What team should I follow?

[ticktock]

Basically, I have not followed any team but Manchester United since I was a kid. My dad, being from Galway, has always followed the expected side. Having recently been to a few united games, and having seriously REALLY caught the live football bug, I really don't think I can wait around for the occasional united match that me and my dad can afford. I really want to experience football on a more personal and regular basis...
See, my friends don't follow football. At all. It's tough enough to find someone to watch a united match with ffs.
My question is, having been born and bred in Dublin all my life, I would like to have more of an association with a team than "my dad is from there, so I feel I hafta support them".
My main problem is, I don't know who to support.
Who should I support? I live in Ayrfield, in Coolock, in Dublin. Am I automatically meant to support a side because of this location? Is there a load of dispute regarding my area that I need to know the background of before deciding? What is the team most supported in my area?
And so on. If my question is not already clear, it is who should I support?

[sligoman]

Knowledge of Dublin isn't the best but think the nearest team to Coolock is Sporting Fingal in the First Division. They don't really have a history so it wouldn't be hard to learn about them.

Easiest option is to move to Sligo and support Rovers...we're the best;)

[GalwayRed]

I suppose Sporting Fingal is the closest team to you, and they would really want to be targeting fans like you, who are trying to get into league of ireland football and live nearby.
But you should come to Tolka instead and support Shels, which is fairly close to you as well sure.:D

[don ramo]

I suppose Sporting Fingal is the closest team to you, and they would really want to be targeting fans like you, who are trying to get into league of ireland football and live nearby.
But you should come to Tolka instead and support Shels, which is fairly close to you as well sure.:D

wont ye be moving soon,

fingal seems the best option, also, there about to buy the first division, so your first year supporting them will be great, instant promotion:D

[ticktock]

Jaysus! New team eh?
Even more education please, is it literally proximity that governs support?
Like, for example, who would I "have supported" prior to the foundation of Sporting Fingal?
I have to say, I find all this fluctuation in the LoI fascinating, I didn't realise it was so dynamic!
Is there any particular history of support that would lead me in any particular direction etc?
As I said, fascinating!

[Sam_Heggy]

Jaysus! New team eh?
Even more education please, is it literally proximity that governs support?
Like, for example, who would I "have supported" prior to the foundation of Sporting Fingal?
I have to say, I find all this fluctuation in the LoI fascinating, I didn't realise it was so dynamic!
Is there any particular history of support that would lead me in any particular direction etc?
As I said, fascinating!


Next closest would be Harps I suppose ;)

Seriously though, its up to yourself, I don't think anyone can tell you who you could support, sure if it was down to me Da, I would have been a Leeds fan (shudder at the thought), I started going to Harps as a kid and got hooked (for some strange reason).

[Tis-smeee]

Try out a few clubs a just see what pulls the heart strings

[Patrick Dunne]

Galway United take on St Patricks Athletic on Friday evening (6th March) in Richmond Park, Inchicore (KO 7.45pm).

[Sam_Heggy]

Galway United take on St Patricks Athletic on Friday evening (6th March) in Richmond Park, Inchicore (KO 7.45pm).

Shameless :p

[endabob1]

Use the Frank Skinner methodology, get a map put a pin in your house and measure the distances to the nearest clubs, the nearest one wins, simple.

[gspain]

I'd recommend going to a few different games in March/April and see what you think then.

[tiktok]

Galway, as your dad is from there, they'll play an awful lot in Dublin over the coming year anyway, and it's a good trip for what would be your 'home games'

[BohDiddley]

Easy. You live in northside Dublin. Bohemians is the only native northside Dublin football club in the LoI, and it's been there for almost 120 years. Dalymount Park is probably two miles from your house.

Sporting 'Fingal', aka in real life as north County Dublin, is a makey-uppy entity which is the plaything of some politicians and a developer, while Bohs is owned and run by its members.

[pineapple stu]

I'd recommend going to a few different games in March/April and see what you think then.
Best advice on the thread. All the Dublin teams are different in some way; best is to go to a few games and see which you prefer. But be aware that Bohs, Fingal and Shels are all going down the not-sure-if-they'll-be-around-in-three-years route.

