How did you get into football?

[osarusan]

This poll is public, so please vote in this one.

Mods, please delete the other poll and thread.

[osarusan]

Started off as a Man U fan, purely because my brother was a Liverpool fan and I had to be the opposite.

My dad was a Cork Celtic fan for years and years, and didn't like the way things were going, so took us to a Limerick game. Within weeks, we'd basically forgotten about our other clubs.

[Links123]

my dad's junior side. heading in the car to what seemed like far away places to watch soccer at its best. I still love junior soccer over the rest.

[MeathDrog]

I was and still am a Newcastle fan, although my interest in the EPL in general has dropped over the last few years. You only have to look at last season to see how dull and uncompetitive a league it is.

My Dad brought me to a Drogheda game in 2002 when I was a young'un, have been a fan ever since.

[Charlie Darwin]

Nice one, osarusan. Like I'd say most people, I grew up supporting an EPL club (Man Utd) because my dad did and EPL was all my friends talked about. As a teenager, I started going to Rovers matches with some of the same friends and never looked back.

[Mr A]

My Da used to manage school and U13 football teams, that was my first real contact with football- as soon as I was at school I was at trainings and matches with him (he was headmaster). I got into English football well before the LOI though. I was brought to the Brandywell a few times but didn't like that as they were so obviously evil. The national team would have had a big impact in those days though, they were starting to really fly. Later we started following GAA and went to Donegal games all over the country. Finally we started going to Harps and soon everything else starting fading into relative irrelevance apart from the national side who remain important to me.

So basically, it's a bit of a mishmash.

[Eminence Grise]

Born in Manchester and lived in Old Trafford till I was four, though closer to the cricket ground than Man Utd. That rarest of things: a Man Utd follower from Manchester. Started to take an interest in the LoI around about 1990 with the Bray Unmentionables - St Francis cup final. Seem to recall being more interested later that year or the next listening to reports of Dundalk taking on Kispest Honved, I think. It was just the big games back then that caught my attention Galway - Odense, that kind of thing. Took my younger brother to the first Carlsberg Challenge (little beggar has middle child syndrome and supports Liverpool / Derry in a house of Man Utd people) and was really impressed by Pats against Lazio. Catenaccio had no answer for the question that was Ian Gilzean! Started to go to the odd game here and there after that. Soft spot for Shels, but very ecumenical; I try to get to a few teams in Dublin each year.

[Straightstory]

Through collecting football stickers.

[peadar1987]

Can't really remember when I first started following football, but I was a Manchester United "fan" from the age of about 6, probably because most people in my class (and my older cousin, who I idolised) were.

My dad is from Stoke, and he disapproved of this, and eventually won me around to the idea of supporting them when I was about 13 or 14, and we started going to games together. I became known in my school as that weird kid who went and actually watched live football (and not only that, at some sort of strange club nobody had ever heard of!)

A wee bit later on, a friend of my mate Duncan started taking him to United Park to watch Drogheda (this would have been about 2003-ish). One Friday, they were away in the UCD bowl (or whatever the auld place was called), and Dunc's mate couldn't come, so, instead of going alone, he thought he'd invite "obscure live football guy" to come with him.

Before then I'd never even considered the fact that I might attend a League of Ireland game (which is why I think there are loads of people out there for with no ill-will towards the league to whom a bit more exposure would make a huge difference). After what I seem to remember as a 1-0 win for Drogheda (Andy Myler with the goal), it was like trying a new food for the first time, and being a bit incredulous you hadn't discovered it sooner. Went to my first Bray game, coincidentally* also against UCD a week or two later, and the rest is history. Was a regular at the Carlisle for about 4 seasons until I left the country, but still try and make my visits home coincide with an Unknowns home game.



*Not so much a coincidence as a 1-in-9 chance, now I think about it!

[Charlie Darwin]

Bray Unmentionables
I can't believe there isn't actually a team with this suffix.

[Sam_Heggy]

Starting playing u10's locally with mates from school, it's been an ever-constant in my life since.

Started going to Harps games about same time too with my neighbour and was hooked.

I'm a Liverpool fan too, been to Anfield on a few occasions. "This year is going to be our year"

[Nesta99]

recall being more interested later that year or the next listening to reports of Dundalk taking on Kispest Honved, I think.

91/92 European Cup, drew away and hammered at home.

Started with being taken up to Oriel Park on European nights for me as a very young lad early - mid 80's. Thought it was amazing when we got home to see the results on BBC Sportsnight/News or the like with Dundalk score and other LoI sides being mentioned among all these other huge European clubs! Grew up a few hundred yards from Oriel so the games always featured even for something as simple as not being able to get parked near our own place at times on match nights. Then knowing the score roughly as ye could hear the roar of the crowd, it was so intriguing for a young fella and pestered my Dad to take me to the games, he stopped going when i was old enough to go myself but then he was never really a sports fan.

