When did you get into football/City?

In around 74/75.
My earliest memories of the game include Colin's injury and 'just look at his face'.
As a young child I was surrounded by rag propaganda via my dad.
Of course United were in Division Two at the time but there was something about them I just didn't like.
 
First became aware of football around the time of the 1966 FA Cup final(I was 6). For some reason I was attracted by the name of Sheffield Wednesday, still have a soft spot for them today. Dad was a big blue as was his Dad, so followed in his foot steps although he had stopped going by then because of his job.
United was a no no in our house because they had players like Crerand who spat at other players which was the lowest of the low in my parents eyes.
First scarf in 68, home kit in 69, red and black away kit as a treat for my 10th birthday in 1970 on the day of the league cup final, remember telling the person behind the counter that we were going to win 2-1, not been right since.
First game vs Leeds 71/72, started going on a regular basis in 73/74. First junior season ticket 74/75 then season ticket every year till 92/93 when kids took priority. Started going again on a regular basis in 2006 when my lad was old enough to come with me. Bought season tickets for the two of us when the ground was expanded in 2015.
A bit full circle from next season as my lad now has his own house so will be buying the £299 season ticket.
 
in my early 60s now but i remember my dad taking me and our kid to maine road every home game early 70s
my whole family at the time were blues sadly most have passed away now and never got to witness that first prem title.
however what i didnt know at the time and only found out in the 90s was that my uncle was busbys first signing
and now my wife and all our boys are reds.
interesting on derby days to say the least.
 
My dad didn't go to football matches as he worked Saturdays (and Sundays). The family had moved up from Shropshire when he got a job at British Driver Harris on Bird Hall Lane, Cheadle Hulme. We did used to go to Belle Vue for the Speedway on Saturday Nights. My father was a Wolves fan, who at the time were dominating the First Division but he had an irrational hatred of United.

I originally got into football following United in the European Cup but was put off by the fawning from the media after the Munich Crash. I remained a general football fan, without any particular affinity with any club apart from the family connection to Wolves. My father was at school with Johnny Hancocks and Billy Wright once asked my mother to go out with him!

My first live match was at Old Trafford against towards the end of the 1962-3 season. United were up against City to avoid relegation that season. United won easily but I felt uncomfortable throughout the match. I decided to try a match at Maine Road, where West Brom (bizarrely my dad's second team). Fortunately I messed up transport arrangments and never got there and City lost 5-1. I did make it to the next City home match. This was a 3-0 loss to Blackpool. I had another try against the mighty Spurs and City won 1-0 with an Alex Harley goal.

The next home match was a relegation decider against United. It looked like City would keep things going as the led United for much of the match before a late equaliser effectively sent City down.

The final week of the season saw United win and City lose 1-5 at West Ham. I went to a motor race meeting at Oulton Park that day and bought a Football Pink on the way home. The headlines were all about United being saved and City's relegation was in small print.

I was back for the next and subsequent seasons.
 
Johnny Mars Bar said:
Interested in hearing how old everyone was when they properly got into footy.

I was a late bloomer - was a teenager really when I properly got into it. My dad is a part time armchair red and his real passion is rugby, so I was never dragged to games by him.

My late uncle was a massive blue though - and I’ve told this story before - was a referee and when he retired worked for the FA as an assessor. He took me to Maine road as a kid in the 90s a number of times. I enjoyed it and was definitely a little blue but it wasn’t til I was about 15/16 really until I became obsessed.

I’m in my mid 30s btw.
Click to expand...
I got bullied into it by my Dad at the age of 4 in about 1991. I don't have children, but if I do; I will be bullying them into it too. But I am not sure it will be the same if you do not have the City pain stories though?
 
Got into football from being maybe 3/4 years old. My mum's a City fan and my dad's a United fan, so they both agreed not to force either team on me. We lived a stone's throw from Edgeley Park at the time (and for the next 18 years of my life), so as a compromise they took me to Stockport County games. My first ever game was a pre-season friendly against Middlesbrough in 1997, then they took me to a couple of league games during the season they finished 8th while City were relegated. I obviously didn't have a clue what was going on and I don't really remember much from around that time.

Then in 1999, United won the treble and my dad took me to the parade in Stretford. There are pictures of me, just 4 years of age, with a United scarf on. We parked near the big roundabout on Great Stone Road and set up shop on the grass bank, where the Beacon Centre is now. The rest of the day is a blur in my memory. But, crucially, the experience didn't really stick with me. I never was a United fan, I was just caught up in the excitement of the day and the size of the crowd. I didn't know why I was there and I didn't really know what all these people were happy about, I was just happy to feel involved.