[oldyouth]

Get the map out, put pins where all the teams are (Premier & 1st Division) within an hour's commute from where you live. Give them all a go, starting with the nearest. Judge them by their ethos, style of play, ambition, facilities and craic with the fans. You don't have to select one club straight away or even this season at all. Before you know it, you'll start gravitating to one over the others
Best of luck and welcome

[redobit]

I remember it being posted on here before how a lad supported his fathers team 49% and his own team 51%. They would go to the other ones games and when they were playing each other there was always a good rivalry. Could be worth thinking about.

[Macy]

Go to a few games of each of the clubs and make up your own mind. Do not base it on the internet, as it's not representative of the league or individual clubs fans.

[kingdomkerry]

Id go for Bohs if I were you as you live in the northside. I live in the south side so ive decided to buy a season ticket for rovers this year.

[srfc-1901]

Strictly speaking you should follow Sporting Fingal or Shels ,but that would prob put you off going to antoher EL game ever again.

There`s only going to be one club in Dublin in the future.Read this post by a fan of our arch enemy and you`ll understand.(Great post by the way BSG)

Originally Posted by Boh_So_Good
It is called advertising to the locals. The shiny light will draw in the masses. Everyone in Tallaght will know when "their club" is playing. It will psychologically impose itself on the local population. Everytime they see the big light in the sky every estate in Tallaght will think of Rovers. This is why the GAA tried so hard to kill off Rovers in Tallaght as they knew how powerful this kind of thing is.

Brilliant move on Rovers part. I think Rovers will get huge crowds. Was talking to people out there with no interest in LOI and they are literally salivating to get in and support Rovers. The club are set forever really. As a Bohs fan I should not be saying this, but everyone in the League should be wishing Rovers well in Tallaght as this is the future for all of us. If Rovers in Tallaght takes off big time the rest of the league will gain.

The future is bright,The future is Rovers

[Mr A]

At the moment I'm so disillusioned with this jokeshop of a league and feeling so betrayed by those in charge that I'd be seriously tempted to say just stay completely clear of it.

[Sheridan]

Mr A, I'm a bit bemused by that comment. Why do you think fans turn out in far greater numbers in the majority (or very large minority) of leagues in Europe which are actually corrupt, with fixed matches and pay-offs all around? National associations only differ in their capacity to generate revenue and interest to cover their incompetence.

OP - Fingal, Shels or Bohs. Be warned that you'll probably be hooked from game one, so choose wisely.

[White Horse]

Basically, I have not followed any team but Manchester United since I was a kid. My dad, being from Galway, has always followed the expected side. Having recently been to a few united games, and having seriously REALLY caught the live football bug, I really don't think I can wait around for the occasional united match that me and my dad can afford. I really want to experience football on a more personal and regular basis...
See, my friends don't follow football. At all. It's tough enough to find someone to watch a united match with ffs.
My question is, having been born and bred in Dublin all my life, I would like to have more of an association with a team than "my dad is from there, so I feel I hafta support them".
My main problem is, I don't know who to support.
Who should I support? I live in Ayrfield, in Coolock, in Dublin. Am I automatically meant to support a side because of this location? Is there a load of dispute regarding my area that I need to know the background of before deciding? What is the team most supported in my area?
And so on. If my question is not already clear, it is who should I support?

If I was you, I'd go to Dalymount and see a few Bohs games.

Bohs are an old club with a large tradition in the northside of Dublin.

[Saint07]

Doesn't matter where your from. I'll be travelling from Raheny to Richmond park passing Dalymount and Tolka on the way every 2nd friday.
1st game against Galway as previously said so it makes it more interesting for you.
Bohs may have won alot last year but I dont find them great to watch.
Plaese though dont go to Fingal they're a nothing club.

[EalingGreen]

"If my question is not already clear, it is who should I support?"

Despite what some would say, imo there is no "Rule" determining who anyone should support. For supporting a team must actually be about feeling comfortable with your choice, so that you will still feel obliged to follow them through the bad times, all the better to enjoy the good times. And whether that easy feeling derives from having been brought up "within a goalkick" of the club in question, or from sticking a pin in a map, shouldn't matter a jot (imo)

So now you've got the "bug" for LOI football generally, my advice would be visit a few clubs local to you in Dublin and see if you get the same feeling for any particular one of them.
If you do, you're sorted. If not, then stick with following Galway from afar, for if you really have got the bug for them, then you'll find a way of getting to see them, initially when they're playing in Dublin, possibly in future more so at home.

