What got you into supporting RFC?! And when you did who was your nearest team?

[Simmops]

Was it family connections?
A memorable game?
Location?
Lifelong thing?
Do you still support and follow them?


I started to support them properly in 1997 when I first got a season ticket. I was born in North London in Enfield and my family are Spurs fans as are my Mrs family (great grandad has had a Season ticket for 60+ years). They are Enfield born and bred and my son has been forced spurs upon him.

My parents are both South African and moved here just before I was born. They were spurs fans but that's because it was limited coverage there and it was Liverpool or spurs. My dad said greaves is the best player he's seen.

I actually liked Blackburn when I was younger. I remember watching them and I liked their kit and shearer and Sutton upfront.

I had a reading st for 13 years from 97 to 2010 when I went to move to london and then went to games still for 3 years regularly. Now watch highlights and that's it. I think for me when mcdermott left my abiding memories of rfc left and everything changed. Since then it's been drab. I still look for results but follow results of a family member who is a professional at another team in the same league.

[tidus_mi2]

Ever since about the age of 5 I supported Manchester United, my dad took me to the 0-0 against Brighton in 2002 and the following season we got season tickets, not long into the season I decided I enjoyed actually going to a game and watching at a stadium than being an armchair United fan so I ended up swapping to Reading.

If you're only counting Football League clubs, Reading have always been the closest to me minus the odd times Aldershot have been in the Football League.

[Hendo]

Was it family connections? - Yes
A memorable game? - Reading 3 - 0 Luton, so yes
Location? - Yes
Lifelong thing? - Yes
Do you still support and follow them? - Yes

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[Zip]

1972 when Reading played bravely against Arsenal in the Cup. Saw highlights on The Big Match when I was visiting my grandmother in South Wales. I thought they were the team for me.

We lived just outside Cheltenham who would have been my nearest team. I went to see Cheltenham play in non League for a few years in the early 80’s and didn’t get to see Reading live until May 83 at the Manor Ground when I was studying at Oxford Poly.

[The Royal Forester]

Was it family connections?
A memorable game?
Location?
Lifelong thing?
Do you still support and follow them?


I started to support them properly in 1997 when I first got a season ticket. I was born in North London in Enfield and my family are Spurs fans as are my Mrs family (great grandad has had a Season ticket for 60+ years). They are Enfield born and bred and my son has been forced spurs upon him.

My parents are both South African and moved here just before I was born. They were spurs fans but that's because it was limited coverage there and it was Liverpool or spurs. My dad said greaves is the best player he's seen.

I actually liked Blackburn when I was younger. I remember watching them and I liked their kit and shearer and Sutton upfront.

I had a reading st for 13 years from 97 to 2010 when I went to move to london and then went to games still for 3 years regularly. Now watch highlights and that's it. I think for me when mcdermott left my abiding memories of rfc left and everything changed. Since then it's been drab. I still look for results but follow results of a family member who is a professional at another team in the same league.

Family connection? NO
Memorable Game? Can't have been, I do not even know who we played.
Lifelong? Since my first game yes.
Still support and follow? Depends upon the meaning Support as in still going to games, sadly no. Follow yes, but on the radio and club website Reading local "papers" on line.
My family moved from Reading (never went to Elm Park whilst living there) to Windsor in 1955. I went back to see my old friends in Whitley Wood quite often at weekends and school holidays, Then one day must have been about 1957 or 1958 some one sugusted we went to see Reading play. We went to most home matches, but over time my friends drifted away from football, but we still met up in other places. I still carried on going to home matches and when I started work and could afford it, went to some away matches. I got to know some other supporters and we started to go to most away matches, even reserve games at places like Bristol City. We also went to Reading Racers matches home and away, but as we all got married and had children Football and Speedway became down the list of family expenses and time available. I do not count myself as a true supporter these days as I rarely go to a game. But the bug is still there and Ifollow is a great thing.

[sandman]

First game was 1993 against Northampton in the League Cup, we won 3-0. Still have the programme.

Went with my Dad and Grandad who both supported them for years.

Still support them now, the useless twats.

[KentRoyal]

First game was the 2-2 v Brighton few years ago, as I’m not that old, dads a Brighton fan and I had no interest in football at all, but had free tickets for home end, so we went then I somehow enjoyed myself, so I ended up supporting them

[From Despair To Where?]

No family connection but Elm Park was at the end of the street so my friends and I started going. I've watched Reading in all 4 divisions.

Yeah, it's a lifelong thing and I still go when I can but living 200 miles away, it's not as often as I'd like.

Was the my first game memorable? Yes, there was a pitch invasion at the end so I scaled the Tilehurst End fence.

[tmesis]

Robert Maxwell...well, sort of.

I got into football, properly (as it actually paying attention to the football every Saturday) in the 1982/83 season. Growing up in Bracknell, nobody supported Reading. I don't mean that as in "hardly anyone". I mean absolutely nobody at all that I knew. Reading FC just wasn't on the radar. In fact, until I saw them on the football pools coupon at the start of that season, I didn't even know Reading had a football team.

