How/When did you start supporting your LOI club?

Hi there, following on from that topic about why do irish people support english clubs I thought it would be interesting to find out how el fans started supporting their clubs.

I personally think the miniscule media coverage for our league has an awful lot to do with it.Young kids are bombarded with coverage of the premiersh** and many don't even realise a league exists in ireland.

I got cuaght in this evil media trap and "supported" liverpool until I was 15 or so, until my dad took me to the 'cross for the first time and I have been hooked ever since.I am absolutley ashamed of my life to have 'supported' a foreign team and if liverpool were playing at the end of my garden tonight I would pull the curtains.I am not saying all barstoolers are scum, they are just uneducated from an early age. :ball:

Im 14 now, and started going to LTFC matches when I was about 5 or 6. My dad just brought me out to the games, even though I didnt really understand what was going on :D As I grew up, I have kept going to them and will continue to go forever now :cool:

I live about five minutes away from Dalymount so it was only natural that I'd follow Bohs. All my uncles follow Bohs, the only exception in the family is my brother (shels fan!). Been going to matches since the early 90's!

I used to have very mild leaning to Rovers before I knew anything about eL football simply knowing them on name and knowing they had the same shirt as Celtic (stupid I know). Then about 3 years ago girlfriend who is from Slovenia used to attend all her local club's home games and she used to have great fun. It suddenly occured to me how I was missing live football right on my door step. One Friday I decided to go watch UCD v Bohs. I attended as a neutral. UCD won a bit of my respect that day though. I think they scored in the first minute or two but ended up losing. I think the next game I attended was against Rovers. I still went into this game undecided about who to support but UCD won me over with their passing style of play and I particularly enjoyed watching Robbie Doyle.

I attended a few more games that season but for some reason lost interest again mainly due to being busy the next season and never attended a game though I followed the results on Aertel. Then while in Slovenia I was messing around on the FAI site and came here via Cobh Ramblers' site and my interest was rejuvenated. I decided to go back to attending UCD when I came home and I attended the last 4 or 5 home games last season. I haven't missed a home game now while I've been in Ireland since then and have taken in my first away game (granted it was only in Dublin).

To be honest foot.ie was part of the reason for getting me back into eL properly. It is easy to get info on players, matches, dates etc. Plus the banter and proper discussion makes it a lot of fun.

I was to CCFC games every week when I was younger then I never went to a single game for 2 seasons :rolleyes: but then on RTE( :eek: ) news I saw that City were playing Bowez(then reigning champions) that night so I decided Id give it a go! Best Game I have ever witnessed and my life has been dictated around CCFC since then! :)

i got into the harps when my da took me to a game against longford town in the fai cup, i think it was around 1995, we went 2-0 down but came back to win 5-2 and ive being following the harps pretty much ever since.

I always went to a few games, but at first it was more like me going along with friends more than going myself (going because they were going). My friends support English teams and i would have watched games aswell. While never having picked a team, i would never take on board what the media are trying to force on us or how they want us to perceive our league. There is nothing ... absolutely nothing wrong with getting behind a team in your area, and alarm bells should ring when they try and tell us otherwise. There is only one tean top of the league all over the world, and to use that as an excuse is plain stupid ..... [SIZE=1]actually ... that is for another thread. [/SIZE]


I lived abroad a while back and realised that Ireland is probably the only country on the planet that the domestic league doesn't come first.

I actually gave up trying to explain/justify/reason with people as to why it happens .... there is no sense to it. I was actually embrassed when people pointed it out to be honest, alot of it was p!ss taking with friends but sometimes a few were really trying to figure out why Irish dont support their own and i really got tired of explaining it, it was a kick in the teeth for my Irish pride.

When i came back home and saw what was happening from that perspective, i started supporting City again, in fact i have probably got a tolerance for turncoat attitude that most Irish football fans have and that is the most worrying thing. It is actually a chronic situation and a united effort from fans will have to get the ball rolling in changing it.

[SIZE=1]I hate this thread ..... we shouldn't even be having it, that fact that we are says something about us. [/SIZE]

My mother's side of the Family are from Ringsend,Where both Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers Originated.My family were Shels Supporters and elder generations have been going since the club began and the tradition passed down.My family now mainly reside in Pearse St.,down the road from Ringsend but the tradition is still there.

