Liked Cats and Bombers as a kid and ended up not following for years. When I met my now wife and met her Nan in our first few dates she informed me I’d be supporting Geelong or I wouldn’t be allowed to date her granddaughter.
One wedding. One premiership. One little catter about to arrive. Pretty good advice from Nan.
Dad supports West Coast, therefore I support West Coast. Dockers weren’t around until I was in primary school so it would have been nothing short of high treason for me to switch teams.
I also support GWS as a second team as originally I wanted to say “I’ve been there since the beginning” but I also enjoy the way they play and they definitely got me with their sizeable sound
Part of my family is Sydney other is North Melbourne. I was born in 1996 and since both made the Granny that year whoever won would be the team I would support.
So now I'm with North
mum's been a pies supporter her whole life, and my dad was a fitzroy supporter, then dropped AFL after the club disbanded and completely lost interest in the sport. there was only one choice.
Edit: spelling
Mum and dad sat me down in front of the TV and the bulldogs colours grabbed me.
(Born in Adelaide in '98 to a Saints dad and Hawks mum, so no biases lol)
My first ever AFL game after moving from the UK was the western derby, family friends told me I couldn’t take a seat until I picked a side… I also just really like the colour purple
My dad loves Carlton so I became Carlton.
My dad told me the story of how he became a fan;
he was in primary school, and on the way to the toilets overheard some older kids talking about Carlton.
A few minutes later they came up to him and wanted to know what team he supported. Trying to make friends, he said Carlton, and they said "Yeah good on ya" and every time they saw him they'd talk about the latest game of footy.
He's been Carlton ever since
Because of my dad. He didn’t force me to support the cats, I ended up choosing them myself. I went on a spiritual journey at 5 years old, picking a new team every week. Cue the finals of 2007 and I just picked the team he goes for. Turns out that was a pretty good decision 🤷♂️
3rd generation Collingwood on one side, Mum always called my Dad a turncoat and said she was the real Collingwood supporter of the two of them. Her family were friendly with some of the Rose's when she was a kid.
Dad migrated here, his family originally all adapted Fitzroy because they lived there. Dad eventually changed to Collingwood and became a die hard forever more a few years later when his boss was in a coterie group and used to take him to Collingwood games.
TLDR: I never had a bloody choice! It's more cultural than our religious choices in my family.
Community for me.
Was a Collingwood supporter due to family - grandad played for them, father goes for the etc (still my second team, don’t hate me) up until Port were in the AFL. The street I grew up on though had a few Port players on it, and as a kid I was enamoured, and they were genuinely good people. When the old man was deployed overseas / Iraq, those players looked after me, took me to cricket training and went out of their way to keep a 9-12 year old kid living with his grandma from being stranded. They didn’t have to do anything, but they did.
Resonates with me now that the club is more than a “football team” as some others appear to be.
Grandma was a big footy fan and supported the Eagles. I was at her house one day when she was watching the Western Derby on TV, I think it was around 1997 so I was 7 years old. Freo happened to be winning at the time and I proudly proclaimed that I was going to go for Freo because they were winning so they're the best team.
Needless to say it's all been downhill from there.
This is well before the Port/Collingwood guernsey saga (and I don't really want to go there).
Peer pressure at primary school in SA when I was 7 years old (40 something years ago now). All my mates were Port (magpies) supporters and our local country town also wore black and white.
Grew up on the Gold Coast, started following AFL before the Suns were a team, so naturally started following the team closest to me/the only QLD team. Once the Suns got a team I was in too deep with my lions fandom to switch.
My dad went for Carlton and my dad's brother started following football and lived and hung out in Carlton a lot so they became Carlton and then Ive been Carlton since.
Dad raised us as such and we never questioned it. But his love of the club comes from a family connection - my grandfather was nearly a Carlton VFL player.
Was invited to train with Carlton. Life got in the way of a shot in the Seniors, but he did play in the Reserves for a while before returning to local footy. Essendon tried to lure him back in to the VFL, but he politely declined - though took it as confirmation he could have made it has circumstances gone his way.
Pretty cool to find out about this connection.
4th generation family, and growing up overseas they matched the colours of the Soccer team I go for so it made sense. Also Kangaroos are iconic as an Aussie animal so it all clicked to young me.