[Charlie Darwin]

After the EPL route ran into an unussailable 6-0 lead, we've since seen a resurgence in people getting into football through LOI sides and junior football. Can we surmise then that converted EPL fans are lively young go-getters, whereas the lifelong LOI fan is typically only waking up around 3pm having wasted his entire day in the scratcher?

[Eminence Grise]

I can't believe there isn't actually a team with this suffix.

Cork have a monopoly on all the good suffixes. They probably have it listed under intellectual copyright protection down there!

[bennocelt]

Before then I'd never even considered the fact that I might attend a League of Ireland game (which is why I think there are loads of people out there for with no ill-will towards the league to whom a bit more exposure would make a huge difference). After what I seem to remember as a 1-0 win for Drogheda (Andy Myler with the goal), it was like trying a new food for the first time, and being a bit incredulous you hadn't discovered it sooner. Went to my first Bray game, coincidentally* also against UCD a week or two later, and the rest is history. Was a regular at the Carlisle for about 4 seasons until I left the country, but still try and make my visits home coincide with an Unknowns home game.

*Not so much a coincidence as a 1-in-9 chance, now I think about it!


For me it was all about Euro 88 and Italia 1990 - stickers, RTE, subbutteo, etc in primary school. First time was when my father in hospital with cancer gave me a shiny book on Euro 88 with all the pictures of the teams and players. Boy did i read that book inside out. (father recovered as well!!), then ireland beating england was brilliant.

Secondary School, EPL was kicking off and the Big Match on tv, but never had a team.

After that college and travelling all around the place, but when I came home it did take me a long time to notice the LOI (as Peader alluded to), never knew about it really at all as i from a town with no loi team, and at that time I did actually follow the gah all around the country.
Only the last few years (with my passion for the national team dropped) have I actually gone to many loi games. But not only LOI games but as much live (and Local) football as i can.

[peadar1987]

Actually getting into football, I just remember playing outdoors with my dad, my mates, my dog from as far back as I can remember. My dad was principal of a school, and we lived on the grounds, so after school sports finished at about 5, we had free run of the sports fields, and would kick a ball around until it got dark. Which is why it's an absolute travesty that I'm still awful at football!

[CraftyToePoke]

Every Sunday evening, family supper at my grandmothers when I was about nine or ten seeing Newcastle West's scoreline being read out on the evening RTE news sports bit. Seeing their name up there, albeit briefly, with the country's biggest sides was exciting and I pestered my parents into bringing me to Ballygowan Park, my dad did, but would often drop me off & collect me, these days he rarely misses a Limerick F.C. home game even though he goes alone as I live away these days. I'm proud of that conversion, it took a bit of time.

NCW dropping out of LOI really upset me. I loved going there. Still attend the very odd Desmond League game there when at home.

Around this time, McKay scored against Belgium and everything changed. Everything. The next decade was all about soccer. Euro 88 led me to discovering the clubs the Irish lads played for and ultimately to supporting Aston Villa because at one stage they had McGrath, Staunton, Houghton, Cascarino all in the side. I still keep an eye out for their score and even go along to Villa Park sometimes, but its Limerick fixtures I plan the trips home around, was taken to see them soon after NCW dropped out, to keep me quiet probably, around 1990/91 and followed since then.

[Nesta99]

After the EPL route ran into an unussailable 6-0 lead, we've since seen a resurgence in people getting into football through LOI sides and junior football. Can we surmise then that converted EPL fans are lively young go-getters, whereas the lifelong LOI fan is typically only waking up around 3pm having wasted his entire day in the scratcher?

Or that the LoI lads are dedicated, unwaivering, and with a masochistic touch which keeps them off the web at work times. EPL converts are a bit renegade maybe a touch fickle and therefore play on work pcs all day? Im part of the second bit without the EPL conversion...

[White Horse]

Oriel Park on Sunday afternoons.

I was five before my Dad would bring me, just at the beginning of the Jim McLaughlin era. Been there ever since. Nothing compares to Oriel Park when the place is jumping.

[Comic Book Guy]

Had no interest in football up to age 11, my late father brought me to a game one Sunday afternoon,
( to get me out from under my mam' s feet) and I've been hooked ever since.

[Martinho II]

my love for loi came from my late mother. each summer for two to three summers ltfc players Zac Hackett,Heysham El Khershi and Leo Devlin took summer training for the kids of 12 in abbeycartron ,our home those days. my love for longford town fc started from that moment onwards...

[Spudulika]

Coming from a GAA family, but who all loved sports, I went along with my Dad to Dalyer to watch Ireland, Oriel to watch Dundalk, a few matches in Milltown, so I think my first LOI match was aged 2 or 3, same for Ireland. My allegiance was more to schoolboy or Junior football, LOI was regular big time football. So what got me in was schoolboy football, I suppose.

