How did you start following the Bombers?

[Loonerty]

I'm sure there's been this thread several times before, but in an attempt to get the Goddard thread back on topic...

For me it was 2007ish when I first got into AFL. Red and black is a great colour combination, and "The Bombers" is an excellent nickname so I went with it.

How do you come from New South and barrack for the Warriors? Were you a North Sydney fan?

Lots of NZ family. Also support the Crusaders in Super 15.

 

[Rocky_Star_Pro]

Family and extended family are all Carltank. Their excessive carrying on post that game in 1999 led to me hearing the word "Essendon" numerously. Being 4 years old at the time I liked it, soon saw the colours and was intrigued. I was just an Essendon fan until around 2003 when I was 8-9 and began following the Bombers religiously from there. Prior to us ending their season in round 4 this year, all I heard was "But but we have Juddy Gibbsy Murphy Kreuzer Betts bla bla bla". Needless to say, belting them was an amazing feeling, so much tears that day/night

 

[BOMBERS 4 LIFE!!!!]

Before i started primary school i barracked for the Swans and Melbourne in the 80's,then in '93' when i was older my mates told me "Who do you follow in footy?" i said "No one really" at that point i was starting to lose interest in the sport until my mates said "You should barrack for the Dons" so i watched a few Essendon games that season and my love for them grew by the week until Grand Final day when Essendon won the flag in '93' i was like "Yep this is my team to follow" and have never looked back since.

 

[ghostdog]

'84. On holidays from Queensland to Melbourne. I was a sticker collector as a kid. Got to listen to Vic family members talk football and my older cousin brought me to a milk bar where they were selling footy club stickers. I bought a Bombers one. My Uncle consolidated that with a beanie and scarf. I didn't really start following strongly, though, until about 2000 - 2001. I remember watching Van Der Haar on TV though. He'd fly for the mark without realising he was a human being.

 

[Can Opener]

have always gone for essendon but never gave a shit until 1996. Mum was going home to queensland to go to grandads funeral. Nanna and grandad had bought me a essendon top for my b'day in early september. I wore my guernsy to the airport to say farewell to mum, had the number four on my back. coincidently ess were flying to sydney to play in a prelim. f**k you plugger) Dad told me to go up and ask for autographs but being 9 years old i was to scared. Kevin sheedy ended up introducing himself to me, and introducing me to the whole team and took me to get autographs from the whole team, bar gavin wangeneen (#4) as he was running late for his plane, i was upset that i didnt get gavins number as he was my fav player, i didnt even care i got everyone elses. but that quickly went away as he signed with port next year. ever since then loved sheedy and loved the bombers. i have other stories where sheedys benevolence have gone unnotice by the media he really was a great man

 

[FedEXFalls]

Dad always followed the Bombers despite his whole family going for Collingwood. As I grew up he taught me all I needed to know about Aussie rules and took me to games so I naturally started going for the Bombers.

Off topic:
I was speaking to him the other day about when he played footy. He played a few games and trained with the Collingwoods under 19's side along with Daicos (so he says) and whoever else, Dad was a mad Bomber man but got selected through the zoning stuff of the time with a hatred for the Pies. I asked him why he never really made it and he said there were a number of reasons but an interesting point he made was that some players at the time had to have normal jobs to support themselves while the other guys went to school and had more privliged lives, Dad was a glazier so he would work throughout the day carrying glass up ladders etc and when it would come time to train later that day/night he and some other blokes would already be buggered while the players that went to school and had things (I guess you could say) easier would just run them off their feet. Obviously he said that wasn't the only reason but it's interesting to hear how things like that hindered some players, some just had more responsibilities outside of footy than others. I wish he had have made it because the scenario of him having to play for the Pies would have been hilarious... Especially if he had to line-up against the Dons. Whatever talent he had at footy never passed on to me or my brothers coz we farkin sucked.

 

[Rack Watts]

Mine's fairly cool.
It was because I had a severe allergic reaction to salmon when I was about 5. When in the hospital the doctor told me it was important to remember the name of the fish that I was allergic to, he showed me Paul Salmon in on the back page of the paper.

Thank god I am not allergic to Kernahan's or Breretons.

 

[Shane Hird]

The old man took me to my first game in 1977 at VFL Park.

Max Crow and Ken Fletcher were the first Bombers I remember knowing..

 

[Ivan Danko]

Family exposure early, I remember I was given a great James Hird poster for my wall when I was very young. Favourite colour was red...the club logo of a stealth bomber appealed to me aswell.

