To completely go against DH beccause I think his opinion is ridiculous

I was going to say the same thing.
My eldest was never into football, however at school, the majority of boys played football. Therefore leaving him with a very small friendship group. Most of who he didn't actually get on with.
Rightly or wrongly I'd always encourage my kids to at least know enough to be able to have a decent kick around.

Look, I actually agree with your husband and personally find football culture repugnant. Misogyny and violence are entrenched in it.

However, I wouldn't stop my child doing something they enjoyed. At a school level, it has a lot of benefits and to kids is just a fun team sport.

I find region idiotic as an Atheist and feel very strongly that religion is harmful, but equally wouldn't force my view on a child.

He needs to get over himself

I have the same opinion as your dh. I think a lot of people take football way too seriously and at their own detriment sometimes, it's ridiculous.

However if my children wanted to do football then I wouldn't stop them and I'd try to encourage a more healthy approach to it. One of mine does football lessons and we're seeing how it goes for now. He has to realise that it's his problem not his child's.

Saturday morning kids class is far away from joining a team. They are usually structured and fun. If dhnis really against it try rugby tots or basket ball

By way of analogy I have a friend who doesn’t want to send her DD to ballet because of concerns about eating disorders/focus on appearance in later more serious training. I send my 5 year old to ballet. But I think my friend’s concerns are totally valid. She doesn’t like something that is part of that hobby’s culture, even if it’s not part of what the child would immediately experience. I’d be very disapproving if her husband overruled her and send her daughter to ballet despite her objections.

I go to football .. I don’t drink, or swear, when I’m there. There’s no fighting where I am - I think in the 20 years I’ve been going to this stadium, I’ve seen 1 fight. Never heard a racist shout out to.. it wouldn’t be tolerated.

Not every football supporter is a stereotype

You can’t stop kids playing football . they will play at school, in the park etc .

To be honest, I think YABU. There are plenty of other hobbies to introduce a toddler to. Why not find one that your husband does not find (for want of a better word) triggering? It’s important to him. And to be honest, there is a version of footy culture even in primary school. Not a toxic version at all but definitely a version of it that is related to adult football fandom. So I don’t agree he is being ridiculous.

I think you need to talk to him more , football particulary for boys is such a social activity and kids play together in school, the streets, on holiday and can be great for kids growing up together and keeping fit if they enjoy it , it’s not the same as adults football .

Of course. The man's reaction to it is pretty extreme, but it's coming from a good place.

OP needs to work with him to enable the kid to play football as well as dealing with DH's understandable concerns and what sounds like unresolved childhood trauma.

I’m not a fan of football or the culture that surrounds it either - but it’s ubiquitous! Your son will play at school. He
will likely want to kick around with friends in the park. I think your DH needs to separate the activity from the professional sport and all that goes with that and let your son do something that he would enjoy.

Understandable but op you don't have to pander to DH's anxiety and fears around it.
He needs to learn to manage his anxiety and see that there is a whole range of football experiences available!

Imposing his objection to football on his DS would make your DH not much better than the family who imposed their love of it on him. Playing the game is a separate activity to going to a match.

Yes take him but also maybe be slightly gentler on your husband here - there’s obviously deep rooted unease around the sport for the reasons you listed, including alcohol and anger that obviously upset him as a kid. He’s allowed to feel that way because the reality is that it isn’t about football, it’s about the culture in his family when they experience the sport. He needs help understanding that his family now, with you, can experience that differently with your son. Simply dismissing it as silly is a bit unfair on him and will likely result in him doubling down on his stance.

I'd try and help him to see the difference between kids playing a team sport and the stuff he witnessed growing up. I have three nephews, all exposed to lots of sorts- two are football loving and one completely indifferent and prefers rugby. Perhaps take your son to a few team sports rather than let the focus be on football?

Yep I agree with @ComtesseDeSpair
If you haven’t experienced the negatives of football culture it can seem ridiculous but if, as a child, the adults who are supposed to make you feel safe are becoming aggressive and drunk and if their moods switch depending on a football result this can cause real trauma. I say this as someone who made sure I was in bed when my dad got home from the pub after the game regardless of the result, drunk and self righteous isn’t much better than drunk and belligerent. Can you talk to him and validate his feelings around this whilst also explaining all the positives for your son

I think you are being very unpleasant here. Your husband has a particular dislike of one sport, based on a whole load of horrible and marking experiences growing up. Your 4 y/o quite liked one session of it. So what? There are hundreds of other clubs out there that he might like too - take him to one of those to find another that he likes. I just don't believe that he will ONLY ever like football, and to deliberately pick it against your husband's wishes is actually quite nasty.

If you grow up surrounded by all the negative bits of a thing, it's understandable to want to protect your kids from it all. It's not necessarily completely rational, but it is understandable.

He's being unreasonable forbidding his DS from going but you'd be unreasonable taking DS to something your DH has made it clear he doesn't want DS to do.

I think you'd need to discuss it openly and calmly with DH and see if you can convince him. Rather than going behind his back. That won't end well when DH realises.

What does your DH think he's going to do once your ds is in school?
By then your ds will be playing football at lunch time, doing football in PE, going to the park with friends when he's older and playing football.
Unless he doesn't like it of course.

The more you ban something, especially unreasonably ban it, chances are the more D's will want to do it.

My dd worked in a sports bar at uni and always said how she thought the football fans (mainly uni students) were so sweet!
Rhey were always so excited, turned up in their team shirts, were engrossed for the game then back to normal socialising after.

Most people that play football do not end up being hooligans!

DH is U to seek to stop DS playing football. Not U not to take him to places with drunk, aggressive men in packs!

If there's one sure fire way to make sure your child grows up wanting to do something, it's by behaving like your berk of a husband.

Realistically most young boys play football he’ll end up ostracised by his peers at school realistically if he’s not allowed to play. I’d just take him. Your dh is being silly