Why do you support the team you do? [Archive]

eirebhoy

09/02/2007, 8:42 AM

Lim till i die

09/02/2007, 8:47 AM

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

Was living in Southill about two minutes walk from Rathbane handily enough.

My Dad brought me to my first game when I was seven. He'd followed Limerick for over twenty years but had become fairly dis-illusioned with the whole thing. But in fairness to him before he quit first he made sure I was hooked :ball:

Dunno whether to love him or hate him really :)

Dodge

09/02/2007, 8:57 AM

Not having a go at you eirebhoy but I'd like to ask the same question to those who follow British clubs (including yourself)

chippie0001

09/02/2007, 8:58 AM

Just wondering as every week there seems to be a LOI fan on the Ireland forum slagging off those that don't support an Irish club team.

My situation is I was brought up in Pearse street and I can't say I knew a League of Ireland existed as a kid. None of my mates supported a LOI team and very few people around the area did. Now I'm in my 20's and I follow the league. It's impossible for me to grow an affinity for any club like most of you all do. I support Ireland because that's the way I was brought up. Extremely patriotic and the Ireland football team will come first for me before anything in sport.

I'm just wondering how most of you start supporting a team? What age were you? What area did you live in? Who did you go to your first match with, etc.

My grandfather followed Bohs, then my father. I was brought to my first ever game to the 1983 cup final between Bohs and Sligo Rovers. And to start off my Bohs life, surprise surprise we lost. I was 9 at that stage and have never recovered from the trauma. My family were originally from that area but by then had moved to the west of Dublin so not many even knew about Bohs. Only started going regularly around 1990 when I was a bit older. Oh the joys. ;)

BohsPartisan

09/02/2007, 9:14 AM

Grew up in Navan. So no EL team there. Used to get taken to Friendlies in Dublin and Drogheda if English teams were playing. My tendency towards Bohs started for a strange reason. The Dalymount Floodlights. When I was a kid, going to Dublin, we'd always pass by Dalyer and the sight of the floodlights always filled me with wonder. The next level was guiding Bohs to the European cup in Sensible world of Soccer. When I started in UCD I used to go home every Friday afternoon so still no EL footie but shortly afterwards when I started staying up the odd weekend I'd sometimes take in an EL game of one or other of the Dublin clubs. Because of my afore mentioned affinity with Bohs I prefered trips to Dalymount and then became a regular along with a college friend of mine who was already a fan and a Scottish friend of mine who has since moved back. The rest is history as they say.

Mr A

09/02/2007, 9:17 AM

I support Finn Harps because it is right and proper.

People not supporting Finn Harps is at best suspicious, and probably evil.

hoops1

09/02/2007, 9:23 AM

gustavo

09/02/2007, 9:23 AM

Support Sligo Rovers because i am from Sligo and am a football fan.:)

passinginterest

09/02/2007, 9:25 AM

I'm going to be a supporter of Wexford Youths (how active I'm not sure, fate dealt me a girlfriend with a deep hatred of sport), but growing up there was never anyone in south Wexford following the League of Ireland. I remember becoming fascinated by Liverpool as a four year old, late eighties, Whelan, Houghton, Aldrige, Staunton, Rush, Barnes, etc. That was the only football I knew, Irish football only existed as the national team. As I got older I started to follow the national league, St Pats probably being the first club I took any interest in, around the mid nineties.

I've never really managed to develop a passion for Pat's though, like I had for Liverpool. I attended my only Eircom league games during a spell living in Bray in my first year of college, I saw them play Bohs twice (once in cup I think) and Longford, I was stunned by the lack of support for Bray, but the noise made by the away fans was great. Bohs is probably the team I follow most since then, though I've never been in Dalymount, I know one of the players and follow them as much for that as anythng else.

My support for Liverpool has waned somewhat in recent years, and I've taken much more interest in the game at home, and now, hopefully, I'll have a team I can truly feel an affinity with.

So there ya go, the story of a Liverpool supporting Eircom league convert (of sorts).