[Ezeikial]

Subbuteo

[Keen2win]

Used to support Liverpool when I was young enough, then LTFC got into Europe. I was a bit too young to know much about it, but it was all over the news, so dad (a man who seriously could not care less about sport, except to support one of us if we were playing) brought me. Just got hooked, poor man was forced to bring me to game after game after that, if anyone saw a sleeping man in Flancare, it was probably him.

Now I'm starting to bring the younger bro with me to the games, and he seems to be enjoying it... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=374421462678657 1.07 on!

[Acornvilla]

I played my first match ever when I was about 7 out in Abbeycartron, we won 2-0 that got me hooked.. My first memories of being at a Town match was playing the Bray unmentionables in the late 90's back in the 1st division. The Guinness shed was some spot! I also got to sit in the duggout during a 2-2 draw with Harps. Stephen O' Brian gave me a tenner as did the ref, I got to eat oranges in the dressing room at half time! Sure how could you not love a club and a sport after all that before the age of 10.

I loved Chelsea because they had Zola, now I hate them with every fibre or by being, but still can't stop supporting them.. The EPL in general is dead to me. I go to Thomond every now and then to get my fix seeing as I live away.

[osarusan]

I played my first match ever when I was about 7 out in Abbeycartron crushing lowlifes, we won 2-0 that got me hooked.. My first memories of being at a Town match was playing the Bray unmentionables in the late 90's back in the 1st division, where I crushed a few lowlifes. The Guinness shed was some spot! I also got to sit in the duggout during a 2-2 draw with Harps. Stephen O' Brian gave me a tenner as did the ref, for crushing a few lowlifes, I got to eat oranges in the dressing room at half time! Sure how could you not love a club and a sport after all that before the age of 10.

I loved Chelsea because they had Zola, now I hate them with every fibre or by being, but still can't stop supporting them, like i can't stop crushing lowlifes. The EPL in general is dead to me. I go to Thomond every now and then to get my fix seeing as I live away, as long as I get to crush a few lowlifes.

Fixed your post.

[gufcfan]

My local junior club either had no juvenile section or none near my age for most of my time as a kid. Was never any good but never got the chance to get a bit of proper instruction.

A week-long Galway United summer camp run by then GUFC manager Don O'Riordan and various first-team players got me into football properly, when they came to my village.

Had never had proper structured training before then. Even if it was only a summer camp, it cemented my interest in the game and got me going to LOI matches as often as I could, with the free kids season ticket they gave us.

[gormacha]

I was brought up in north-west England in the '70s. We played football in winter and cricket in summer. Nothing else. It was so woven into the fabric of everyday life that there was no sense or memory of "getting into it". It was always there, kind of like air, or the sky.

[oriel]

Lived 2 streets away from Oriel Park for almost 20 years.

First game either PSV or Hajuk Split in Europe, 76 or 77, cant remember now, but first went regularly to league games for the first time around 1979.

This was a great time in the LOI, 3.30 Sunday afternoon kick offs for us, 2.15 ko in the winter for other clubs w/o floodlights, and at the time I think it was only ourselves & Bohs & possibly Tolka who had lights. Rovers were next in the early 80's in Milltown I think.

Used to love RTE radio 1 on sunday afternoons also for the away games, in those days they had reporters at almost every game, Gabriel Egan, John Kenny were all on the go back then.

And The Soccer Reporter, what a paper that was, it was the pre runner to the 'Soccer Magazine' ended publication in the late 90's I think.

[Charlie Darwin]

My local junior club either had no juvenile section or none near my age for most of my time as a kid. Was never any good but never got the chance to get a bit of proper instruction.
That's mad. GAA town?

[gustavo]

Italia 90 got me interested in football and other sports by extension. Pretty much went from no interest in sport to having interest in all kinds of sport after it.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Italia '90 probably did more for soccer playing nationally than other specific event, player, club etc.

As in it went from outside the big cities, immediately into even the GAA/rugby heartlands, at a stroke.

[Neish]

My father is a big Hurling man so its wasn't until the 1990 world cup(when I was 10) the football really crossed my path. We were on holidays in spidal Co. Galway at the time with our cousins and they were watching the Irelands game I was hooked after that. After we got knocked out in 1tr final I wanted to know when Ireland would be playing next and was told it would be a couple of months. But my cousin told me about the English league and after flirting with Villa for a bit(as several of the 90 WC Irish squad played for them)I chose Man United(and AC Milan to a lesser extent) for my team after watching the 1991 league cup final(depsite th fact they lost I just like them). A year or two later (when I started Secondary School) I jumped on the band wagon and started to follow Celtic also.

