years. But away days, those are unique, because you never know what you’re gonna exactly get, there’s always something a little bit different, a little curveball thrown your way. Plus all the planning we have to do. Though I’m not much of a planner, I’m more a, oh shit it’s gonna be kickoff in X hours, better haul my ass out the door, hope I didn’t forget anything. And so that was the case our last two weekends, when we had the unfortunate luck of having back-to-back away fixtures in Cap City and in the Dutty Hammer, what were the odds we’d be blessed with such luck lol. And in sunny beautiful August to boot. Let’s be real, there’s a reason why European football takes a break during the summer, there’s just tons of other shit to do. I had to leave an hour into a 4-hour 50person baby shower for my cousin to make the pickup of my buddy Mark, and make the mad 130 km/h 4-hour drive to Ottawa to make it for KO. And deal with my wife rolling her eyes and all the aunts asking where that guy is going lol. And this was actually one of those fun gender reveal parties with tons of food and games and all our fav

fav cousins, I defo wanted to be a part of it, it’s not like I was running away from one of those lame ass baby showers where nobody does anything haha. But I mean come on, the boys in green and blue NEED us. Right? That’s what I was trying to convince myself the whole 4 hour drive. They need to see the blue and green out there in the stands in the away section, that they are supported and cheered on, that there’s some friendly faces in that sea of red and white and megaphones and pinatas. I mean, that’s what us supporters are there for, home and away, theres a reason we get the cheap prices. Well of course the shitty view and the rickety stand too, but for real though, we’re there to make noise and show support for our players, that’s what footy supporter culture lives on.

And YU is one of those clubs where you can actually truly say that every single one of you fans matter. Of course it does, when we average 1,200 fans, when we got 20 people in the supporters stand, when we got 20 people in the away section. It sucks but it’s the truth, but flip it and look at it from the other side, every single one of us fans truly matter to these players and this club. It’s also a great feeling to be able to recognize most of your fellow fans. We got to meet Simon and Moira, the legendary fan of the month that forms the backbone of the 800 club. We were joined by the parents and siblings and friends of 5 YU players at least in that away section in Ottawa, it was so great to see Noah Abatneh’s mom watch her son proudly, and tell her her son has really great ball control, it was so cool to see Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare’s girlfriend squeal every time he made a pass and hear her go that’s my bf. We met Clement Bayiha’s gf and their friends, we ran into Paris Gee’s cousin from Montreal again, he was there for the last away fixture in Ottawa as well, you truly get to really see how much YU means to people in these away fixtures. And oh man, the nerves you feel as the two clubs score 3 goals apiece, and the ups and downs you feel with that small away section, knowing the entire stadium is glaring at you as you celebrate the away goal, it’s goosebumps every time.

Every away day, win or lose, is truly a great reminder of why we follow this club, how much it matters for the purpose of building up Canadian soccer. The away day we had in the Hammer the following week, awesome times as well, running into our friends from Toronto but in the Hammer, eagerly glancing over at the entrance to the stadium, seeing which other familiar faces we’ll see join our away section, us taking over 118, oh man, silencing that Hamilton crowd even for just a fleeting moment. It’s only an hour away, hell, almost the same time it takes to get to YLS, if you can make it, you gotta get yourself out to an away day at the Dirty Hammer, win or lose, you’re guaranteed to have an interesting time with your fellow YU fans.

I conclude this piece with my top 3 fav away days of all time for YU/Y9 so far. I’ve had fun ones, very memorable ones, with TFC as well, but they cant beat these top 3 away days we’ve had with YU/Y9 so far A shout out to the 2022

away day in Ottawa that some of the guys loved, speaking Spanish all day long, plastering stickers all across Bank St, I had to sit that one out last minute.

