Why do you not support your local team?

Soldato
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My grandfather was forced out of Ireland because of protestant persecution and settled into Manchester. The rest is history.

Manchester is pretty much our hometown in England, despite living in Leicestershire now. United has a massive Roman Catholic following, it's got a lot of Roman Catholics running the show, so it felt naturally easier to follow.
 
Soldato
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Support liverpool because my dad supports them, they were the first league time he went to watch and the first premiership team he played against. I also support linfield and go to a lot of their games but tbh the standard of the NI league is pretty pathetic, though ive yet to go to a premiership game that has a better atmosphere.
 
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Support liverpool because my dad supports them, they were the first league time he went to watch and the first premiership team he played against. I also support linfield and go to a lot of their games but tbh the standard of the NI league is pretty pathetic, though ive yet to go to a premiership game that has a better atmosphere.

My great grandad played for Linfield at some point I think. I'd have to ask my grandad to be sure though. I know he played for Belfast Celtic as we have pictures of him in team group pictures. But I think that was around the partitioning in the 20s and long before the Linfield supporters invaded the pitch, attacked Belfast Celtic players and caused the team to cease playing in the late 40s.

Edit: Just checked the Belfast Celtic website and my great grandad is listed in the 1908 - 1909 team. I didn't think it was as early as that.
 
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Caporegime
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Fair enough. Its prob more likely!

Don't get me wrong, I love watching both.

It's just I'm a season ticket holder at Wednesday, they're my first love. United are like that dirty bit on the side you always go back to.

I enjoy watching football in general though. Don't mind who I watch. Would love to see a River Plate game at some point in my life.
 
Associate
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I do support my local team.

Yes, I have a sense of smugness when listening to the 'plastics' talk about 'supporting' (in the loosest sense of the word) 'United' or Liverpool.
 
Soldato
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I lived in Ireland for several years and I was amazed at the glory hunting of supporters over there. I would say at a guess something like 40% of Irish football fans support Man Utd. Liverpool are the other big side with maybe 25% of support. The remainder is mixed. There is a huge transient fanbase over there who will support whichever team is winning and will change like the wind. I remember seeing lots of Blackburn fans in the early 90s for example.

I think you'll find that there is a massive Celtic following in Ireland who regularly travel to games. Considering we where set up by a Marist Brother to help feed the poor in the east of Glasgow, who happened to be primarily Irish, it's not too surprising. Celtic also have a massive following in North America and you will find a Celtic Supporter's Club in almost every corner of the globe.

My grandfather supported Clyde (which was his local team) and my father supports Celtic although he did so at a time when the club where struggling. A few years later Stein took over and the club achieved the impossible, happy days for my dad. I was taken to loads of games and my support of Celtic grew from there.

The following clubs are all "united" as well

Sheffield United (1889)
Newcastle United (1892)
Scunthorpe United (1899)
Torquay United (1899)
West Ham United (1900)
Carlisle United (1903)
Southend United (1906)
Leeds United (1919)
Hereford United (1924)
Rotherham United (1925)
Peterborough United (1934)
Colchester United (1937)
Cambridge United (1951)
Oxford United (1956)
Hartlepool United (1977)
F.C. United of Manchester (2005)
Hayes & Yeading United (2007)

You forgot Dundee Utd. ;)
 
Soldato
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Old Gramps used to play for Villa (reserves, woop ;) ) a looooong time back. But due to the nature of football back then, never actually got tickets to see the first team play, lol.

So ended up taking me to see Liverpool (his local team) most the time instead.
Was born up that way myself, but parents moved to Birmingham area before i was 1 even.

So i guess Liverpool are kinda not, really, my local team .. on account of i wasn't old enough to know they existed when i moved. But oh well, i believe who you support should be passed down through family anyway, rather then being purely location based (or even these days: who's richest or winning the most, the number of sub 10 year olds i see in City shirts is sickening)
 
Soldato
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I admire people who support their local lower league club. It can't be easy and it must be annoying to hear people talking in the media and on here about nothing but the top 8 or so PL clubs.

