Poll: How did you get into supporting North?

[Hotham FC]

I have my brother to thank. He was Richmond and without too much recollection I probably followed his lead from when I first picked up a footy. Joining him in Primary School and wanting some separation from his little brother (you know, the cool kid thing), the moment had arrived. Don’t know how he pulled off the bluff but it was “pick another team” (or else probably?). Not too sure why North, but those mesmerising blue & white stripes probably did it.

The year was 1974 and he may have got one over me initially but on reflection, what a time to get on board. Blessed to have witnessed all 4 and looking forward to numbers 5, 6, 7…..

 

[CURVE]

Back in 1976 my parents brought a colour TV (yes, I'm old enough to remember the days of Black & White TV) and one day I was flicking between our two channels (we had ABC and CTC7 which had a mix of shows from channels 7, 9 & 10) when an unusual footy match came on. I was transfixed by the speed of the game, compared to Soccer and Rugby League which I'd watch most weekends with my dad. The two teams that were playing were North Melbourne and Hawthorn (It turned out to be the Grand Final) and I decided to go for the Blue & White striped team because the Brown and Yellow striped team's jersey was rather disgusting and reminded me of my baby sisters soiled nappies.

I watched the 1977 Grand Final and Grand Final replay on TV, but I did get to see the 1996 and 1999 Grand Finals live at the MCG, two of the greatest days in my life, along with the birth of my daughter who has been indoctrinated into the North Melbourne fold. She recently married, so when she has her own children, they too will be indoctrinated into the North Melbourne fold, hopefully we will be in the midst of a golden era so getting them to follow the club will be a little easier.

 

[Passmore]

My dad barracks for the bulldogs and so does my sister. My mum and her entire family are one eyed Carlton nuffies.

I decided at 4 when I went to school that all the cool kids went for north and I liked blue and wouldn’t change my mind. No idea how that flew but it stuck. Was too young to enjoy the 90s premierships but I’m as die hard as they come like the rest of you nuffies

Nothing has changed there.

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[Passmore]

I had no choice.

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[Roo202]

My Dad supports the Dees, when I was young, my mum was a lapsed Footscray supporter. I picked North because an older cousin, who was a bit of a hero to me very loosely supported North (I think he basically picked out a North jumper because he liked the colours and in reality wasn't that into footy, but it got me to North!)

I went to the footy a lot with dad, mum wasn't really interested. Dad and I were at the famous '85 Elimination Final (I would have been 9 years old at the time) against Carlton. The next week we played Footscray in the Semi and I talked mum into coming as my team was playing her's. Mum later told me, she realised as Footscray defeated us that day, she was actually barracking for North as it meant so much more to me than her.

Mum then fell in love with footy and North, from someone who early in my life had little interest in sport, she became a passionate Roo, going nearly every week, even queuing overnight for '99 GF tickets (which I missed because I was working overseas!) and busting out of hospital, thanks to an understanding North supporting doctor, for our 2014 SF win over the Cats (which thankfully I was there for too!)

Mum did a lot of writing, after she died last year, we found something she had written about becoming a North Melbourne supporter. I hadn't realised, but that Semi Final in '85 was the day after her 40th birthday and she wrote, that she turned forty and the next day had "the life changing epiphany of becoming a North Melbourne supporter"

 

[Limerick]

I lived with my maternal grandparents for a time in 1948 in North Melbourne.
My Uncle played 6 games for North in 1948, hence my connection. My siblings
and parents followed Carlton, Essendon and St Kilda. I started going to games
around the mid 50s. Savored the 70s and 90s. I'm a 37 year continuous member
and will be for life.

 

[Samsquanch]

Brown and Yellow striped team's jersey was rather disgusting and reminded me of my baby sisters soiled nappies.

And still does.

 

[Clarke is King]

It's a family curse that has been passed down through the generations.

 

[Only Forwards]

At some point prior to 1889 My Great Great Grand father moved from Rathen in Scotland and lived in Hotham, where they had my Great Grand Father. My Great grand father was a butcher, I have no evidence other than him being a butcher and being from the suburb of North Melbourne to tie him to the abbitoirs or the butchers shops of North Melbourne. I know they had a store in Brunswick.

My Grand father in the 20s would on occasion be one of the kids that would run out in front of the teams. My great Grand Father got to live to see the 75 flag albeit it likely from their house in Boronia.

My mum isn't really into footy and by the time that I was old enough to know what was going on none of my extended family really went. So as a teenager I went to many games in the 90s on my own. I sat in the cheersquad for some of it, Still have my 96 cheersquad medallion. I went with family members to both 96 and 99 grand finals.

I am 4th generation and my kids are 5th generation. My son, converted my wife (his step-mum) when he was about 6.

The flags that we won in the 90s were awesome and it was a time it is hard to explain to people who were not there because of how good our side was and the level of expectations they lived up to.

To me there will be little that will mean more in a football sense than when we win number 5 and I can attend that game with people I am related to who love the roos the way I do, and the way my grand father and great grand father did.

If there was no North Melbourne there would be no Aussie rules football for me.

