To think ds will be eaten alive if he wears his team scarf to the match?

[BettyBotter]

We live near Blue Town. Ds (15) supports Red City FC but has never been to a premiership match. For Christmas we got ds and the whole family tickets to see the match between Blue Town and Red City when the reds play here.

Ds is insistent that he will wear his Red City scarf and cheer loudly for the reds despite us being seated right in the middle of the Blue Town stands. He thinks because he's only 15 and cute the blue fans won't mind.

I haven't been to a match since 1986 for a while, so have no idea what to expect. Will we actually get out with all our limbs intact if ds does this? Should I ban him from wearing anything red or is football now family-friendly entertainment where the home crowd ruffle the young lad's head and congratulate him when his team thrash the home team?

(For context Blue Town is fairly well known as 'rough' and there were no options to get tickets in family friendly seats.)

Tips, advice and sneering derision constructive comment welcome.

He needs to get more streetwise sharpish. Even my 8 year old twins know that's a no no.

It's pathetic.

Exactly.

Being at risk of verbal abuse, or worse, simply because of the team you support? No thank you!

Part of the fun of the game in the banter and fun with the opposition fans

If it was convention to mix the fans up and it happened all the time and there were frequently hundreds of away fans mixed in with home fans, that would be one thing.

But the reality is the OPs son will be one red scarf in a sea of thousands of blue ones, and will look like he is seeking trouble. 15 year olds are not "cute", a lot of them are quite the opposite and it will be assumed he's a troublemaker. That's assuming he gets let in which he wouldn't be with any sign of a red scarf etc.

its not pathetic, maybe you just dont have a dh or boys that are football mad, its a real passion for mine, they love the game and their team, its just the way it is, violence and bigotry dont come into it for them but they have to know about these things, esp living in glasgow

but the opposition supporters do all sit together and have that experience. Unless they choose to buy seats amongst all the home fans, in which case they miss out on that.

my only comment is- why the fuck did you get tickets for the blue town stands instead of the rex city stands?
why the fuck do you think he'll enjoy watching his team from the opposition's seats? ??

so he can't support or cheer on his own team because he's in the wrong end?

I am actually gobsmacked

Sorry we're cross posting like mad!

I agree that it's a shame in a way, and for me it's not a case of defending the "system". I do think sitting with your teams fans rather than in a mix adds something to the experience though, something about togetherness and (for us anyway) going through shared pain and (not very often) joy.

maryz, sorry but you dont know what your talking about, I'm not defending violence or kids being spat at or worse by adults for wearing the wrong colours, no one here is, but to say its crazy the sides are polarised is missing the point spectacularly

It's not acceptable and it's not just football.

I'm a red fan.

At a 1987 election party where we were asked to wear team colours I went as a losing supporter.

Big mistake.

I didn't get beaten up but I learned it's not only football supporters who are hooligans. I bet a fair few of them were rugby fans.

I don't think it is SSD, I think it is sad that people are so accepting of that being the case really. I would hate to follow a sport where fans were judged on who they supported and segregated based on that not only inside the ground but often outside the ground too.

Sorry no amount of people trying to justify that will make me understand how anyone can accept that

dont follow it then sirzy, no ones forcing you

Ran this past my footie loving husband, who has supported a premiership team for 40 years (we both go, when we can).

Your son's 15, and not sitting in family-friendly seats (or in the posh prawn sandwich directors bit, where no-one even speaks, far less barracks anyone): we both felt to be honest that it would be provocative and why would you want to put yourself through the consequences of that? No-one's going to ruffle his hair, and he's old enough to know better he's not a kid any more in this context. If you want to enjoy the game, rather than get into a slanging match, don't wear opposition colours. On the other hand, if he wants to do the slanging thing, fine, but I imagine the rest of you are going to have a rather poor time. It would be terribly nice if it were different, but that, IMO, is the deal.

I don't, but it also doesn't mean I can't air my views. Sorry if you don't like that but I can't believe an adult is even attempting to justify such a system

maryz, we'll have to agree to disagree on this

my kids play football with other kids wearing the opposite jerseys all the time, its never an issue

but they know if they go to a game they wear their own scarves with their own fans, if they want to sit with their friends and wear mixed colours they watch it on the telly

its just the way it is

am not justifying it sirzy, am saying what its like

Is it OK
Age 5 - maybe, Age 15 NO

Will he be sworn at
Age 5 no, age 15 yes.

I totally agree with Maryz that it is pathetic that grown adults can't manage to watch the match with a fan of the other team - just giving a bit of banter or 'stick'. I speak as a lifelong football fan, who was shocked at what I saw as the stewards ridiculous reactions at ejecting 2 lads who supported the away team in a family enclosure last season. I am beginning to realise from this thread that some people actually think it's acceptable that people can't go a long with family members or friends to watch a match together, despite supporting different teams. What a sad thing to be encouraging.

I'm not even thinking of thecabuse he'll get.
I don't think of that as bei g the issue.

the main issue here is what the fuck is the point if getting him tickets to a match he can't enjoy because he's not allowed to support his own team !
you might as well take him to an art gallery and put on a blindfold, or to the cinema and make him stay in the foyer, or ask him to write an essay but take away his pen.

nowhere do you say the rest of the family supports blue town, so I think your "present" is actually fucking insane and cruel.

Was

I wouldn't say that, nickeldonkeyonadustyroad, and I hope OP ignores your post. We've been and sat in away areas before. It's not the same, but it's still a treat to go.