How/When did you start supporting your LOI club?

[Wolfhound]

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.

[De Town]

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 As I grew up, I have kept going to them and will continue to go forever now

[aido_b]

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!

[Poor Student]

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.

[adamcarr]

I was to CCFC games every week when I was younger then I never went to a single game for 2 seasons but then on RTE( ) 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!

[aberharp]

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.

[A face]

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]

[Anto McC]

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.

[superfrank]

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.

[chippie0001]

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.

[jofyisgod]

Im 14 now

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.

[Anto McC]

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

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

[jofyisgod]

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

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

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

[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.

[adamcarr]

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

Thats the one, tell everybody!

[Gareth]

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.

[Stevo Da Gull]

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 )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
)

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

[EnDai]

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!

[Dodge]

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...

[RedX]

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...