Namu's Top 3

AWAY DAYS

MONTREAL - 2019 VOYAGEURS CUP

First time Y9 ever faced a MLS side away in their stadium, and following an epic 2-2 draw at YLS the week before in front of the biggest crowd Y9/YU ever had, we had 50 hardcore fans and family/friends at Saputo, and there were just shenanigans all around, I’ll never forget that away day for sure.

HAMILTON - 2021 CPL PLAYOFFS

Big ass march to the stadium with tons of smoke, we must have had 100 fans on that march, took over 118, we had some more green smokes for the kickoff as well hehe, and everybody sang at the top of their lungs in crummy weather.

TORONTO - 2021 VOYAGEURS CUP

What a year it was post-pandemic. What a great reminder for us how important the domestic cup is to the game. First time we ever had the Toronto/Dufferin St Derby, at BMO to boot, 200 YU fans in the away section, lots of split loyalties at kickoff maybe, but after 90 minutes of howling wind and pouring rain, we were all united in singing for the YU, with green smoke popping everywhere. If you were there, you were there, and if you weren’t, you gotta be there for the next one.

THE CORNER KICK

In this edition of Nicholas Friend' s interview series, it's an artist on and off the pitch, Elijah Adekugbe

NF: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

EA: Nigerian cuisine for sure, probably Jollof rice and chicken

NF: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

OA: I'd have a round table with my idols like Pep Guardiola, Dr. Dre, Kanye, Xavi, Drake, Busquets and more

NF: If footballers had a walkout song what would yours' be?

EA: My own song, 'Vogue', ft. my sister

NF: Who was your biggest supporter growing up?

EA: My parents for sure

NF: What inspired you to play football professionally?

EA: My love for the game and wanting to live that out

NF: If you could choose one organisation/charity for the fans to support, which would it be?

EA: Ruth's House, it's my mum's, she runs a domestic abuse charity

NF: What has been the biggest hardship you have had to overcome to get to where you are now?

EA: I ruptured my achilles tendons and was out a year each time

NF: What words of encouragement or motivation would you provide to someone pursuing this career?

EA: It won’t be easy but it’ll be worth it. Throughout the highs and lows just be consistent with your work

NF: What motivational quote do you stand by?

EA: 'The Rose that Grew from the Concrete,' it’s a poem by Tupac

NF: Where would you like to see yourself in football in five years?

EA: Performing consistently at whatever my highest level is

NF: What made you pick York?

EA: The project and the team being put together

GOOD SEAFOOD

We've had poor games vs Pacific to this point. Time to retaliate! Art by

Brian Campbell

On Sunday, September 17th, it's York vs Pacific, round 4, at YLS!

THE CSL/CPL LINKS

George Vujcic tells us why we shouldn't forget Canada's OG soccer league

The 2023 Canadian Premier League campaign is the fifth season of the CPL – the top level of Canadian soccer. That feels very good to write. As I write those words, I can’t help but also feel the need to reflect on our long journey here as it is nice to look back and reminisce. There were many incarnations of the top level of Canadian soccer prior to the CPL. This included the still active Canadian Soccer League where several players who went on to feature in the CPL have played in.

Emilio Estevez began his career with CSL sides North Mississauga and Waterloo Region in 2018 before featuring for our club from 2019 to 2020. He then signed for ADO Den Haag and Ourense. Fun fact: he has ten caps for the Chinese Taipei national team but is unfortunately not related to Charlie Sheen.

Molham “Mo” Babouli, a YUFC cult hero who needs no introduction also has a CSL/CPL connection as he played for CSL side FC Ukraine United in 2019.

Joseph Di Chiara began his career in 2010 with CSL side York Region Shooters. He also played for our club from 2019 to 2020 as well as

for Cavalry FC from 2021 to 2022. Matt Silva – a goalkeeper who played in our club’s inaugural 2019 season – also featured in the CSL. In 2011, he played with SC Toronto and in 2014 he played for the North York Astros.