Dodge

09/02/2007, 9:25 AM

Oh BTW forgot to add I'm from Inchicore...

wws

09/02/2007, 9:28 AM

eirebhoy

09/02/2007, 9:46 AM

Not having a go at you eirebhoy but I'd like to ask the same question to those who follow British clubs (including yourself)
The same way the vast majority of people start supporting the team they do, through a friend or family member when you know no better. I used to follow Man Utd but I think I grew out of that by the time I was about 12. The Celtic one came from my older brother I think but he doesn't support them anymore, he's a Crystal Palace fan. I go to about 4-5 Celtic games a year and tbh I love to club.

I know most people will hate to hear this but the Irish links are bigger than a lot of people would like to think and that's probably the reason by affinity with them just grew. Seeing hundreds of Ireland flags in the likes of Stuttgart, Seville, Barcelona, Milan, etc. I post on a couple of Celtic forums regularly. Basically you could open a thread about the Shels crisis or the GAA and it's a 4 pager within a few hours with Irish and Scots chatting.

Anyway, lets not go slagging me off for supporting a British club. My main point is I don't know anyone who really just decides to support a team when they reach their 20's. It's pointless slagging people off for not supporting an EL team.

Dodge

09/02/2007, 9:56 AM

The point I'm making that saying there was no LOI club near you is not an excuse when you decide to support a British club. (and I'm using you in the general plural sense rather than talking about you specifically)

LOI fans look down on Irish fans of Man U, Liverpool etc the exact same way that fans of Swindon/Wrexham/Northampton (whereever) look down on fans of Man U/Liverpool/Arsenal from those places). Not to mention the disdain that local Man U and Liverpool fans have for out of towners.

eirebhoy

09/02/2007, 10:02 AM

The point I'm making that saying there was no LOI club near you is not an excuse when you decide to support a British club.
I think you took me up wrong. I'm not saying the reason I don't support a LOI club is because I'd have to get the bus all the way to Inchicore. What I'm saying is that there was no club in my area so I didn't even know the LOI existed as a kid. Growing up in Inchicore you're always going to know about Pats and you'll come into contact with Pats fans on a daily basis. I'd have loved nothing more to grow up a fan of a LOI club. It never happened.

Another point is when it comes to the likes of Cork, Sligo, Waterford, etc. they have a team representing the county most of them love. tbh most Dubs don't have the affinity with Dublin as others have with their county. I couldn't care what county someone like Duff is from, the same can't be said about Doyle and Wexford, Roy Keane and Cork, etc.

pete

09/02/2007, 10:11 AM

Errrr... I am from Cork. Saw City on tv take the then mighty Derry City to FAI Cup replay & liked live football when I tried it. Obviously with my local club I can say we which can never do with foreign clubs.

I think kids pick foreign clubs ofetn because they the best team when they grew up or they liked the colour of their jersey or something...

Dodge

09/02/2007, 10:11 AM

Thats why I used you in general terms. Whenever this question pops up, the answer most commonly given is "There's no team near me". Not you, but the majority who answer

WeAreRovers

09/02/2007, 10:17 AM

My grandfather followed Bohs, then my father. I was brought to my first ever game to the 1983 cup final between Bohs and Sligo Rovers. And to start off my Bohs life, surprise surprise we lost. I was 9 at that stage and have never recovered from the trauma.

I was on the reserved terrace with my dad that day. Had a deep hatred of Bohs even at that stage - I was 12. Awful day, cracking result. :D

Also got to see Bohs legging it for the first time too - Sligo poured over the fence from the Shed to get onto the reserved terrace and then into the stand to get out of the rain. Bohs disappeared quick smart. ;)

Eirebhoy - You're from Pearse St, there's only one team for you (and it's not Shels)

KOH

Dodge

09/02/2007, 10:18 AM

Just noticed he got rid of his Pats avatar...

eirebhoy

09/02/2007, 10:22 AM

Just noticed he got rid of his Pats avatar...
Who me? :) That's gone since the site was updated about a year ago. :D At the time I went to a few Pats games. Basically proved the point that you can't just pick a team to support at this stage in your life. I'll still follow the league.

