Exiles with kids - tips to get them to support the Lads

HellsBells

HellsBells

Striker
Contributor
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
 


HellsBells said:
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
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You can usually count on a trip to Wembley which is amazing or a few away games and the SAFC fans are absolutely incredible with kids
 
HellsBells said:
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
Click to expand...
I'm over 250 miles from sunderland and my kids aren't big into football yet so haven't had the issue. Think getting them the shirt and making them proud of where they come from (when I'm in the North East even if there's no game on I like to show them the best of it so they can see that I'm proud and it may instill some pride in them of where half their family cone from). You'll then have the stick if involving the club in why you're proud of where you come from.

At the end of the day by not going to many games it's no different to if they did follow arsenal or man city etc as most "fans" of them don't go to games. If its something you're really bothered about I'd definitely try and get to the stadium soon though just to show them whats there for them. Some of the best memories I have as a kid are with my dad and him going mental with every goal or bad decision from the ref. Being in the pubs before the game as the atmosphere builds and the walk accross the bridge with thousands of "our own" Its all a big part of my relationship with my dad and I'm grateful for it.
 
HellsBells said:
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
Click to expand...
You’re with a Coventry supporter! Unless you dump him you are just going to end up with cheating shysters.
 
Mine had Sunderland and Celtic strips from little, eldest went to his first game the day before his 4th birthday, comes to a couple of games a season was at Wembley for Portsmouth and Charlton, middle one doesn't like football altogether, youngest goes to away games we can get tickets for, is planning to come up the next time I do if he gets time off work, he was at Wembley for Portsmouth, Charlton and Wycombe . All in their 20s.

Indoctrination is key mind, allow no interference, give them no choice. If there is a 'kindly' uncle or aunt who wants to take them to their club make sure they have seen Sunderland first and don't let it become a habit, also allow no alien hats or scarves.

Get them to home games when you can.

There's always the final solution...you'll need to find somewhere else to live if you support someone else :)
 
HellsBells said:
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
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Sadism
 
i nearly came to blows with the mag brother in law there a couple of year ago ,he knows how hard its been bringing the youngin up as a MLF with the barcodes doing canny up the road there ,so when the BIL bought him a mags top for Christmas just to wind me up I nearly lost the plot iirc che

had him up against the wall ,hand roond his neck ,bairns were sobbing . Always wanted to knock the grin off his face like there :lol:
 
League Wan said:
Don't give them a choice and certainly do not be buying any other clubs merchandise
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I mean that’s a given. They both have Safc tops with their names on.

It’s just the kids at school who go on about how Arsenal are the best team in the world and they believe them. There’s no way I’m taking them to arsenal like, but some of their mates go now and again, or Spurs.
 
HellsBells said:
Specifically asking people who no longer live in the region because it’s fine when you can take them every week.

How do you counter the obvious distraction of local and even non-local teams having an influence and your kids wanting to support them instead of the Lads?

The kids are nearly six and rife for influencing by other kids around them. There are two kids they look up to who are big Arsenal fans (only because they’re top of the league, neither of their parents are footy fans).

We watched the Coventry game yesterday (dad’s team) and we’ll be watching the lads today on telly and we talk a lot about mammy and daddy’s teams but they are still heavily influenced by “who’s the best team right now?” Thank fuck the Mags aren’t winning the league yet.

I don’t get to many home games any more and I won’t take them to away games yet because it’s a different atmosphere, so what do you do to get them to support the lads from a distance?
Click to expand...

Assuming by the Arsenal mention you’re London or close enough.

We play Fulham, Millwall & QPR in the next 3 weeks.
 
This sort of thing can easily get silly.

Mine (11 and 13) have always happily worn Sunderland hats, gloves and had their boot bags for footy with the Sunderland badge on.

However, it's not practical for me to get to more than 2 or 3 games per year. So realistically they're going to conform with their friends and follow a team from the Top 6. My elder son went for Spurs as he liked Christian Eriksen as a player. Ironically he is now at Man Utd who my younger son follows. They have coats, tops and calendars for those two teams. They know that I am even less likely to be able to afford the money or time to get them to the Spurs ground (whatever the feck it's called) or Old Trafford any time soon. They can watch those teams play on Sky or MotD occasionally and they seem happy enough.

We watch local football - Histon and Cambridge United. My boys both play every Saturday when the ground isn't frozen and they train once per week, rising to twice in the spring. They get their fix of football.

They do get a bit of mickey taking at school "Sunderland? But they're crap" etc (and their friends aren't wrong... a few Peter Reid years apart we have been crap for the 35 years that I have followed them). But that only bothered them when they were a lot younger. They just laugh it off now.

At least nobody can accuse a Sunderland supporter of being a glory hunter.

To answer the OP's post I wouldn't push them into supporting Sunderland. If they like football take them to the nearest local club no matter which league. You can't beat live football. If they like playing then support them through their mini soccer and colts years. I even stepped forward to manage the team because everybody else looked at their feet when the previous manager left. If you take them along to a few Sunderland games, even if they have merchandise from other clubs, they'll develop a connection that will last forever.

An ex-girlfriend of mine was from York. Back in around 1993 we played Forest. She wasn't into football at all but later said "If anybody had told me I'd be stood on a seat in Nottingham with my hands in the air, shouting If you hate Newcastle clap your hands and loving it I would have thought you were mad!" Yet there she was. We split up 27 years ago but she still follows the Sunderland scores.
 
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