[Albion] Another One Added To The Fold (?)

[Official Old Man]

7 years old.
She will enjoy it and so a ST will be needed next year.
Including food & drink, shirts, scarfs and away travel you are looking at 10 years before she can pay her own way. £8000 well spent.

 

[Eeyore]

Don't get upset if the club won't give her a free shirt.

 

[Trevor]

Hope it's a good game. Pivotal, could be the difference between a lifelong supporter or not.

 

[AnotherArch]

If my son and my 8 year old granddaughter's experiences are anything to go by, the half-time toilet visit gets very interesting!

 

[Stephen Seagull]

I took my 8-year-old daughter to her first game against Arsenal on Boxing day and she loved every minute of it. The main thing she was most concerned about was getting on the big screen and not losing me during the halftime toilet break. A packet of crisps, junk food, flag, bottle of pop and she'll never forget it.

Let your granddaughter join in with the songs! My daughter hears worse language when I watch football at home than she could do at the Amex!

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Watford at Withdean was my sons first game aged 7.

As for Poppy, you will need to leave the pub earlier than planned as she will want to take it all in and those little legs won't move as fast.

Don't forget how much effort is required for those little legs to get up to the WSU - you may need to stop like the old folks do on the way up. Remember that the candy wagon is in the middle of the WSU.

 

[Jaxie]

Hopefully (for you) she will want to stay the whole game! I took my daughter who was 2 at the time to three games during the promotion season a couple of years ago. Preston we lasted half an hour, Fulham 10 mins and Blackburn 75 mins. Very proud moment tho taking a youngster to their first game, I hope you have a great time.

 

[The Rattler]

It will be fine!

I still remember my first-ever game, that my Dad took me to, standing on the East Terrace at the Goldstone as a nine-year old and being an innocently interested observer as the police ejected someone near us for being drunk and abusive even before KO. I'd never seen anything like that before, but somehow I've managed to grow up untraumatised by it

Likewise I myself took my 9 and 5 years old to their first-ever game just the other day, against Everton. I'd worried a bit about them – overhearing proper swearing for the first time, being frightened by the crush getting on and off the train, and so on – but it was all completely misplaced. They had a fantastic time – in the end, the 5 year old's biggest problem of the whole day was what kind of mascot to choose in the club shop.

Kids aren't always as sensitive as we worry they may be: Poppy will undoubtedly have a fantastic day, and even if there's the odd bit of colourful language or so, it will just wash off her.

It's a proud moment, whether you're a parent, granddad or uncle or whatever – enjoy it, and don't stress!


View attachment 103593

I can see one of your sons, standing there next to Maty Ryan. Where's the other one?

 

[Saladpack Seagull]

I started by taking my very young daughter to several Albion reserve games at Woodside Road and then progressed to the first team at Witthdean. Sadly we lost 5-1 and she still remembers that Doug Loft scored our goal. This debacle did not put her off, and now she is a 23 year old Bronze Member and comes with me to games. Her love for the Albion has always made me very proud and happy. Regardless of the result I reckon your Poppy will come to realise that winning (though nice) isn't everything and will always follow the Albion.

 

[spence]

Lovely girls name that

 

[ozzygull]

The first away game I took my daughter to when she was about six was Wycombe away fa cup game I think. Obviously there is no family section, so I knew she would hear the odd choice word. I said what she hears at the football stays at football, not to be repeated. especially the “Get in to them” and “duck them up” chants. She survived, not perment damage, well only now at the age of sixteen I hear more “for ducks sake” coming for her then me while watching a game. Never heard her swear outside of football.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This could be a “woe is me” moment or a football triumph in my Albion supporting days. I will elaborate :

It will be my granddaughter Poppy’s seventh birthday this week and she has decided that her number one birthday request is for me, “Gumps”, to take her to a Brighton football game - following in her elder brother’s footsteps. Not content with the usual kids’ initiation of being plonked in the Family section of the East Stand she wants to accompany me for pre-match drinks in the pub and sit with me and the rest of the riff raff in the West Upper.

Well her wish is being granted. I have selected the Watford game on the 2nd February for my moment in heaven or hell. She will be proudly decked out in her Albion replica shirt with Poppy and 7 printed on the back.

I am now consumed with mixed emotions of anticipation and dread at how this day is going to pan out. If anyone has got words of comfort and advice for me to cling onto please let me know. Cheers, Gumps!

