Why do you support the team you do?

**dfx-** · 09/02/2007, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by kdjaC

Missus wants to move outside Dublin, 1st thing i thought off " **** that travel to pats games" so we ehh not moving ever. btw this not moving thing costing me a few hundred grand.

Dedication

and possibly a missus as well?

I support Rovers for a very simple reason and that is there is no other club worthy of supporting.

**Billy Lord** · 09/02/2007, 10:23 PM

Brought to Rovers from infancy, although I was about ten before I felt a true affinity. When I was a kid, going to Rovers was the thing to do, there was a lot of glamour associated with the club back then (big European games, a huge media interest, we had Mick Leech and Frank O'Neill, who were superstars).
I'm one of those football whores who supports loads of clubs (Man U, Roma, Hammarby, St Johnstone - and that's just for starters), but nothing matches the passion and pride I feel for Rovers, and every other experience pales. I genuinely feel that we have the greatest fan experience in the world; there's never a dull moment and it's truly ours now that we own the club. It's a genuine community, and we truly love our club. I pity those who don't understand, and that sense of belonging is very satisfying.
Quite simply, Rovers is greater than the sum of its parts and that's a wonderful feeling.

**R�iteoir** · 09/02/2007, 10:58 PM

My father was/is a Bohs fan, and so was his father

So I had no real choice in the matter - although I would have gravitated to them anyway if left to my own devices.

As others have said here - the sense of being a part of something, of a community, the pluralist, institution ethos - is good enough for me

**Kildare Lad** · 09/02/2007, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by d f x-

and possibly a missus as well?

Hahaha,

We could write a book on this thread, it would jerk a few tears....

**pete** · 09/02/2007, 11:47 PM

Cork City have attracted supporters from neighbouring counties such as Kerry in recent times. In fact some are fairly prominent in the club now...

**CharlesThompson** · 10/02/2007, 12:24 AM

Grandad. Dad. Now me.

I live in Leixlip which is a fair bit out from Dalyer. My missus was talking about moving a little bit further out so we could have a tiny mortgage or even no mortgage. If I did, it'd be a disaster for getting to and from matches. So Bohs, I have a ****ing huge mortgage because of YOU!!!!!

**sonofstan** · 10/02/2007, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

Grandad. Dad. Now me.

I live in Leixlip which is a fair bit out from Dalyer. My missus was talking about moving a little bit further out so we could have a tiny mortgage or even no mortgage. If I did, it'd be a disaster for getting to and from matches. So Bohs, I have a ****ing huge mortgage because of YOU!!!!!

Well, I've got no mortgage now, and I'm 5 mins from Dalyer - but the club is going to move away from me! 'snot fair....

**sligoman** · 10/02/2007, 12:53 AM

I've been going since I was at least 6 years old. Took a break. Then been going to every home game since 1998 or so. Was a "big" Man Utd fan but now it's just not the same as supporting yer local team, LIVE. Still watch their games if it was on but just not as big into them as I used to.

**YankExile** · 10/02/2007, 2:53 AM

LOL, I can definitely say there is no LOI club near me... not within a few thousand km! For most of my life, I had little or no interest in the game. Then I began spending time on the internet with people from other countries, and it started to sound interesting. But I had no American team locally, no MLS club anywhere close to me (at least till Toronto starts up), and I saw no real reason to attach myself to any of the big clubs in Europe. Sure, they're strong clubs, but the emotional connection wasn't there. Then one day, I began thinking of my Irish ancestry and being able to trace my roots back to Cork, and I wondered if there was a club in Cork, and what the league in the Republic was like.

Since then, I've been hooked. The FAI and the eL may be ****e (after discovering this board, and reading the posts, I figure they probably are), but I still feel more attached to them than any more powerful league anyway.

**GuisaSaigon** · 10/02/2007, 9:18 AM

My uncle used to go to all the games back in the 80's he used to bring half the town in to Terryland in the back of an old VW van.
He brought me to my first game when i was 9, a friendly Vs Celtic in 86. We lost 2-0 but I was hooked.It appealed to me much more than GAA. after a while my uncle stopped going and i would scab lifts or hitch 12 miles to Terryland, nothing would stop me getting my football fix.
I support Galway United because they are my local team. I've never been to Liverpool or Manchester and i wouldnt see the sense in supporting them even if I had visited those cities. I watch English football on tv but nothing compares to having a few beers and going to Terryland for a game.
It's not just the football that keeps me going to games It's got as much to do with the characters on the terraces and the craic in the pubs as what goes on on the pitch.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 10/02/2007, 10:12 AM

Ok I lived near Tolka Park for the first three years of my life, and though Grandad was a Drums fan didn't get to a game to my knowledge. Then we emigrated to Canada. While in Canada I got to know some Italians in my class in school. Alberto invited me to his home to see some sport highlights one Weekend. There was a soccer (they call it that in North America you see )game Italy were playing in the Mexico hosted World Cup 1970. I think it was the semi-final they beat West Germany 4-3. Next week I went back to see the highlights of the final , they lost 4-1 to Brazil. I have loved soccer ever since and Italian soccer particularly.

