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Post by reamsofverse on Oct 19, 2009 18:36:58 GMT
Im sure you all have your own stories on how you became and Addick so now it's time to share them so the question is:
WHY CHARLTON??
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Post by valleyviper on Oct 19, 2009 19:28:55 GMT
At about 9 years of age, my Dad was stationed at Woolwich Arsenal, moved into a house on Cold Harbour Estate and went with a neighbour and his family to watch a football match at The Valley, as a lad brought up on playing rugby, this was an experience I must have enjoyed as I've been back a few times since.
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Post by leftbehind on Oct 19, 2009 19:53:07 GMT
born and breed in the area went with my dad when i was 5 never looked at another club since
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Post by se7addick on Oct 19, 2009 19:54:53 GMT
I was 8 and an Arsenal fan due to having watched them on telly. My mum and dads neighbor used to go football with his son every Saturday and one day asked if it wanted to come.
Remember thinking never heard of the team we were going to see but got to the ground stood on the east terrace, the game kicked off all us youngsters ran down the front to watch.
This was 1978 and the rest they say is history, from that day on I went to every home game till we left the valley. Since we came back in 92 have only missed 3 games, 2 of them were last season and that was because I was disillousioned with what was going on and the fact my Dad passed away.
Well that's my story.
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Post by leedsaddick on Oct 19, 2009 20:40:23 GMT
First went down in the late 60's. My Dad took me down and I was hooked. Everyone else at school supported the usaul " glamour" teams, I found a level of honesty with the addicks and also red's my favourite colour. I used to have a season ticket in the old stand next to the Director's box. I also got to know a few people when travelling with Lewis Coaches and subsequently played footie for the legendary LAC Rovers and Wild Geese FC. Happy days getting lashed up in the White Horse, antigallican etc. Does anyone remember Ray Donn who used to run the Valley Club pre Mike Bailey?
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Post by reamsofverse on Oct 19, 2009 21:13:36 GMT
Great stories, keep em coming, some great reading there fellas.
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Post by leftbehind on Oct 19, 2009 21:21:02 GMT
must admit never watched the first gameme and my mate who i still go with now played hide and seek the whole game.
Found out from Richard Reddens book we won di dnot even know that at the time
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Post by canterburyaddick on Oct 19, 2009 23:16:26 GMT
Never got into the habit of going when I was young as I was playing football Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday evening. None of my family was into it, although my father was originally from Liverpool, he was more a rugby man. My first games were at Everton when my uncle would get me tickets from a director of the club he knew. Saw them win the League in 1969. Would get to occasional games, Tonbridge, even Gillingham when I was a lad.
When we were in the 1st Division in the 90s a mate asked me along to a game and I was hooked. A bit of a late comer, but I just love it now. My boys are not really interested, but my daughter comes as often as she can.
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fatk
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Post by fatk on Oct 20, 2009 7:11:40 GMT
lived at 22 harvey gardens as a lad went my first game in 1964 never crossed my mind to change my team !
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2009 11:23:12 GMT
great grandad used to play for us, then he moved to the Arsenal under George Morrell , have a call up post card dated 1900 something from George, say Bring your boots etc, from the "Woolwich Arsenal Athelitc Football Club" also me took me years and years ago , think my first game must have been around 1980 ish
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Post by leedsaddick on Oct 20, 2009 12:26:14 GMT
Being a bit misty eyed, in my younger days, I did go to Millwall and Palarse on a couple of occasions, but somehow the atmosphere wasn't the same.... I didn't get that unbridled sense of joy when they scored.... I felt very muted and quickly found myself coming back the Valley.... also CAFC have always been the under dogs... as Lennie said, CAFC, becomes a cause.... It's easy to support teams that are always sucessfull, but in my view, more rewarding when the under dog pulls through at the end! No-one ever has a bad word to say about Charlton... you can't say the same for other teams, and I'm really proud to let people know who I support..... even in Leeds!
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gav
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Post by gav on Oct 20, 2009 12:41:06 GMT
My Dad and his brother came over from Northern Ireland and ended up working in a factory in Charlton, they worked Saturday mornings and ended up going to the pub and to football, us being the obvious choice. He got used to it and hence me
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Post by leftbehind on Oct 20, 2009 12:55:18 GMT
Were in NI is your family from mate?