I was brought to my first Shels match when i was 3,before the club could ever even dream about success and was going nearly 2 years before i saw them win a game.I didn't go to as many games when i was in the later stages of Primary school as all my friends supported the Premiersh*t so i decided to aswell but i still never completly lost touch and as soon as i was old enough to go myself,i did and have never supported the Premiersh*t or looked back since.I,my brothers,cousins and uncles still go on a regular basis.

I live in Bray and the Carlisle is right down by the DART station so I always noticed it. I first developed an interest in them during the '99 cup run as the town was all caught up in the emotion so I started going to matches then the next season just to see what they were like. Best matvhes I remember, 4-1 against Pats in 2001 and 3-3 against Bohs, I think, same season. However that faded away until last year when my friend, a devout Seagull told me it'd be worth getting a season ticket seen as they'd been promoted.

So I did and next season no matter what division they're in I'll be getting another... ;)

I've also been a Chelsea fan since early '97. :o

My first game was in 1983 aged 9, the cup final against Sligo Rovers and surprise surprise we lost. My father brought me that day. Some one in my family has been supporting Bohs since they moved to Phibsboro on a permanent basis. So I had no choice in the matter but now I am thankful I was brought as a kid. Would not change it for anything.

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Originally Posted by DE TOWN

Im 14 now

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:eek: I had you placed at much older than that! Must show how much of a mature young man (or woman? ;) ) you are!

I live in London, but spend a lot of time in Cork (my mother's birthplace), and a friend took me along about 4 years ago and i've been going since. When I'm not over, i use this site and the official City site to keep up to date.

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Originally Posted by jofyisgod

:eek: I had you placed at much older than that! Must show how much of a mature young man (or woman? ;) ) you are!

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I agree,i had you down as early 20's.

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Originally Posted by D2 Red

I agree,i had you down as early 20's.

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Yeah i had an image of this cool University student, maybe planning on a career in graphic design :D Weird how we have ideas of people who post on here that are smashed when you meet them!? :confused:

As they say: Age is but a number...

I started supporting the Rovers when I was about 7, maybe half way through the league season that we got promoted and won the fai cup and shield.I didn't start going to matches though, properly(I had been to the odd few when I was a young'un), till towards the end of that season.From that moment on, I went to nigh on every home match, and alot of away matches...Those were the good ol' days.Unfortunateley, I had to move here in Aprill 99.

And that was that.

I miss football matches too, and before anyone says 'what about cardiff city', I unfortunateley know the type of fan they support and so stay away.

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Originally Posted by jofyisgod

:eek: I had you placed at much older than that! Must show how much of a mature young man (or woman? ;) ).

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Thats the one, tell everybody! :D

Start supporting Shels in 1989. Went to my first game versus Shamrock Rovers. My dad has been a fan of Shels (and Drums) since 1948 or so. I have been going to games every season since.

Well here's my story, the aul fella had been takin me to matches since I was 6 (1995) but a change to night shift for him meant that going to a match from 97-99 was a rare thing but in 2000 (when the high-flyin times got goin) I got into it again and started goin to matches. The season in which we got our highest ever finish (4th), I saw the greatest 45 mins of football to date, trailing to Pats 1-0 at half time we came back to win 4-1 and it was just a perfect day (unfortunately Ollie Cahill scored for Cork to beat Shels 1-0, nocking Shels off top for Bohs to win the league, and just finishing ahead of us in 3rd). The next season (although we did'nt finish as high) brought plenty of brilliant memories and high-scoring victorys. It was the relegation season when I started goin to away matches (what a time to start :rolleyes: )and I think I missed 1 home game that year. Somewhere in their I got hooked and took up supporting Bray as my no1 team (leaving Arsenal behind) and somewhere in their I got really passionate about the Wanderers and really started to hate Bohs. Last summer I started helping out down in the Carlisle (after getting some foot.ie advice from Roo) and I still pop down and do a bitto work when I can. In our relegation season I got into singin in `the Shed` and after 2 seasons in Div1 with mostly lows and a few highs it feels great to be back in the Premier. If I were to die now I'd probably want to be burried in my Bray jersey. Season ticket holder for 2 years now, have'nt missed a home game in over 3 years and Shels away is the only game I've missed this season and I dont plan on missin anymore!