Eirebhoy - You're from Pearse St, there's only one team for you (and it's not Shels)
That'd be more Ringsend. :) I know plenty of the Rovers fans in the Ringsend supporters club well. Ed Saul and the rest.

Neish

09/02/2007, 10:36 AM

Well my father is from Galway and a big hurling man so I was never really into football untill the 1990 World Cup. I was 10 at the time and all the hype of following my nation in a world wide tounament mad me fall in love with the game. I started watching a few games on the telly then but the next one I really remember was the Cup Winers cup final of 90/91 Man U vs Barcelona, when United one I decicded to start folowing them and have been since.

About a year later my cousin took me to watch a Celtic Vs Rangers game in a celtic supporters bar I think Rangers won but being young and impressionable I was impressed with all the gren and white and the tri-colours and I've een following Celtic since.

However in 1993 I went to my 1st Finn Harps game a friendly against Bradford(I think) the following season I attended quite a few Harps games and quickly realised that despite the fact I still loved watching Man U and Celtic there was nothing quite like following you home town team.

I've been a Harps supporter ever since that nearly 14 years now

lofty9

09/02/2007, 10:51 AM

Eirebhoy, jump on a supporters bus and take in an away match for a Dublin team at the Brandywell. Maybe you might get to see a bit of passion. For me going to an away game is a tremendous buzz and creates a strong affinity and bond between yourself and a club. I'm sure you feel like that when you visit Celtic. Try the Pats thing again, give it a chance and make a few trips outside Dublin. You know you want too!!

fauxhemian

09/02/2007, 10:54 AM

My Grandfather followed Boh's, the rest is history. Got brought to my first Bohs match by my folks when I was around 6, the program is still tucked away somewhere. I remember thinking the place seemed so empty. I vaguely remember the old grass hill and people sitting down there watching games, before it was demolished for a training pitch / car park.

Lots of games stand out from that early period for me, for instance Boh's V Derry in a new years day league cup final in Dalymount. It felt like we were outnumbered 10 to 1. We lost. At the end they played "Always look on the bright side of life". Weird the stuff you remember. That was particularly horrible though, a horrible ****y day.

But in spite of that I caught the bug.

BohsPartisan

09/02/2007, 11:15 AM

That tells you everythting you need to know about Bohs fans. Supporting a team because of their floodlights and a computer game
Er no. I said that was what initially attracted me to Dalymount. Being a youngster who was captivated by everything to do with football the floodlights were something that fired the imagination. As I said I went to quite a few games when I moved to Dublin and picked Bohs for a variety of reasons. Dalyer was one. Ease of access to bus home from Navan. General hatred of Rovers scum that I'd aquired from attending games.

FFS, Eirebhoy gets singled out for not picking a club and I get singled out FOR picking one. Ye can't win?

hoops1

09/02/2007, 11:23 AM

General hatred of Rovers scum that I'd aquired from attending games.

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup:rolleyes:

BrayUnknowns

09/02/2007, 11:34 AM

Born and bread in Bray and from a pretty sporting family, which included members of the family playing for Bray back in the 50's and 60's so was pretty much born in to supporting Bray, always knew about them as a kid but only really got into supporting them and going to all the games i was about 10 or so, were as before that i went if anyone was about to bring me when, it's probably been a bit of an obsession since then really.

