To not understand all the obsession with footbaall

Yanbu. It's a really slow boring game for the most part.

I went to Upton Park in as an away LFC fan (we weren't good then - I think we lost) and it was a brilliant stadium.

I bet whatever your interests are can also be whittled down to a cynical one liner too.

Can’t bear laddish football culture. It’s gross. And imagine caring about 11 millionaire strangers so much? I can’t comprehend. People feel such a need to ‘belong,’ it’s low self esteem.

As a West Ham girl I totally get how you’re feeling today.

My DS was at the last game at Upton Park and he had special memories of that night yo last a lifetime - including being caught on BBC cameras singling Bubbles.

Sadly it’s not the same since the move to the new shiny soulless stadium. I hope your new ground is a better place than ours

I never understood it until my DC started playing for our local club. I now understand why people get excited about it as a game. The whole tribal loyalty to a club thing is biological - it goes back to surviving by staying with the tribe. I don't feel that myself but it's very understandable.

I am not there so will be sniffing in front of the telly

The videos on SM are amazing

it's going to be emotional. Take lots of tissues!

Goodison Park?

I support one of the clubs in the city where I was born and grew up. They haven't done well for quite some years. I often say "I wish I didn't care."

My 'second team' (because a good friend lets me use her husband's season ticket when he can't go) is Man Utd and going to see them used to be a real pleasure...!

My (mens) team is playing their final game at the ground that has been their home since 1892.

If you want to know what it means to the fans, just read the many stories they are telling.

Philistine

YANBU. I find it boring as hell.

The saying is:
Football is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans; Rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen

I've loved football since I was 8 - watched the 1966 world cup final with my dad and I was completely smitten.

I could have predicted the snobbery - “vile culture” 😂

There have been some issues at games, recently and historically, but to call the entire culture vile is snobbery at best.

And why would you be glad your child has no interest in team games? You don’t want them to understand why we achieve more when we work together? Bizarre.

A game for thugs. The women's game is more civilised.

I used to feel like that until I married a football mad guy, and then we went on to have two football mad children 🤣

I now go to the football stadium to watch the games with them and I’m singing the songs as loud as everyone else 🤣

I was also transfixed during the Crystal Palace game 🤣

But yeah…. I totally understand the bewilderment! I just couldn’t understand how adults could feel so passionate about a football being kicked around a pitch but I always admired the way it bought grown adults together in sadness or elation! It means an awful, awful lot to many people.

Although I have succumbed to the madness I do get why that madness can be so baffling to others 👍

I don’t get it at all. I find watching any sport tedious. I can understand people wanting to play games but watching them is watching paint dry.

I was so pleased when neither DS had any interest in team games.

Yes, at times I envy people who aren't into football. Must be such an easy life🤣

It’s taken my children becoming passionate about it for me to really understand why people enjoy it. One of my DC plays and his coaches and team mates have such a positive influence on his life. DH and three of our DC regularly watch our local team, it’s a great bonding activity. There is a real community feel about the club, often when I’m out with my children they’ll bump into someone who sits near them at the football and have a chat which is really nice.
Even so I struggle to watch a match, it just doesn’t hold my interest long enough. I miss goals because I get distracted.
I still don’t understand the total obsession some people have. The ones who call their children after football teams or move weddings to watch matches etc. I don’t understand super fans of anything though.
I think it’s fascinating that sport and music are accepted obsessions. Walking round dressed as a football player is perfectly normal but walking around dressed as a wizard or a game character is seen as a bit odd.

i feel you. About to renew my season ticket for my particular frustrating fuckers

Exactly! I'm not into Taylor Swift, but I get that millions of people are. I don't need to "understand" it, or snipe. Just live your life OP. Annoying!!

I always think there’s a little bit of snobbery when it comes to people liking football. It’s probably seen as a bit of a working class, pub dwellers game. Where as cricket and tennis for eg are seen as a bit more high brow. Not saying everyone who dislikes football is a snob, but there’s definitely an element of it to some people.

Agree. My DS has been a season ticket holder since he was 7 years old - he’s now 20 - and there’s nothing vile about the culture for him.
It was a great weren’t was his dad when he was a kid and now he goes with a mate he’s been friends with since year 7.

The culture nowadays is completely different to the dark days of the 80’s and trouble is much less. In fact the last match I went to the worst behaved men were the older ones - the ICF grandads as we nick name them - who still think they’re 21 after a few drinks and look for a row.

My son met a lot of friends through playing in a team from age 5 and one of the kids he played against has gone on to actually be a West Ham player and score his first premier league goal age 19.

Football is about community and bringing people together.

And as a West Ham girl I’m not ashamed to say I cried tears of pure joy when we won the Europa Conference trophy - 7th June 2023 is a date I’ll always remember