Wanderers till I die! (and beyond death if I'm burried with my jersey, obviously
:cool: )

Sorry if I bored you..... no wait, I'm not ;)

Circa 1991/1992. Dad and Grandad are both into Shels, so I used to get taken to the games. Also, lived beside the RDS, so was taken accross the road to observe the Rovers matches when we couldn't get to Shels on time ;) Usually up for the opposition! :cool:

My dad start aking me to games when in about 1986. He was never a huge LOI fan (from Monagan, moved to flatland when he was old enough but settled in Inchicore in about 77) I think he brought me for something to do rather than anything else. I got hooked straight away and asked him to bring me to the next game and so on and son... If he couldn't bring me my ex Rovers supporting Uncle(but now defintely a Saint) used to bring up until I could go to Harolds Cross on my own. Live for it these days and there's been a couple of seasons I haven't missed a game home or away...

I started supporting Cork City FC the day that they formed in 1984..any trophy they have won i have been there..i have seen Terry Mc Dermott the ex- Liverpool legend and Trevor Brooking both line out for City..there have been some ups and downs over the years but City are a good club heading in the right direction with a fantastic chairman and manager... ;)

I was a Leeds "fan" when I first developed an interest in football, not for any particular reason other than they won the league the year I started geting interested :o Started going to City games 10 years ago, when Dave Barry had just taken over. My mother was teaching one of the players (Gareth Cronin) and she decided to take me and my brother to a game. Went along a few times that season before getting completely hooked on it the following season.

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Originally Posted by Soper

I started supporting the Rovers when I was about 7, maybe half way through the league season that we got promoted and won the fai cup and shield.I didn't start going to matches though, properly(I had been to the odd few when I was a young'un), till towards the end of that season.From that moment on, I went to nigh on every home match, and alot of away matches...Those were the good ol' days.Unfortunateley, I had to move here in Aprill 99.

And that was that.

I miss football matches too, and before anyone says 'what about cardiff city', I unfortunateley know the type of fan they support and so stay away.

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What about a League of Wales team? You'd be as welcome as the Flowers In May Boyo!

I was a Leeds "fan" when I first developed an interest in football, not for any particular reason other than they won the Fairs Cup the year I started geting interested . And it was through them ironically enough that I got interested in UCD. In March 1981 while I was a student in Belfield there was a friendly match to mark the official opening of the dressing room block at Belfield Park.

The opponents were the NASL team Vancouver Whitecaps from Western Canada, among their playing staff at the time were David Harvey, Ray Hankin and Terry Yorath all of whom had played for Leeds in the 1970's ( when they were still useful). UCD held them to a 1-1 draw and that was it . I started going semi-regularly the following season. And though I missed a couple of seasons en route been regular attender at Belfield Park almost ever since.

I moved to Drumcondra in 1990, I think I first went to Tolka about two years later, 1992, I was 11, went down with friends and got in for free at half time! Just kept going, some seasons more regular then others, but thats my story!

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Originally Posted by CollegeTillIDie

What about a League of Wales team? You'd be as welcome as the Flowers In May Boyo!

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hahaha, I would, it's just transport/logistics are a problem with Welsh teams!I don't know, I might end up going back to see 'Diff again, I'll see.

I would be from a GAA family. My father would be very anti-soccer etc. He got that from his father. His brother played hurling for Cork and he tells the story of a guy from Glasheen Celtic coming to the door asking if he wanted to join the local soccer team. My grandad chased him down the street. :D

I got interested initially when I went along with a buddy. We gradually got more and more obsessed with it. Going to the Shed these days is a far cry from some of the games Ive been at when there would have been literally 70 people in there. These are good times to be a Cork city fan. :)

Athlone Town in their LOI B Division days. I think my first match was in either 66 or 67. They played Shamrock Rovers that day. Rovers had an up and coming player called Jackie Clarke, blonde fellow, playing that day. Last I heard of him he was in Toronto or some Canadian city. The crowd that day was around 1200 to 1500.
Next game was an Intermediate Cup semi-final against Tramore Athletic in Mels.
Became a lovely habit after that. :)
C'mon the Town.

My first Derry game was on 29th December 1985.

That was our first season back in football, and literally everyone in the town went along to games. Earlier that season my dad asked me did I want to go along to our very first game in September against Home Farm and to my eternal shame I basically told him to catch himself on !

Anyways - my first game was about as unenjoyable an experience as you could imagine. It was freezing cold - the pitch had only been cleared of snow by volunteers half an hour before kick-off. We were using a couple of new players - one of whom had apparently never seen snow before in his life (not sure if that was an urban myth though). We lost the game 1:0 to a very poor EMFA team, but the atmosphere was absolutely awesome, so I was hooked.