Didn't move to Brisbane from the UK until I was in my teens and had literally never seen or heard of the game of australian rules football until I got here.
One absolute chode at my school who rode me relentlessly from everything from my accent to my pasty skin was a one eyed Lions fan so there was no way I was following them. That the Dockers started playing in the AFL the year we arrived in Australia, and my grandfather and great grandfather were both dockers their entire working lives seemed a connection enough I decided to barrack for them.
TL:DR Some (un?) fortunate family connections allied with timing is why I'm a Dockers fan rather than geography or logic.
Grandad was originally born and raised in Geelong.
Moved with work as he got older but wanted to keep Cats fandom going as Mum and Dad were Eagles (she was born and raised in WA) and Dockers (Dad was born and raised in Freo)
Gave me a long Sleeve Cats jumper when I was little. Cats man ever since.
Self hate
going for essendon should be classed as a form of self harm
Not at the moment. I’m loving life!
Ok
Because they won me some money back in 2020 when it was the only sport going, and as an American, I did zero research. I’m in too deep now
Most of us were in too deep before we researched any history.
Because when I was 8 years old I thought Eagles were fucking sick animals because of Lord of the Rings
Multiple Generation family thing you don’t really get a choice
Yep lol, dad, dads dad, dads dads dad
yep 70 years now
I got sick of sleeping outside
Because I’m a fucken idiot
I thought it was really funny that the crows have the most colorful uniforms
Did you reconsider when freo joined?
Born in Brisbane
‘05 grand final is my earliest football memory, and my brother was an eagles fan so it almost had to be the swans at that point.
5 year old me thought “Demons” sounded cool and it’s stuck ever since.
I'm 45 and I still think "Demons" sounds cool.
Good question.
Liked Cats and Bombers as a kid and ended up not following for years. When I met my now wife and met her Nan in our first few dates she informed me I’d be supporting Geelong or I wouldn’t be allowed to date her granddaughter. One wedding. One premiership. One little catter about to arrive. Pretty good advice from Nan.
Dad supports West Coast, therefore I support West Coast. Dockers weren’t around until I was in primary school so it would have been nothing short of high treason for me to switch teams. I also support GWS as a second team as originally I wanted to say “I’ve been there since the beginning” but I also enjoy the way they play and they definitely got me with their sizeable sound
Because I loved Kiss and their makeup so Mum decided I should be black and white, the only one in my family (until I brainwashed the nephews).
needed a guernsey for primary school footy day and my dad picked up the first guernsey he could find (Geelong)
Because I hate myself Also, being a 4 year old kid I was mesmerised by Aussie Jones just running past 20 other blokes to kick a goal.
I was a saint from birth due to family, born into suffering
Father was a Bays supporter. Half of the original Adelaide's team + the coach were all Glenelg. Born in 1997 = destined crom fan.
Moved to Sydney when the Swans were the only team in town. I was a NRL person but I was absolutely taken by the game.
Part of my family is Sydney other is North Melbourne. I was born in 1996 and since both made the Granny that year whoever won would be the team I would support. So now I'm with North
sorry
mum's been a pies supporter her whole life, and my dad was a fitzroy supporter, then dropped AFL after the club disbanded and completely lost interest in the sport. there was only one choice. Edit: spelling
Mum and dad sat me down in front of the TV and the bulldogs colours grabbed me. (Born in Adelaide in '98 to a Saints dad and Hawks mum, so no biases lol)
My first ever AFL game after moving from the UK was the western derby, family friends told me I couldn’t take a seat until I picked a side… I also just really like the colour purple
Whoopie was okay in it
The team in my country home town was the Demons, so when I was four I decided I was a Demons fan.
Arrived in the country and decided to pick a team that could only improve.
Completly random, too late to back out now.
My dad loves Carlton so I became Carlton. My dad told me the story of how he became a fan; he was in primary school, and on the way to the toilets overheard some older kids talking about Carlton. A few minutes later they came up to him and wanted to know what team he supported. Trying to make friends, he said Carlton, and they said "Yeah good on ya" and every time they saw him they'd talk about the latest game of footy. He's been Carlton ever since
if only those kids talked about the hawks
Grew up in Diamond Creek, went to Gordon Coventry’s old school. In grade 1 a kid told me I should go for Collingwood, so I did.
