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.

We look down on those national sides and national teams who make monkey noises at black players, because we aren't racists?

Or is it because if we were caught making those chants in CCTV-infested stadiums we'd be banned for life because English football pays lip service to Kick It Out but not other forms of hatred?

So how come rugby fans, cricket fans and many football fans in other countries manage to all sit in mixed seating without beating the crap out of each other?

Being "passionate" about your team does not make it acceptable to physically assault those that support another team, that attitude has nothing to do with sport and everything to do with sport being used as an excuse for mindless thuggery.

*mr

Hello again Interesting convo.
A few answers:
Do I think ds will be seen as cute? Ha! No, I do not think ds is cute! Although gorgeous he is gawky, spotty and teenagery. He said he is cute with his own tongue firmly in cheek. (What he meant is that he is young. He is also small for his age and not always socially very aware.)

Why get tickets in the opposition team seats? Cost and availability. We have tried for more than 2 years to get tickets to see ds's team but without being members of the supporters club or buying the hospitality packages which are astronomically expensive, no tickets are free. Also ds is the only Red supporter in the family. He will be one of a party who support the local and no teams. If he was only allowed to go to his own team seats he would be unaccompanied - can't really square that circle without someone going to an opposition team. .

That would be about top of a list called "things likely to get your head kicked in"

mrssteptoe
I sincerely hope that she does take on board my post - she has been extremely unthoightful.
if I were bought tickets for notts county vs forest and been stuck in the forest end, I would be very upset indeed and most likely either refuse to go or ask for a ticket foe county's end.
it's not a wonderful experience to have to pretend to support the opposition nor to be effectively banned from supporting your own team

itms totally different if you support neither team, but it's just so wrong to buy someone tickets for the oppositikn.

it's like "ooh, I love watching opera" op "you said you love opera, so look, i've bought you tickets for a Metallica gig"
not sensible and a bad present.

It's not acceptable but it happens!!

I don't know one person who would sit in the opposite end except my DH who sat in the hibs end cause he couldn't get a ticket for the celtic end years ago he left after 20 mins due to the abuse hibs fans were screaming at celtic, and he's a leither so many hibs fans knew him!!

thats a hard one then op, is there anyone who supports his team who would go with him?

I suspect it is juvenile bravado on your son's part. It really does show that he has never been to a top flight match before if he wants to needlessly antagonise others.

I have discreetly watched from the home team's end but was more discreet. Sat on my hands when my team scored, stood up when the jome yeam got an equalised and didn't wear colours.

If he turns up in his team colours he will not be admitted, if he puts them on in the stand he will be thrown out by stewards for hos own safety.

Loving this thread.
Have we gone through the looking glass?

One where it's perfectly defensible for adults to pick on teenagers, spit on people, give verbal abuse based on supporting another team.

I have no interest in soccer and from this thread I am relieved I will never have to attend a match. You supporters sound bonkers.

if someone in the party supports no team, it would make more sense for them to accompany your ds to that end.
or save up to go away to a home match (part of a family holiday to that part of the world?)

seriously, not going at all is preferable to being at the wrong end

I hope you have a great time, BettyBotter. Get your DS to be discreet, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Of course it's not the same as being in your own end. But it's still a great afternoon out. Because I've drawn my own conclusions about the teams you're referring to, I'm going to say COME ON YOU BLUES! xx

Bettybotter he would be fine in the opposition end himself you could meet him afterwards, my son is 15 and has been going from edinburgh to Glasgow on a supporters bus himself for last 3 years!

nickeldonkey it's an unfortunate accident that my post is directly below yours again, and it's a x post, not a follow on from yours, IYSWIM!!
I'm thinking that it's a personal thing, whether you can enjoy a game from the opposition end: because we have sat in the away bit for our bitterest rivals, and though it's not the same, it's still better than watching on telly. I completely accept that you don't feel the same way about it!

Thanks MrsSteptoe .
I changed the colours

DH supports Celtic and I've been a few times ( never Old Firm games). Once sat on my own, to let DH sit next to his pal, with me several rows away. The fans around me were lovely and I had a ball. Although had to insist that they stop fucking apologising for swearing in front of me There is an amazing atmosphere, being in a crowd, all cheering, singing and willing the same result.
Went to a cup final once, sitting in the wrong end because our friend who got the tickets supported Dumfermline. Was very odd and not much fun. When Celtic scored, a lad behind us, jumped up and cheered and was promptly battered and then removed by the police.
I think you shouldn't even let your son go, if he can't keep his mouth shut.

this thread is almost funny, so if you support a team you are defending adults to pick on teenagers, spit on people, give verbal abuse based on supporting another team

really

maryz, I didnt say it wasnt wrong, I was saying its the way it is

it is all utterly wrong, but agreeing with that won't make it any safer for the OP's poor son.

as an aside, they still have a neutral area at Fulham. I've sat there as any away fan in colours, next to home fans, on three or four occasions, and never seen any trouble. I've always wondered why Fulham are the only team (to my knowledge) with the confidence to try this and to make it work?

My 7 year old ds and I have season tickets at a premier league club. We sit on the half way line so it is more civilised! But you would not get through the turnstile in our stand wearing away team colours. It's mainly season ticket holders near us but we have had away fans occasionally but they have to be quiet. If they cheer for the away team or make it obvious th hey support them they get thrown out.

o for gods sake, fine, I think spitting on teenagers and kids is great and I see nothing wrong with it, its perfectly acceptable because they are wearing the wrong colours to someone else, everyone who goes to a game obviously thinks this is fine, we're all thugs that support bigotry violence and the like, because we recognise fans don't mix at a football game