Those were the days when we'd have 10,000+ at home games, and would take up to 4,000 fans to places like Monaghan and Longford (in the days when Longford were in Abbeycarton and had zero support). There's an entire generation of Derry men about my age who have literally all been to at least one Derry game. My brother hates football and he came to the '86 Shield final. I'd a friend at the time who hated football, but he got sucked into the whole Derry City thing for a few years as well.

The phoenix will arise again..... :D

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Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Those were the days when we'd have 10,000+ at home games, and would take up to 4,000 fans to places like Monaghan and Longford (in the days when Longford were in Abbeycarton and had zero support).

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Remember it well.
I was taken to my first Derry games in the 85/86 season by an uncle (Who never goes now). First game was against Brian CLoughs Nottingham Forrest, think i went to a Shamrock Rovers game too (a friendly). Went on my own actually for a few years after that. Travelled with the now extinct Creggan Community SC. Met up with the core of BPSC around 98/99 and we formed club soon after that. The madness began.

Started following Harps about '93 when a neighbour of mine (Maurice Toland) began featuring regularly for the team. Went along to the odd home game and my first away game was the play-off in Athlone and that was me hooked. The way the Harps fans got behind the team that night was simply breathtaking and led to me becoming a fanatic. After that night I never wanted to miss a match!

For a few years our atmposphere declined dramatically until the "Independientes" came on the seen and has gradually grown into the vocal band of us who travel everywhere, in good times or in bad supporting the religion that is Finn Harps F.C.

I hadn't been a regular attender at EL matches for over 10 years until I found this site last year and had my interest revived by the enthusiasm of the people on here. Been to quite a few Rovers matches since then.

My brother took me to see Rovers when I was 15 against Fram Rekjavik in the European Cup in 1982. Got hooked straight away and was regular supporter from then on. Have a soft spot for Bray also since one of my best mates at college starting playing for them in around 1987/1988 and saw them alot until the mid nineties. Worked abroad for a few years and kind of lost interest when I got back to Ireland until last year.

Think i just got hooked to live football but not exactly sure how started..

Not sure why started going to the cross first but maybe City playing Derry in Cup Final in 1989 help plus had friend at school who used to go. Then City lead the league all thought 1990-91 & lost on last day to Dundalk.

Throughout the early 90's would go to many but not all games & only rare big away games. When had my own transport easier to go for rest of decade but probably moving to Dublin means i ironically go to more games.

Is there anyone here who supported an eL side BEFORE an english sides?

btw befoe i went to City games i don't think I have any memory of the LOI even existing which probably shows the level of media coverage even pre Premiership.

First game was against Newcatle West in the FAI Cup in Abbeycartron - 88 or 89. Played Derry in the semi in St Mels that year anyway.

Always tended to be over in the summer, so dropped off the radar. When I moved back, fell in with a group of fellow alcoholics who went to matches and that's how I started being a supporter. Did a few mad seasons, but now finding it hard to go due to lack of time more than anything - the joys of getting married and building a house. Painting/tiling/landscaping etc all have to take priority. And I used to critise others for being part timers, and never brought that excuse off them - you free and single youngsters should enjoy it while you can :eek: :o :D

Meant to add, it's just natural to me to support a "local" team and go to matches. There maybe a distance between my two teams now, but the basis of the support was where I'm from, not where I'm at ;)

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Originally Posted by pete

Is there anyone here who supported an eL side BEFORE an english sides?

btw befoe i went to City games i don't think I have any memory of the LOI even existing which probably shows the level of media coverage even pre Premiership.

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I got into Man U when I was around 12 when I got a few of their magazines (Keano was prob on the cover) which were pretty damn slick to say the least. Than got me fairly interested in footie (this was around the time of USA 94). I hadent heard of any eL team then though! My dad had told me about Hibs & Celtic and some of the famous old players like Bacuzzi & Wiggy but I knew that those clubs were in the past.

A few of my friends started going along to City games during Xmas of 1997, more for the crack than the football, and I went along to one of them. My first game was City v Shels on Dec 27, 1997. The shed was PACKED! I have never seen it so packed since. It was really, really (really) rocking, for the whole 90 minutes. The game finished 4-4 with both teams looking like they could win it. It was so dramitic and exciting and Ive been hooked since (I think most people fortunate to be at it will agree it was one of the best games ever in LoI). The only exposure I had to the League of Ireland before that was the odd highlights on Sunday Sports or whatever it was called around 10:30 on a Sunday night on RTE and I knew that St Pats were the superstars of the day. City rarely got a mention though, so I knew more about Pats than City for a long time!

