Letting the kids pick their own team

[Philhawk]

My 4 year old son is being split by my Hawks supporting family and my wife’s Swans obsessed family.

Living in Sydney makes it harder, but I’ve been tactically getting him to watch the Hawk Kayo Minis every time we’ve won over the past few years.

As of now, he believes we have never lost a game.

 

[darcytiger]

Why as a kid you’d want to support a different team than your parents I have no idea, surely that’s for families that aren’t really that passionate about footy.

I feel for the families where the husband and the wife are both passionate footy fans that the brought into the relationship. My mum was from a non footy family, my wife is from the UK so in both cases, what Dad says goes. My mum is now right into it, my missus still couldn’t give a rats.

My son (14months) has the three premiership posters in his bedroom since birth, and every morning he wakes up and points to them all, his first word (other than mumma and dadda) is dangerously close to being Tiger. I think we’ll be right.

 

[voorhees]

Richmond was lucky, we had Dusty who kids just thought was cool (the hair,tats and all)
buy him a few Dusty footy cards and a poster.
Bang.. tiger for life - and a happy father!

 

[Pistol Night]

Crows/Port would be weird. If it was Crows/Pies or something, whatever.

I'm glad it wasn't passed down in my family. My grandad was a Saints supporter.

My missus supports the Crows. After “Dad” and “Mum” the next words my kids learnt were “Crows suck”. They’re brainwashed little Collingwood bogans already

 

[Pistol Night]

Pick another team in my house and you'll also be picking other parents.

Win/win?

 

[kriles76]

We’re a mixed family - me Hawthorn and my wife Melbourne.

We had a loose arrangement that sons would follow Hawthorn and daughters would follow Melbourne. We had one of each and that’s how it’s panned out. The boy’s in his teens and probably sees more Hawthorn games live than I do. The daughter is aligned to Melbourne but is not interested in going to the footy much unless a friend wants to go.

Seeing your team win flags seals the deal - both have done that.

All four of us are AFL Members so we can mix the other side’s games pretty well.

 

[Banyo Bloods]

I started following VFL in 1984 and chose the Swans as they had the same jumper as my local club. My Dad joined me in that. I’m very loyal.

1987 comes along and suddenly there is a Brisbane team so my Dad decided to support local. There has been a disconnect with him ever since. He got the last laugh this year and I knew he would as I inherited his pessimism.

I’m trying to steer my boy to the Swans but he has my wife’s team Richmond, Grandad 1 Brisbane, auntie Bulldogs and Grandad 2 The Blues.

I’m trying to get it through to him how much better it will be to support the same club as meas I’ll take him everywhere. Nobody else will take him to games as they just don’t attend. However it’s a struggle.

 

[brmi]

No way the kids get to pick their own team, they need some gentle guidance. My daughter's follow the Pies (wife's a mad Pies supporter) and my boy follows the Doggies like me.

It's a genuine joy in life to take the kids along to footy and love it like we do.

 

[Cyclops]

If you want your kid to follow your club make it fun. If the say [your club] then you smile, "yay", treats appear. Take them to games when they are old enough, be positive, you can leave at halting if they're bored, ice cream on the way home.

If the say they want to folliw another club you say its fine but you get very quiet and serious.

if the ask what would happen if they change you get even more quiet and serious and say "nothing bad will happen".

So you don't bully your kids you cobdition and gaslight them.

No way the kids get to pick their own team, they need some gentle guidance. My daughter's follow the Pies (wife's a mad Pies supporter) and my boy follows the Doggies like me.

It's a genuine joy in life to take the kids along to footy and love it like we do.

This is civilised, my Irish ancestors used this method to determine the faith if children in mixed marriages ( my dad was Methodidt, his sister Catholic).

Told my little niece she had to be Carlton like her mum, she wanted to be Collingwood (right is right though, cant cheat). My bro flubbed the mission though the other two are Eagles.

 

[SC_Power]

It was pretty simple in my house.

You can barrack for Port, but you'll never go to a game.

Go Crows.

When my Port Adelaide mate had a kid, his Crows wife suggested that they’d sign him up as an Adelaide member.
He said “Fine, but you’ll have to find someone else to take him to the football for the next 16 years.”
Next day, Port Adelaide membership signed sealed and delivered.

 

[Viceregal]

I read the title and thought it was going to be someone suggesting that the 'draftees' get to pick their own clubs and wondered which large destination club supporter was suggesting it!

We did ours generationaly... all of my parent's generation were Bombers and all of my generation went Tigers!

 

[JPetro83]

No choice in my house. i have two kids, the youngest is only 6 months but my 6 year old son is a die hard crows fan already and had it drummed into him from a very young age with merch, family days, player meet and greets etc and was taught all about our hatred for Port Power. I think it's a slap in the face if your own son doesn't follow the same footy team as you.
i followed my Dad with Sturt and Leeds United. its just the natural thing to do.

 

[Pistol Night]

No choice in my house. i have two kids, the youngest is only 6 months but my 6 year old son is a die hard crows fan already and had it drummed into him from a very young age with merch, family days, player meet and greets etc and was taught all about our hatred for Port Power. I think it's a slap in the face if your own son doesn't follow the same footy team as you.
i followed my Dad with Sturt and Leeds United. its just the natural thing to do.

My 5yo is an absolute dickhead and told me for about a month he went for Hawthorn just to piss me off. Worked a treat

 

[PhatBoy]

It’s a nice thing to have but it’s footy. My son just picked it up from me he didn’t have it drilled into him.
His older brother isn’t into sport but briefly adopted a rival NRL side to mine because they visited his school and were kind to him so good luck to him, didn’t bother me at all, I bought him the supporter gear etc.

It’s a good bond to share with them but I’m just happy if they have something to take an interest in really

 

[Rotayjay]

My son (14months) has the three premiership posters in his bedroom since birth, and every morning he wakes up and points to them all, his first word (other than mumma and dadda) is dangerously close to being Tiger. I think we’ll be right.

That's the spirit

 

[Rotayjay]

You can only influence things like career choice to a limited extent, but if your child is going to be into footy it's pretty much from toddlerhood, and you can definitely influence where their heart lies for barracking. It seems that in mixed marriages or relationships, the one who feels more strongly about footy seems to take precedence over the kids' team.

 

[GoEaglesGoSGIO]

If they can pick their own gender, i think its time we let them pick their own team

 

[RonnieRaven]

not in my house my daughter is a doggy like my wife my son is a docker.
I don’t have any family and friends that go for dockers so I’ve told my 7yr old son if he doesn’t want to be a docker he can find a new place to live.
going to the footy and hiring a golf buggy and smacking a few balls is our dad son time and he appreciates it so all good at the moment.
Just a tip for other parents if your teams going shit upping your merch game and junk food at the footy works a treat

 

[Leeda]

It was pretty simple in my house.

You can barrack for Port, but you'll never go to a game.

Go Crows.

Grainy photo says you'll always love your kids....