Poll: How did you get into supporting North?

[neddy36]

It was watching the Krakouer brothers, their excitement and chemistry left me in awe as a kid. Veered away in my early youth and adulthood when the local team came in but returned to where I belong when a fortunate opportunity came along.

 

[Rollmop]

My wife is also a North supporter, by inheritance. Her father has been a North supporter since he lived nearby in Carlton and had went to school with Allan Aylett and Laurie Dwyer. My mother in law once barracked for Collingwood but changed to North over 65 years ago.

Doc Aylett used to be my dentist for a while there - a true gentleman and just such a lovely bloke. Good dentist too! He used to give me discounted rates because I was mad North

 

[Samsquanch]

Doc Aylett used to be my dentist for a while there - a true gentleman and just such a lovely bloke. Good dentist too! He used to give me discounted rates because I was mad North

One of his nurses was the sister of a bloke I used to work with. Back in the early 80s.

 

[Kangaroos4eva]

SCG home games back in the day. Been part of the north cult since.

 

[Eatosk]

My great uncle played for North in the 50’s, so our whole family are North supporters because of having this family connection. 30+ North supporters and growing. (surprisingly we have 2 that are Richmond supporters)

 

[Forever North]

Son of migrants so dad was mad into soccer and would take me to South Melbourne Hellas games back in the mid 70’s. North were also winning in that era so we became a blue and white household. Also the Greek flag is more or less blue and white stripes so that was also a factor. Being a kid you also naturally followed the team on ‘top’. He grew to like footy but we only went a few times. He loved watching it on tv. My 3 older children are all North, go with my son every game, my 2 daughters a few times a year(probably to check out the players..). They had no choice in the matter, I’m pretty hardcore. Wife is Carlton but when the kids were younger she was happy for me to go to the footy with them in order to get a few hours peace and quiet at home.

 

[RightWingRoo]

I was born into a family that had no connection to any team or the sport in general. Dad's side were Scottish migrants who settled in Canberra and the Shoalhaven area, while Mum's side weren't into sport at all.

I was born in 1992, but didn't have any real idea what footy was until I was a 5 year old at kinder.
Once I discovered it, I decided to support the Crows because they'd just won the flag. Moving forward to prep and mid 98, my first school footy colours day. We didn't have anything in cross colours. But I had a black&white beanie, so my Mum said to say I followed Collingwood. Having no real connection to the game at this stage, had still never watched a game. So I just went along with it.

The main reason that I actually started to get into footy, was my primary school best mate. Who came from a family of passionate North supporters.
So in 99 I actually started to watch and follow footy as a pies supporter, with North as my 2nd team.
But as a 7 year old kid, new to the game and no deep connection to the club. I got sick of losing every week, while North were a powerhouse. I made the change around August, so I have memories of grand final day and making up an exercise book of newspaper clippings afterwards.

Once I'd made the switch, I knew North was it. Joined up as a junior member in 2001 and went to my first game in round 5 2002 against Carlton.
Been going to every game in Vic since mid 2009. Missed 4 games between then and the end of 2019. Missed only 2, since the start of 2022.

I'm someone who enjoys going against the grain and being a bit different. So North were always a better fit, than the Pies.
Despite the pain of recent times, it feels like my passion for and love of the club grows every year.
When or if it turns, it's going to be so f***ing good.

 

[Shinboner1]

My great grandad had this up in his house, and I would stare at it every time I'd come to visit. Grandad used to have a mechanics shop in North Melbourne and had hired a bunch of players during the 60s and 70s as they'd be part timers and needed a job.

I bleed blue and white.

 

[domiroo]

1973/74 my brother barracked for North as our local team King valley was North colours so as a 3 nearly 4 year old followed him . Good choice I think

 

[amaz199]

Probably started around when Laidley took over as senior coach but didn't remember much as I was a very little boy going with the fam (I think my first game was at princes park?). I had a old jumper with the number 26 permanent marker drawn on the back (loved watching Sav Rocca). That vague memory was possibly the hook. I loved the royal blue and white especially on footy day when you were surrounded by big 4 colours. Just looked like proper colours as opposed to the others.

I used to read a lot of newspapers in primary school (who North were playing and the team selections) and my teacher was a North supporter as well (actually, I think I had two teachers that followed North). We had to do homework that involved writing a summary of a newspaper article and I always wrote about North or some other AFL article.

A game I remember vaguely watching as I got older was the Carey-Stevens match which was recorded on VHS. Reckon it's probably still sitting somewhere. I think we also had the 2007 match vs Melbourne recorded where we won by a point (that Swallow goal!).

Loved watching the 2008 season videos on YT when GR was still on there! He also happened to have a clip of the 2008 MCG match vs Pies before his account content was almost completely wiped.

I was probably completely hooked by 2008 and got my first membership in 2009. Feral as a fan could be even though I was young! First game as a member was against Melbourne at the MCG and we beat them by 34. Loved watching Boomer and Petrie carry us.

The rest is history...