Above all, don't feel in some way disappointed should you "default" to Galway. For in 20 years time you may be living somewhere where it might be difficult to follow your new Dublin club. And you might then have kids of your own, who are in a similar dilemma about whom they should follow.

Should that be the case, they might just thank you (and you them) if they choose Galway on the basis that their Dad follows them, as did his Dad before.

Afterthought. Before you start visiting prospective Dublin clubs, you might want to contact GUFC to see whether they have any supporters local to you in Dublin who regularly travel to their home games (a note in the Programme, perhaps?). It might be possible for you travel with them, for a contribution towards petrol etc?

[Scrufil]

What made you pick Man Utd? If you can sense why you like them, then picking a club here is easier.

[BohDiddley]

My first Bohs match was as a bandwagoner in the Champions League a few years back, v Bate Borisov. I hadn't got the wit to write down how amazing an experience it was, but one chap from New Jersey did.
One of the best descriptions for how it feels to be a Bohs fan, rusty pylons, goosebumps and all.
He gets it... (http://web.archive.org/web/20050215084717/www.bohemians.ie/yardley.htm). Well worth the read before you go off and do something silly.

[ticktock]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I'm gonna try to watch/get to a couple of games over the next few weeks, I think you're right, that it'll need to be a more organic decision. Thanks again!


What made you pick Man Utd? If you can sense why you like them, then picking a club here is easier.

With Man Utd it was the whole nepotism thing basically. My dad passed down his support for United, and it was a pretty exciting time for a kid to get into football through United (Cantona etc.), and the EPL was pretty popular in school so I guess it just stuck!

Thanks again, I'm looking forward to getting into a football season where I can experience live matches on a weekly basis!

[ticktock]

My first Bohs match was as a bandwagoner in the Champions League a few years back, v Bate Borisov. I hadn't got the wit to write down how amazing an experience it was, but one chap from New Jersey did.
One of the best descriptions for how it feels to be a Bohs fan, rusty pylons, goosebumps and all.
He gets it... (http://web.archive.org/web/20050215084717/www.bohemians.ie/yardley.htm). Well worth the read before you go off and do something silly.
Thanks for that link, it's a great read! Really seems like a world apart from the scale and spectacle of Old Trafford, I'll have to experience it for myself soon :)

[Redie]

Doesn't matter where your from

There was a time when where you were from was the only thing that determined what club you support.

Am I missing something or is ticktock taking the p1ss???

[ticktock]

There was a time when where you were from was the only thing that determined what club you support.

Am I missing something or is ticktock taking the p1ss???

Eh? What?

[CuanaD]

There was a time when where you were from was the only thing that determined what club you support.
Am I missing something or is ticktock taking the p1ss???
Yes, you are missing something - there are 3 teams on the Northside of Dublin, all worthy of support, all within a short journey for ticktock; also another 3 on the southside, if you feel like a longer commute.

To answer the original question - Fingal are your nearest team - playing out of Morton Stadium in Santry just a 17a busride away - but Tolka Park on Richmond Rd is probably just as easy to get to from Ayrefield & both these teams are likely to be top of the 1st division this year, so you are most likely to support winning teams there. On the downside, as its the 1st div, the standard of opposition may not be great & the crowds & atmosphere can be - changeable - 1200 people & great craic for the top of table crucial games, or 200 people & the wind whistling around you at some other games. Bohs are a bit further away from you, but should be near the top of the Prem. div, so crowds should always be decent & the opposition too should normally be good.
I'd recommend getting to a couple of the Galway-away games in Dublin & give it time - no one says you have to pick a team immediately


(or at all - i'm supporting the league for 20 years & still have no home team - I'll happily support whoever is in European comp & get to odd home games of all the Dublin teams)

[Rovers1]

Support Longford

[Lamper.sffc]

I think the best advice from most in here is go to a few different games to see what you think. The reason i picked sporting was because i was new to the league and i wanted to start with a club that was new also. Enjoy the games.

[BohDiddley]

there are 3 teams on the Northside of Dublin, all worthy of support, all within a short journey for ticktock; also another 3 on the southside, if you feel like a longer commute.
The others will try to tell you otherwise, or fudge the geography, but only one is native to the northside. :cool:

[GlasnevinRed]

Fingal would be closest but there's not much history there or much of a fanbase at the moment anyway. I'd say Bohs or Shels, but obviousle I'm leaning slightly towards Shels :D. Best thing to do is try a few matches and see what feels best.

