Sons of Ben

About Sons of Ben

Sons of Ben is about a group of supporters who came together to bring the city of Philadelphia an MLS team. MLS made its debut in 1996, and 10 years later, Philadelphia still had no team despite being a top market in sports. So what did some soccer fans do? Create a supporters group anyway. They called themselves the Sons of Ben, after Benjamin Franklin, a Philadelphia native. To bring their dream of having a team become reality, they would need to grow their numbers, which they accomplished. But once given a team, their stadium would be located just outside of Philadelphia in Chester, a struggling almost run-down community. The Sons of Ben decide that they'd take matters into their hands and help this community out, knowing it will be their new home and the people their new neighbours. This their story in the creation of the Philidelphia Union and helping out the city of Chester. 

Sons of Ben's Relation To Sport Business

Sons of Ben brings us the creation of a sports franchise. In any sport, nothing is more important than the support of the fans. And Philidelphia Union, without existing, already that. To have created this group that grew in numbers and successfully bring in a new team is a big deal! It's a story you don't often hear about and to see this successful group take on the challenge is incredible. 

We also see the role they played in fixing up their new home in Chester. This group came together like a team to help fix the city that would hold their home stadium. The city had been struggling with violence, drugs, joblessness and poverty. The Sons of Ben came in to renovate and fix up struggling businesses, clean up trashed parts of the city and do their role in making this a city where people would be happy to move to. This group is now a part of team and league history and their role in the creation of the Philidelphia Union and the salvation of Chester is something that will forever be remembered by everyone involved.

Why watch Sons of Ben?

Sons of Ben is an inspiring documentary on not just the creation of a team, but uniting a community. This is going to make you want to look into your own team's history and stories and make you even prouder of a supporter yourself. If you know soccer culture, you know supporters groups and the energy they bring to every game. Maybe you'll even look into joining your local one yourself. The help Sons of Ben gave to Chester is also something that should not go unnoticed. These communities are important and if a home is going to be shared, you may as well make it safe and enjoyable for everyone. This is for sure one to add to your watch list to see the rise of a soccer team stemming from the support of a group of fans.

Trailer & Extras