 

[bungareepremiers06]

My parents were Cats and Tiges, albeit at that point in the mid 90's i dont really remember either of them as passionate supporters that put the effort in to get us to follow their teams.
I took up Swans around 94/95 as a 4 year old Ballarat kid due to Plugger Lockett and the Swans being pretty decent, albeit at that point i'd still never been to a game.
About November 96, not long after the Roos got the choccies in the GF over the Swans i 'met' my first AFL player at the Ballarat Cup, which was David King, who i believe was dating an older family friend at the time. He convinced me on the spot to change to the Kangas, and in my mind that was a good solid half hour pitch trackside. From that day on i wore 34 on the back of the royal blue and white jumper.

 

[Just4Kicks]

First gen supporter here as well. Migrated to Australia in 2009, knowing nothing about footy. Everyone told me I needed a team, so I decided I would pick the team closest to the suburb I would be settling in. Ended up living in North Melbourne for a long stretch, about 300m from Arden Street. I was already hooked by then, but the finals in 14-15 sealed the deal.

 

[Boro]

My family moved to Melbourne in the mid eighties. The Melbourne side of the family were all die hard Saints fans but seeing that they were terrible I decided I'd go my own way. The finals that year had Essendon, North, Hawks, Dogs I think and I was never a bandwagon type so decided not to pick the GF teams which knocked out Essendon and the Hawks. That left me with a choice between North and Footscray and I chose North probably due to liking the colours more. It took a few years to start following the sport closely as I was from a very strong soccer supporting background, but in around 87 starting heading to mostly Friday night games at the MCG or matches at Princess Park with a mate of mine. I was a huge Matty Larkin fan through the late 80's, then the 90's came and we all of a sudden became a powerhouse. 93 was magical year. Times are tough these days but there is never a time I wish I'd supported anyone else.

 

[Jonnoo]

1975 and 1977 grand final wins helped sway this youngster in his formative primary school years (decision between the Roos and the Hawfs). Found out later my pop was a die hard kangaroo man (and a POW in Changi prison for 5 years) so that was nice (not the POW bit).

the 90's were a dream time for a Roos fan.

 

[Fruity33]

My family migrated from Peru in 1981, I was 10 years old and having little knowledge of English, I was paired with a Chilean kid on my first day of school to aid with translation. He taught me about the VFL and that everyone follows a team, and his team was North Melbourne. So, as a thank-you for helping me transition into Australian life, I followed suit by following the Roos every since.

 

[BigRedRoo]

5 years old and Barassi to coach North hype had me hooked.

 

[KangaRooster]

The old man’s done roped me in big time

 

[Event Horizon]

It is now a family tradition, but I am the one who started it back in 1991. Now my kids have no choice.

I arrived in Australia in 1990 aged 14 and it took me a while to work out what the game was all about. I grew up in Eastern Europe mainly on soccer and Ice Hockey. By 1991 I started to like footy and was looking to pick a team to support. At that stage I liked North colours, as well as the fact it had the word "Melbourne" in the name and watched a few games on TV. A 6 point win over Carlton at Princes Park sealed the deal for me and I decided to attend my first live game. Took a mate from school with me, it was a Friday night game against top of the ladder West Coast. North won by 3 points and that was it. Haven't missed too many home games since

 

[Ruckle]

Great read this thread. I was born in 1971. My mums family were mad Footscray supporters, lived in west footscray,born in Yarraville etc. my grandfather was heavily involved in the cricket club which back in the day was somewhat entwined with the footy club.

But I was a 5 or 6 year old kid and I realised Footscray were just crap, and North were so exciting, I spent alot of time with grandparents and WOS and sevens big league were always on the go pl,us VFA on Sundays, it was footy footy footy. There was this team in blue and white stripes who had all these razzle dazzle exciting gods playing for them. I just hoped they would be on TV and usually they were (unlike now) .

Anyway I remember the 77 grannies and that was enough. First game I went to was North and South at lakeside oval. Not sure what year but I suspect 78 or 79.

Moved to Perth in the 80's burt luckily Friday night games were on TV (sometimes late ) and from late 80's on it was almost always us.

Back to Melbourne in 94 and been a member from then till now continuously as well as from Perth around 90-91.

If North folded wouldnt watch AFL, its quite hideous really in its current form, its only North that keeps me " in the game" . Addiction I cant shake, no matter how bad we are. My kids are both members and both wore their North jumpers to school this week. They have no choice haha.

 

[BlueandWhiteinmyBlood]

I’m originally from Tassie. Mum and Dad owned a beach resort down there well before I was born and up until I was 6ish.

Dad was Saints and Mum was Sydney (she was from Drummoyne) and they had one of their friends Jim, an older guy 60s/70s as the maintenance man who lived on site in a villa kind of thing called “tree tops” it was a bit back from the beach. He was a mad North fan.

Being an impressionable young toddler/kid I would follow him around everywhere all day every day as he did his chores around the resort. Obviously I hadn’t met anyone as cool a Jim before.

As Dad was Saints, that was the idea on whom I would support and there are photos of me as a young child with Saints gear on.

When I was about 5, one day Mum hadn’t heard from Jim so she went to check on him and unfortunately he had had a heart attack over night and passed away in his sleep. He had been having some heart issues and knowing this had let mum and dad know that I could have all his North melbourne gear and memorabilia.