michaelguineys

09/02/2007, 11:37 AM

Im nearly 25 now and have been supporting Cork City about 13 or 14 years.
I had always been aware of them as there was a player living in our estate and whenever there were games of ball on the green a load of kids used have city jerseys on em, that this fella had obviously "borrowed" from the club and let us use!!
The first game i can remember being at was when i was about 12. We went up with a youth club i was in (think it was actually organised by John Kennedy of Ogra Chorcai who is now involved with the Family Enclosure in Turners Cross) anyway it was a League Cup Final i think v Dundalk, up in Oriel Park, I remember Billy Woods was playing, back in the day when he had long flowing locks!!
Ever since then ive just loved it and stuck with it even though no-one else in my family has much of an interesy.
I remember when there used only be a couple of hundred out the cross on a sunday afternoon or even less when we were playin Derry at 12.
Its great to see how much the club has progressed since then, despite our current problems
Unfortunately i havent been able to convert anyone else in my family.
My dad has a passing interest but would only go to the big games, even though he would watch them on the telly, yet rarely goes to Turners Cross! It baffles me.
My youngest brother used to go when he was younger, but at 17, he prefers to be out with his buddies on a fri nite but would take an interest.
Same with my sister, dragged her along a good few times, but at her ages, again she prefers to be out with her friend.
I'll keep trying though.
Its the attitude of my other brother (21) that really ****es me off though. He used to go to games when he was about 15 or 16 and was at teh cup final in 98 etc but now is one of those Premiersh*t fans who follows Man Ure and bangs on about how if City were playing out the back he would close the curtains.
It really infuriates me to be honest and no matter what i say he wont change his mind.
Thinks the standard of EL is sh*te and not even the tranfers of Long, Doyle, Bennett to Premiershi*t team will change his mind.Im actually gettin angry now even thinking of his attitude but nothing i can do or say will change his mind. He is a lost cause

BohsPartisan

09/02/2007, 11:41 AM

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup:rolleyes:

No because hatred of rovers forms naturally in the brain. :p

Noelys Guitar

09/02/2007, 11:51 AM

My old man took me to Rovers games in the early 70's. The funny thing was he hated Rovers! He followed Waterford. But I have been a supporter of the hoops ever since.

DvB

09/02/2007, 12:01 PM

My reason is simple...Family!
My grandfather supported Rovers, he brought my father & my uncle to Rovers from an early age & in turn i was brought to see them from an early age as well, the fact my Father also played for the superhoops was a bonus!!:D

Koh

passinginterest

09/02/2007, 12:46 PM

There's a real pattern here, the majority of fans of Eircom League teams
a) Live close to where the team plays
b) Have a family connection/history with club

It's no wonder that vast numbers of us never felt any affinity with the national league, as has been stated we never knew it existed. Our views of football were created as children, exposed to Match of the Day, most of our parents were fans of George Best, of Man U, of Liverpool, of Arsenal, how could we ever feel attached to the national league?

Later in life it is much more difficult to choose to support a team, to identify with it, especially when there is no example being set amongst your friends or family. I tried to support Pat's, Bray, Bohs, but never got that buzz and banter with friends I associate with supporting Liverpool. Live national league football just wasn't an option for a child or teenager in the far south of Wexford.

Expect to see a passionate new generation of Wexford Youths supporters emerge and start a tradition of League of Ireland support in the county.

steno

09/02/2007, 12:50 PM

Started taking an interest and going to the odd game when Kildare County was set up in 2002. But I really got into the whole thing when I went to college in Cork, and my colllege mates were Cork City mad. Have since moved back to Kildare and go to alot more games than I used too.

padraicoc

09/02/2007, 1:02 PM

Because I'm from Galway...

And I support Arsenal because my cousins in london supported them!

centre mid

09/02/2007, 1:06 PM

when i was a kid i was playing football with my local DDSL club, a few of the senior players signed for bray just after bray became a league club so my Da used to bring me to watch Bray to support those players, been going ever since, when i was in my late teens a few of my mates played for Bray aswell so that kept me going aswell probably.

The Cup final in Lansdowne again St Francis was magical aswell

Dodge

09/02/2007, 1:07 PM

It's no wonder that vast numbers of us never felt any affinity with the national league
One of those family members had to be a first...

Oh and the "country" lads never told us how far away/close they were to the grounds. In fact I think I'm the only one to use location

exiled_gufc_fan

09/02/2007, 1:15 PM

My first soccer game was probably before the age of 1, being Athlone Town. :eek: My dad used to write a weekly soccer column for the Westmeath Offaly Independent at the time and followed Athlone Town everywhere. He remains a fan of De Town.