The next year we came back to Ireland. One of the classmates got me interested in Leeds United, fortunately we had a teacher who was a Waterford supporter and they were League Champions when I was in 4th and 5th class with him as teacher. He taught me to play football and because of him we all looked out for LOI results on Sunday evenings and slagged him on rare occasions that his beloved Blues got beaten . Anyway when I was 10 a neighbour brought me to Tolka Park to see Shelbourne play Finn Harps in a League game. Brendan Bradley played for Harps who won 2-1 that day. Over the years I went to an average of one game involving a LOI club per year, and got to see Bohs at Home , Rovers at home and Home Farm at home . On one summer holiday even saw Sligo Rovers play a pre-season friendly.

I got into UCD the year we joined the League of Ireland, and one of my friends was on the committee. And though I was introduced by him to a few of the players who were fellow students did not go till the following season. Vancouver Whitecaps featuring several ex Leeds players from the 1970's played in Belfield Park in March 1981. UCD held them to a 1-1 draw and that was the beginning of it. I have been a UCD fan ever since.
I suppose the club winning the Cup and playing in Europe early on during my support may have helped the process, I know my friend's brother joining the club on scholarship in 1985 certainly would have been the catalyst otherwise.
I live on the Northside some 15 miles from the stadium but UCD have become my club in a way that probably no other club could have. In one of my early visits to Belfield Park I was asked to help out manning a turnstile, since then I have sold half-time draw tickets, club replica shirts, keyrings, scarves, hats, programmes, fanzines, refreshments on behalf of the club.
I have also written for and edited the programme, written for the fanzine, and done the public address. I also served on a fund raising committee for two years.

However unlike very many other fans posting here other EL clubs are important to me to after all without them we'd have nobody to play against

!
I have also supported other EL clubs playing in Europe over the years; Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians, St.Patrick's Athletic, Bray Wanderers, Dundalk and Cork City as well as UCD on two occasions. Because when other EL clubs succeed in Europe in year 1 it might make it easier to advance in Europe for EL clubs in year 2, which might include my own. I call it constructive self interest.

To me there is only one MUFC that matters and that's MONAGHAN United .
The only Hooped team that count are Shamrock Rovers and Sligo mean more to me than Blackburn Rovers and Drogheda United mean more to me than Dundee United. Dundalk mean more than Derby County... you get the picture

And of course this year we should all free the Limerick 37

**micls** · 10/02/2007, 11:57 AM

Originally Posted by BohDiddley

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 (

) or at EPL.
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.

Very similar story to mine. Despite living in Cork City knew very little of City when I was younger, then started going out with a ciy fanatic. Finally managed to drag me to the home game against Malmo and that was it....I was hooked. Love every minute of it now and couldnt imagine going back to just watching football on tv.

Just a case of love at first sight, the passion, the fact that it was my local team everything about the experience.

I too feel sorry for those who can live without it

**Tis-smeee** · 10/02/2007, 1:34 PM

Dad brought me to my first game in kilcohan then it turned into a vicious cycle and im still going the madness of it

**ollie** · 10/02/2007, 2:18 PM

Cork city are the nearest team to me.My dad brought me to the first game back in Turners Cross against St.Pats.been going since when i can.

**Neish** · 10/02/2007, 3:15 PM

Originally Posted by Neish

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 made 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 won 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 been 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 Now I describe myself as a fan of Man U and Celtic but a Finn Harps supporter

Or as Frank Skinner said

"Only one thing should matter when your choosing which team to follow, Geography"

**khoop** · 10/02/2007, 3:32 PM

I used to follow Bohs, but I changed to Rovers because green and white hoops are much sexier than red and black stripes.

**Jamjar** · 10/02/2007, 4:34 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

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.

Isn't that the whole point.....before english football got so overhyped Anfield, Old Trafford, Highbury etc. would have been full of supporters from the respective localities.
I've supported Rovers since I was 9 or 10 when my friends dad used to bring us to Glenmalure pk.

**Poor Student** · 10/02/2007, 4:41 PM

Originally Posted by Neish

"Only one thing should matter when your choosing which team to follow, Geography"

That's rubbish. Where do you draw the line? I live up the road from a LSL club and I live a tenth of a mile closer to Richmond Pk. How many people in England live closer to a Conference league, Ryman league or even lower level and forsake them for a bigger club? You support whoever feels right for you.

**dcfcsteve** · 10/02/2007, 6:26 PM

Started supporting Derry when I was 13 because, errr - I'm from Derry...!

We'd just joined the League of Ireland, and literally every male in the town with even a vague interest in sport followed the club. Ireland will never see anything like it again.

22 years later, and having lived in numerous parts of the world, one of the few constants in my life has been being a Derry City supporter.

City 'til I die...!

**floatinghoop** · 10/02/2007, 7:26 PM

Geography is what made me a Rovers fan, mostly-- for southsiders of a certain age (i.e. before Bray made it to the big time) it was the logical choice.

Also knew Peter Farrell's brother to say hello to, and my dad used to kick a ball around with the great man himself when they were kids, so I suppose that counted for something also.

There is a thread on the SRFC board about the best pubs in Dublin, and I suppose I am saying that I agree with the poster there that the best pub in Dublin is your local.