Schultz named Fan of the Match

As anyone who has ever attended a Nashville SC match in person can attest, it’s customary for the club to recognize an outstanding performance on the pitch with the Man of the Match award. It is in this spirit that the Nashville Soccer Supporters Trust will select a Fan of the Match following each home date to recognize the breadth of the incredible supporters that come out to each NSC match and help will the team to victory week in and week out.

At first, Will Schultz wasn’t sure his dad would like it.

A nearly lifelong Nashvillian, Schultz was excited to become a Nashville Soccer Club fan following the announcement of the Music City’s new professional soccer team in 2016, and after sitting in the cold rain of Feb. 10's match against Atlanta United, his dad bought in as well and suddenly soccer became a part of the father-son duo’s regular sports calendar.

“We’re big into sports, me and him,” Schultz said of his father, Chuck. “We go to a lot of Belmont basketball games together, and when I was a student at Middle Tennessee, we did the same for both basketball and football. So when we found out there was going to be a soccer team, we decided to go and check it out. After that first Atlanta game, we haven’t looked back.”

Schultz has also become an active member of The Roadies supporters group, in part due to the group’s commitment to community service and inclusivity. A former member of the Nashville Grizzlies Rugby Football Club, an organization that seeks to bring rugby to underrepresented populations, Schultz was excited to see that Nashville supporters had raised nearly $1,800 in honor of Pride month earlier this year.

“I joined the Roadies in April, and I just loved what they were about,” he explained. “The march is great, but then with what they do in community as well as other events, I knew I wanted to be part of it.”

It’s a connection that has now extended to his father as well.

“He loves it,” Schultz said. “Everyone has gotten to know him over the course of the season, and we both enjoy going to Pastime and hanging out with everybody before the game.”

With just four matches remaining in the regular season, Schultz is very much looking forward to a potential playoff run, and regardless of how the season ends, he’s already excited for both next season and the ultimate future of Nashville in MLS.