We moved to Galway before I started school. But the first Galway United game I attended was by accident rather than by design. My Dad had promised to bring me to see Connacht play rugby at the Sportsground in the Interprovincials. However on arriving there had either a postponement or my Dad had the wrong time.

Rather than disappoint me, he brought me to Terryland to see Galway Rovers v Sligo Rovers. I was hooked. From then on I kept a scrap book of all the match reports in both local and national press (tragically long disappeared).

Eventually I was old enough to go on my own. The 1985 Cup Final v Rovers, when aged 11 was a particular highlight :D

NY Hoop

09/02/2007, 1:18 PM

There's a real pattern here, the majority of fans of Eircom League teams
a) Live close to where the team plays
b) Have a family connection/history with club

I tried to support Pat's, Bray, Bohs, but never got that buzz and banter with friends I associate with supporting Liverpool. Live national league football just wasn't an option for a child or teenager in the far south of Wexford.

Expect to see a passionate new generation of Wexford Youths supporters emerge and start a tradition of League of Ireland support in the county.

You're contradicitng yourself there. What buzz and banter do you get "supporting" an english club in a pub?

There's a shels fan that travels from wexford for every game.

BTW I love your line: "I follow bohs but have never been to dalymount":D

KOH

osarusan

09/02/2007, 1:19 PM

My dad (a lifelong Cork Celtic supporter - my brother is named after Bobby Tambling) got sick of kis kids cheering English clubs on TV whenever possible. Decided that some fresh air and flowing total Limerick football would do us good.

oh, and by the way......

That tells you everythting you need to know about Bohs fans. Supporting a team because of their floodlights and a computer game.:rolleyes: :eek:

Was it from attending the games or because they knocked you out of the sensible world of soccer cup:rolleyes:

Perhaps the two most idiotic posts I've ever seen on foot.ie

hoops1

09/02/2007, 1:21 PM

Go on!

NY Hoop

09/02/2007, 1:27 PM

Perhaps the two most idiotic posts I've ever seen on foot.ie[/QUOTE]

Quite a compliment coming from a limerick fan:D

KOH

BohDiddley

09/02/2007, 1:28 PM

Total blow-in.
After a lifetime of passing by Dalymount Park (apart from one brilliant Bob Marley gig) I discovered Bohs when, er, 'we' played Bate Borisov in 2003. It was unforgettable, surpassing anything I had seen in internationals (:mad: ) or at EPL. My shamelessly band-wagonning parents immediately informed me that both grandfathers, who lived near Dalymount, went to Bohs matches, and who am I to doubt them.
The club's fortunes have gone down ever since (no, I'm not to blame!) and I often envy those who have legendary victories like Rangers, Santry 6-4 etc. to fall back on. Still, despite the misery of recent seasons, I now cannot conceive how anyone cannot go to Irish football.
I also follow Bohs because it's a proper metropolitan football club, with a pluralist tradition, and because it is a members' club.
I am being perfectly honest when I say that I feel genuinely sorry for anyone who, like me in those wilderness years, doesn't follow Bohs.

osarusan

09/02/2007, 1:30 PM

Quite a compliment coming from a limerick fan:D
KOH

I thank you.

BohsPartisan

09/02/2007, 1:35 PM

Don't worry BD converts like us are often the most fervent in promoting their beliefs unlike those who were simply born into their religion. ;)

Sam_Heggy

09/02/2007, 1:36 PM

well since i can remember ive had Liverpool fc drummed into me by my uncle. then when i was about 10 our neighbour (an avid harps fan) asked if i wanted to go to finn park. i hadn't a clue wat he was goin on about but i went anyway. i havn't looked back since, im now 23. don't get me wrong im a big liverpool fan (couldn be bothered wi that scottish pish) but harps win out every time. the weekend aint the same without goin to a harps match, even through the hard times (all in the past now hopefully)

eirebhoy

09/02/2007, 2:32 PM

One of those family members had to be a first...

