How did you come to support your team?

[raven echo]

Both parents came from Melbourne supporting families.

Cursed from birth

 

[Sando22]

I just love torture

 

[Andrew Mc]

They moved to Sydney, so we finally had our own team.

No-one will ever know which team I followed before 1982.

I vaguely followed Carlton, but living in country NSW (west), didn't see a lot of aussie rules on TV - my old man and older brother both followed them, they'd lived closer to Vic before I was around. Still have a soft spot for them.

 

[Mr_Bojangles]

Jacko and Neville Bruns having his jaw broke.

 

[hcd199]

Seeing a team called 'Kangaroos' beat my parents' team (Collingwood) in 1999 after the score was 100-all at one point, which (obviously) meant they were a better side than my parents' one (hardly an achievement in retrospect, the eventual premiers scraping home against the eventual wooden-spooners...). Managed to convince my older cousin to adopt the Roos as well, though he switched to Essendon partway through the next year because of their colours...

 

[Unique Name]

Emigrated from England with my family in 2000 when I was 13.

Being from Manchester and having supported the successful, non-s**t local side (Man U) for all our lives we decided to support the unsuccessful, s**t local side for a difference.

2001 was the first full season we watched. Dockers finished the season with only 2 wins!

 

[RedmanWasHere]

I just liked how it was pronounced when I was in grade 1.

Plus, I didn't know any Bomber fans (all tended to go for Collingwood, Carlton and Richmond) at the time.

Sort of went for St Kilda.

 

[General Soreness]

After studying the pages in The Observer's Guide to Association Football (1972) that showed all the club uniforms I decided that a team that truly valued a good work ethic could only wear black and white vertical stripes, and that I should fully endorse such clubs. From that point on I only barracked for teams with vertical black and white stripes.

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

I vaguely followed Carlton, but living in country NSW (west), didn't see a lot of aussie rules on TV - my old man and older brother both followed them, they'd lived closer to Vic before I was around. Still have a soft spot for them.

I have no soft spot for my old team whatsoever.

 

[emilybrown]

After a few years when my late grandfather moved to Melbourne from Croatia he went to a Melbourne v Collingwood game. His mates all went for the pies and he chose Melbourne. My mum went for the Bulldogs being in the western suburbs. Nan went for Carlton as she wasn't that into it but her friend was dating a Carlton player. My uncle took me to my first Melbourne game at 3 years old (24 now) and now my mum and nan have been members for 18 years along with my 20 years and we go every week my pop passed away 2 months ago so hoping we can have a great end to the season for him!

 

[HeathySure]

My dad brought me up to be a Hawthorn supporter but made the mistake of sending me to primary school with money to buy a donut. I bought the Jiffy donut and on the bag it said that Collingwood had won the most premierships at the time. I also liked the name so that was it, i then became a Collingwood supporter. MY old man has seen 9 premierships since then, i have seen 2. Donuts are not good for you.

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

The freo connection

Went for east freo. Saw the death of the wafl after the eagles joined the (then VFL) and couldn't go for them - even with guys like mainwaring and co. running around for them (all the ex-east freo guys)

When freo joined it was an easy decision. I'm also a masochist

 

[PhatBoy]

All my family that followed football barracked for the dogs and being a kid growing up in the 90's in country nsw, I naturally picked Hawthorn... I really have no idea why.

Where are you from?


I fell in love with afl and rugby league the same weekend - 89 grand final weekend. Watched the cats and Hawks on the Saturday, all I can remember is hearing Ablett's name called ad nauseum, and I instantly hated the Hawks colours. They looked repulsive. So I got on the Cats bandwagon. Just in time to watch them lose four grand finals in seven seasons which is great.

Watched the raiders beat the tigers a day later.

 

[Glenn_]

Supported Sydney since the move North in 1982, no desire to jump ship when GWS came along.

 

[Golden_6]

I actually followed North until I was 4 as both parents followed them (forced decision), but then my grandpa started taking me to Doggies games and stole me away pretty damn quickly.

 

[threesixpio]

Love this thread

 

[Chaisa]

Live in Sydney, started watching AFL before 2012, parents were fans, etc. Was the obvious choice.

 

[rdhopkins2]

Hawthorn wasn't so much a choice but a forced decision as a kid. A bit like you must go to school, likewise, you must barrack for the Hawks (unwritten rule). Mum was a bandwagon Saint (didn't go to games) before she met Dad and barracking for Hawthorn was pretty much a condition of marriage.

 

[vide0n]

I guess I thought to myself

Who's going to the worst team in the competition for the next six years

And then chose that one

Still love my Sunnies though

 

[Ok Boomer]

Grew up in a Eagles house, starting watching weekly in 2001 so if nothing else I am not a bandwagoner.

 

[Gough]

Immigrant parents didn't know s**t about football when I started school, so I chose the local team Hawthorn to support, my brother chose Richmond because he liked tigers. The year was 1979.

 

[Eons]

Ron Alexander and his wife Marilyn used to babysit us and have followed Fitzroy/Brisbane ever since.

 

[The Swert]

I believe a young, blonde, Paul Hudson was handing out scarves or beanies at a local shopping centre. I got one and became a Hawks fan.

 

[Deep]

Everyone around me was a Collingwood supporter as a kidlet, and so 6-year-old me would tell people I supported them too. In reality, I had never gone out of my way to watch a game of footy. One day in around 2003 or 2004, I switched on the telly at my grandparents' house, Geelong v St Kilda was on. I fell in love with Cameron Mooney (not exactly Ablett, but still my favourite of all time) and made an effort to learn every Geelong player's name from there. Been following the Cats ever since.

Around the same time as you I saw my first match live. The 2004 qualifying final against Port that we lost by around 9 goals. I fell in love with the two bashing bruisers in Moons and Dasher. Then the following year Ablett and Bartel of course.

I was supposed to be a Port fan according to family but I wouldn't have any of it and I chose right clearly *cough 2007 *

 

[Banyo Bloods]

Started supporting the Swans in 1985 because they had the same jumper as my junior team the Banyo Bloods. No VFL team in Brisbane to support. Junior team folded in 1987 due to lack of numbers after years of playing with 13 - 15. Didn't matter stuck true to the red and white.