Why do you support the club you follow?

[mezaire]

Was 10yo when WC joined the league, just about the time I got interested in Footy.

I believe I sort of barracked for Sydney before that as I had a Swans pillow case growing up so always had a soft spot for the Swans!!

 

[Viceregal]

Parent's generation were all Essendon (my dad grew up on a farm there) - me and my cousins went for Richmond (can't remember why we chose them but guessing a) they weren't Essendon, and b) they were doing pretty good back then!

Moved from Melb to the Gold Coast back in '77 aged 11 and there really was no VFL going around there or on the tv and so acclimatised to rugby league (eventually Broncos) and even got to the point to making arial ping pong jokes.

During the regular season of 2001 a friend of mine won four tickets to a Lions game (according to the blurb we got at the time it was stil mathematically possible to make the finals ) - it was hot, facing into the sun, didn't remember most of the rules but I have hardly missed a game since then.

My brother and sister still follow the tigers and my sister still reckons I am a traitor

So was never a bear or a roy (though I relate more to the Roy's for some reason) but at least I predate the first of the three flags!

 

[Enviable Tradition]

Born into it.

I was at my first (of many) premiership wins at 6 months old.

 

[straightshooter]

To begin with when I decided there were no Sydney, West Coast, Brisbane, Port, Adelaide, Freo, Gold Coast or GWS.

No-one barracked for North, Fitzroy, Hawthorn or Footscray.

Melbourne was my old man's team, so that was out. I couldn't pronounce Essendon, St Kilda was for **** and Carlton and Collingwood were *****.

So it had to be the Mighty Eat em Alive Tigers!

 

[HARPSichord]

Mum goes for North and Dad goes for Carlton. I chose North due to us being more successful during my toddler years.*




*Probably brainwashed.

 

[8732watitdo]

Moved to WA 7-8 years ago and picked a team by flipping a coin.

Unlucky mate.

I followed the Eagles due to my uncle being a massive supporter and got me really into footy.

 

[Cazbah]

Been Carlton for as long as i remember, maybe since 2 or 3 years old.

All thanks to my die-hard supporting Uncle

 

[raskolnikov]

Born into it.

I was at my first (of many) premiership wins at 6 months old.

You're seven years old?

I grew up in Sydney so started out life as a rugby league fan(shudder). My league team were red and black so I chose Essendon when I became interested in AFL.

 

[blaze036]

Brainwashed as a child. Seeing it happen again to the nephew . Gonna do it to my kids, no chance in hell their supporting anyone else

 

[hufus]

I have two 10-years older half-brothers. One supports Richmond, the other the Bombers. When I was young they would take turns bullying me into supporting their clubs until one day I decided to break out on my own and support the Dogs. I chose the Doggies for three reasons:

1. The Swans had moved to Sydney.
2. Two of my three best friends supported the Dogs
3. My Dad, a Demons fan, said I couldn't support any team that had won more flags than the Dees

Shortly after I made my choice, I was rewarded by the 1997 season and the heatbreak of that Prelim. Since then, it's been total. Yes, the Dogs know how to break your heart better than any team in sports, but the struggle is part of our nature and when that wins comes, no other team's fans could feel as much as us scraggers will.






...except the old Swannies. I pretend I don't have a second team, but I do, and was truly happy for them in 2006.

 

[Old M8]

I have two 10-years older half-brothers. One supports Richmond, the other the Bombers. When I was young they would take turns bullying me into supporting their clubs until one day I decided to break out on my own and support the Dogs. I chose the Doggies for three reasons:

1. The Swans had moved to Sydney.
2. Two of my three best friends supported the Dogs
3. My Dad, a Demons fan, said I couldn't support any team that had won more flags than the Dees

Shortly after I made my choice, I was rewarded by the 1997 season and the heatbreak of that Prelim. Since then, it's been total. Yes, the Dogs know how to break your heart better than any team in sports, but the struggle is part of our nature and when that wins comes, no other team's fans could feel as much as us scraggers will.

At least you've seen finals!

 

[se17enteen]

because i love winning premierships

 

[le dominateur]

Been a Blues supporter since the mid 70s, the Blues guernsey looked awesome even in B/W.

 

[hufus]

At least you've seen finals!

I can say with reasonable confidence that it is indeed better to have loved and lost... then again, that's the only way the Dogs operate.

