It's a generational thing

[BR2]

And then along comes BR/Victor Meldrew to top (almost) everybody.
Dad played local football in Reading but never went to games.
Uncle George was a regular as was auntie Dolly-George's brother played for Reading in the 1920's.
Uncle Fred was a season-ticket holder until the early 60s when he gave up because he thought the club lacked ambition and he was fed up watching lower level football, something that I didn't understand then especially as he only lived about 600 yards from Elm Park.

My main influences were my older brother (who ironically stopped going about 30 years ago -note the family trend) and my old schoolteacher, Mrs Barnes , who was a season-ticket holder and sports fanatic as well as teaching at Wilson Juniors.
IIRC my first game was in 1954 (could be one year either way) v Norwich and my hero was the prolific goalscorer Ronnie Blackman-what a shame that his modern namesake, despite costing £1 million is far from being a prolific goalscorer.

After leaving Reading in 1970 I still came back for most home games and my son and daughter became regulars until Kerry Dixon moved to Chelsea and my son followed and my daughter carried on until about 8 years ago.
Both of her daughters came for a while but Natasha gave up after our 2nd season in the Prem.
By then both of my parents had died so the additional reason for coming up to Reading had also gone for the girls and as teenagers other things have proven more attractive and interesting.
The good thing about Natasha going to games was that she was a bit of a statto so it was handy to know how many corners, bookings etc. had taken place.
I do miss her not going apart from when she threw up once on the way home and in doing so infiltrated the cd player which has never worked since.

It has been a labour of love watching RFC and the big rewards have come in recent years but , like a lot of people on here,
I do hanker for the Elm Park days when our club had a soul which I don't think exists today and will probably carry on going (season ticket renewed a couple of weeks ago) but , something I thought would never happen,I can see that there will be a time when I won't go to games.
Although I am a lone traveller to games I do enjoy meeting up with my mate from Gillingham, my mate from Thatcham and my younger brother from Tilehurst but I think it is this cameraderie that keeps us all going rather than any scintillating football however the line from me downwards will stop when I finish as will the family name because it is just girls, girls and more girls.

Just writing this has made me feel a bit nostalgic about Elm Park having started at the Town End but gradually worked my way to the Tilehurst End over the years (the kids couldn't see from under the clock but had a great view from the wall at the back of the Tilehurst End).
Also travelling 80 miles to a home game is a bit different from strolling from Beecham Road to Elm Park.

[Reading4eva]

I have supported Reading all my life, as has my dad, two brothers, my late mother and my grandmother and late grandfather, who took me for years to matches at Elm Park then the Madejski. My son, albeit he is 3 years old and born in Dorset, supports Reading but he does also seem to take an interest in Bournemouth.

Before my grandparents, it gets interesting. Clubs supported early on in the family include Plymouth Argyle and Portsmouth, with my great grandfather playing for Portsmouth in the very early years of the beautiful game

[Gordons Cumming]

If I had a son he'd have been a Reading fan, no question.

Tried with my daughter, but she has too many of her mother's genes so it was a non starter.

Hey Ho!

[Royal Lady]

No kids to pass on the infection to as yet.

Imagine Ian's babies A little bald wrinkly thing.....having a child of his own

Boom tish!

I only supported RFC cos my then husband did - got quite into it over the years, took all 3 of the kids, son still goes - met Schards, he'd been going since he was little also, his dad and brother also go, Schards' sons go when they're down to visit us but follow them religiously from afar. Family on my side were all QPR fans, including fanatical grandad and uncle - both long gone - but various cousins/second cousins carrying on the QPR tradition and I'm expecting a right load of abuse if they manage to win the play-offs.

[melonhead]

1st generation reading fan
used to support spurs as a child, and chelsea in my teens, but only saw them play twice,
it became clear pretty quickly that supporting a team who i didnt watch, and would prefer to lose to the team i did watch meant i must probably be a reading supporter.


have infected two god children with RFC support, and hope to do the same with my own

[Pepe the Horseman]

used to support spurs as a child

*crotch bump*

[Ian Royal]

No kids to pass on the infection to as yet.

