How far back are you bleeding yellow and black??

[Tzatziki_Man]

What's the earliest trace you can identify your ancestry as Richmond supporters?

I'm not overly impressive, my grandparents and mother (12 at the time), moved to Bridge Road Richmond in 1971.

She was living in Richmond during our golden era of success, and Richmond FC was successful and powerful when she was dancing to Saturday Night Fever and Off The Wall whilst watching Grease.

So she always fondly reflects on anything that brings back her youth.

So the year for us? As Greek migrants, 1972 onwards I'd say.

 

[BF Tiger]

My mum AFAIK. I’ll have to ask her. My parents Separation saved me from being a Collingwood supporter (also a prison record, no dentistry, etc).

I think tigerdan might have s good story.

 

[thedreamisreal]

When my late grandpa was a child (late 1920’s), he and his older brother would collect the footy cards out of his old man’s tobacco tins. Most of their collection were Tigers so they started following Richmond. Every one of their dissidents has followed Richmond since, myself included.

 

[Astutepickens]

Im the only tiger supporter in my family all of them are carltoon or collinshits.
35 yrs ive been watching my beloved tiges remember lying in bed as a kid on the weekend with my am fm walkman and listening to the tiges get beat most of the time but i have 2 beautiful kids who absolutely love the tiges and lucky for them they have seen 2 flags in there short life so far. Go the mighty tiges!

 

[Lsta062]

I’m the first and that started about around 2003 as a 10 year old because my lineage certainly had no clue about AFL before that.

 

[This Is Anfield]

19th August 1967

 

[SunshineBoy]

1966 for me

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

1966 for me

^^^^^^^Old prick
67 for me.

 

[SunshineBoy]

^^^^^^^Old prick
67 for me.

Young whippersnapper

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Young whippersnapper

Those were the days my friend.

 

[SunshineBoy]

Those were the days my friend.

We thought they would never end

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

We thought they would never end

Kings of the schoolyard for so long.lol

 

[Downtown06]

2019 for me lol.

Nah from the day I was born 1989

 

[SunshineBoy]

2019 for me lol.

Nah from the day I was born 1989

Band wagoner

 

[Tzatziki_Man]

Interesting.

Lots of us either,

A/ Starting supporting during eras of success.
B/ Our parents made us supporters at birth.


Wonder how many supporters we are making now, since maybe 2012 onwards, and especially sin e 2017

 

[BruceTempany14]

Interesting.

Lots of us either,

A/ Starting supporting during eras of success.
B/ Our parents made us supporters at birth.


Wonder how many supporters we are making now, since maybe 2012 onwards, and especially sin e 2017

My Grandfather got on the Tigers back in the early 1920'S APPROX As they were the 'Catholic and old style Labour Party ' club then.(Not like the nonsense we're seen from them since Gough !!). They would only congregate with their own , left the Proddies at Melbourne, Carlton and Druggieland ( IN THOSE DAYS THE DRUGGIES , I THINK WERE highly influential IN east Melbourne ???)

Gosh out of 8 siblings , every one is a tiger. It was that or have no where to live. It was good early days. Later my daughters tried to leave in the 90S but I threatened them with an earlier form of 'social distancing' ...before it was legal... they stayed and they and I were so bloody happy they did after the epic 2017 GF win.

 

[peterbuch74]

My dad was an immigrant from Germany, arrived in the country in the early 1960's.
He was working for Home Pride bakeries in 1965 and I remember him telling me about this work mate Jock who was carrying on about how good his Bombers were. After three rounds they were on top undefeated, and they were playing a winless Richmond that week. He challenged all of his workmates to take him on in a bet, which nobody did... Dad took him up on his bet just to shut him up (He knew nothing of the sport at this stage) and was shocked to learn that Richmond had beaten Essendon at Windy Hill by 24 points.

Dad laughed at Jock, and the rest of the crew were giving it to him too.