Dejan Jakovic, who played for our arch-nemesis F*rge FC in 2021 –got his start with CSL side Canadian Lions way back in 2007. Jakovic also played in the 2007 CSL All Star Game, featuring on the same International Conference side as Camilo Benzi of the Italia Shooters – a familiar name we now recognize as York United’s goalkeeper coach. One fun unprovable claim I have is that I almost scored on Benzi in a 2008 humanitarian match. Today, Jakovic captains CSL side Serbian

White Eagles FC, is a assistant coach and i coach to Toronto FC coach Terry Dunfield a bit of an indirect CS connection – he clos career with CSL side Atomic in 2016 and w colour commentator CPL games.

Looking up Jakovic’s reminded me of why deep-dives into the s hidden history of soc While playing for the Lions, Jakovic was coached by Goran Miscevic whose assistant was Blagoje Bratic. Bratic played for renowned Sarajevo club Zeljeznicar from 1964 to 1976 and featured for the Yugoslav national team three times in 1972. Bratic found refuge in Toronto in 1994 where he lived out his remaining days until his untimely passing in July 2008. Known for his size and strength, Bratic once even had the honour of defending the great Pelé and his Santos team-mates in a 1969 friendly in Sarajevo. My neighbour was at that match and told me all about it.

David Edgar – a well-known name in Canadian soccer – got his start with CSL side London City in 2001 and ended his career with the club that must not be named in 2020.

The Toronto FC Academy team that played in the CSL in 2012 for example also had players such as Manny Aparicio, Sergio Camargo, Ryan James and Chris Mannella who would go on to become prominent CPL players (YUFC fans still fondly remember Aparicio in particular.)

A player I watched this past July 15 th was Jordan Webb of CSL side Scarborough SC. Webb played for CSL club Italia Shooters in 2009 and was a member of Atletico Ottawa in 2021. Webb played well and recorded a goal from a penalty kick in Scarborough’s 3-2 win over the Serbian White Eagles.

To cap off, there have been several players who have featured in both leagues, and I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. It is important to reflect on where we’ve been to remind ourselves where we’re going. Never a dull day in the world of soccer trivia.

APARTOFYORK'S CULTUREANDHERITAGE FREE NCTV!

For fans in the Pierack there are a few staples at each match, some beers, some pies, some singing and at the end of each match gathering around to voice their opinions on NCTV. Lately though online you might have seen the #FREENCTV hashtag online, why is this? Fernando Villani aka Kickin’ Cleats is well known in the Canadian football landscape, and York fans know him as the host of NCTV and yet the club seems to ignore all this. The “FreeNCTV” hashtag is a direct response to the club refusing to acknowledge, talk to, and issue Fern a media pass. The same club who directly state on Stand Up for the Blue and Green podcast they feel neglected by the media. Until a media pass is issued, I would expect to see “Free NCTV” continue to be posted online and elsewhere.

BOOK REVIEW

Jason Karp reviews Alphonso Davies: A New Hope by Farhan Devji

“Whoosh!”

It’s an exclamation that appears often in the pages of Alphonso Davies: A New Hope, Farhan Devji’s recently released biography of the eponymous soccer superstar. The immediate implication is one of speed – raw, physical speed, as experienced from the point of view of a stationary bystander. Sometimes it’s a seated scout, other times a paralyzed defender. Some bystanders, however, are more explicit than others.

“Alphonso Davies is fast as fuck!”

Romelu Lukaku is not alone in that sentiment, and nor would we expect him to be in a book whose subject’s otherworldly pace has earned him the moniker RoadRunner. For readers, however, this Doppler Effect, experienced from the touchline of their mind’s eye through Devji’s energetic prose and exhaustive research, is the result of more than just sinews and quick-twitch muscles. Davies’ is a story told on Fast-Forward, from his on-field growth, the subsequent steep curvature of his career arc, to the influence his presence has exerted on the programs around him.

The beats of Davies’ story scream by so rapidly that Devji’s task at times seems less to document and describe than to keep up and keep pace.

