Why did you start following your club?

[redobit]

1533 views on the thread and only 58 votes on the poll

[Bray-Z]

Few players came to the school. Did a few keepy uppies, few fancy tricks. Gave us free tickets, went, saw the players, loved it, simple as that.

[oriel]

I lived for almost 20 years on the next street to Oriel Park, in summer time as kids we 'moved' into oriel itself, played football in the 'pit' (now where the Youth Development Centre is) into late evenings every night. Just grew up walking up to the ground every Sunday from the late 70`s. First game I remember was v Hajuck Split in 1977 (1-0 win, but similar scoreline to Sofia in away leg !) My dad also worked on the turnstiles at the time, which helped.............

[**FrOsTy**]

Think I was about 6 when I started going to home games regulary. I remember one of my friends from school got tickets to a Man United match for his birthday and wouldn't shut up about it. So for mere consolation my Step Dad brought me to a Blues game. It was against Dundalk. We won 2-1 with Dominic Iorfa scoring. This been my first ever time been at any live event I just loved every bit of it. Went to school to following Monday and talked a few of my friends into going down. As it happened 3/4 of us went with our Parents for about a year until we started goin by ourselves. Took about 5/6 years after that when we started getting into in it big time when we started joining the Block E lads (singing section) and then the away days began. Always think back and wonder that if my mate hadn't of gotten tickets to the Man Utd game would I of ever have gone to the Blues games. Delighted that I am. I mean what's better than a 16 hour round trip to Donegal on a Friday night to see your team play in the rain?

[monkey9]

Even though i'm a northside Dub, born and bred, my dad was originally from Drimnagh. He used to go to Pat's matches when he was a kid and brought me to a couple of Pat's games when i was a child myself. The first match was againt Dundalk at Harold Cross, i think we got hammered 4-1 or something like that.

I never went to games growing up, really just looked out for their results in the paper on a Saturday morning. One time, i just decided to go to a match, then i went to another and before long, i was a season ticket holder and hooked.

My dad died two years ago and i like the connection that going to Pat's games gives me, i'm carrying on what he used to do when he was younger. And like another poster said, i look forward to the day when i have a son or daughter of my own to bring to the matches.

[oriel]

The first match was againt Dundalk at Harold Cross, i think we got hammered 4-1 or something like that.

Probably one of the last times we beat you in the league Monkey

Also good point re taking your child to their first game, im taking my eldest (5) to his first Dundalk game later in the summer (Bohs), we`ll see how that goes.......

[DazH]

lads sorry to go a bit off-topic but I'm doing my thesis on the League of Ireland I'd really appreciate if ye could help me by filling out a survey for me, should only take a few minutes....people on this forum know what they're talking about so it'd be great if I could get some responses

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QHN8GR6

[Onefootednopace]

DazH - Survey completed. Best of luck with the thesis.

[Onefootednopace]

My late father used to attend both Cork Hibs and Cork Celtic games in the 60's-70's, so when Cork City started in 1984 he dragged me along to the Lodge for a look. After one mediocre game too many he lost patience and I didn't see another City game until the move to the Cross in 1986. And as they say...the rest is history.

[Martinho II]

lads sorry to go a bit off-topic but I'm doing my thesis on the League of Ireland I'd really appreciate if ye could help me by filling out a survey for me, should only take a few minutes....people on this forum know what they're talking about so it'd be great if I could get some responses

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QHN8GR6

#
completed dazH best of luck with it!

[GalwayRed]

The earliest Shels game I remember going to was a friendly with Middlesbrough in 1998. My Dad took me along. He had a bit of an interest in Rovers but he tried to get me into Shels because they were the closest team to us. Well Rovers were close too but he had this crazy idea that they would soon be moving to tallaght. Took a while to get into it but I really started to enjoy my trips to Tolka. 2007 was the first year I did a couple of away trips outside of dublin. Moving to Galway for college has made it tough but I still get to most matches.

[osarusan]

I was a big Man. United fan when I was 9 or 10, mainly (or even entirely) because my brother was a big Liverpool fan, though I can guarantee that neither of us would have been able to find the places on a map.

Anyway, our father, who had been a Cork Celtic fan for basically all of their existence, took a good look at what his kids were doing, and took us off to Hogan Park. That was 1989, and it probably helped that we were good back then. The first game I can remember is losing 3-1 to Derry, which effectively ended our title hopes (this is how I remember it anyway), though apparently we had been at a few games before that.

What was interesting was that our interest in Man U and Liverpool disappeared practically overnight. We just forgot about them as we found live local football. Both of us (and later my sister) have supported them ever since, from near and far, and as Nick Hornby said, we've often bitterly regretted it, but never for very long.

[Dodge]

And like another poster said, i look forward to the day when i have a son or daughter of my own to bring to the matches.

weather permitting my 10 month old daughter will be making her debut in Richmond this Sunday.