It wasn't until 93 or 94 that I started attend Harps matches, my cousins took me to a friendly against Bradford City( summer 93 if memory serves). I went to 3 or 4 home game the following season(when ever my cousins were in town) The following year myself and the wee brother started going was at most home games that year. The following season I was at every home game and slowly but surely Harps overtook the other team as my top club. I just found watching a game live was much more enjoyable then watching on TV (even if the quality of football was not as good)

[dejadem]

First vague footballing memory, was the Arsenal - Man Utd FA Cup final in 1979, I was 6.
Nothing then until Tottenham FA Cup final win in 82 (remember the song really).


Espana '82 was the big break through for me, Paolo Rossi's goals.
All FA Cup finals after that.


Became aware of LOI just as I got older in my teens, followed it just the same as English football, through TV / radio / newspapers.
Eventually started to go to games, there's no looking back after that.

[Longfordian]

I'm not really into football to be honest. It's a hooligan's game.

[gufcfan]

That's mad. GAA town?

Yep. Juvenile section always fell apart because GAA would put too many obstacles in front lads trying to keep it going. Had a community pitch but all the committee members were pro-GAA. I remember grown men screaming obscenities at children who went to soccer training, not even clash with GAA. The same lunatics in the pub on the weekend glued to the premier league.

Galway United played the home leg of their UEFA Cup tie there in 1986.

[fionnsci]

You should have an option for the national team. Ireland were definitely the first team I was drawn to. Followed it up with a time as a big Spurs fan before I decided that I'd rather stand by a river with a floodlight in my face than sit in beautiful White Hart Lane...

[Terry]

My father was bringing me to terryland from a young age but my earliest memory is the 1985/86 season.

[ForzaForth]

Probably go back a bit further than most on this board. As a south-side Dub, first memory is getting lifted over the stiles at Milltown where the crowds at the time were huge on a Sunday afternoon. Favourite player at the time was Frank O’Neill and remember Brendan Bradley as one of the best opposing players. Came alive when the ball came to him and had such quick feet that he seemed to be able to beat his marker with ease. Then switched to Shelbourne when they moved to Harold’s Cross for a couple of seasons. Rovers- Waterford game was always a huge draw with the chatty Peter Matthews in the Waterford goal getting dog’s abuse. Saw Gordon Banks play in Inchicore and George Best in Harold’s Cross when he increased the crowd by about six-fold.

Was at the Limerick/Real Madrid match in 1980 and remember vividly Johny Matthews disallowed goal as I was at the Havelock Square end. Cross came over, Johnny clearly runs past the full-back who is facing the wrong way and heads home. Header hits the back of the net and linesman then puts his flag up for offside. Even at the time, I remember thinking there’s something funny going on here.

More or less lost to LOI football once Shelbourne and Rovers had left my local area until Mick Wallace set up the Youths in 2007 and my interest was rekindled as I was then living in Wexford.

[legendz]

Growing up in Gaelic Football country, it was Italia '90 for me. In any games played as young lads, all games invariably went to a penalty shoot-out no matter the score with everyone wanting to be Packie Bonner pulling off the supersave!

[redarmyfaction]

Born and reared to it, first game, in fact first memory of Sligo was the Showgrounds when I was 3 or 4, we lived in NW London then and I retain a residual interest in Watford from that period, when we moved to Sligo everybody I knew from our street and nearby streets went to the Showgies, we all had English teams too. My father was and is a fanatic since the 1940's when a number of Rovers players of the period lodged in my Grandmothers house. My father tells me when he moved to London in the 1950's that it was impossible to have a conversation with a fellow Irishman about football unless they came Belfast or Derry, though this changed in the late 60's when a number took an interest around the time of the 1966 world cup.

[stann]

I was a Liverpool fan from a very young age, and still am to a lesser extent (though I've only been to Anfield once and that was a surprise present). My earliest memory of football on TV was the '74 Cup final, so it must have been that that triggered it. Certainly I was an avid fan by the '77 Euro Cup.
I don't know whether to still be annoyed or not by the fact that my folks ran a pub which was often frequented by members of the '60s/'70s Blues side out from town, and from aged around 5 to 8, until they moved to the States, meself and the sister were great pals with Peter Bryan's son and daughter who lived just across the road, but not one of those so-call responsible adults thought to tell me anything about Waterford FC even existing!
I started off at LoI matches going to Turner's Cross in the late '80s, when I stayed weekends down in Cork, initially to watch Waterford when they were playing, but soon to any City game that was on. I didn't start going to Blues home games until shortly after that, when I'd started working, which coincided with the last couple of years of the Kilcohan era. A loose group of 4/5 friends used to go (I think I was roped in as the only one driving at the time), all of whom have now dropped away through emigration, marriage or what not.