Why do you support your team?
Printed From: National League Rugby Discussion Forum
Category: League Rugby - www.leaguerugby.co.uk
Forum Name: National 1
Forum Description: Discuss the 14 clubs in the third level of the English game
URL: http://www.leaguerugby.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=20666
Printed Date: 06 Mar 2025 at 15:56
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Topic: Why do you support your team?
Posted By: Storty
Subject: Why do you support your team?
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2025 at 08:05
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Thought this would be an interesting topic and I reckon I'm fairly unusual. Until 3 years ago I'd never been to a rugby game and had next to no interest in the sport. I was driving past the rugby club one day, which is an unusual route for me and saw on the billboard Stortford were playing Leeds next. I assumed this was the equivalent of the fa cup as why would Stortford be playing a big City's team? Googled it and turned out Stortford play in the third tier! At the start of the next season I'd given up my spurs season ticket and was looking to do more things locally so gathered a few mates who like rugby and went down for a game. The first game was Birmingham (again mad we're playing the second city's team) and Brum were something like 3-18 up only for Stortford to score 4 tries in 10 mins and win the game. It was an excellent introduction and since then I've been hooked on national 1. I'd say I'm more a Stortford fan than rugby fan. I'll watch the six nations but have little interest in the prem or European Cup. Really I just enjoy walking down, having a couple of pints and watching a good quality game of rugby. I wonder if rugby could do more to entice more people like me into the game. I've taken a few non rugby friends since and the feedback is generally although they don't particularly understand what's going on it's enjoyable and the physicallity very impressive.
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Replies:
Posted By: semisonic
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2025 at 09:58
| I had a season ticket at Birmingham City but gave it up when our ownership changed and I couldn't justify paying money in to a black hole in China for the 15/16 season. A friend coaxed me down to Moseley for a pre-season game against Ebbw Vale with the promise that they were bringing a Welsh voice choir with them and tickets were £5. My first league game was away at Bedford on the Supporters' coach and I've followed since. Despite the change in ownership at Blues, my Saturdays (and very occasionally Fridays) are now spent following Moseley, where I think we're very lucky to have volunteers supporting travel to away games so I go to most of those. |
Posted By: kingsheathlad
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2025 at 11:55
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I started supporting Moseley in 1967,when my elder brother played for the 4th team I've supported them ever since,with a few gaps when I played the game for 15 years.i didn't go to games at Birmingham University after they moved from The Reddings.we had our ups and downs,but I love the game and always will.
------------- Cauliflower ear. |
Posted By: Rothman2
Date Posted: 04 Mar 2025 at 22:38
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My background is very much football related. Started watching my home town team Rotherham United in late 1965 / early 1966. First away game got me hooked. Feb 66 (8 years old) 4th round FA Cup Dad took me to Old Trafford to watch Rotherham draw 0-0. Man Utd team included Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, Nobby Stiles etc. Had no choice in my team really. Dad went to his first game in 1933 and was very much a one club man. He wasn’t interested in other sports, and I never knew anything about Rugby. Early 90’s listening to Radio Sheffield Sport I heard a little section called Ian Jowetts Rugby round up, heard names of team like Leodiensians and of course Rotherham. Every time I listened, it seemed like Rotherham were prominent and seemed to be winning every game. Who is this team? None of my family or friends were remotely interested in Rugby so I didn’t get round to going until Sept 1995, as it happened it was our first ever game in National 3. Ironically it was at home v Richmond, and I remember vividly a guy from Richmond called John Gregory, who gave a masterclass in kicking and we ended up losing 43-6. Even though we lost I was hooked and watched most home games that season but didn’t know much about the social side. That came the following season, when for the first time I took a trip on the supporters club bus to Bedford in the second division ( we had recovered from the Richmond game and ended going up again with Richmond) I met some great people on that coach who had played for the club many years previously. Everyone was friendly. Although we lost the game, it was great, capped off by a stop off at a pub on the way back & all the players came in and were fantastic. People like Guy Easterby (who went on to have a stellar career) Sam Coy & Lee Rick. This doesn’t happen in football. I was converted (can’t remember whether it was from the touch line 😂) It was Rugby all the way for me. Went to most games home & away. Great days. Beating Worcester 42-0, winning at Exeter 34-0, at Bristol 36-31, and, the pièce de résistance, winning 20-19 in Perpignan in a Saturday evening game in the European shield. Brilliant weekend. Great night with all the players. Who can forget the play off games with Bedford? High drama. Desolation and euphoria within the space of 12 months. There is nothing like Rugby, for the game, the social, meeting new friends. These officials who set minimum criteria meaning sometimes playing at football grounds, can’t have ever been to Clifton Lane. There was nothing like it. Shiver down the spines stuff. Days that will most likely not be repeated . Memories that will remain with me all my life. What a team. What a club. SENDEMOAMWINOWTROTH!! ------------- Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx |
Posted By: Halliford
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 15:09
A great player! Jon Gregory mod to Esher when the game went professional. Jon played 112 matches for us (111 starting!) and scored 1,388 points at an average of 12.39 points per match. None of our other kickers in the last 25 years has got near that average. His predecessor at full-back was the legendary former Quin Ray Dudman who saw Jon play and said "now I can retire, I've seen a full-back as good as me"!