Shels are home to Wexford this Friday

[GlasnevinRed]

Come to think of it aswell, of the 3 north Dublin clubs Shels are the only one playing in Dublin this week. :D So come on down.

[Raheny Red]

The reason i picked sporting was because i was new to the league and i wanted to start with a club that was new also. Enjoy the games.

I bet you get distracted by shiny objects on the ground too...

[Lamper.sffc]

I bet you get distracted by shiny objects on the ground too...

Yaaawwwwwnnnn

[Macy]

Support Longford
Aye, and the sligwegians walk the walk as well as talk the talk on that!

[dublin_owl]

Come to think of it aswell, of the 3 north Dublin clubs Shels are the only one playing in Dublin this week. :D So come on down.

GlasnevinRed is spot on!
Come down to Tolka, we'll be there to welcome you. ;)

[EalingGreen]

There was a time when where you were from was the only thing that determined what club you support.

Aye, and everyone walked or cycled to the ground, looking down on those "foreigners" who had to catch the tram...

Times have changed, people move around, there's football on the telly and a million other distractions competing for peoples attention and money etc.

Imo the true test of a supporter is how loyal you are, not where you come from. And the best example I've ever heard of this is a guy I know who supports the NI team. He's from England and has no connection with NI whatever (other than his first name "Shaun", with an "h"!)

For some reason, he had been fascinated by Albania since his schooldays and wanted to visit, but the country was closed to tourists etc in those days. Then he heard NI had been drawn to play there in the Euro Champs in 1995, so he asked the IFA if he could tag along with the Official Party (i.e. would entitle him to an Entry Visa) and they said "Yes"!

Cutting a long story short, he greatly enjoyed the trip, made new friends, ditched his former faltering allegiance to the England team (disliked the hooliganism) and he hasn't missed an NI game since, home or away, competitive or friendly.

At the last count, his run of consecutive games is 115 (I think). We have no more committed fan; as a mark of this, he wrote a book about his experiences, all of the proceeds of which went to charity (over £10k).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theres-Always-One-Watching-1995-June/dp/0955210100/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t



Am I missing something or is ticktock taking the p1ss???
Seems you are. He's been smitten by LOI football, would like to support Galway like his father, but lives in Dublin which makes it difficult, so is wondering whether he should choose a local team instead.

Good luck to the guy. I suspect LOI football may need fans like him slightly more than those who would sneer at someone, simply because he hasn't lived his entire life on the same street as the club he follows...

[kingdomkerry]

Support your local team! If you aint from London/Manchester/Liverpool why would anyone support a team from these cities.

Simple answer. Glory hunting barstool supporters!

[Den Perry]

In terms of atmoshphere, it's hard to beat that created by Rovers fans, and this will only get better going forward in Tallaght. They are a club that's run very well, with the CLUB's best interests at heart.

The only down side is that you will have a fair bit of commuting and bus/train changes to get to Tallaght from Airfield

[Jofspring]

I think you should just go for your nearest team. Will be easier to get to matches and you will more than likely be living near fellow supports. If you want to get involved in any goings on in the club in the future you will be near by too. You might feel more affiliated to a near by team to you. No reason why you can't still keep an eye on Galway United results and like to see them do well also.

[thischarmingman]

Cutting a long story short, he greatly enjoyed the trip, made new friends, ditched his former faltering allegiance to the England team (disliked the hooliganism) and he hasn't missed an NI game since, home or away, competitive or friendly.




Bloody glory-hunters! :rolleyes:

[SkStu]

ticktock, if you support Bohs you will be able to go to three games with your aul lad, and beat him up afterwards. Great craic altogether! :D

[Martinho II]

Aye, and the sligwegians walk the walk as well as talk the talk on that!

plus they always put cards on my car window everytime they visit!!:D

[CSFShels]

Whatever you do, don't go for Fingal. Nothing club. Preferably Shels, but if not, then go for one of the other Dublin clubs.

[Rovers1]

plus they always put cards on my car window everytime they visit!!:D

its pure love Marty;)

[Lamper.sffc]

Whatever you do, don't go for Fingal. Nothing club. Preferably Shels, but if not, then go for one of the other Dublin clubs.

Like Fingal:D