Bobkin Jnr's first game was that 3-1 defeat against Watford years ago. It didn't put him off....

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[Peter Grummit]

You should be proud that Poppy holds her Gumps in such high regard that she wants to spend her special day doing what you love to do. And you clearly are.

7 is the perfect age, old enough to concentrate and take it in: young enough to be awestruck by the view of the green baize and activity from WSU. My advice would be to try and film her reaction when she emerges into the stand for the first time. I still have that firmly in my mind's eye when I went to the Goldstone age 7, clutching my Dad's hand in 1971. As a now empty-nester with 3 fanatical Albion sons but no sign of grand-kids yet, I am proper jealous! Enjoy a special day.

PG

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[Hugo Rune]

...except the Bissouma chant, which I can't stop humming to myself.

I taught my son (2yr old) this song at the weekend after Bissouma scored. It’s the first chant he has learnt and he knows it word for word! I’m very proud!

He goes to the summer friendly each year and will be coming along regularly once he asks me and really wants to go.

 

[The Birdman]

Have you taught her to stand when they sing the song about our friends up the road.
Only joking its great to see our fan base is safe for the future.
Enjoy

 

[darkwolf666]

This could be a “woe is me” moment or a football triumph in my Albion supporting days. I will elaborate :

It will be my granddaughter Poppy’s seventh birthday this week and she has decided that her number one birthday request is for me, “Gumps”, to take her to a Brighton football game - following in her elder brother’s footsteps. Not content with the usual kids’ initiation of being plonked in the Family section of the East Stand she wants to accompany me for pre-match drinks in the pub and sit with me and the rest of the riff raff in the West Upper.

Well her wish is being granted. I have selected the Watford game on the 2nd February for my moment in heaven or hell. She will be proudly decked out in her Albion replica shirt with Poppy and 7 printed on the back.

I am now consumed with mixed emotions of anticipation and dread at how this day is going to pan out. If anyone has got words of comfort and advice for me to cling onto please let me know. Cheers, Gumps!

Take something to do in case she gets bored during the match, make sure your phone (or hers) is fully charged so she can play on it...

I took my then young son to one football match, away to Hartlepool, as I was visiting in-laws in the area. He spent the whole of the game with his back to the pitch, doing colouring that I had thoughtfully brought along (no mobiles in those days).

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Lol! I took our nipper, also called Poppy, to her first game, age 7, last season. West Upper. Albeit no pub beforehand. She wore here ear defenders (doesn't like shouting) and had her 'tablet' to play on. We left after an hour (we were 2-0 up by then). She has been back (albeit in the disabled section of the South, as it was after my knee op) and when we left we were still drawing 1-1 with Leicester. She's not clamouring to go again just yet.....good luck!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

My Brother-in-Law refuses to take his 12 and 8 year olds to the Amex because of "all the swearing"... I've offered him tickets a few times as both his kids are football mad and play for teams themselves.

"No" he said.. "I don't want them hearing any language like that..."

I then walked past their bedroom the next week and heard one say to the other "give me that.. now... you little c*nt..."



Kids hear this at school, online, and in the street. They're not going to melt when they hear it on the terraces. Just explain to Poppy that they're grown ups, some drink too much drink beer which makes them a bit silly, and it's okay to hear it as long as she doesn't repeat it.

Have a great time with her!

As [MENTION=83]Dick Knights Mumm[/MENTION] used to say, 20 years ago, when we took our lads to Withdean, 'What's said at football stays at football'

 

[Gluteus Maximus]

I took my 6 year old son to the Everton game as his first match. I'd taken him on the stadium tour a few weeks before and at the end of it he'd looked at me with sad eyes, saying "when does the game start?". Fast forward, just before half time at the Everton game, "do we have to watch it all?", just after half time, "how long left?" and 5 minutes before the end as Everton were piling on the pressure, "I need a pee". Me "Can you wait 5 minutes?". Him "no." Other than that he loved the build up and the first 10 minutes. It's a work in progress...

 

[Dave the OAP]

...but always remember to give her a second team shirt like Liverpool or Manchester United otherwise she will be condemned to a life of no cups or trophys as she will be seeing the best teams in England playing at the Amex week in week out, but never quite being able to win the top prize.