The Casbah

QUESTION: Where does the name ‘Casbah’ come from?

ANSWER: A casbah is a city center or fortress common to parts of North Africa such as Algiers and Morocco.

Naming the supporter’s section The Casbah was an offshoot of the original nickname for the San Jose team, the Clash. Back in the 80’s, a British rock group named The Clash had a hit song called ‘Rock the Casbah’. Naturally, with our team’s name being the Clash, we chose The Casbah as the name of the supporter’s section. Hence, whenever the Clash scored, they’d be “rocking The Casbah”. In 2000, the San Jose Clash changed their name to the San Jose Earthquakes. With The Casbah being inhabited mostly by soccer traditionalists, there was no desire to change the name so it coincided with the team’s new nickname of ‘Earthquakes’, so we left ours as ‘The Casbah’.

QUESTION: What is the Casbah all about?

ANSWER: In a nutshell, we in The Casbah want to serve as a catalyst for the rest of the stadium.

If you’ve ever watched a televised soccer match from another country or been fortunate enough to witness it firsthand, then you know how electric the crowd can be. We want to create that same atmosphere for the Quakes. And we do it through songs and chants, waving our giant flag, and providing a festive section from which to watch the match. By doing these things, we hope to set an example that the other sections will follow.

QUESTION: How do I join?

ANSWER: Just come to our section at Earthquakes games and help us cheer on the Quakes.

There is a $25 membership fee, which includes various goodies and privileges of being a member. But you can always join us for a game or two even if you have tickets elsewhere. And if you like the atmosphere but have season tickets some where else, have the Quakes front office switch your tickets.

QUESTION: But how do I get tickets for the Casbah section?

ANSWER: From 1997-2005, we were in section N3 in the North End of Spartan Stadium. Starting in 2008, we will be located in section 109 of Buck Shaw Stadium. Absolutely anyone can get tickets for our section! Click here to find out how.

If all else fails, and it is a weekend game, The Casbah is most likely tailgating (we arrive a few hours before kickoff for every weekend game), so stop on by. We’ll be in the 10th Street parking lot just to the left of the entrance gate. Ask for Brad or Bill.

More questions? Just send us email, and we’ll do our best to provide an answer…