The Madison soccer fan community is rallying around one of its own this weekend, hosting two fundraisers to support Nate Austin, who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run early Saturday.
Austin, a leader of the Madison’s supporter group for English Premier League team Chelsea and the Forward Madison supporter group Featherstone Flamingos, told Madison365 that he was walking home along the Southwest Commuter Path at around 2:30 am Saturday. Crossing West Washington Avenue, he was hit by a car, which drove away.
Austin has little recollection of being hit, but Madison police said in an incident report that they had reviewed video from public cameras in the area, but had not made an arrest. A police spokesperson did not respond to an email message asking for any available updates.
Austin remains hospitalized with two broken shoulder blades, five broken ribs and lacerations to kidney, a lung and his pancreas. He’s not sure how long he won’t be able to work, but has no paid leave and will need support to pay the bills.
That’s where his fellow soccer supporters are stepping in. Two groups of Madison supporters of English soccer teams will host 50/50 raffles, with proceeds donated to Austin. The Arsenal supporters group will gather at Prost, 401 East Washington Ave, for Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth at 11:30 am. The group will sell tickets during the first half and announce a winner at half time.
The Liverpool FC supporters’ group will host a 50/50 raffle Sunday morning at Baldwin Street Grille, 1304 East Washington Avenue. Tickets will be sold during the 9 am slate of English Premier League matches and the winner will be drawn at half time of the 11:30 Chelsea vs. Manchester City game.
“Football (soccer) supporters of all different teams come together at Baldwin Street Grille on game days. There’s no hate towards others but still lots of banter and laughs,” Todd Schmitt, a Liverpool supporter who organized one of the fundraisers, said in a message to Madison365. “Really it’s one big family with a sport as the common ground. When we heard that one of our own was in need, we decided to come together to help.”
“It really touches me” that the soccer community is rallying behind him, Austin said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t surprise me.”
Austin, who was among the supporters of Madison’s professional soccer team before it had a name, lived in South Carolina for a year just before the team’s inaugural season in 2019. He said he came to Madison for “The Snowpener” – so called because it was Forward Madison’s first-ever home game, played after several inches of snow had fallen earlier in the day.
“The amount of love that I felt from everyone here convinced me to move back by the end of that season,” he said.
Austin was in on the ground floor of The Flock, Forward Madison’s supporters group, as well as Featherstone Flamingos, an inclusive supporters group that celebrates Black culture.
“Nate’s been one of the faces that has always been there since day one,” said Featherstone Flamingos cofounder Chris Fox. “He’s been a pivotal character inside of the culture around Breese Stevens (Field, where Forward Madison plays) … that dude means a lot to a lot of people.”