 

[byronstjames]

Great grandfather got off the boat from the UK early last century. I believe that Essendon's colours were the same as his soccer team that he supported back home, so he chose the Dons. The rest is history. From as early as I can remember I have always followed them with a passion. In prep I used to carry around a membership keyring from the 1930's constantly. It was my favourite possession when I was a kid.

In grade one I remember me and my best friend got picked up by our mums in the middle of school to go and meet Paul Salmon who was appearing at the supermarket.

It scares me to think what life would be like if my great grandfather had of really liked black and white.

 

[zackah]

Dad was a Saints supporter as we lived about 2 minutes from Moorabbin when I was born. Luckily for me Dad wasn't a sadist and didn't force me to support the woeful Saints at the time (early 80's). First game I watched with him was the 84 Grand Final and my 6 year old impressionable mind was totally hooked after that game (Terry Daniher was my favourite player from then). Followed up a year later with another GF win and you couldn't remove the red & black from my veins. I will forever be grateful to 84/85 teams for ensuring I didn't grow up a Hawks supporter!

 

[eth-dog]

Always have been. I watched the 93 GF about 150 times when I was 4

 

[Heppell21]

I actually used to go for Carlton. My dad, older brother and younger brother went for Carlton so I just followed them. My mum (who isn't really into footy) went for Essendon. When I was about 5 I felt bad that my mum was alone and the only one going for Essendon so I decided to change over. Now I bleed red and black and I've made her interested in footy.

 

[Colonelmot]

I was a tigers supporter (because i s'pose little kids like tigers) up until the first week of primary school in 1984. In the playground I asked my new friend Brent who he barracked for and he replied "Bombers. Who do you barrack for?"
"Bombers!" I replied. Been Bombers ever since. I s'pose the fact they kept winning flags around this time kinda helped!
I few years later when I realised they weren't winning flags I flirted with being Carlton supporter for a week or so.....Thank f*ck that didn't stick!

 

[BrewSmackerVeiny]

Was born in Adelaide but moved over to Melbourne when i was fairly young, was given a crows footy when I left, but at the stage I wasn't into footy at all, dad didn't care for it so I never saw much of it.
When i was about 9(in 97) my school had a 'Footy day' coming up, so mum took me to Kmart to pick up a crows scarf, turns out they only had the Victorian teams merchandise so I picked a scarf with the best colours, Red and Black and got into them from there, despite them having a pretty average year.

 

[TD_B52]

Born and raised in Sydney, started to follow AFL when i was overseas after a drunken 2010 grand final night, moved to melbourne with my girlfriend and all her family barrack for the dons. Quite simple really

(great colours aswell!)

 

[Shermy]

Started barracking for the Dons after the 92 grand final (not bad timing) due to a neighbor in the street I lived in. Thank fwark I didn't go with the other neighbors team, don't think I could handle being a pies supporter. Hird was my favorite player but always had a soft spot for Mercuri.

Before that I was a Cats supporter due to the old man.

 

[emblurr]

1984 playing kick to kick in primary school in Stawell. Friends asked me which Essendon player I was and I had no idea. They said you can be Thompson and I said ok. Didn't get to start going to games until home and away season of 1993 though. Went to that grand final and been to every grand final since.

 

[qwertyboy]

Bbarracked for the pies my fav player being richard cole
once cole went to the bombers i followed suit and havent looked back since
well i have looked back a couple of times but thats only becasue essendons been terrible since they delisted cole

 

[shad518]

My dad started going for the bombers because his cousin Russell Blew played for them when he was a kid. He's had me in Essendon colours since I was born.

 

[jd and bj show]

my pa is a massive carlton fan, dad massive essendon. both tried their best to sway me over for years. '93 grand final rolls around, as a 5 year old i make the promise to them both that who ever wins the game, i will support. thank you michael long. from that point on some of my best childhood memories are catching the train down from country vic with dad to every game, and asking dad if every school the train past was dustin fletchers, ha.

 

[Ben the Gooner]

Bbarracked for the pies my fav player being richard cole
once cole went to the bombers i followed suit and havent looked back since
well i have looked back a couple of times but thats only becasue essendons been terrible since they delisted cole

 

[smcateer]

When my family first moved to Australia we lived in Niddrie. I asked my mum which team was closest to where we were living. She told me it was Essendon. Deal done.

 

[simoro1]

i first moved to aus in mid 2000. i made a promise i would support whatever team won the flag that year and stick with them.

 

[HeppellakaHirdy]

Pretty much my entire family on both sides are essendon fans. One or two richmonds but thankfully no carltons which is great considering how big my family is.