Were you born into SUFC or was it a choice?

[South Bank Hank]

My family wasn't into football at all. I was though and fell into "supporting" Liverpool the way many nowadays fall into following Chelsea, Manchester United and the other big teams - mainly 'cos they were always on t' telly. With Rush, Barnes, Beardsley, etc on the telly but so far ooop north, I'd never even thought about going to a live game.

A guy I worked with at the time lived in Southend and got me to come to a game or two before buggering off to live in Malta. Some years later, my dad and I are season ticket holders and I stumble across the chap when he does a blog on this website. His name, Overseas Shrimper!

 

[twobob]

Don't really fit any of these choices as we all started going regularly as a family at the same time. Prior to that my dad & I supported Arsenal & my brother Spurs. We all still went to see the London clubs occasionally but eventually we didn't bother any more due various reasons.

 

[Ramsdenblue]

Born and breed in Romford, was a tottenham surporter, use to stand up in the shelf, when the yids were playing at home.

Moved to Basildon, when i got married, went to first SUFC match with farther in law, then again, and then again, then started going to all home games, then started to go away, thats how i became an SUFC fan, have been now for the 20 years.

When we played tottenham in the FA cup, the only place we could sit was up in the shelf, with the yids, did you see two loan SUFC surporters jumping up and down in the shelf when we scored our penalty, hope we got reconised by some of you, as we certainly got noticed by the rest of the yids in the shelf that day.

Now allmy kids are SUFC surporters, good lads.

 

[Lester Bangs]

Dad was a West Ham season ticket holder which he gave up when the price hit £200 for the 83/84 season. I was 12 at this point.

Dad was getting football withdrawals and decided to give Southend a go and took me (my brother had a Saturday job from memory and couldnt make it).

I'd been to live games before at both Upton Park and it pains me to say it Brisbane Road but something at Southend stuck, it got under my skin somehow. From that first game I attended in Autumn 1983 I've been addicted.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Born at Rochford Hospital to a family that had no great interest in football, although my father professed to being a Spurs supporter, perhaps more by association than passion. There was really no question as to who I would support when I became interested in soccer at the age of eight. My brothers' and sister have never shown any real interest and look upon my passion for Southend United rather strangely.

 

[shrimp in orbit]

Went to a Southend match when I was 8 and never looked back! To me it seemed natural to support your local team. To watch them 20-30 times a season is to be really involved, what's the point of supporting a team you only see on TV> I grew up with people who supported Liverpool, who could be hard pushed to find Liverpool on a map of England and never ever saw them play. Now I've moved far, far away from Essex, but Southend are my team, the team I look out for and whose results give an up or a down to the weekend. I watch the local teams of course and I love watching football in general, but Southend would be my team whatever the results.
Incidentally forums like this are great for fans like me, living miles away who need tokeep in touch with what fans are thinking and feeling.

 

[McNasty]

Went to a Southend match when I was 8 and never looked back! To me it seemed natural to support your local team. To watch them 20-30 times a season is to be really involved, what's the point of supporting a team you only see on TV> I grew up with people who supported Liverpool, who could be hard pushed to find Liverpool on a map of England and never ever saw them play. Now I've moved far, far away from Essex, but Southend are my team, the team I look out for and whose results give an up or a down to the weekend. I watch the local teams of course and I love watching football in general, but Southend would be my team whatever the results.
Incidentally forums like this are great for fans like me, living miles away who need tokeep in touch with what fans are thinking and feeling.

This is one of the main reasons the Zone exists.

 

[Hotman]

This is one of the main reasons the Zone exists.

thank you mc nasty

 

[tia]

My uncle took me in late 1988 as a youngster and been hooked ever since.

 

[IloveShrimp]

Granddad (dads dad) was Charlton (though I never knew him as he died before I was born) and all my family including uncles aunts and cousins are West Ham. My wife and all her family are staunch West ham fans also as is one of my sons.

My dad had taken me to live games before, to both Upton Park and Wembley (we used to go to all the England school boy internationals), but then one foggy Friday night in about 1972 he took me to Roots Hall... and I have been a Shrimper ever since.

I first took my oldest son to Roots hall when we got absolutely frozen on the old South Terrace he was 4 years old. Since then he has tried to be West Ham fan and then Arsenal, but eventually saw the light and is now 100% Shrimper. He has had a season card for about 5 years and I have held one since about 1980. The youngest still persisits in following his familiy traditions (and his best mates's) and supports West Spam!.... Muppet!!