Was brought up to first drogs match when I was about r 6 (i think) by my parents (i think they were persuaded to bring us up by a bloke my dad worked with). It bacame a bit of a family day out every sunday afternoon as a kid. Tbh we used be playing football on the street beforehand and it used be a bit of a pain been dragged up to watch the drogs as the 6 hour matches used never be finshed but when i got up there i used love it!!

Hooked ever since - my folks were never big away trippers and we used go to maybe the odd away match in dublin, craptown and monaghan.

these days (and in recent years) I head up wit a couple of mates who ive managed to get hooked as well as lads i just got to know on the terraces and manage to get to all the away matches as a result of this :) !

Started going to Bray games as a wee 8 year old(1994), when my uncle tarz signed a contract with them. As i relied on me mam to bring form the age of 8-12/13 i didn't really go to many away games as i was to young, but was at every home game from then. When i was old enough i satrted to go to away games alone and i think i've missed only 10-12 in the last 6 years due to work or holidays. Been a season ticket holder for 7 years now. I've expierienced drama of the highest order.... My nails have been bitten off so many times over the years. So many promotions, relegations, cup wins, semi final defeats, EUROPE, 4th place and so on... My greatest memory was the cup final win over Harps, 3 epic games that were there mostly for Harps to win. Bray had the lead for a total of 23 mins of the whole 300 mins of the final. Imagine...I was real proud of my uncle when he was selected to represent the EL against Ireland and Croatia and when he toured the USA aswell with them, the only first division player at the time! And the support lives on!

I always kept an eye on how my local club were doing. I never went to games because I never knew about ticket availability/prices. Didn't know wheteher you had to know someone or if there was a ticket booth, also didn't want to turn up at wrong end...

Then after Bohs escaped relegation I was pleased to see them creeping up the table and so I enquired.. got some tickets.. and have been hooked since April 00.

I think the crowd was the reason I stayed.. the reaction when we scored was brilll and I wanted to be a part of it. :)

That's good squishee

My Dad is an Athlone Town fan and indeed used to write a column in the local paper back in the days. My first game was as a toddler with my parents.

Despite the early initiation to the league of ireland experience, I was approx age 7 before I first went to see Galway Rovers. My father had promised to bring me to see Connacht play in the rugby, but when we got to the Sportsground the game had been switched. So to avoid me being all disappointed, he brought me to Terryland where Galway Rovers were playing Sligo Rovers.

After that, I used to keep a scrapbook of all the match reports and photos (god knows where that has gone now though) while generally only being brought to games if we were playing home or away to Athlone (obvious reasons). When I was about 10 or 11 I was allowed to go on my own and later dragged my brothers.

Last few seasons I've only managed a game or two, but when living back home I went as often as I could - including the terrible 13(?) defeats in row back in 1995/6 before missing the game where got back on the winning trail in Sligo.

That was probably the most depressing season other than this one.

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Lally must go.

i was a media brainwashed man united fan for years. i went to a few City games with friends around 1995/6, enjoyed it. i think my friends just went for the atmosphere but i enjoyed the live soccer, and players like patsy freyne and john caulfield were always entertaining.

eventually i went to more and more city games, and started to care less and less about united. supporting city also had made me hate celtic by this stage so when eventually i jacked in united, sold my myriad of jersies and memorabilia & pledged allegience to the one true faith, it was no surprise.

when it happened was a surprise for others though: about a week after they won the CL :D i was just like: they won the biggest prize in the world and i didnt feel that delighted. whats the point?

The first few games I was at in Kilcohan blur into each other. I remember going with my Dad and his brother and my cousins. I remember Alan Reynolds being on the bench and coming on as a sub - possibly getting sent off then.

My Dad has always been a big soccer man and when I was growing up there were 13 jerseys hanging on the washing line every monday. Really got into the blues when they moved to the RSC and when they started playing the Friday night games.

I've had a season ticket ever since then and I used coordinate my trips home from college with home games. Even though I'm living abroad at the moment I still get a season ticket every year. I plan on moving back to Ireland in time for next season though so I'll be back in the RSC from then on.

I also used to go to a few matches in UCD when I was a student there.