Davies goes from an after-school soccer program for less fortunate kids to being recruited by professional clubs by age 14.

Whoosh!

Davies graduates from the Whitecaps academy to the senior team in under 20 matches.

Whoosh!

Davies becomes the youngest goalscorer in Whitecaps history.

Whoosh!

Davies becomes the youngest goalscorer in Canadian Men’s National Team, CONCACAF Champions League, and CONCACAF Gold Cup history.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

So rapid is the young phenom’s ascent from refugee with zero soccer experience to starter for Bayern Munich in the Champions League, that an appreciation for the slim odds of his success is constantly at risk of being lost against the ease with which he beats them. The result, at times, is book that in

spots teeters on the brink hagiography in the form of endless anecdotes. Devji’s remedy is a willingness to explore Davies’ journey, and the circumstances that marked its path, through the stories of those surrounding him. Themes of exile, poverty, immigration, and assimilation – all essential elements here - are expanded upon via the journeys of key figures in Alphonso’s life. Figures like Nick Huoseh, Davies “accidental agent” and the son of a Palestinian refugee; and Joshua Zirkzee, a young Bayern Munich academy player from overseas, help form a cast of characters around Davies whose backgrounds and experiences in some way both reflect and help cast light on elements and themes of Davies’ own story. Where anecdotes and accounts fail to communicate the novelty of Davies’ achievements, Devji will pick up the slack by departing from his usual restrained writing style in favour of a less formal, more subjective approach. Descriptions of Davies’s exploits are often followed up by Devji’s own editorializing, typically in the form of punchy one-liners, sometimes even one word.

In one passage, Devji describes a stand-out moment in Davies’ high school career at St. Nicholas, showing particular care to paint the scene, right down to the “amber-toned foliage” that lined the pitch while Alphonso unleashed a “perfectly executed half volley into the top corner.” It’s an impressive account of goal for which there is likely no footage. But it’s the next line, and Devji’s almost fan-boy giddiness, that locks the moment to memory and prevents it from being lost in the sea of superlative goal-scoring accounts: “Everyone’s jaws collectively dropped. Like, visibly.” The highlight of the book, however, comes when Devji shifts the focus away from the linear narrative of Alphonso’s rapid rise to soccer stardom and instead pauses to zoom in on Davies the player. Here we are treated to an examination of Davies that goes beyond the obvious. While Davies’ raw pace dominates conversations, Devji is quick to remind us that there are subtleties to Davies game that lay beneath the surface of his outrageous agility. Devji paints a picture of a well-rounded offensive and defensive force using anecdotes and statistics. We start from a broader view, of Davies as a tactical weapon. Here the ball falls naturally to Davies’ manager with the Canadian national team, John Herdman. “What’s great about Alphonso is he creates dread in an opponent whether you play him higher or lower. When he’s playing lower he comes from those deep

positions with space to run into. And then when he plays higher, he’s such a threat in the transition when teams open up.” But it’s once we get to the numbers that things get interesting. Here a more complete picture of Davies the player comes to the fore. Highlights include the fact that in his last season in the MLS, Davies led the league with 258 duels won, “defined as a 50/50 contest between two opposing players.” This apparent grit followed the youngster overseas, all the way to Germany’s top flight, where in 2021 he led the Bundesliga by tackling 66.7% of the dribblers that tried to take him on.

