Children at Football Advice

[Eastleigh Seagull]

Looking for some advice from parents - we recently moved up to Bolton and am clearly intending on going to the match tomorrow - however I have a 6 year old daughter who loves playing football (she plays at a local club at the moment - proudly wearing the stripes I hasten to add) and am contemplating taking her tomorrow for her first ever match.

Is this a good idea, if so do I take her in the away end or plump for the home 'family stand' (very reluctant to do this) and for those who have done something similar - have your kids been fine in terms of attention span?

 

[Emily's Mum]

Go in the away end! I can't honestly answer you. I started taking my daughter when she was a babe in arms, so she got used to it & either slept or watched. Sheb did utter her first F word when she was 22 months old!

 

[Goldstone1976]

Looking for some advice from parents - we recently moved up to Bolton and am clearly intending on going to the match tomorrow - however I have a 6 year old daughter who loves playing football (she plays at a local club at the moment - proudly wearing the stripes I hasten to add) and am contemplating taking her tomorrow for her first ever match.

Is this a good idea, if so do I take her in the away end or plump for the home 'family stand' (very reluctant to do this) and for those who have done something similar - have your kids been fine in terms of attention span?

You should both be fine in the away end. As for attention span, you know your daughter, so are the best person to judge. My son was fine for an entire game at 6; my gf loses attention after about 10 minutes and she's 29, so.....

 

[El Sid]

my gf loses attention after about 10 minutes and she's 29, so.....

Lucky git. I can't even get my wife's attention.

 

[Triggaaar]

my gf loses attention after about 10 minutes

Maybe ask her about her day, give her a shoulder massage or stroke her hair.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

There will be plenty of room in the away end, so you'll be able to choose your seats where she's most comfortable. Take sweets with you and a game, just in case she does get bored.

 

[Eastleigh Seagull]

Cheers - so upshot is daughter = yes, wife = no

 

[beefypigeon]

Away End.

I took my son at 6 years old for the first time, he struggled a little due to attention span, but I made sure I had plenty of sweets/snacks to keep him occupied throughout

 

[Bold Seagull]

Looking for some advice from parents - we recently moved up to Bolton and am clearly intending on going to the match tomorrow - however I have a 6 year old daughter who loves playing football (she plays at a local club at the moment - proudly wearing the stripes I hasten to add) and am contemplating taking her tomorrow for her first ever match.

Is this a good idea, if so do I take her in the away end or plump for the home 'family stand' (very reluctant to do this) and for those who have done something similar - have your kids been fine in terms of attention span?

I've been taking my kids since they were around 5, in fact took all 3 of them to Bournemouth away the season before last, my youngest at the time was only 4 (we were in the front row and first to embrace Barnes after his cracker, closely followed by everyone else - my wife shit herself as we disappeared in the scrum - my son loved it!). Also took my other son to Forest when he was 6 - all fine.

So definitely get yourself in the Brighton end (which is pay on the gate), and given the capacity it will be sit where you like most likely. I've found girls have a better attention span than boys, but kids get tired, hungry and thirsty very suddenly, so a few snacks and drinks, maybe a programme, or stop and grab a kids mag / comic from a news agent and you should be fine. Enjoy the game!

 

[Goldstone1976]

Lucky git. I can't even get my wife's attention.

Maybe ask her about her day, give her a shoulder massage or stroke her hair.

One has to always be so precise about what one posts on here - gotta love NSC

 

[The Modfather]

You will be fine in the away end

 

[emphyrian]

as mentioned above. I always take ipad, and /or DS with us too. bag full of snacks and drinks. I give my kids a camera to snap those pics on too. less boredom for them less irritation for you.

 

[AnotherArch]

Away end definitely. My kids and then grandkids all have coped. Take some small toys and mobile phone games.
Go near the front and there will be plenty of room, and can also sit down - as it is sometimes hard to see when all around are stood up.
Also empty seats can be another play area.
Your biggest problem might be taking her to the toilet !

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Away end. No question.

I started taking my som to Albion games when he was 4

We were playing at Gillingham at the time, so it was pretty crap, but many years later he's still going, so yips can't have been that bad.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

You should both be fine in the away end. As for attention span, you know your daughter, so are the best person to judge. My son was fine for an entire game at 6; my gf loses attention after about 10 minutes and she's 29, so.....

Moral of the story, leave ya misses at home

 

[Eastleigh Seagull]

Thanks all, convinced me. So if anyone sees a little blonde girl with pigtails wearing the stripes tomorrow be sure to say 'hello harriet', although her name is on her back!

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

NEVER TAKE YOUNG CHILDREN TO FOOTBALL, POINTLESS !
regards
DR

 

[Drebin]

I started taking my daughter when she was 4. Just take sweets, comic, toy, iPad if you've got one and keep telling her what's going on. I never expect to stay more than one half but we haven't gone home before 80 mins (which is better than 1/4 of the the Amex).

Paint some blue and white stripes or a seagull on her face too to make it more fun.

 

[Eastleigh Seagull]

So just want to say thanks all for the advice - I took her to the match and she absolutely loved it - the magazines acquired for boredom alleviation went untouched and we even had a small bout of tears when the equaliser went in. Just before that she told me 'daddy - I am going to get a bit cross with Brighton unless they start passing it to each other' (this was after the two aimless hoofs to the corners).

Post match she asked if she could go next week and the last thing I heard down the monitor on Sunday night as she was going to sleep was the strains of 'We're top of the league, we're brighton and hove albion etc'.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

NEVER TAKE YOUNG CHILDREN TO FOOTBALL, POINTLESS !
regards
DR

100% agree with you on this dez![emoji57]