Oh and the "country" lads never told us how far away/close they were to the grounds. In fact I think I'm the only one to use location
Limerick fan from Limerick, Cork fan from Cork, Sligo fan from Sligo, Derry fan from Derry, Kildare fan from Kildare, Galway fan from Galway. ;) Seriously though, there's a big difference there. If I really loved my county like most country folk do and there was one big team basically representing that county of course I'm going to support them playing the sport I love.

michaelguineys

09/02/2007, 3:27 PM

its not about "loving your county" or whatever you mean by that.
It pains me to say it but a lot of cork people hate city and would never go to turners cross.
I cant understand the mentality. There is a big anti-city sentiment in some parts and i dont know why.
I already told ye bout my brother saying if city were playing out in the back garden he would close the curtains. It just baffles me!!
A lot of fellas i know have the same attitude, never go down to the Cross but yet they are in the pub every Sunday sreamin at the telly, willing "their" team to win!
Its a joke and il never understand it.
They dont realise what they are missing out on by supporting your local team.
They will never experience at atmosphere like there was in turners cross on nov 18th 2005 when we finally won the league again, or when we won our one and only FAi Cup in 98 beating Shels after a replay, or the pride you feel when YOUR team beats some cocky European team who thought they were only coming over here on a holiday.
Or even last year, walking down Patrick St and seeing our Club Shop having pride of place in the middle of our main street and full of customers....
It's all about pride and these pathetic barstoolers dont know what they are missing out on.....

ciarandcfc

09/02/2007, 3:32 PM

i used to live right beside the brandywell and my dad started takin me when i was about 4 or 5 years old. i cant remember wat game it was oviuosly but iv rarly missed a match since then

TheBoss

09/02/2007, 3:38 PM

I am mainly a follower Parvilla as I live about 3 mins from the stadium but I was born in Drogheda so I chose them as an EL team to follow.

Pauro 76

09/02/2007, 3:41 PM

Longford Town. Was relatively late to the scene, they're my local team and I've supported them since two seasons before we got to the Premier. Was a Liverpool fan in my formative years but not too bothered about how they do these days..

Poor Student

09/02/2007, 3:42 PM

I started going to games at Belfield in my first year at UCD out of curiosity. I attended as a neutral but fast developed an affinity for the team.

I also love Celtic. I went to my first game in 1988, aged 4, while visiting my relations in Scotland and have been to a good 30 games since on my visits. My father is of a GAA background from Mayo and I have no LOI tradition. I'd say that also plays a factor in lack of support for Dublin clubs in proportion to the population. A lot of our parents would be from outside Dublin and many from spots like Mayo that don't have a LOI club. The death of so many clubs in Cork before Cork City also severs the lineage of a direct family tradition of supporting the same club.

passinginterest

09/02/2007, 3:47 PM

You're contradicitng yourself there. What buzz and banter do you get "supporting" an english club in a pub?

There's a shels fan that travels from wexford for every game.

BTW I love your line: "I follow bohs but have never been to dalymount":D

KOH

By banter I meant in school or work rather than the pub (never a fan of watching games in the pub, although can be a good atmosphere at times). When your best friends support Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, or in my case Everton, they don't want to talk about St Pats or Bray. I'd often go into school after a league of Ireland match was on the tv and try to talk about it but nobody else had the slightest interest. It was the same in my last job. Although where I am now there's a mad Bohs fan and a Pat's one which makes a nice change.

I follow Bohs in much the same way I follow Liverpool these days, I've never been to Anfield either. As the name suggests it's a passing interest. I will however, take a greater interest in Wexford Youths.

Fair play to the Shels fan for travelling from Wexford, but it was never an option when I was younger and it never appealed to me since I've been living in Dublin.

I think Wexford people will support the team and a new generation of 'real' supporters will develop and pass the passion down through the generations.