The week leading into Round 15 of 1965 and Jock invites Dad to double down on the bet, to which he obliges. Dad decides this is the week to go to his first game and see what this is all about. So he rocks up to the G and watches a 21yo Barrot, Burgin, Neville Crowe, Roger Dean, and 18yo Frankie Dimmatina, Paddy Guinane, a 22yo John Northey, Bull Richardson, Freddy Swift and coach Jack Titus take on the Bombers and eventually smash them by 58 points.

Dad had the time of his life, was an instant Tiger fan, and couldn't wait to give it to Jock at work again on Monday morning.

Roll around to Round 1 of 1966 and Dad attends his second game, this time bringing his immigrant mates with him (Bob from England, Russell and Radley from Sri Lanka, and another fella from Holland who I can't recall the name of)... They turn up to watch Tom Hafeys first game as coach, and see a young fella by the name of Kevin Bartlett pulling on the boots in his 15th game.

They played the Blues at Princes park in a tough game with Barassi as captain/coach, Ian Collins, Gags Gallagher, West Lofts, John Nicholls, and Serge Silvagni. And after a hard tough slog the Tiges get up by a goal and Dad and his buddies (all in their late teens) have a ball giving it the Blues faithful, get in a Blue themselves and hate the Carlton FC and love the Tiges forever more...

That started a weekly tradition of the lads going to the footy, then finding a pub (ol' Corner Hotel when at home), writing themselves off, then heading home again...

By the time I was born in June of 1974 they'd all seen the 67, 69 and 73 flags with 1974 to come... I had no choice really

 

[JAKLAUGHING]

1966 for me

About the same for me too...after I jumped off the old man's doggies train...

 

[Downtown06]

Band wagoner

Yeah buddy!!!!
Dont even know what happened before 2017 mate, as far as I'm concerned
Richmond- 2 flags and no wooden spoons haha

 

[4tune8]

1966 for me, was going to a school in the Wimmera that was zoned to Essendon. From memory i got the sash colours mixed up and ended up going for the Tigs.

 

[Soberian Tiger]

I was indoctrinated.

And as that was all I knew, I passed it on.

 

[Punt rd end]

My great grandfather landed in Richmond late 1800's, my grandfather was born in 1893 and around 1905 was involved in the St Ignacious football program which was of course affiliated with the RFC

 

[k31th]

My grandfather was born in 1928 and as far as I know he was an indoctrinated tiger and of course my grandfather indoctrinated my father and my father indoctrinated me. Unfortunately I don't have any information going back past that for any specifics of my great-grandfather's known allegiance to the RFC.

 

[Rayzorwire]

Grandfather in the 30's, never thought to ask him if it went back further. He had a tough childhood so between that and the war you just didn't bring up the past.

Father chose Carlton and tried to bend me that way, was not at all happy when I announced as a 6yo I was a Tiger. One of my strongest early memories is balling my eyes out watching the '82 GF with him rubbing it in (he backed off a bit after seeing how upset I was to his credit). I never considered swapping my allegiance so it was all just good practice for the decades to come!

 

[Phar Ace]

1966 for me

Same, 1966.

Arrived back in Australia from Suva, Fiji in 1965, just after the season had finished. My father, a long time Richmond supporter, took me for my first game at Lake Oval in 1966, can still see the stand, we were at the southern edge. I think it was Bobby Skilton that had just been bowled over by Roger Dean, and the guy next to me, in Red and White, jumped out of his seat and yelled "Dean you bloody squib!". Thinking that was the go, and all of age 6, I jumped up as well and yelled "yeah, you bloody squib!" (beaming, thinking I was very grown up). At which point my father suddenly grabbed me by my collar, yanked me back hard in my seat, and yelled at me "shaddup, he's one of ours!".

That was my first living memory of footy. Being told Roger Dean was 'one of ours' ingrained in me I barracked for the blokes with the Yellow and Black and not the Red and White.

For years thereafter I kicked a brown plastic footy around the back yard in East Oakleigh pretending I was Roger Dean bowling over every other footballer that got in my way, to endless Richmond glories. We made the finals that year, and then we seemed to win flag after flag after flag, at least that's how it felt. Good times to be a Richmond kid!