The team you “could” have supported

[Bartonyellow]

Maybe it’s a no, you support the team you was always a meant to, but I’m curious to know - if things had been different could you have supported a different team?
I could and probably should have been a blues fan..mum and dad from Birmingham and my grandad a season ticket holder for years ( my Nan was a Swansea fan ).
Yet here I am as a brewer thanks to a house move when a kid as my parents divorced. We moved up here away from the smoke.
So, had they stayed together I probably would be a bluenose it’s fair to say.

 

[valefan16]

I’m born and bred in Leicestershire and most of my family and friends support the Foxes but hey who wants a miracle Premier League title and away trips to Atletico Madrid and Porto when I was watching us scramble to defeat at Newport and Carlisle instead.

 

[Bartonyellow]

I’m born and bred in Leicestershire and most of my family and friends support the Foxes but hey who wants a miracle Premier League title and away trips to Atletico Madrid and Porto when I was watching us scramble to defeat at Newport and Carlisle instead.

And not to think of the mileage you have put on your car over the years..
Fair play to you.
See a few Leicester shirts around Burton - although it’s not so baby now they are average at best…
Must say when they won the title it was fantastic.

 

[Soz]

my dad picked vale after going to a couple of vale/stoke games. my grandad wasn't bothered about footy and with no other strong family links to anyone else it was never really in doubt for me but could have been different had my dad been on crack the day he picked

 

[Si Robin]

My first team were Tottenham - my uncle supported them, my Mum told me my dad supported them (turns out he didn't, not sure where she got it wrong), and I bloody loved Gazza.

I started going to Cheltenham in August 1994, just before my 10th birthday, taken by the uncle who supported Spurs, and that Christmas my nan asked if I wanted a Tottenham or Cheltenham shirt. I got my first Cheltenham shirt, and Spurs became the club I supported alongside Cheltenham.

As I got older, Cheltenham became my main team, and Tottenham just a club I have a strong sweet spot for. When we drew them in the FA Cup 3rd round at White Hart Lane in 2012 it was genuinely a dream come true, especially for my uncle who'd supported Spurs since 1967. He passed away in 2015, and we have a photo of him in a half and half scarf at a pub on that day with a bottle of Newcastle Brown, looking happy as Larry. We have a family chat and the pic is the profile picture on there and it always brings a smile to my face when I see it.

 

[K-Win]

I was briefly a Leeds fan when I first got into football. Only because they were top of the table at the time and my big brother also supported them. Pretty quickly switched to Pompey when my Dad started taking me, as did my brother.

Can't say I've had any liking for them for many a year now. Just a typical kid latching onto the most successful team at the time for playground bragging rights.

 

[BarrieOwl]

I’m born and bred in Leicestershire and most of my family and friends support the Foxes but hey who wants a miracle Premier League title and away trips to Atletico Madrid and Porto when I was watching us scramble to defeat at Newport and Carlisle instead.

You could have been kindred spirits over stints in administration

 

[ExeterDan]

Funnily enough it could have been Plymouth. My grandad was born there and was a lifelong supporter, and passed this to my dad. My dad has never actually lived there, but met my mum in Wiltshire and happened to move to Exeter before I was born. I got into football a little later (high school age) so took my team from friends instead.

 

[Dan Phillips]

Dad and Grandad were Vale and my Mum went regularly whilst with my Dad. Quite active as well the pair of them were. Naughty back then. My Dad was one of the main boys back then, hence his nickname and the prick knowing every fucker in Stoke-on-Trent. Used to piss me off on away days as a nipper as I'd never get a word in edgeways as he'd know every random in every pub we walked in.

I've followed Chelsea almost as long as I've supported Vale though. Since 1997 thanks to idolising Gianfranco Zola. Been home and away, been a member before I had my son. Premier League, Champions League etc.. lost the best mate I went to games with via a brain tumour 4 years ago and haven't been a game since as I can't bring myself to attend games without him which is sad in itself but it wouldn't be the same without him there.

 

[Si Robin]

I’m born and bred in Leicestershire and most of my family and friends support the Foxes but hey who wants a miracle Premier League title and away trips to Atletico Madrid and Porto when I was watching us scramble to defeat at Newport and Carlisle instead.

So why Vale?

 

[Super_horns]

My Dad was born in Essex and watched Southend a lot as a young boy so probably them if my mum had met him there rather than up here .

My Mum has been a long time Watford fan.

Southend seem as chaotic as us without as much on pitch success - all relative of course !

But not sure really - probably just a big club instead.

 

[valefan16]

So why Vale?

When I was a kid in the 90s they had a game on channel 4 on a Sunday from the division 1 (championship now). Midlands side was always on so we regularly featured and just fell in love with them on there really and stuck with it. The days of Foyle, Naylor, Guppy, Bogie, McCarthy etc and narrowly missing out on a play off spot, the glory days… obviously been downhill since! But when old enough jumped on the train to go and watch them and never looked back.