There is always the risk of taking on a biographical subject too early in their story to present anything of substance. The recent glut of soulless, conveyerbelt-produced documentaries dedicated to many of Davies contemporaries, released on platforms like Netflix and Prime, present a cautionary tale of cynical profit-seeking over genuine curiosity and storytelling. Luckily, Devji is able to successfully avoids these pitfalls through a combination of evocative writing and a careful appreciation of the subject’s nuances. YORK

JOIN US FOR THE FINAL STRETCH

CAN STILL QUALIFY FOR THE CPL

PLAYOFFS. WE NEED EVERYONE'S HELP. COME TO THE PIERACK IN SEPETEMBER AND PUSH THEM ON! COY9S

THE CSB COMPLEX

Namu Yoon explains the reason why our National Teams go on strike - and how it's a CPL problem

As supporters of York United, we find ourselves in a bit of a bind at times. On one hand, we’re here to support York, one of eight additional professional clubs that have been added to the Canadian pro landscape over the last 5 years; eight additional clubs that were desperately needed to expand the footprint of pro soccer in Canada, it's simply ludicrous that we only had 3 to 5 clubs representing pro soccer in Canada before. But we know that York United, for all its noble intents, is a club supported, both directly and indirectly, by Canada Soccer Business money, funds that come directly from the commercial and sponsorship deals that the CanMNT and CanWNT have earned for the Canada Soccer Association. Yes, we know CSB gives CSA about $3M per year for the next 10 + 10 years, because CSB also took all the broadcast rights as well, but all those CIBC ads we see when we watch Canada games? We know CIBC signed up to support the CanNTs, but do they know that the funds bypass CSA and the CanNT players and go to CSB and CPL owners instead? Well ,maybe CIBC

does or doesn’t know, or care, I don’t know, but the players certainly do, and the fans certainly do, at least some of us. Look, we understand CPL will and should continue to play a greater and greater role in CanMNT and hopefully in the future CanWNT as well. We all marvelled at the Doneil Henry signing. We know of the past CanMNTers that have graced CanPL pitches, and we know that 6 former CPLers have made 53-man CanMNT provisional squads. However, not a single active CPLer made these squads, though to be fair, when you consider that the CanNT players are seeing the commercial deals they’ve earned for CSA siphoned off to CSB and CPL, you can clearly understand there is going to be lingering resentment at the CPL, one way or another. The CSB is growing the pro

landscape in Canada, but are at the same time hurting the CSA and the CanNTs, which after all is the pinnacle of the pro landscape in Canada in the end.

What to make of this situation where you’re hurting the very thing you’re supposed to be nurturing? Clearly, it’s obvious to us fans stuck in the middle that something’s got to give. We all firmly believe that CSB needs to rework the deal and give CSA and the CanNTs more to work with. The fact that both teams went on strike, I mean this was some historic stuff we’ve seen, this can not be for naught. We need to understand the desperation that drove the CanNT players to strike, for Jason deVos to say out loud what he did. Yeah, we know the need for growth of the pro game in Canada, but at the expense of our NTs? Is that something we can be comfortable with as fans of soccer in Canada? Not for us, as fans of both CanPL and CanNT and of all things Canadian soccer.

We need CanPL and CanNT to find a middle ground, so that they can row in the same direction for once. They never have yet, because we know that CSA struck a deal with CSB behind the gaze of a large chunk of both the CSA board and the CanNT players. The launch of the CSB is murky to put it mildly. But now that things are more in the open, we need these groups to come together for the sake of the upcoming World Cup in Canada. Can we change the course of Canadian soccer history for once and have all these groups rowing in the same direction? We certainly hope so, we hope CSB makes the right choice, and do the right thing.

OUR NEW MEETING PLACE

Come by and join in the fun!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!

TOGETHER, WE RAISED $420 FOR PFLAG YORK REGION. FOOTBALL HAS THE POWER TO MAKE CHANGE, AND WE'RE SO HAPPY TO BE A PART OF THAT. LET'S DO IT ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR!

A MINSTERMAN'S ADVENTURES

Last year, Morgan Bruce travelled to Toronto, and ended up at Pielands! Here's his take on the YUFC experience

Hi, my name's Morgan and last summer I was lucky enough to be able to watch York United Football Club as a York City fan.