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

3rd generation, dad and grandad, though wouldn't say there was any coercion, just no other option!:smiles:

Ditto. My grandfather was born in Great Wakering and his mother worked for the Trigg family whose head of the household was one of the guys who formed the club in a meeting at the Blue Boar. Grandad was a Blues fan from the start and my father (born in Leigh) obviously followed the trend, as in those days there was really no other option to follow a 'big' club, due to the public transport, road network and lack of finances most intividuals experienced.

 

[SUFCbaldy]

I was born In Stockport (then in the 4th Division), so started following them until we moved to Southend. My Granddad took me to my first Match at Roots Hall in 1964 when we beat Colchester 6-3. Third division football was much more superior, I've been a fan ever since

 

[DoDTS]

I was born In Stockport (then in the 4th Division), so started following them until we moved to Southend. My Granddad took me to my first Match at Roots Hall in 1964 when we beat Colchester 6-3. Third division football was much more superior, I've been a fan ever since

I remember that match 4-1 up at half time Booby Gilfillan scoring four, John McKinven getting the other two and this match was just hree weeks after we played Bristol Rovers which we also won 6-3 again after being 4-1 up at half time.

I remember it well.

DoDtS

 

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

My parents had no interest in football at all (My dad was a staunch Rugby Union fan). My sister introduced me to football in about 1972 by standing on the North Bank terrace. She also took me to Upton Park a couple of times but I hated it there and refused to go again. 40 years on and here I still am

 

[Another Surrey Shrimper]

I started going just because the kid who lived up the road did. Friday night football is what hooked me from 1978. I took my eldest daughter when she was 6 - she had no idea what was happening and would never have gone again until we scored with the last kick of the match to beat Bury 1-0 and with the roar of the Hall she was hooked. She has travelled all over ever since for 7 years even though she was born in Kingston and never lived in Essex. She scared me on the way to an away match at Bournemouth as there were some Kingstonian fans going to their match on the same train and she said 'As soon as I'm old enough to go on my own I'm switching to Kingstonian - its my birth right'.

 

[Ex-Member1]

My dad took me to see us thrash Coventry City 5-0 way back in the 50's and I became a fan, and stood on the South Bank behind the goal for many years before joining a group in the West Stand. I also went to school with Sam McCrory's son, got all the goss, autographs etc, and SUFC was tattooed on my heart and has remained there ever since.

 

[Portuguese Shrimper]

Family not particularly into sport but I was football mad from the age of 5. Started watching SUFC from 1958 onwards. Initially used to wait for gates to open 15 mins from end so could watch for nothing, then used my pocket money to watch games. Occasionally went with 2 of my uncles who were Southend fans. Usually went with friend(s) - a 7 year old out unsupervised for several hours and bear in mind that a lot of games were Friday nights - can you imagine letting your 7 year old go to football on his own now 'see you around 10 when you get home' - just couldn't happen! Not just football though but my sporting allegiance follows in the following order - Southend, Essex, England, UK, Europe.
Early memories - marching band, half time scores carried on sandwich boards by young kids, always invading the pitch at game end, masses of autograph hunters waiting for players to emerge from the changing rooms after games!

 

[Firestorm]

Born I Hornchurch and moved to Billericay in the mid 60's and being from a cycling family didn't get into football until i was around 7 , started badgering my dad to take me to a game and for some reason fancy going to Spurs (I think it was Jimmy Greaves) but it was a lot of hassle so my Dad and his father to my brother and I to RH, I was hooked from that day (Aldershot 1-1), Little bro kept it up till he left school , but I moved to the town and have stayed put.

For years I wondered why I was the only football fanatic in the family, Dad, his Dad, my brother , none of them really followed a team, then a couple of years ago I was talking to my Mum about her Dad , I didn't know him He passed away in his 50's when I was under a year old (closely followed by my Nan). It turned out that he was a Spurs season ticket holder and he died on the way home from a game (4-4 v Portmouth February 1959)

 

[shallowshrimper]

Similar story to most on here really.

Was taken to my first Southend match at the age of 10 by my dad who was born in Norwich and was a regular canaries fan in his younger days. Now living in the Southend area he took me to my first game which amazingly we won and have been a regular ever since. I remember him singing this mournful dirge once and told me it was Norwich's song,I thought he was kidding till many years later heard it on the box. "On the ball the City" - dreadful.

Again no pressure applied I think he just felt you should always support your local team.

 

[BrettieAngell]

My Dad has been a Southend fan since the mid 60's, took me and my brother SUFC_Al to our first game when we were 9 and 7 respectively in 1987. Our younger brother went to his first game not long after when he was 4.