It’s a different shirt in the locality which always brings up conversation I guess, but yep no link to Burslem at all.

Wouldn’t change it either, this is proper supporters and football and making friends through it. Yeah it can be shit but those rare moments like May at Wembley mean far more than say a side that wins most weeks.

 

[Luke Imp]

It was always Lincoln for me.

My immediate family aren't really football fans so it wasn't as if I followed my Dad/Grandad into supporting Lincoln. I was always watching football growing up but didn't support anyone in particular. I got into watching Lincoln through a friend and his family - my first away game was a 1-0 win at Hull, the first derby game at the newly opened KC Stadium, which Lincoln fans will fondly remember inside the ground...not so much outside it!

Then of course from that you end up going to Halifax on a Tuesday night in the LDV Vans Trophy, only for it to be called off as you arrive because of dense fog...to then do the same trip the following Tuesday night to lose 1-0 in a shocker of a game and concede directly from a corner. Up in Hartlepool on a Friday night, MK Dons on a Monday night straight after New Year even though the game is on Sky and you're in the uncovered away end at the National Hockey Stadium with it pissing it down and blowing a gale, sleeping on a horsebox at Sincil Bank to make sure you get tickets for Macclesfield away in the Play-Offs etc etc!

The Club also used to run soccer schools so we'd get a visit in primary school once a month or so from Lincoln coaches so I had always looked out for their results because of that but there was no real investment in it from me at the time.

Not sure what season I'm on as a season ticket holder now, 20 years I think.

 

[coronakopite]

Almost everyone at school "supported" Man U or Liverpool. A few, on the back of Bill Nicholson's 1960s FA Cup and Double exploits, supported Spurs and my perverse mate supported Palace. None had the vaguest interest in Barrow AFC and the dominance of United and Liverpool supporters in the area remains to this day.

I was converted from following the egg chasers at Craven Park to Football at Holker Street by the 1966 World Cup. That (Alan Ball), along with the Brian Labone's 1966 FA Cup Final and my own perversity, also triggered an interest in Everton - at least at school.

Barrow's descent to the Alliance Premier League and Northern Premier League, combined with a move to the deep south, killed my serious interest in football for 30 years and I only started following Cambridge United because they were my local team. If I'd moved back north, I'd probably have joined the Barrow Non-League journey rather than latching on to David Moyse's Everton. But I was "lucky" to have joined the Amber Army for 3 years of L2 struggles and 9 years of Conference purgatory before the glorious days at Wembley and Old Trafford in 2014/15.

 

[Bartonyellow]

Interesting to see how people have a soft spot for other clubs and how it could have been different. When we first played blues a few years ago we won home and away - it didn’t affect me at all as I have no emotional ties but I know what it means to the family so I guess you do have a stake in the club.
I was chuffed when they stayed up a few years ago - and this video filmed by a Bolton fan as it unfolded is fantastic.

 

[BarrieOwl]

Almost everyone at school "supported" Man U or Liverpool. A few, on the back of Bill Nicholson's 1960s FA Cup and Double exploits, supported Spurs and my perverse mate supported Palace. None had the vaguest interest in Barrow AFC and the dominance of United and Liverpool supporters in the area remains to this day.

I was converted from following the egg chasers at Craven Park to Football at Holker Street by the 1966 World Cup. That (Alan Ball), along with the Brian Labone's 1966 FA Cup Final and my own perversity, also triggered an interest in Everton - at least at school.

Barrow's descent to the Alliance Premier League and Northern Premier League, combined with a move to the deep south, killed my serious interest in football for 30 years and I only started following Cambridge United because they were my local team. If I'd moved back north, I'd probably have joined the Barrow Non-League journey rather than latching on to David Moyse's Everton. But I was "lucky" to have joined the Amber Army for 3 years of L2 struggles and 9 years of Conference purgatory before the glorious days at Wembley and Old Trafford in 2014/15.

Fuck the 1966 Cup final

 

[GEORGE]

In the very early 60's me & my dad went City one week Rovers the next. In fact my very first FL game was at Ashton Gate in Dec 61 ( Home to Notts Co. ) This carried on to about 69/70 season when I started to travel away with Rovers. Have only been to AG twice in the last 30 odd years and both times to see Rovers there.

 

[Laker]

I got taken to my first Cambridge game just before my seventh birthday so it goes back 32 years for me now. But most people at my school “supported” Premier League sides and I got swept along a bit in my teens as it coincided with Keegan’s Newcastle side being so good. Then as I reached my late teens I realised how stupid it was following a side four hours drive away and really got back into Cambridge properly again when I got back from uni when I was 21.