My great great grandfather is was from Enniskillen
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gav
New Signing
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Post by gav on Oct 20, 2009 15:16:46 GMT
Clough near Ballymena, strong loyalist area
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Post by sidcupsid on Oct 20, 2009 15:47:26 GMT
I was never really interested in football in my early teens,even at school (Glenister Rd. in Blackwall Lane) two kids ,one was Charlton the other Millwall were at it with the banter most of the time but it meant absolutely nothing to me. Nobody in my family were interested in football so I don't know where it came from.
Somehow my first match was at Millwall but I didn't feel anything at all. Just after that a couple of mates wanted to go to Charlton just because they fancied watching a game,so I tagged along. It was 1957 the first season after relegation from the 1st.div. I was gobsmacked and hooked for life,it had everything that going to the Den didn't have, I loved it and have been coming ever since and I wouldn't change a minute of it. GREAT GREAT CLUB.
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Post by reamsofverse on Oct 20, 2009 17:12:13 GMT
A fantastic response here and some very interesting stories I'll let you know mine shortly.
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Post by redredroosta on Oct 21, 2009 17:51:36 GMT
I had never been into football as my dad was'nt but when I moved up to Eltham from Incest Island (or Sheppey as it's more commonly known) and started secondary school i began getting interested in football more and more.A few of my mates started going to Charlton as it was our local team and also a big 'two-fingers-up' to the 'glory hunting boys' that were supporting Liverpool (at the time the Manyoo of the 80's),Arsenal and the like and I decided to tag along and from that moment on I've been hooked through all the ups and downs (including playing at Sh*tehurst park) and also helped clear The Valley as opposed to watching a second successive 0-0 draw with Oxford Utd.
My biggest triumph came when I met my wife and converted our step-son from a Manyoo supporter into a die-hard Addick and 12 years later he's never looked back!!! ;D
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Post by ExeterAddick on Oct 21, 2009 18:45:49 GMT
I remember clearly going up to my Dad when I was aged about 7 and telling him that all the lads at school had started supporting football teams. I asked him to name some teams, and literally the first one he said was "Manchester United". For some reason it stuck with me, and as the years went on I became more and more passionate about football, always following United. I always half-decent in goal when i played in the playground or for the school team, and i used to worship Schmeichel in particular.
Aged about 9 or 10, my dad took me to my first live football match - England v Mexico, a friendly at the Old Wembley. It was the most incredible night I'd ever had, and i loved every second of it, even if it was a bog standard 2-0 win (Sheringham and Fowler scored i think)
Dad realised how much I'd enjoyed it, so we started getting tickets to occasional Charlton games, seeing as they are our local side. We got our first season tickets in 1999, and we haven't missed a season, or changed our seats, since then. I was at uni down in Exeter for a few years, but we kept the tickets going and i just went to the games during my holidays, or if i'd made a special effort to get back, like for the Palace game or the match against Spurs when we were relegated from the prem.
I'm so glad i realised young that watching a team play live is so much better than supporting a successful team from afar . . . . although i must admit that to this day i still have a soft spot for United!
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Post by hongkongaddick on Oct 22, 2009 0:32:49 GMT
My Grandad was from Woolwich & grew up supporting the Arsenal. They'd moved north of the river by the time my Dad came on the scene so, then living in Greenhithe, he chose Charlton.
At age 7 (in 1977) I started supporting Forest. NOT because they were good but because I was crazy about all things Robin Hood and one Saturday I watched a Football Focus feature on them that mentioned him.
Dad would take me along to a few games at The Valley (Simonssen's debut was one) and I always had a soft spot for Charlton.
It was the 85/6 season that turned it for me. Combination of Charlton being the 'family club' & more local than Forest but more than anything it was the underdog spirit inspired by Lennie and that great team (Johns, Humphrey, Reid, Thommo, Pender, Shipley, Aizlewood, Stuart, Pearson, Melrose, Flanagan et al). Zulu-esque it was (had to get my favourite movie in!).
Going to school in Croydon I was the only Addick surrounded by glamour team & Palarse supporters. Hardened my resolve I suppose.
Been Addickted ever since and my annual filial piety trips to Uk are now arranged around Charlton games.
Sorry to blather on like this but you've really hit a nerve with most folk here, Reams. Such an important milestone in a fan's life -surprised it's not been raised before.
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