Imagine Ian's babies A little bald wrinkly thing.....having a child of his own

less of the wrinkly, lanky.

[Dave the rave]

I have my mum and to some degree, my uncle, to blame...I mean thank.

Hoping to pass my disorder on to mini Dtr when he's old enough to understand why it's better to support your local team rather than who all your glory hunting school mates support.

Already started on the subconscious conditioning (pajamas, bed sheets, T-shirts etc).

Am wondering what the right age should be to take him to his first game.

Reckon it should be to see a proper game against Doncaster or similar.

[Tilehurstsouthbank]

The old man has a passing interest in Footy, but nothing serious. He's be Chelsea if anything. No one else in the Family is really keen on the sport at all. It's mostly Motorsport, Cycling and Athletics.

I'm the first and only Reading fan. Started watching from the Tilehurst end in 1989 and moved to the Southbank in '94.

[nicktamarensis]

Brilliant to see RFC has (almost) entered into the annuls of Ancestry.com.
I seem to recall a few dedi's had their ashes scattered around the hallowed turf of EP, or was that one of these apocryphal stories that assume truth and magnitude after about 30 years?
My grandson of 4yrs living in Yorkshire was wearing his prized RFC shirt at playschool recently when he was lamped by a bigger lad wearing a Huddersfield Town shirt. He was more upset by the blood and snot on the RFC shirt than the injury. God, I was proud that day....................

[Colin Cheeselog]

My great granddad was from Reading, but having died well before I was born I have no idea if he was interested in football.

My granddad supported Reading I believe, but I’m not sure how often, if ever, he attended games.

My other granddad moved to the area during the war and became a Reading fan. He lobbied Stewarts buses into starting a football run.

My dad supports Reading and began taking my brothers and me to games from the mid-80s onwards, but he stopped going around the time that we moved to the Madejski. My mum, like most women of her generation, doesn’t really care too much about football, but will usually ask my dad the score and will have a vague idea of how well we’re doing at any given time.

I still attend with my brothers.

5 nephews and 1 niece have all been made to support Reading, but they’re too young to know that there's an alternative.

So there’s at least 4 generations in my family, possibly 5 or more.

[Ark Royal]

My granddad was a Gooner in the 20s and 30s, but his sons became fervent Reading fans after the family moved from Iver Heath to Reading and two uncles started watching them in 1932 and 1946 respectively. It was always my Mum's side of the family that were Reading fans - Dad's side never seemed to bother. Gran used to work at the club as a tea and cleaning lady for many years, provided lodging for triallists and youth players and even dated Reading captain Bert Eggo in the 20s. Seems like my Mum caught on to that idea as she dated keeper Davy Jones in the 50s. Mum was a fanatic and had a season ticket until a year before she died in 2009.

My two uncles are to blame for my lifelong curse. My first game was in January 1966 at the age of nine and my daughter's first game was as a four year old in 1987. Took my nephew to his first game at Elm Park when he was six and as we celebrated the 93/94 title on the field, I hoisted him on to my shoulders and told him to remember this day as it might not happen again for a long, long time.

[Rusty royal]

I was first taken to Elm park to see England u21 play Ireland u21 some time around 68 by my Grandad, he was a keen follower of the Biscuitmen and although that was the only game we attended together it got me into following Reading. My Dad would always look out for the results but never went to a game (as far as I know) untill the Bolton playoff final That was the last time we saw a game together (sadly he is no longer around ) But the next generation are coming through with my Sons and Daughter attending games when they can having been with me for the last open day at Elm park and have been keen ever since Back in the Elm park days we had a big family gathering at most home games with Wives and in laws, cousins and (still) close friends (I miss those days ).

