How old was your kid when you took them to their first match?

[bimmerman]

My 7 year old is nagging me to come to the football with me. She has no particular interest in football but it's time away from the other kids and with me so am looking for tips to make it enjoyable for her. Any ideas? Going to start with the Papa John's I think as it'll be a lot quieter,thoughts?

[dog]

18 months. Spent the entire time staring at me and trying to rip my face off. I escaped with bruises and little memory of the match.

 

He's now 22 and claims not to remember the occasion 

[Rev]

2 hours ago, bimmerman said:

My 7 year old is nagging me to come to the football with me. She has no particular interest in football but it's time away from the other kids and with me so am looking for tips to make it enjoyable for her. Any ideas? Going to start with the Papa John's I think as it'll be a lot quieter,thoughts?

Take a distraction, like an Ipad or similar.

When the footballs not so good, it helps to have something else distracting, make sure you've downloaded Peppa Pig beforehand, as the WiFi won't work.

Maybe take one for your daughter, too, in case she gets bored.

[ariotofmyown]

Contact the club and she might be able to meet Rammie and get certificate for 1st game. 

Near the front on Family Area was good as lots going on and very close the action. 

Maybe a game with big crowd is good too. Take loads of snacks!

[uttoxram75]

4 hours ago, bimmerman said:

My 7 year old is nagging me to come to the football with me. She has no particular interest in football but it's time away from the other kids and with me so am looking for tips to make it enjoyable for her. Any ideas? Going to start with the Papa John's I think as it'll be a lot quieter,thoughts?

Took my lad when he was 6. Vulcan Street Popside 1989. 

He loved it from day one, like you say, time alone with Dad, being treated like a grown up. 

I would suggest maybe teaching her some of the (more repeatable) songs), try to convey the "day", the atmosphere, the importance of supporting your club etc.

Good luck and don't feel sorry for condemning your child to a footballing lifetime of misery! ?

[Steve How Hard?]

Took my nephew to a Bolton away game when he was 5 years old. The noise of the away contingent unnerved him initially and he wanted to leave. 

We managed to persuade him to stay and he now loves going whenever my work allows. I love going with him too as he is now very knowledgeable about football in general.

 

Can't wait for the day we can have a few pre-match sherbets but at 12 years old it may be a bit early for that. Not sure he still believes that we sing " If you don't jump and bounce you're a red" either.

Thankfully he hasn't asked me to tell him the words to the Collymore song. That could prove challenging adapting that one. 

Edited July 24, 2022 by Steve How Hard?
Missed a word out

[EtoileSportiveDeDerby]

Take some sweets, lots of sweets

[Anon]

My dad started taking me when I was 6. I had absolutely no idea what was going on on the pitch, which hasn't changed all that much in the following decades. I didn't really care to be honest, I just wanted to spend time with my dad and I imagine your daughter will be the same. I think you have to be lucky with your early games. Even if a child is slightly too young to appreciate what's happening on the pitch, there's lots of crowd energy to feed off which can be positive or negative depending on how we're performing. Hopefully we at least score, there's really nothing like hearing that roar of the crowd for the first time.

[RnWes]

My lads first match was aged 4. Derby 6-1 Rotherham. I only saw two goals as my lad kept wanting to go to the toilet.  The lovely couple behind me kept saying “Take him again will you.”

He enjoyed it though, counting the numbers on shirts, eating his snacks and peeing on the toilet seat as he got startled each time we scored.

Great memory to be fair.

[sage]

On 23/07/2022 at 19:37, bimmerman said:

My 7 year old is nagging me to come to the football with me. She has no particular interest in football but it's time away from the other kids and with me so am looking for tips to make it enjoyable for her. Any ideas? Going to start with the Papa John's I think as it'll be a lot quieter,thoughts?

There will be 29k at the game and probably only 3 or 4 at the Papa Johns, so definitely quieter. After a few weeks of that, take her to a game. 

[Boycie]

In my opinion, some kids like the pre match visit to the pubs where they can get free wifi, but in the ground where’s there’s none, they aren’t so happy.

Take a Nintendo switch or something, and be prepared to be sneered at by people without siblings at the match or at home.  Just like I was.  I sneered at a chap with a kid who wasn’t interested in the game and was on a DS.  Fast forward a few years and that was me! ?

[bimmerman]

10 hours ago, sage said:

There will be 29k at the game and probably only 3 or 4 at the Papa Johns, so definitely quieter. After a few weeks of that, take her to a game. 

Fun fact-i once went to a papa John's game shortly after it included the Premier league ressies and there was the mass amount of 128 people there

[Hinzy9]

Taking my 6 year old for her first game tomorrow. I'll report back on how it goes

[bimmerman]

On 30/07/2022 at 00:58, Hinzy9 said:

Taking my 6 year old for her first game tomorrow. I'll report back on how it goes

Howd it go..?