York City Football Club is based in the historical city of York in the North East of England. The city has a rough population of 250,000 and the football club since being established in 1922 has always been traditionally known as a relatively solid 4th division side with some chaotic ups and downs along the way. Some of the major ups in the last 100 years include beating Arsenal in the FA Cup in 1985, beating Manchester United in the League Cup 4-3 over 2 games in 1995 and reaching the FA Cup semi final in 1955, only losing to eventual winners Newcastle United. However some of the lows include relegation to the 5th tier and non league for the first time in the club’s history in 2004, relegation to the 6th tier and regional football for the first time in the club’s history in 2017 as well as enduring 4 different owners who have all threatened the mere existence of York City Football Club in their different tenures. The closest the club actually got to folding and ceasing to exist was in 2004 in the previously mentioned relegation season when many protests were held against then owner, the American businessman and motor racing enthusiast John Batchelor. The club has in such a dire state that on many occasions there were bucket collectors trying to raise funds in order to save York City.

Last summer, when travelling to Canada I was lucky enough to be in Toronto at the same time that York United were playing a home game. Through the powers of social media (mainly Twitter) I’d already been in contact with many York United fans and the idea of some version of a

fan collaboration between the fans of York City and York United had already been mentioned. Twitter connections had been made but so far up to that point, no other York City fan had been able to physically build that metaphorical bridge and go to a York United home game and meet the fans and widen our footballing family.

When it was clear when I was going to be in Toronto and therefore when I would be able to make the trip to the York Lions Stadium, I was invited to the York United home game vs Edmonton on the 14th August last year. As soon as i met up with the other York United fans I was welcomed in and made to feel at home. I grabbed an amazing steak pie and joined everyone at the home end on the Pie Rack.

The whole experience was amazing as I was welcomed into the York United footballing family in such a generous way as i was given 2 York United scarves (both have been hung on the walls of my university bedroom for this past year) and also plenty of York United stickers that travel with me to away games back in England. I remember sharing a photo back in September 2022 of a York United sticker next to a York City sticker that I’d stuck down next to each other in the away supporters bar at Scunthorpe United’s Glanford Park. The football was an interesting experience. The CPL is played at a much slower pace than the football I’d watched in the 4th, 5th and 6th tiers of English football however I thought it was clear that the slower pace was an obvious plan by Canadian clubs to play better technical football in order to help grow the technical ability of players within the Canadian football system. The ability of players was in my opinion roughly in line with that of the 5th and 6th tiers of English football however the game was being played at a much slower pace. It all worked out well though, as York United beat a struggling FC Edmonton side 3-2 with a comeback win. This made for an interesting and new experience for me as it wasn’t something that i’d experienced before. At the end of the game, I was lucky enough to receive the match worn shirt of captain at the time and now Canadian national team defender Dominick Zator. The shirt is waiting for a frame currently however I can’t wait to frame it and show it off proudly. Overall I’m so happy that I made the trip to the York Lions Stadium as I was able to meet some amazing people who I still talk to now, eat an amazing pie and watch my new 2nd team and the day was topped off with a York United win. If there is anyone from England reading this who hasnt heard of the CPL, I can’t recommend the CPL as a league enough. The league rules can be very confusing but the people who are involved in the CPL clubs so amazing. Again, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone at York United (staff and fans together) for being so welcoming and friendly. I guess you do all fit the Canadian stereotype.

GAMES

WOULD YOU RATHER: YORK EDITION!

YORK MAKES PLAYOFFS 10 YEARS IN A ROW, NO TITLEOR

YORK WINS THE TITLE, DOESN'T CHALLENGE FOR 10 YEARS

NASH IS THE COACH OR BARRY SMITH IS THE COACH

HAVE VAR IN CPL OR NOT HAVE VAR IN CPL

ADD SEATS TO YLS AND STAY THERE OR MOVE TO WOODBINE HAVE THE REFLEXES OF NIKO OR HAVE THE SPEED OF BAYIHA

BE IN THE PIERACK OR BE IN 900 DRAW AT HOME OR WIN AWAY

GAMES

YUFC BINGO!