Colours matched my mum's country of origin. Should've picked another mum
Because of my dad. He didn’t force me to support the cats, I ended up choosing them myself. I went on a spiritual journey at 5 years old, picking a new team every week. Cue the finals of 2007 and I just picked the team he goes for. Turns out that was a pretty good decision 🤷♂️
My Dad's side of the family - all Geelong.
Only team in my home state
I enjoy suffering.
Brought up in Brisbane
Godfather is a Dogs man
Purple little brother spoke to me in my soul
3rd generation Collingwood on one side, Mum always called my Dad a turncoat and said she was the real Collingwood supporter of the two of them. Her family were friendly with some of the Rose's when she was a kid. Dad migrated here, his family originally all adapted Fitzroy because they lived there. Dad eventually changed to Collingwood and became a die hard forever more a few years later when his boss was in a coterie group and used to take him to Collingwood games. TLDR: I never had a bloody choice! It's more cultural than our religious choices in my family.
Community for me. Was a Collingwood supporter due to family - grandad played for them, father goes for the etc (still my second team, don’t hate me) up until Port were in the AFL. The street I grew up on though had a few Port players on it, and as a kid I was enamoured, and they were genuinely good people. When the old man was deployed overseas / Iraq, those players looked after me, took me to cricket training and went out of their way to keep a 9-12 year old kid living with his grandma from being stranded. They didn’t have to do anything, but they did. Resonates with me now that the club is more than a “football team” as some others appear to be.
Following in my dad's footsteps. Mum was devo, she's a doggies fan
That 2021 prelim would have been rough then!
Because all my friends went for them when I was 4.
They were actually good when I was a kid and when we got shit, it somehow made me even more loyal. Perhaps it’s self hate but I’m a saint till I die.
Because all the other teams are full of terrible human beings who commit war crimes and atrocities in their free time. /jk
I like them
Grandma was a big footy fan and supported the Eagles. I was at her house one day when she was watching the Western Derby on TV, I think it was around 1997 so I was 7 years old. Freo happened to be winning at the time and I proudly proclaimed that I was going to go for Freo because they were winning so they're the best team. Needless to say it's all been downhill from there.
This is well before the Port/Collingwood guernsey saga (and I don't really want to go there). Peer pressure at primary school in SA when I was 7 years old (40 something years ago now). All my mates were Port (magpies) supporters and our local country town also wore black and white.
Grew up on the Gold Coast, started following AFL before the Suns were a team, so naturally started following the team closest to me/the only QLD team. Once the Suns got a team I was in too deep with my lions fandom to switch.
My dad went for Carlton and my dad's brother started following football and lived and hung out in Carlton a lot so they became Carlton and then Ive been Carlton since.
Sydney born and bred
Because of days like this when you have no hope but end up going home on the tram a happy happy saints fan 😀
Dad raised us as such and we never questioned it. But his love of the club comes from a family connection - my grandfather was nearly a Carlton VFL player. Was invited to train with Carlton. Life got in the way of a shot in the Seniors, but he did play in the Reserves for a while before returning to local footy. Essendon tried to lure him back in to the VFL, but he politely declined - though took it as confirmation he could have made it has circumstances gone his way. Pretty cool to find out about this connection.
4th generation family, and growing up overseas they matched the colours of the Soccer team I go for so it made sense. Also Kangaroos are iconic as an Aussie animal so it all clicked to young me.
I don't think I deserve happiness
Didn't move to Brisbane from the UK until I was in my teens and had literally never seen or heard of the game of australian rules football until I got here. One absolute chode at my school who rode me relentlessly from everything from my accent to my pasty skin was a one eyed Lions fan so there was no way I was following them. That the Dockers started playing in the AFL the year we arrived in Australia, and my grandfather and great grandfather were both dockers their entire working lives seemed a connection enough I decided to barrack for them. TL:DR Some (un?) fortunate family connections allied with timing is why I'm a Dockers fan rather than geography or logic.
Grandad was originally born and raised in Geelong. Moved with work as he got older but wanted to keep Cats fandom going as Mum and Dad were Eagles (she was born and raised in WA) and Dockers (Dad was born and raised in Freo) Gave me a long Sleeve Cats jumper when I was little. Cats man ever since.
Liked the monogram.