This was the first time I experienced death and obviously had lots of questions and was confused about where Jim was and why I wouldn’t see him anymore. As mum and dad explained over the next few days and weeks what had happened I remember even as a child, due to the North memorabilia Jim left me I felt a strong sense to commemorate and remember Jim by choosing to support North and until this day I remember as a 5/6 year old plucking up the courage to explain to Dad that I was sorry and I wasn’t able to go for the saints any more.

I’m super passionate and I honestly put it down to that piece inside of me that not only am I going for North for myself but also Jim. It was a great time to support North in the early, mid and late 90s. We beat Mum in 96, I remember crying in 98 when we lost and refused to visit my baby brother in hospital who was born that day as I was too upset about us losing, I remember explaining to mum on the phone as she lay there in hospital having just given birth - then of course all was forgotten in 99 when we won again.

And that’s why I support north.

 

[davefromjerra]

I was 8 years old in 1971 and started taking an interest in football. Most of the kids at school had either a Collingwood Number 6 (McKenna) or a Hawthorn Number 26 (Hudson). I decided I wanted a jumper no one else had. That’s how I decided to follow North.

 

[kool kangas]

1970: End of the Carlton vs Collingwood GF. l lost a $2 bet with my father who barracked for Carlton that the team l supported then, Collingwood, would win. l was 14 and working at the MCG that day as a pieboy and my father worked in the member bar. At 1/2 l went to collect but he was to busy then at the end of the game he took my money alsmost everything l earned that day. l said l would never barrack for the Pies again.
on a side note: when we got home and mum was told what happened l got my money back.. but l kept the promise to myself

1971, Keith Greig was recruited to play for North Melbourne and so as Keith and his family lived down the road from me plus being a one eyed Brunswick supporter the decision was simple> to barrack for North Melbourne and then Shimma came across so its a decision l have never regretted to this day...l have seen many ups and downs but will always remain North Melbourne..

 

[King Corey]

Its a theme I'm certain has done the rounds done before, but...

I'm curious about the current BF demographic.

Did you get into North through family, or something else? And if so, what?

To get things started...

I was born in the mid eighties in Tassie. Nearly everyone I knew back then just picked a Victorian team. I grew up in a family of Fitzroy, Melbourne and Geelong supporters. I distinctly remember collecting AFL trading cards in 1991 -92. There was a day when I knew I had to decide where my loyalties were. I laid out all my cards on my Nan's guestroom floor. I realised Martyn, Carey, and Archer just looked more endearingly bad-ass than everyone else. Then 1993 happened, and the rest is history.

It was you.

That's why I started supporting them.

For you. It was always for you.

 

[Ichiro #51]

TLDR - scroll to the end

I grew up in a non-footy family. Dad was a token Fitzroy supporter and that’s what I was too. Mum has never barracked for a team and for the past 50 odd years has always given the same answer when asked who she follows in the footy: “Whoever’s winning.”

My only memory of going to the footy as a kid is when my Aunty took my brother and I to a game at Waverley in the early 80’s. Don’t remember who played, only remember it being cold as the bejesus and there being a Four’n’twenty van in the car park playing “Hot Stuff” over a loudspeaker. And I do remember that pie. Bloody heaven.

When the Roys died it barely even registered, the nineties are a forgotten decade for me. My connection to North began in about 2003 when I started working in a job that was one of those “blokes sitting around the lunchroom table” type situations.

Of course the first question is going to be “who do you barrack for?”.

At the time I’d just started seeing a girl who lived in a flat above a shop in Errol street. She was, still is for all I know, a maker of artisanal paper. Wasn’t too sure about the girl but did like North Melbourne as a place so that’s what I answered “North Melbourne”.

To be honest, I still wasn’t all that invested in the footy until the shit hit the fan in 2007. That galvanised my support a lot. I’ve lived in Japan since 2009 so am an International Roo member.

The last game I went to in person was vs the dees at the MCG in 2015. We had a convincing win with Goldy dominating a young Max Gawn

11

Max Gawn

Age

32

Ht

209cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

14.1

4star

K

7.4

3star

HB

6.7

4star

CL

2.8

4star

HO

35.3

5star

D

18.5

4star

K

11.5

4star

HB

7.0

4star

CL

3.5

4star

HO

29.2

5star

D

8.4

3star

K

3.6

2star

HB

4.8

4star

CL

1.0

3star

HO

15.6

5star

.

TLDR; I’m a North supporter because 20 odd years ago I was having a dip at a paper maker who lived on Errol street.

 

[Caracas]

I arrived in Melbourne in July 1986. From the outset, the guy who sponsored me at the time steered me towards supporting the Sydney Swans and Warwick Capper. That lasted for about two weeks until I watched my first weekend footy highlights show. From the moment I saw Jimmy and Phil for the first time, I was sold. I’ve been a North tragic ever since. I had the pleasure of telling Phil this story after the 2015 Elimination Final against Richmond in the stands. He was chuffed and gathered his family around me and my 2 sons and we took a photo. Great memories.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I love this thread.