What age did you take your son/daughter to their first game?

My boy went at 19 months, there was a reason I took him as the wife wasn't at home as she had given birth earlier in the day, don't worry I was at the birth and left at half time, bromleymonkey might remember the date?
 
I think it's pointless taking a kid to football until they're about 7 or 8.
Younger than that and they're constantly up and down, wanting to go to the toilet, making themselves sick with sweets, losing their scarf and are basically not really interested.
Most dad's take them for their own gratification.
Bloody kids - pain in the arse. Mine are in their 30s now, but I used to go to get away from them (and the wife) 🤣
 
Can’t remember and although both showed little interest then they remain passive supporters to this day and watched the cup final as nervously as the rest of us. It gets in the blood.

I do remember taking my 7 year old granddaughter though. It was a league cup game against Torquay, played at walking pace with Lombardo in our midfield. We sat in the Whitehorse Lane stand, the only time I ever used it. It was almost empty. No atmosphere at all. She was completely bored and spent all her time kicking the seat in front and asking how much longer. The only good thing was I had a long chat with Len Chatterton, he of the “Flattener”, who was groundsman at the time but had the dubious extra responsibilities of supervising the juniors whilst watching first team games.
 
Not taken my boy yet. He's nearly 6 and tells everyone he supports Eagle Palace, but he's managed three minutes of football highlights before saying football is boring. He also decided to cheer on Southampton because we were in an unfamiliar away shirt for some highlights I showed him.

I have a 12 year old cousin who came to football with us when he was 7 or 8 (the 4-0 pre-season defeat to Hertha Berlin). He got very angry that people were still cheering Palace on at 3-0. Not that that would happen for a real league game, most people bugger off at 1-0. He seemed a little bit too young for it, but the following season at 8/9 he got right into it.

I was 10 when my Dad first took me. Actually seemed spot on for me.
 
To my son to his first ever live game this season, at 6yo. Taking him to another live game this weekend and then to his first Palace game, in the friendly vs Crawley next week. Hopefully taking him to Wembley to see Palace Liverpool in August if I can sort something there.

He loved his first live game this season but that was only 4-5k fans in lower league. He almost cried when a goal was scored because of the noise.

Hes cried a couple of times during the FA Cup run at home because of how loud I celebrated.

He’s getting used to it now though and knows what to expect so it isn’t as nervous/surprised anymore. He was also fine at the trophy parade too.

It just that bedding in and get their expectations in order so they are comfortable and confident with the noise and the situation and then they can be excited and enjoy it.
 
I took my son to his first game when he was a couple of months short of his 7th birthday.
The game was Brighton v Swansea. I should point out that the Goldstone Ground was a just a bus ride away from where we lived, and that we got half-price tickets from a promotion in the local paper. Excuses over.

It was a pretty dire game and I am glad to say it didn't initiate any ongoing support for the club in my son, although, to be fair, if it had done I couldn't have complained as we often bash on about supporting your local club, and my son, unlike me, is a Brightonian.

His first Palace game was against Leicester in 1996 - a 1-0 home defeat for us.

I finally got my daughter to a game when she was 23 years old. I don't seem to have much luck choosing the right game for an introduction to Palace - it was a home defeat to Villa in 2014, and she's only ever been back once. My son, although not an avid Palace fan, has since accompanied me on a number of occasions over the years but I think he has only seen us win on two occasions!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Holmesdale Online Shop

Back
Top