How Old Were Your Kids When They First Started Going To The Gate?

[ChippenhamRed]

My son will be very nearly 6 when the stadium redevelopment is completed for the start of 2016/17. Until my grandad died in 2009, three generations of my family watched City together. I'm hoping this will be the time when three generations will watch once more....

....but I'm interested to know when others started taking their kids to the game? I want him to be old enough to be hooked, able to concentrate long enough to enjoy the whole game, and not bored. When are they ready?!

[wayne allisons tongues]

My boy was nearly 4 and was desperate to go, so he enjoyed going and loved watching it on tv. He's still hooked now 11 years later and loves city that much, he wants to come from Manchester with me each fortnight if we can to watch.

But I have friends who have kids and there kids hated it at various ages, think its just a case of if they like it or not and nothing we as adults can do to make them like it.

[You Do The Dziekanowski]

My son will be very nearly 6 when the stadium redevelopment is completed for the start of 2016/17. Until my grandad died in 2009, three generations of my family watched City together. I'm hoping this will be the time when three generations will watch once more....

....but I'm interested to know when others started taking their kids to the game? I want him to be old enough to be hooked, able to concentrate long enough to enjoy the whole game, and not bored. When are they ready?!

I reckon it'll be good if you all watch our final game at AG together and then the first game at the Revamped AG

You could have a Before and After shot

[ChippenhamRed]

I reckon it'll be good if you all watch our final game at AG together and then the first game at the Revamped AG

You could have a Before and After shot

Lovely idea that, but he's nowhere near ready yet. Occasional fleeting interest but more often than not if I'm watching football on TV he's asking for Fireman Sam!

[ciderup]

Both my kids went to the Gate for the first time on their 6th birthdays. The eldest (now 13) came to loads of home matches and a few away games until he decided City were crap. He now follows Chelsea which really hurts. The younger one is City through and through but I reckon that's more to do with 'keeping on the right side of dad'.

I have tried to get the elder one back but his answer was ' force me to follow a Bristol club and you won't like the result' :sad26:If your child has an interest in football then they are ready if not don't bother yet, especially if you actually want to watch the game!

[Rich_s]

My kids were probably 6 for my son and maybe 7 or 8 for eldest daughter. I was probably 5 or 6 been following ever since. We often used to have three generations at a game and do still but son lives too far away now. Nearly had four generations which would have been a massive achievement. At 90 I don't think my gran could be arsed and used to listen to the commentary on the radio by the fire.

Don't force it on them. My old man forced cricket on me and it near put me off for life.

[RC1984]

My lad Thomas turned 3 in August & this is his first year with a season ticket. Loves it! Can name more players than my wife :-)

[CotswoldRed]

At that age they'll normally want to go home at half time.

[Red-Robbo]

I have three and I'm embarrassed to say none have gone yet.

 

My son grew up in America with his mother and has never seen a "soccer game". He's over this Spring and will go to the Notts County game. What an introduction! :-/

 

The girls have been keeping on about going, but if I take the 10-year-old then the six-year-old will demand to come. And she has the concentration span of a goldfish and a bladder the size of a peanut! 

 

I just want to relax and see the game instead of taking one or other to the loo every 10 minutes. Maybe I'm selfish. Also of course the fib - believed by my youngest - that I actually PLAY for City will be exposed  ;-)

 

I'd have been about 6 or 7 when I first went and I went to loads of games in my childhood, including FA Cup finals  and internationals, but I'll readily admit I only really began to get into football as an adult. At school, I excelled at athletics and was a very mediocre footballer.

 

I guess the point of my rambling post is kids are all different and only a dad - or mum - can really assess when the time is right to introduce them to the field of dreams that is Ashton Gate.

[David Brent]

I was 6 when my dad first took me to Ashton Gate. It worked for me.

[ChippenhamRed]

Cheers all. Consensus seems to be around 6 which sounds about right for my boy based on current attention span / bladder size / understanding of the offside rule.

Role on 2016/17!

[rockinrobin]

My little Robin was 6, but that is Months not Years. First game away at Sheffield United and she has not looked back since.

 

Her favourite colour is red, red red and red and a bit more red oh and white, but hates blue, I don't know why!!

[City fan 1982]

I was 8 when my old man took me to the gate I was football mad, hearing city fans in full voice, and city winning the game sealed it for me!  then a week week later my first away game, a 2 all draw with crewe, im sure city scored a pen to claim a point,

I took my lad alfie when he was 5 , 3 years ago  absolutey hooked on city, has got his mates in his class supporting his local team as he calls it

[pongo88]

Mine was 8 and that seemed to be the right age for him. It's important to consider lots of factors. Take a young child on a freezing cold night and he / she can't see and they will want to come home before the end. If it's warm, the atmosphere is good and he / she can see what's going on and it will be a different experience.

[Nogbad the Bad]

Both my kids went to the Gate for the first time on their 6th birthdays. The eldest (now 13) came to loads of home matches and a few away games until he decided City were crap. He now follows Chelsea which really hurts. The younger one is City through and through but I reckon that's more to do with 'keeping on the right side of dad'.