 

[Gasometer]

Lot of posters on here I have never heard of

Welcome

Post more

 

[Philosophical Grendel]

Absolutely fantastic read Philosophical Grendel, we need all the fans and members we can get, being a small club we have risen in that department over the last several years and right now because of our rebuild we are going to be a very good team with the young talent we are picking up from the national AFL draft. Like in all sports around the world, with young teams they need a little time to bond together as a team as well as their bodies growing and getting used to the physical demands of our number one sport.

As usual, fans do get a bit restless when teams do a rebuild, because of this and that the fact that a full rebuild does take longer, I doubt if any teams do this again after us, though we had to do it, our first total rebuild in our history and it was overdue. Have you been looking at the draft hopefuls for this year? {The national draft is on Wednesday November 20th and Thursday 21st}.

We are trading in some players from other clubs {for experience} in the trade period which starts on the October 7th to October 16th. The free agency period starts on October the 4th to the 11th. With so many young up & coming stars in this years draft {its very deep for talent this year} it promises to be very exciting for who we pick with the picks that we have, {I think our picks will be different come draft time, if we can probably trade our first pick for two picks in the first round, if we don't and keep it, there are four or five players that our head recruiter { Will Thursfield } might select. Anyway enough of me going on and on, will finish by saying WELCOME FRIEND, TO OUR GREAT CLUB AND HAVING LIKE US WATCHED SO MANY LOSSES, GET READY TO WATCH SOME WINS!

Ha ha ha - like I said, I'm ALL in, TS... I've been following the draft and the trade period for the past three years, and I'm aware of the (ahem) diverse opinions about Thursfield and Rawlings and the work they're doing to get players to North. For example, I know some are worked up about it, but I personally think the Darling trade is fine. He's not going to add too many wins himself, but hopefully he strengthens the forward line as a whole while he's here. I think he's got enough attributes to contribute in several different ways. Adding Parker, however, would be A+ work - I think he'd be great for guys like Wardlaw and Powell. I was also hoping to nab Rosas for a little small forward X factor, so I was disappointed to hear GC was doing the rope-a-dope with him.

My thoughts on the potential draftees are not as set though. Since I didn't grow up playing footy, I'm not a great judge of how the kids play... from highlights, they all look like they've got great potential. Personally hoping North splits their 2nd pick for two inside the top 10 (like you said) so they can maximize their chances to get some talls in, I'm just not sure how they get it done.

Cheers for the response, and up the Roos! (I think I'm doing that part right.)

 

[Orange Peanut]

I came from a pretty passionate Carlton family on mum's side, and Dad went for the Saints.

I jumped on the north bandwagon after the 77 flag ( having previously jumped on at least 3 other teams' bandwagons before that). When the rest of our classmates shifted away from North, me and my mate both agreed that we'd found the right team and would never switch again. I have never regretted it.

I used to talk about my "bad luck" at having endured 19 seasons between choosing North and witnessing a flag, but now I have kids who've been alive that long and haven't even seen us in a granny, so I keep that to myself these days.

The kids did not get a choice, and I'm confident that when they have kids the same hard line will be taken. We have watched us average 3 wins a year, but still feel sorry for everyone who isn't lucky enough to barrack for this glorious team.

 

[see see]

Some awesome stories in this thread.

Mine's quite simple - grandfather was a former player, coach and administrator of our great club. As a young kid in the 70s and early 80s, I was lucky enough to be able to coat-tail him into the rooms before and after games. Magical times.

 

[leighlee13]

My Dad follows Collingwood (has been a North member for 30 years), my brother follows * and my Mum Bulldogs as her Dad played for them in 1934. My uncle took my cousins to North games and i tagged along one week. I loved Ross Glendinning as a player and that was it for me. I am a 31 year member. The 90's were a great era to be a North supporter. I never missed a home game and was lucky enough to get tickets to the 2 winning Grand Finals. Its been a tough 5 years to be a member/follow this club but I will never stop. I am in. All in.

 

[Hatchy1992]

Being born into a family of rugby league tragics being raised in rugby league heartland in regional central QLD then Northern NSW. unfortunately pretty much everyone I speak to at my local pubs except for a few still call it Gayfl, so childish! It just made the decision to start afresh in Adelaide for the final 3 years of uni in 2017-19 much easier so I could enjoy the proper footy atmosphere.

one day I had a sudden realisation that nrl was so boring and bland to watch. It was about that time that the local junior footy club began to make inroads for recruitment and so I came home from school one day after their inspiring speech and said "mum, dad, i'm playing AFL this season (2007, yr 7) cue the massive dissapointment and downright anger. I quickly became the ugly duckling of the family. I was like meh. I began to watch the 2007 season on TV, trying to watch the best pack pockets in the game as that was my first junior position but quickly found myself forward pocket or forward flank for the rest of my juniors. At the time I didn't have a team I was just trying to enjoy the game with dad who quickly and reluuctantly semi converted. This was 2007 when North Melboune played those games on the Gold Coast. I still distinctly remember one weekend where they were playing one of their games up on the GC. 4 of them Matty Campbell. Shannon Watt

Shannon Watt

Age

44

Ht

193cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

9.3

2star

K

5.5

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

1.0

3star

No current season stats available

D

2.8

1star

K

1.4

1star

HB

1.4

2star

M

1.0

1star

T

0.6

3star

, Leigh Harding

Leigh Harding

Age

43

Ht

180cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

7.5

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.9

4star

CL

1.2

3star

No current season stats available

D

6.8

2star

K

4.8

2star

HB

2.0

2star

M

2.4

3star

T

0.8

3star

and Leigh Brown all came down to Bangalow to run a clinic and give pointers, give out free signed caps and free tickets to the game that weekend. The 4 young gentlemen they were I quickly converted and haven't looked back.