A week later, I was taken to the Village Hotel in Cheadle to watch City vs Gillingham. This was another big occasion that I had no idea was so significant. I spent most of the game not watching it. I was 4, after all. But when Dickov scored, this bloke that I hadn't seen before in my life, and haven't seen since, lifted me into the air and looked into my eyes as if I was his own son. And then when Weaver saved the penalty, me, my mum, my dad, and this bloke all celebrated together. For some reason, a week after watching a treble trophy parade, it was the excitement of a League One play-off final that grabbed me.

My uncle and cousin had both gone to Wembley. They'd heard about me going to the United parade a week earlier, so they made sure to come back with a City flag and a programme from the game. The flag went up on my wall and that was that. I was taken to my first City game midway through that promotion season under Royle - a 3-1 win over Norwich at Maine Road when Kennedy scored two in a minute. I didn't start paying proper attention to City games on a weekly basis until Keegan was in charge, but I re-watched the 99/00 and 01/02 season VHS tapes back to back an untold number of times.

And then in 2003, as a present for my 9th birthday, my mum bought us season tickets for the first season at the City of Manchester Stadium. I was already very much a City fan by that point but getting to go every week sealed the deal, and I've been going to pretty much every game ever since (except for the back end of the 18/19 season and the majority of the 19/20 season, for health reasons). We nearly gave up the season ticket in 2007 when Pearce was in charge, but we stayed loyal and were rewarded by that terrific season under Sven. Luckily it's only gotten better since then.

Here I am talking about all this actually: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53723237
 
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PinkFinal said:
In around 74/75.
My earliest memories of the game include Colin's injury and 'just look at his face'.
As a young child I was surrounded by rag propaganda via my dad.
Of course United were in Division Two at the time but there was something about them I just didn't like.
Click to expand...
Some thing? I don't like anything about them!
 
Did not support anyone until the 1969 FA cup final. Our school in Blackpool had quite a few Utd fans who all wanted Leicester to win. I decided I therefore wanted City to win. I was then a confirmed City fan.I remember getting both the Umbro home and away kits which came fully boxed with a cellophane front. The cub scouts team I played for (second half substitute) in 1970 also wore the City kit and we duly won the local cup final. Finally I had a Secret Sam toy gun and used to line up the bubble gum football cards of the Utd players and take great joy in firing at them. Just to reassure everyone this was my last ever involvement with guns.
 
In about 1956, when I was 5 years old, there was a football game being played in a cul-de-sac on my estate. I asked if I could join in. One of the lads asked me if I was City or United. I hadn`t got a clue what he was was talking about. My dad had no interest in football and my mum's side of the family had moved down from Scotland and they mostly supported Hearts because apparently my great granddad had played for them. When I couldn't answer his question the lad said "You're City. Get in goal."

That was it. Decision made. I started attending matches at Maine Road from about the age of eleven. This was in the early 1960's when we were pretty rubbish. But then Joe and Malcolm rocked up and I had the pleasure of watching Colin, Franny, Mike and the rest playing some sublime football for the next few years. I was privileged to be at Newcastle in 1968. What a day that was.

I am just so fucking lucky that City were a player short in that kick about on our street. If things had been different I could have been a rag. That's a fucking horrible thought.
 
Probably about 5 my Dad took me and sat me on the wall at the front.

In primary school it was not school uniform and often wore my City shirt. In 81 (age 10) I got called to see one of the other teachers during class. Thought initially had I done something wrong. All he wanted to know was if me and my Dad had managed to get a ticket for FA cup final.
 
Dad took me to maine road circa 1999/2000 (not sure we was in the lower divisions). Was only about 7. Got a chips pudding gravy, ate it and wanted to come home, wasn’t Intrested.

Went again with my brother in law at about 12 years old watching City and Norwich on my dads season ticket when he was working nights, was 1-1 with Willo Flood scoring. Went every home game that year with a season ticket following year. Missed a handful of home games since. Ctid.
 
one of my earliest memories is asking my old lady where my dad was. she said hes gone watching city. i asked whens he back and she just shrugged her shoulders.
 
My first ever game was V Spurs in 1977.
We sat in the main stand. I was 11 & it was the loudest place I’d ever been. It was magical. When we scored it seemed like every person in the Kippax was holding their scarf up.
We won 5–0. It was so exciting. I was hooked from day one.
Little did I know then what an emotional rollercoaster watching City would be.
Loved every minute of it from shite to this wonderful unbelievable football we play now.
Thank you Manchester City.
 
Probably 1990 (aged 12). I've always been a blue, but until then I wasn't overly fussed about football, it was more of a passing interest. The world cup changed all that.
 
Went to a few games in 75 but my dad took me to the trophy parade in 76, aged 5. I thought, yeah, I’ll have a bit of this, loved it. Little did I think I’d have to wait 37 years for the next parade… and I took my then 4 year old. What a great ride we’ve been on!
 
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