Neither of my parents are from Cambridge. My dad is from Sussex originally and grew up as a Pompey fan but I’ve never had an affiliation there. He also went round the country going to Liverpool games and trie to get me on board but it never happened. I can’t stand them.

 

[BRFC_Gas]

I am originally from South Bristol..... deep in City territory. I was literally the only gashead at my school, luckily we had the upper hand over them in those days.
Im also based in North Bristol now so dont even have to see many of the filthy beasts.

 

[Topher]

My granddad on my dad's side was a Man City fan in Macclesfield, whose four children all grew up to be Macc fans. Then one day my 14yo dad, eager to finish off his collection of football programmes, realised the missing Vale one could be found only a 20 mile cycle away. He never looked back and I didn't really have a choice but to follow, despite being born in Chesterfield and growing up mostly near Brighton. Got a soft spot for Macc and Chesterfield but fucking hate Brighton, such an insipid fanbase full of JCLs

 

[cookiemonster]

Moved to the area about 15 years ago. FGR is just up the road and there is no other sport than can hold a candle to live football.

 

[Muzzle]

When I was 5 years old, and my friends dad was going to take 5 of us to Old Trafford for a friendly match, my mum said, if you come back back supporting those lot, i'll pack a bag for you and you can go and live in the woods, as a 5 year old, i figured I'd better follow Bolton, as I was hungry, and my mum had just done the shopping and bought some chocolate mint ice cream (which was a treat back in the 70's)

 

[Stroud]

A devoted father & son supporters of FGR have for over a couple of decades travelled to every home game from Kent: - a six hour round trip.
Dad was a Tottenham supporter but one day his very young son asked him to take a trip to Gloucestershire to watch Forest Green Rovers, because he liked the name. The son thoroughly enjoyed the match and insisted that they both go again.
They’ve been coming ever since but now dad sits in the passenger seat while son does all the driving. And yes dad still has a soft spot in his heart for Tottenham.

 

[JaredSUFC]

I was raised in suburban South London/Surrey in the 90s so obviously Manchester United were the obvious choice.

Neither of my parents are Football fans really so I had to make my own way. The first game I ever attended was Wimbledon FC v QPR in the Premier League in the early part of the 93/94 season, Wimbledon being my local Premier League side at the time, so I could have ended up as a Womble.

I discovered Sutton had a team later on in the 93/94 season and it was love at first sight. Although for a number of years afterwards, as is non-league tradition I was a 2CW, my choice was Manchester United based on local tradition. Fortunately I had moved passed that phase by my late teens, just in time for my move to Manchester.

 

[SVH]

Born and raised in Cambridge but my Mum and har parents are from North London (Gooners).

My grandad moved to Cambridge for work and my first ever game was against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup in 1991. At 7 years old I could barely see but was hooked ever since.

My family are all Arsenal supporters and my brother is a season ticket holder. I try to get to the odd game here and there and follow them from afar but could never give up my 'United' season ticket.

 

[gainsparkshrew]

I grew up on The Wirral so naturally was a Tranmere fan!, real fans didn't support those two from across the River Mersey.

Got married, stopped going to matches, bought a house,had kids and got a big promotion at work which meant moving to Shropshire. So 10 years from having attended my last match I went to the Gay Meadow on a sunny autumn Saturday afternoon and just fell in love with Shrewsbury Town.

All 3 of my kids and my 6 grandchildren are all Town fans, so I've done something for the club by increasing their support

 

[K-Win]

When I was 5 years old, and my friends dad was going to take 5 of us to Old Trafford for a friendly match, my mum said, if you come back back supporting those lot, i'll pack a bag for you and you can go and live in the woods, as a 5 year old, i figured I'd better follow Bolton, as I was hungry, and my mum had just done the shopping and bought some chocolate mint ice cream (which was a treat back in the 70's)

Sending young children to live in the woods was no idle threat in the 70s.

 

[WhiteRussian]

My mum who brought me up had no interest in football (as most women back then). When I grew up in Weston Super Mare I used to catch the coach as a kid to Bristol City and go in the east end with all the grown ups. . Then mum moved to Ipswich with her job and I used to take myself off to Portman road to get my football fix.

The thing with me it was just about watching footy as I never really 'clicked' with either clubs.

So moved to MK with my family and daughter wanted to go to a footy match so took her to Northampton. Then when MK/Wimbledon came here we went to the hockey stadium to watch them and have been going ever since.

MK is my town now and I have no qualms about supporting MK Dons and the shit that sometimes comes with it.

 

[MatthewArgyle]

I supported Manchester United when I was younger even though I'm from Plymouth because they're one of the best teams. When I was 13 I got a season ticket for Plymouth Argyle so went to 12 games in the season we won the league. I thought to myself why am I supporting Manchester United when I should support Plymouth Argyle so since then supported Argyle.

 

[Muzzle]

Sending young children to live in the woods was no idle threat in the 70s.

that was true