[Croydon Royal]

Living in the Rhondda Valleys my Gramps and his two sons were Cardiff fans...my Dad and Uncle both being City season ticket holders in their teens. Both moved away after university, my uncle to Reading and my dad to Croydon. By coincidence, just after my uncle moved to Reading to start work as a doctor, Reading FC needed a new club doctor of their own. So they went round the corner from Elm Park to the nearest surgery and asked my uncle whether he'd like to work for them part time as their club doctor too. He said yes, and after 32 years working for the club he retired a couple of weeks back, ending his time there by having the privilege of leading the team out against Burnley (certainly my proudest moment as a Reading fan, and his too I imagine!). With my uncle's new affiliation to Reading, my Dad started going to the odd game, with the Simod Cup final being one of the first he attended. When I started getting into football I was fully prepared to do the usual thing that every 7 year old living in Surrey did and support Man Utd, so my Dad took me along to Reading v Bristol City in 1994. Gilkes scored a last minute winner, my Uncle took me down into the changing room to meet the players, and I was hooked.

As my obsession grew we started to make the trip from Croydon to Elm Park more and more, and when we moved into the Madejski Stadium, making the trip around the M25 became even easier. We both got season tickets, and what started as my Dad going casually soon became both of us staying hooked, and my younger sister even getting a season ticket too. I even met my other half at the football and now live in Reading and go to the games with her, meeting up with my Dad and Uncle at the match. When they can my sister and mum do come along too (although I think my mum only really comes along because the rest of her family seem to be there). And with both me and my wife going every week, when we have kids they don't have any other choice - they will be going to watch Reading every week!

Not a bad turnaround from two people living in the Welsh Valleys...

[marlowuk]

I was born in Reading 66 years ago (my grandfather was the village blacksmith in the nearby village of Pangbourne!!) and my father took me to watch Reading when I was about 10 yrs old. Wherever I have lived/worked since then I have followed their results and shared the pain of the Bolton play-off final with my father and brothers (albeit by TV). My regret is that my Dad died too soon to see Reading promoted to the Premier League. When I visit his grave I do tell him, but I don't think he believes me! I turned 65 last year so could afford an old fart's season ticket and attended nearly all the home games (work permitting) although it is over an hour's drive for me to get to the Mad Stad. In retrospect I didn't choose a great year for my first ST but I have renewed.

[loyalroyal4life]

No kids to pass on the infection to as yet.

Imagine Ian's babies A little bald wrinkly thing.....having a child of his own

[Brum Royal]

I'm 4th generation.

Great grandfather started going when we joined the football league in 1920.

Grandpa (living in Caversham) started going pre-war, about 1930ish from memory.

Dad's first game in 1950

My first game in October 1990 (a 2-1 defeat at home to Leyton Orient where I was mascot, coincidentally my grandpa's last game, he died not long afterwards)

Nephews and nieces are RFC fans as well, they started about 03-04 I think.

5 generations spanning our family.

[blythspartan]

My granddad watched them in the 1920s, my dad from the 1940s and me from the early 70s.

My son is a Reading fan and my wife is a converted Newcastle fan, although I am not 100% convinced about that.

My daughter just likes whoever Ronaldo plays for....

[Norfolk Royal]

My earliest ancestor known to be a Royals fan was a primordial creature who emerged from a swamp wearing a Reading FC silk scarf.

[nicktamarensis]

I'm 4th generation.

Great grandfather started going when we joined the football league in 1920.

Grandpa (living in Caversham) started going pre-war, about 1930ish from memory.

Dad's first game in 1950

My first game in October 1990 (a 2-1 defeat at home to Leyton Orient where I was mascot, coincidentally my grandpa's last game, he died not long afterwards)

Nephews and nieces are RFC fans as well, they started about 03-04 I think.

5 generations spanning our family.

Well done Brum Royal, if there was a cup for this event your hand would be reaching for it.
Nostalgia aside, all these stories give off a sort of collective warmth rather than the antiseptic chill of modern day commercialism.
And (slightly off topic) even a shared association of a name of a former player that moved to another club can work a small miracle of magic that can bridge old animosities. I'm thinking of Cardiff and Reading here.
One day in the early '80's waiting for the last Intercity 125 back from Cardiff to Reading I got mixed up with some handy characters in a boozer near the station (the one that had a reputation for professional ladies - can't remember its name now). It was about to get a tad nasty when at the last minute someone mentioned Cardiff FC and in one of those lightbulb moments I mentioned Robin Friday. Suddenly I was their friend for life and another round of drinks appeared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Thanks Robin - you probably saved me some expensive surgery! More nostalgia..................