The problem with people supporting a club just because it's successful is that it creates a vicious circle. Aldershot are never going to make the big time when everyone in Surrey supports Manchester United. And as long as Aldershot are bumbling along in the lower leagues, kids will continue to be tempted to support the latest Premier League champions.
 
Soldato
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I was born in Newcastle and as my whole family were Newcastle fans I supported them. Still support them now even though I live in Leicestershire.

I keep meaning to go to Hinckley Utd games as I'm only 5 minutes from the ground. Always forget though :(
 
Soldato
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I admire people who support their local lower league club. It can't be easy and it must be annoying to hear people talking in the media and on here about nothing but the top 8 or so PL clubs.

The problem with people supporting a club just because it's successful is that it creates a vicious circle. Aldershot are never going to make the big time when everyone in Surrey supports Manchester United. And as long as Aldershot are bumbling along in the lower leagues, kids will continue to be tempted to support the latest Premier League champions.

See, I'd regard this a slightly different way. Obviously Aldershot went out of business at the beginning of the Nineties and then reformed at ATFC, their achievements and successes over that period are among the most impressive in English football. If you compare that they've achieved to that of the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and other standard PL clubs, they've completely blitzed it!

According to their Wikipedia page they've won 4 leagues, been in two play-offs, won the conference League Cup and also the Hampshire Senior Cup five times! Think of how much fun, enjoyment and satisfaction their supporters have had, when compared to many teams in the EPL!

I think that's the reason why certain people are attracted to large premier league clubs, and others are attracted to their local/lower league team.

Accessibility to both types is always present. EPL is accessible through it's constant coverage. Lower league football is accessible through local communities. I'd personally say you have to work a bit harder being a fan of a non-EPL club.

Don't get me wrong, there's certainly nothing wrong supporting an EPL club, or a local lower league team, they're just completely different worlds!
 
Associate
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The reason I don't support Cambridge United is pretty simple - cost.

When I was younger I had a season ticket 5 years running - it cost £60 per year (or £40 with early bird discount). I managed to get a group of about 6 of us sitting together every year.

Once I turned 16 the price shot up to £290 for the same seats. I can justify about £5 per game to watch a team that rubbish, but once you start talking £10+ it just wasn't worth it.

Add to that the huge turnover of players in lower league teams (didn't recognise the team from one season to the next), the fact the football was dire and not entertaining, and the complete lack of hope for any positives in the future owing to the club's financial metldown after the ITV Digital fiasco, I feel that supporting a Premier League team over them is justified.
 
Soldato
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I support Bristol city, always have and always will, started goingnwhen I was about 4, and have had a season ticket with a couple of gaps for the last 15 odd years.

Don't understand how people can support teams that they never go to watch in the flesh, it just seems fundamentally odd to me and I can't ever bring myself to call the armchair plastics "supporters" of any kind. Sadly they tend to be the most arrogant and annoying of all football fans.

I've met, many, many top quality arsenal, man U, Liverpool, everton act fans at service stations all over the country when they are on away trips, and most are just football fans and will talk football (of any level) for hours as they know what it's like to travel up and down the country following your team.

The atmosphere of football properly live is part of the reason to go, I can't stand watching city on the tv and would sooner go and watch Bristol manor farm, than support a team I can only watch on the telly. Or more likely I'd do what an ever increasing number of English football fans are doing and get cheap flights out to Germany and watch the bundesliga.
 
Soldato
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Born in north London, brought up in Surrey, then Reading.

Supported Liverpool all my life until about the age of 10. It suddently dawned on me that I had never been there, was unlikely ever to go there, and I only supported them as they were the best team when I was a kid.

Changed my allegiance to Reading. Never looked back.
 
Soldato
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My Dad supported Dundee, his Dad supported Dundee, and so me and my brothers support Dundee.

Glory hunting damages football, support your local team.
 
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