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Rothman2 wrote:Posted By: Halliford
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 15:17
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I started playing rugby at the age of 10 at Whitgift. I played 1st XV rugby at Worthing until at the age of 30 I realised I could see better rugby by people I coached than I could achieve myself. After coaching through age groups for Sussex and helping at Worthing a work encounter took me to Esher as 1st XV coach in 1989. I did 2 seasons before I was replaced - eventually by Simon Halliday 0- but I returned 3 years later as Colts Coach, then 2nd XV coach under the legendary Hugh McHardy (I survived the red wine interview!). I stayed on, running our Academy and then becoming Hon Secretary. It's very difficult to leave Esher, somehow the Club gets under your skin and holds on affectionately to you. I still meet people I coached and developed and they all love coming back. We're not a perfect Club, if we were it would kill half of our conversations, but it holds a place in my heart where kit will stay for ever. Mind you, the Club has made sure I'll stay by making me a Life Member!!
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Posted By: Rothman2
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 18:55
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Probably the greatest 2 days of my life from a sporting perspective. Home leg: Roth 40 Bedford 20 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/762910.stm" rel="nofollow - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/762910.stm Away leg: Bedford 14 Roth 0. (Roth won 40-34 on aggregate) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/767812.stm" rel="nofollow - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/767812.stm
------------- Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx |
Posted By: Storty
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 19:29
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Some interesting stories with some initially football fans and others rugby from an early age. My school didn't have a rugby team so it was always football in the winter and cricket in the summer. I do wonder if rugby can (and is even interested) in growing. The clubs in our league and below do an excellent job of bringing the game to the community but it's founded on hard work from volunteers. The top brass would rather plough money into bankrupt clubs with no roots than help grow the game in state schools/Lower league clubs. Sorry, went off on a bit of a tangential rant there!
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Posted By: All the Way
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 20:17
| In the late 70s my dad started taking me and my best friend to The Reddings when I was 9 or 10. The Moseley team was somewhat star-studded back then, with both international and Lions players. My dad played and coached at Stourbridge, and I also played there. |
Posted By: Paul10
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 20:26
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I'm from a town in West Wales. Rugby was everywhere. Current captain of Wales Men's and Women's teams came from the local school. My neighbour played for the British Lions. I didn't think anything of the red shirt in my mates house when I popped round. I played ever since. A VP at my club and member at my boys club. If I still lived in Wales I'd be a Scarlets season ticket holder but we don't live there so we've adopted the Saints. So, I support my club because I love rugby and they're closest...
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Posted By: tigerburnie
Date Posted: 05 Mar 2025 at 22:44
| I was born and bred in Leicester, barely a mile from the Welford Road Tigers ground, was taught by one of their players at high school, always wanted to play for them. However my talents didn't match up to my dreams, so I played for one of the two clubs that amalgamated to form the Leicester Lions. The club was formed and run by my old school/team mates. |