But again, when we do win, and that day IS coming, it will be sweeter than any of you will get, and that makes the pain worth it.


-------------

I also follow the Boroughs, 'cos my family has been Port for 130 years+ and my great-great (-great?) Grandfather was the club President around about...102 years ago.

(and because I like to win sometimes, too)

 

[Giant Sphinx]

Both parents and their family's are collingwood so you would think I wouldn't have a choice. But to my parents credit they let me decide. I have a son born on grand final day replay last year so everyone thinks he will aromatically follow the pies as well. He will get the same speech I got when I had to decide.

I follow collingwood and only go to collingwood games. If you want to go to the footy it's either collingwood or nothing.

 

[MattyEdgeworth]

I really don't know. I recently decided I'd start following AFL and thats why I signed up here, to learn more about it.

I decided I'd have to pick a team and I wanted to support a good team because the two other sports teams I follow aren't very good(Although I still love them!) but for whatever reason I like the Western Bulldogs, It might be the name, The kit or some other reason but I now support them.

Just one question, Are they any good?

 

[hufus]

I really don't know. I recently decided I'd start following AFL and thats why I signed up here, to learn more about it.

I decided I'd have to pick a team and I wanted to support a good team because the two other sports teams I follow aren't very good(Although I still love them!) but for whatever reason I like the Western Bulldogs, It might be the name, The kit or some other reason but I now support them.

Just one question, Are they any good?

Depends how you measure it. I'd say yes, but most other team's fans would laugh at me. But now you're a Bulldog, you get to be wildly optimistic until we no longer have any chance of winning the flag, and then you get to be incredibly fatalistic about not winning. It's still a club with community roots and it's had a reasonably good run of success in the last few years, without the ultimate prize.

 

[MattyEdgeworth]

Depends how you measure it. I'd say yes, but most other team's fans would laugh at me. But now you're a Bulldog, you get to be wildly optimistic until we no longer have any chance of winning the flag, and then you get to be incredibly fatalistic about not winning. It's still a club with community roots and it's had a reasonably good run of success in the last few years, without the ultimate prize.

Doesn't sound to bad. Thats the one thing I find about sports, when you support the losing team(or average team) it makes it that much sweeter when you do win.

 

[seysearles]

My first game I went to was the 1987 grand final when I was 10yrsold. I don't remember being that fussed either way before i went there. Friends of our family who took me were so gutted after the game I got really upset. From Rd.1 1988 on I was a Hawthorn fanatic. I've watched us win 4 flags since then and the obsession is as strong as its ever been.

 

[Silent Alarm]

My dad had lived in Fremantle all his life. His dad was a South Fremantle fan and so too was he. My dad was only into the WAFL as a young kid and teenager - considering the strength of it in the 1970's. He reckons he liked the Saints in the VFL though.

Then when Freo came in, he of course jumped aboard.

And I was born the year before our first match. I was born into it.

 

[Harvey_35]

Started supporting Saints when I was old enough to be aware of AFL. Tony Lockett was the big thing at the time.

20 odd years now and never looked back. Have a soft spot for the Dons as Dad is a big bombers fan.

No one in my family supports the same team though aha.

 

[Vdubs]

10 years ago my 8 yo son was bemoaning the fact that he or we HAD to support Geelong. Things were grim. He had friends at school that followed successful teams like Hawthorn, Carlton and ESSENDON. It wasn't fair. We lived in outer east Melbourne, still do. Why Geelong. Patience, I told him, with very little faith btw.

After all, I 'd been to Joey's in Geelong and my parents lived there forever, and it's a great place, and they had these Abletts and some of the most exciting players ever.


10 years on, and look who's proud of his team, 3 flags in 5 years, Cat for life. Patience.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Because I barracked for South Fremantle in the WAFL as a kid, it seemed natural to take an interest in Fremantle when they started in the AFL.

Why Souths? There was a guy about two streets away who played for them (can't remember his name now) and all the local kids idolised him. My parents were migrants with no background or knowledge of the local sports, so there was no pressure from them.

 

[Forward Press]

Arrived in Perth in 1989, it's pretty logical which team I would follow.

 

[sighclone]

I chose Richmond after reading an article about their GF defeat to Carlton in an London based Aussie newspaper in 1982. I liked their nickname.