To not be bothered if son likes football

And you wonder why people didn’t like you.

They are babies. Of course they don't look awful.

Don't be a snob.

Neither of my sons ever played football and it's never been an issue. They both have their own hobbies and interests. In fact one of them is very sporty - was a sports prefect at school, won the school PE prize on multiple occasions, did very well at A level PE and is now doing a sport related course at University, all without having more than a passing interest in football. It may be the commonest game to play but there are loads of other options. If either of mine had shown an interest I guess I would have taken them, but they both asked to do other things which was fine by me.
They never suffered socially as a result of their disinterest either, even though we live somewhere where it's very popular.
I guess if relatives really enjoy football, or any other hobby come to that, it's not unusual to envisage taking a young family member to enjoy it with them, and that's absolutely fine if there is a genuine shared interest but I think it's best to let youngsters follow their own interests as far as possible. I know a few people who have tried to impose their own hobbies on their kids when they're clearly not into the same things and it never seems to end well. Best to expose them to a variety of hobbies and let them choose in my opinion. If anyone had given me a baby football kit when mine were young I'd have thanked them, put the baby in it for a photo for the giver and then forgotten about it, just as I did when I got big frilly dresses given to me for my DD.

I'm really not. Babies in football kits look awful. Especially the ones with Jaxon or Jayden emblazoned on the back.

Calm down, you're making a tit out of yourself. Back away gently now and no one will mention it again.

Don’t be ridiculous 🙄

I never attended the club. Dh took ds. And this was about a decade ago. In any case, I'm not sure why I would care if parents who yell at and harangue little kids over a game would 'miss me'. Going to the club made ds miserable, which is why he stopped going. But yeah - compared with them I'm clearly a terrible person...

You can’t make kids like a thing. Regularly saw kids at football, dancing, swimming, cubs, brownies etc who clearly hated it. They all end up leaving

It's the epitome of chav.

It's very strange to keep making football references (and even to buy a kit) if they really aren't football mad. If they seem to hoping he'll play professionally then I suspect they're probably more invested in it than the OP realises.

Ugh? Really? 😂

I’m sure the parents miss you attending the club very much.

Mid to late primary years are when boys tend to really get into football. In my ds school class, all but two boys were absolutely football obsessed. It makes socialising easier ..all meet ups from about 10 onwards were to kick a ball about in the park. The boys who weren't so into it apparently hung out with the girls at break time.

It certainly began as a working class sport and has deep roots in working class areas, including where I live. However I really think now it transcends class. There’s still snobbery about it, but I know many privately educated, upper middle class men with jobs in the City who are obsessed with football.

It might depend on where you live, but around here boys are at a significant social disadvantage if they can’t at least kick a ball. Football is absolutely massive and a shared language and bonding experience between boys especially. However there are finally a lot more girls playing, which is great.

I definitely don’t think you should force it on him if he’s not interested, that’s unnecessary and cruel. But if your area is anything like mine, I’d want my son to have a basic knowledge and some ability to play just so he could fit in. It is crazy to start thinking about teams to put him in! If he’s not interested, you’ll be spared standing on a muddy field in the freezing rain early on a Saturday morning.

Football is for everyone. That's one of the great things about it, it's cheap and accessible to all.

Because it is one of the few sports that is financially accessible. Working class children are going to struggle to get into horse riding, tennis, polo or car racing.

I wasn’t bothered if DS liked football or not. DH enjoys watching it but didn’t put him under any pressure to play or get involved in supporting a team or all the stuff that goes with liking football.
DS absolutely loves it! Every aspect of it. It’s great for him, he gets so much from it.
Football is part of our lives now. We have a lot of friends though it, and spend time together away from the kids team activities.
I never understood why so many predominantly men loved it so much, but seeing how much DS loves all things football made me realise that it’s more than just a game to so many. Of course there are negative sides, but if you can avoid those overall it’s a great thing for a child to love.

My advice would be let your child find what they love, and encourage and support that whatever it may be.

The stereotype of boys loving football is rooted in class as much as reality isn’t it. It’s mainly lower / lower middle class obsession on the whole as far as I can see. Certainly that’s my experience!

Presumably its because it isn't a freshly ironed plain white sleepsuit.

What is the issue with a baby in a football kit? Perhaps some of the behaviour problems and friendship problems were due to raging snobbery.

A baby in a football kit? Ugh.
Ds started going to a football club when he was primary school age. He didn't last long as it was horrible - shouty arsehole parents on the sidelines, a coach who had favourites and didn't ever try to get them to pass the ball to anyone new. Almost all behaviour problems and friendship problems during break time at school were always football-related too. Same few football-mad boys all throwing their weight around and bullying others.

I think there is a bit of snobbery and out of date opinion of football. Our local football club is very family orientated and we go on away days fairly often and it's generally likewise at other clubs around the country too. Yeah you might see a few teens who had a drink too many but gone are the days of violence at football.

The last couple of comments have highlighted what the real problem is. It’s not boys and football. It’s that football is the sport of the working classes being suggested by the, presumably working class, grandparents to be.

Tbh where I live it's super tacky, I'd never put a baby in a football kit