How did you get into football?

[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!