THE AMBULANCE GETS CALLED TO PIERACK AGAIN

NIKO FULLTIME JOINS ETOBICOKE UNITED

YORK STARTS WINNING HOME GAMES

SHARMAN'S PIES COMES BACK

NEW OWNERS FOUND

NCTV COMES BACK

WE DON'T GET ENOUGH U21 MINS

FULL SELLOUT OF YLS

OSAZE SCORES ON RETURN GAME

SLAVA UKRAINI

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

My name is Yuri. I'm just an ordinary guy who loves football, beer, ultras culture and fanzines. I like to travel, be interested in the history and traditions of different countries, enjoy the cuisines of the peoples of the world and communicate with other people. At least it was until February 24, 2022, when a real full-scale war came to Ukraine, where I live, every day taking dozens of human lives and destroying everything in its path. There is not enough space in your fanzine to describe the scale of this terrible tragedy, the roots of which go back to 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, occupied parts of the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, so I will immediately move on to the essence of my appeal to fans York United, who will read it. 15 years ago, I founded the club MagShop - ultras press, which still exists today. This project brings together authors, readers and collectors of fanzines and books from around the world, forming a whole community of football fans who are passionate about self-publishing. He has his own blog, pages on popular social networks, where we talk about new publications in English and Russian, sell some of them, publish interviews with editors, share our impressions of what we have read, and so on. We never fought because of politics or because we support different clubs, but the events of recent months have made their own adjustments. In particular, to the main mission of MagShop, focused on the popularization of fan literature, another one was added, the importance of which is difficult to overestimate.

When the war began, we decided to resort to that most desperate measure and use the authority of a project well known in Europe to support Ukraine, where, ironically, I moved at the end of 2008. In the desire to protect our homes, families, friends, in a word, everything that is precious, by any means available, we founded a fundraising campaign to accumulate the help provided by our colleagues from different countries, distributing it among the volunteer headquarters of Ukrainian ultras groups. This money is used to realizate the daily needs of Ukrainian fans on the front lines. They are spent on the purchase of medicines, protective ammunition, night vision devices, drones and even cars. Thanks to you all, in five months of work, we managed to raise about 6.000 euros. More than 20 fan movements and ultras groups have already received our help, which in peacetime supported the football clubs Oleksandriya, Avanhard (Kramatorsk), Vorskla (Poltava), Veres (Rivne), Volyn (Lutsk), Dynamo (Kyiv), Dnipro, Dnipro (Cherkasy), Desna (Chernihiv), Zorya (Luhansk), Kovel-Volyn, Kryvbas (Kryvyi Rih), Metalist (Kharkiv), Metalurh (Zaporizhzhya), Mykolaiv, Sumy, CSKA (Kyiv), Chornomorets (Odesa), Shakhtar (Donetsk), as well as the mini-football team Cardinal (Rivne) and the basketball club Prometey (Kamyanske). In addition to individuals from a dozen and a half European countries, who usually donate not big amounts, which are also very important, the campaign was attended by the editors of the German fanzines REPUBLIKFLUCHT, CAPTAIN'S DINNER, GROUNDHOPPINFIZIERT, GROUNDHOPPING MADE IN LEV, ROTER INFARKT and PLANET MD, an ultras group from Alemannia (Aachen) DOMWACHT 52, the authors of the fanzine of the Swedish Hammarby MYTEN, the Portuguese magazine CULTURA DE BANCADA, the French website LA GRINTA and others. Donations of some of them reached, and sometimes exceeded, a thousand euros. In addition, MagShop held several independent actions, distributing literature, once provided by publishers, in exchange for donations. If you are like us condemn Russian aggression on the territory of Ukraine, we call on all to join our fundraising campaign. PayPal account for donations: ekaterina2902@gmail.com

-Yuri Patretski

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