I did some research on the history of the club and the squad. Obviously at the time we were campaigning to keep North South and after reading the history I quickly understood and joined that bandwagon. Unfortunately missed the 2 premierships from the 90's so i'd love to witness both a mens and a womens premiership win.

 

[buttox]

I just bought my 2 year old daughter her first footy jumper today.
Her mum wanted me to buy her a Geelong one also.
Woops I forgot.
Lol

 

[Nylex]

Late 80’s I was 4 years old and I was with my mum and we went around for a cup of tea at my uncles mums house. She must have been 70 years old. She had lived in Kensington until she was married and was still a passionate NM supporter. She pulled out a little woolen NM jumper and said I can have it if I barrack for NM. I excitedly agreed. The following week my mum took me back again to the old ladies house and she gave me the blue shorts and socks to complete my outfit I would proudly wear.
The next year her son (my uncle) started taking me to all the NM games along with my cousins.
35 years later, I sit with my own young family, in the same bay my uncle and cousins sit in, with their children.
I’m glad I got given that little blue and white jumper

 

[fusion]

Great thread, enjoying the stories.

My father was a kid when the family migrated to Australia, a drop punt from Arden St in the 50s. He'd go to games as he was learning English at the same time, and it helped introduce him to Australian culture.

I had no choice but to follow his lead, and my kids have also not been given a choice on who to follow. It was hard in the 80s going to school in Essendon, when everyone followed that team (I had to wear that filthy jumper for school footy), but the 90s were the best - coincided with me having a lot of spare time as a Melbourne uni student and being able to get to lots of training sessions and games.

 

[TopEndRoo]

Born in the 70s. Dad was a Roos supporter, mum was Tigers so I guess Dad won that one.

My uncle was a mad Fitzroy fan so we’d always go and watch the Roos vs Fitzroy. I reckon the first time I heard the F-Bomb was from a cranky Micky Conlan as he blew up at something or another.

North were pretty crap for nearly all my childhood until the glorious 90s came around and made it all worth it.

I hope it’s similar for my boy who is 13 and only has memories of North being crap. Unfortunately, now whenever I ask him if he wants to watch the footy with me, his first question is “how much are we losing by?”…

I hope our next 90s-like era isn’t too far away or we’ll end up losing a whole generation of fans..




On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[North1411]

My Dads family is from Kensington and my uncle played for them, only a few games and we'll before I was born, no other clubs were considered. I did have a soft spot for Fitzroy, my mum's club but that finished with them going to Brisbane

 

[Elroo]

I was born at the old Essendon hospital on the corner of York St & Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds in 1970. I lived at 1/9 Grandview st Moonee Ponds, and used to watch football on my mum's old black and white TV. I wanted to go to the football but my mum couldn't afford it, so one of the neighbors was a North member, and told my mum if I wanted to watch the footy he'd take me with his son.

My first season, 1977 at Arden st, sellout games, being told by the stewards to climb onto the roof of the members Grandstand to watch the game. Smoking, big white cans of beer us young kids would wait to be emptied, so we could stack them up to watch the game.

 

[LETSGOKANGAS]

My old man lived in West Melbourne and Kensington when he first migrated in the 70s.

Ventured down to Arden street one weekend to see what this “football” was all about.

Ended up spawning three generations of North supporters that weekend.

Funny, my kids had their footy gear last day of school yesterday all decked out proudly in their North kits. Reminded me of the tough times I had at primary school going for North in the late 80s. Never deviated. Been holding strong and proud since AFL squadron days.

There once was a statue dedicated to 5000 members or whatever it was that stood in front of the merch shop or office Fogerty Street?? My name is on it and I want it reinstated please.

 

[Elroo]

There once was a statue dedicated to 5000 members or whatever it was that stood in front of the merch shop or office Fogerty Street?? My name is on it and I want it reinstated please.

I hate to tell you this, but the club threw that statue and all the members names on it out. This occurred when they knocked down the old building and did the new development we now have.

Supposedly someone at the club didn't think it was important enough to the members or the club in general, to save it and incorporate it into the new development.

 

[Rollmop]

I hate to tell you this, but the club threw that statue and all the members names on it out. This occurred when they knocked down the old building and did the new development we now have.

Supposedly someone at the club didn't think it was important enough to the members or the club in general, to save it and incorporate it into the new development.

Our names were on that statue too. My brother brought it up when we were at the AFLW game v Cats at Arden St a couple of weeks ago and no one was sure what had happened to it. I remember at the time they made a big deal of it so it’s a bit sad that it wasn’t considered important enough to save. I imagine a lot of BF posters would have had their names on it too.