I have tried to get the elder one back but his answer was ' force me to follow a Bristol club and you won't like the result' If your child has an interest in football then they are ready if not don't bother yet, especially if you actually want to watch the game!

 

Sounds like you need to do some father and son bonding ciderup.

 

How about a couple of weeks in BOTSWANA next Summer.     

[BUTOR]

No one in my family besides my grandfather had an interest in football, so really I started following City on my own accord. Had been going to City for many years until my dad said he's like to come along, took him to see us beat Chesterfield 3-1 in the 06/07 promotion season and he's been pretty much hooked ever since.

[KevP]

My 2 daughters have seen what 38 years of following City has done to me. They have both decided against it, naturally. My nephew on the other hand saw his first game with me when he was 6.....now 13 and just started goin in the Eastend.......ahh the memories of the 70s in there..... 

[PolskRed]

I was about 5 years old but I took my son to his first game when he was 9 weeks old.  He regularly runs round our house shouting "Come on you City boys" 

 

Second son due 12/02/14 but hopefully he won't have to wait as long as the first did. 

[Red Skin]

Probably around 8 years old when I started taking mine. I have two boys and a girl. They shared a single season ticket for a couple of years but now all have their own. Love the fact they come with me, come to the pub beforehand and chat about football with my mates, who have also started taking their kids. Even overheard my daughter - now 12 - telling a friend she didn't like Premiership football. That's my girl. <3

Can't wait for the day I share a cider with my lads and my lovely daughter before a game. One day they may even buy me one!

[Aizoon]

At that age they'll normally want to go home at half time.

Who doesn't?

[Aizoon]

Horace was a year old when I first took him down. That's 11 in hedgehog years, which seems about right. He's never been tempted to follow anybody else

Mind you he does sometimes ask when we'll be playing Arsenal like in my avatar

[Red Bill]

You cannot MAKE a child a City supporter - its just down to luck.  When my son was small I once heard him tell a friend "my dad supports Bristol City Nil".  I gave him the best years of my life 'sob'; sent him to a good school 'sob'.  Where did I go wrong? 'sob'.   These days he lives in Lancashire and supports Everton. Oh the shame!

[semblar]

[Outofwedlock]

Three daughters, the first one was about 18 months, second about 4 or 5 years and the third a bit older. Funny thing is the oldest one is 22 and goes to almost every game, dragging me along too (from Watford), the second goes occasionally and the third has no interest.

 

So I'd say the sooner the better!

 

Incidentally that's me and the eldest in the avatar after Carlisle, I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said train and match tickets for Carlisle away. I created a monster!!

[ChippenhamRed]

[Nogbad the Bad]

I took my daughter down when she was 5. She liked it well enough for a while - even got her photo taken grinning away amongst a group of boys in the 'Bristol City - The first 100 Years' book in the 'Not just for the Lads' feature. Then one day we were just about to leave the house as usual when she announced she wanted to go and play with the girl up the road instead.

 

So it was either waste a ticket and go on my own or see if my 4 year old son wanted to go. He already had a City hav-a sac for Nursery School, and his own City shirt, hat and scarf, and had visited the ground, but was a bit sheepish about going. Anyway after a pre match photo in the garden in his City get up, and sweets and drinks in his back pack, he was happy to go.

 

We sat in the family enclosure in front of the Dolman and he loved it from the word go, so 4 turned out to be exactly the right age for him. He's now had a continuous season ticket for what must be18 years and went several seasons without missing a single home match.

 

I did include 'another Bristol City fan' in his birth announcement in the EP, mind you, so he was never going to have too much choice.  

[The Right Honourable Les Q]

Took the grandson (8 years, 4 months), to his first game last season, Blackburn at home, as he had managed to attain sufficient funds by this age (birthday and Christmas money, cleaning cars [ mine ], shoes [again, mine], and via other other essential tasks) to pay his own way. Very important, this. So, First point: make them "stand on their own two feet." Although, to be fair, we weren't in the East End, so we sat most of the time.

Second Point: Sit somewhere with a bit of room around you. This is becoming easier by the week. My grandson was keen to demonstrate how Albert had managed to score, and so early on. He always does this when watching football on TV, leaping up to show me what Rooney, Ronaldo or, his fave, Messi, has just done. I wanted to jump up and demonstrate what our dopey defenders had just done/ should've done.

Third Point: don't take his uncle with you. He did pay his own way, but he also jumped up a lot, too. To deliver foul-mouthed volleys of abuse at the ref, the defence, the lot. Still the grandson's stand-out memory of his first visit to AG (although he hasn't jumped up to show me how his uncle managed it. Not yet).

So, Fourth Point: take a little buddy with you. The child's, not yours. If they can pay their own way, too, all the better.

Fifth Point: don't sit near the grandson's uncle.

The boy was asking how long was left before 40 minutes were on the clock, and this was with the net bulging at regular intervals in this game. But he is quite a restless little chap, happier doing than watching. He plays now and hasn't asked to go back yet. His uncle still goes, and still let's rip now and again. But then, the defence are still giving him enough reason to, I'd say.....