# Explain the logistics of enormous soccer banners to me
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** football-soccer-fifa
**Created:** [July 12, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835 "2022-07-12T19:07:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/1 "2022-07-12T19:07:48Z")
One of the cool things you see in European soccer that you would (generally) not see in any American sport is enormous banners that are hung up or passed around by fans.
(Examples [here](https://twitter.com/biz_ukraine_mag/status/1512863568634470401) and [here](https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/borussia-dortmund-fans-impressively-creepy-champions-league-tifo-190004640--sow.html).)
How do they make them? Just one designated supporter in advance, “Hey Boris, this week it’s your turn to go to the embroidery shop and have a 50x50 meter banner made for us?” And are there specific poles at the stadium meant for letting fans raise some of these things?
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2022, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/2 "2022-07-12T19:39:36Z")
This explains it fairly well:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=try9sLXlH48)
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/3 "2022-07-12T19:44:17Z")
It must suck to be stuck under that thing when you just want to watch the match.
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### Author:  [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/4 "2022-07-12T20:25:54Z")
They usually occur before the game or at halftime, not during the action.
And when they don’t, they’re smaller, and you’re not sitting in that part of the stadium by accident.
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### Author:  [@omenran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omenran)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2022, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/5 "2022-07-13T02:42:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> One of the cool things you see in European soccer that you would (generally) not see in any American sport is enormous banners that are hung up or passed around by fans.
I first encountered tifo myself via the MLS and reading articles about the local team (Seattle Sounders), so it’s not entirely unknown in the US, just apparently confined to soccer. Even internationally, I can’t think of tifo used by fans of other sports (Hockey, cricket, cycling, etc.) If it’s it mostly a soccer phenomenon then it’s going to be a lot less common in the US where soccer is comparively smaller.
Some displays, perhaps not tifo, have been large posters like huge playing cards that are organized into a picture or slogan/chant. These also have the advantage of being able to be flipped over for a second image in much quicker time than a large single piece banner.
[MLSsoccer.com](http://MLSsoccer.com) even has/had a section devoted to tifo plan and news - but that section hasn’t been active since 2019.
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### Author:  [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/6 "2022-07-13T03:42:24Z")
I’m really interested in the mechanics of how they plan and execute the unfurling of them.
Must be folks strategically placed. But how do they get it passed from place to place across everyone?
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### Author:  [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/7 "2022-07-14T12:32:33Z")
I’ve made giant banners for football games for show and for players to run through. There’s no spec sheet to go by. I used to go to the local newspaper office and buy a roll of newsprint, unroll, glue together, attach to poles, and paint away. It’s just pure inspiration and fun.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/8 "2022-07-14T17:39:24Z")
The NHL Bruins have a giant banner that gets passed around the Boston Garden each home game. Not quite as big as the one in the OP, but fairly substantial.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-tgIESv1T4)
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### Author:  [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2022, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/9 "2022-11-16T15:51:45Z")
Not quite yet a Zombie so I’ll ask. What I want to know is how do fans get these huge banners and signs into the park? Are arrangements made before hand with security? Do they need to be inspected to make sure there is nothing offensive on them? Have people been arrested or held due to unapproved signs (say like one that bashes a sponsor).
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### Author:  [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-logistics-of-enormous-soccer-banners-to-me/967835/10 "2022-11-16T20:52:01Z")
I don’t know how they are brought in, and I don’t know if the are ever inspected before, but clubs are regularly fined for bad behavior from their supporters, including for banners. Here’s one of the many results I got for the google search “club fined for racist banner”.
> **[Serbian club fined for racist banner](https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/serbian-club-fined-for-racist-banner/2rn1alb9h)**
>
> Serbian soccer club Partizan Belgrade has been fined and forced to close seating for its next Europa League match after fans displayed a racist banner.