Reading were never on TV. The regional news wouldn't mention them. The papers didn't carry match reports below Division Two (championship) level back then. As far as the media was concerned, Reading FC didn't exist.

Then came Maxwell's failed Thames Valley Royals project, and the club became headline news, for a short while. It was enough to pique an interest.

The following year I watched Reading's progress as they got promoted, but even the regional football show on TVS ignored them, assuming everybody in the south was fascinated by Southampton, Portsmouth or Brighton, but I couldn't really follow them.

It wasn't until 85/86 that they got attention again, and I fancied going down to a game or two, to see what it was like. One big problem was that I didn't know where the ground was - this being an era when you couldn't exactly look it up on google. I only had two maps of Reading, one which showed only the town centre, and an Ordnance Survey map, which can identify different types of church steeple, but didn't have any symbol to indicate a football ground.

Then, in early 1986, my brother got called up for jury service, being sent to the courts on Tilehurst Road. This included a photocopied map, and in one corner of the map was the football ground.

I went to the next game, a 2-0 win v Newport County, and was hooked.

[bobby m's syrup]

In 1965, my father took me to an FA Cup game against Brentford. We won 5-0. Ever since that day etc etc

[genome]

I grew up literally across the street from Elm Park (just off Wilson Road), so it was an easy choice.

Can't remember my first game, as I would've been too young. However, I do remember the game where it clicked for me and I started loving football - the 3-3 draw against Nottingham Forest in 1997.

[Nevpay]

I was born in Battle Hospital, so just up the road from Elm Park but was brought up with family that supported Spurs. Naturally I went that way as well until I went to EP with a school mate back in the eighties and watched us play Preston. As I remember we were 2-0 up at half time but lost 3-2. Despite that setback I fell in love that day and have been hooked ever since

[Hound]

Was it family connections? yes - the wife is from Reading and moved here 6 years ago
A memorable game? Fulham p/o. First game was I think a 5-2 win over Preston about 10 years ago watching with the FiL who had a ST
Location? Nope. Born in London, moved over. Didn't actually support a team for 15 odd years. Previously spurs but grew very bored of them
Lifelong thing? nope
Do you still support and follow them? yep, ST holder now with the kids

[Millsy]

Born. Bred. Nuff said.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Nobody else in my family was a particularly big sporting fan of any kind. However, my parents noticed I enjoyed football and were keen to get me into any hobby that got me out and about more. So they took me to see my local team, who played out an exciting 1-1 draw against Grimsby at Elm Park. It grew from there; my parents are big Reading fans too now.

So all down to location. I don't live in the area any more but still get to games when I can. I'd like to live closer again one day but I'm happy seeing 5 - 10 games a year for now.

Most memorable game is 3-2 versus Middlesbrough in 2006. Now have a soft spot for Plymouth as my girlfriend's family have their roots down there. Wouldn't mind adopting a Yorkshire non-league club for closer entertainment. Probably Guiseley, York or Harrogate. Wouldn't feel like a traitor given the distance in leagues between them and Reading.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Family - kind of - but my parents were Southampton fans. We lived by Prospect Park though so I used to go with my brother; first game Spring 1971 and we were relegated to Div 4 for the first time at the end of that season.

I never saw the appeal of following Liverpool/Leeds/Arsenal who won all the domestic trophies back then....at least I could watch my team every week; back then Match of the Day had 2 matches and there was one on ITV the next afternoon. None of this blanket Sky stuff.

[Lower West]

Spurs fan. Jimmy Greaves was my hero. Father first took me when I was 4. Stood on the shelf for many years. Moved to Berkshire in 1984. Slowly became detatched from watching Spurs. Due to travel as much as anything else. Cemented as a fan of RFC as went to Simod Cup final in 1988. I hope one day to visit the new Whilte Hart Lane as an away fan. Never again as a home fan.
Football has changed so much over the years. Remember watching a full strength Chelsea side play Sutton United in a preseason friendly. David Webb wandered through the meagre crowd after the game with a bucket raising funds for Sutton. There was no commercialisation.
Antics of premiership players now makes you wonder if it will ever be the same again.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Born in NW London, moved to Reading when I was three

Supported George Best (not Man U) until the 1972 FA Cup final

Then became a Leeds fan (the Don Revie days....Harvey, Cherry, Madeley, Reaney, Lorimer, Grey, Allan Clarke, Mick Jones, Norman bites yer legs, Giles, Charlton etc etc) they were the real ‘dirty Leeds‘ but they were magical to a ten year old kid. Loved that squad...still do

Taken to a Reading game shortly afterwards by my mates dad (my dad was a ‘yiddo’ yet supported Aldershot)...ironically that first game was a mid-winter (possibly christmas) fixture v Aldershot....high atmosphere, police wagons everywhere...and a Reading win

Habbin, Freeman, Carnaby, Henderson, Death, Alleyne and eventually Friday et-al became my new heroes from that day forth.

[Hemenbruff Royal]

Family thing. Born and raised in Caversham. Dad supported Reading. Took me to my first game in January 1970 (Bradford one nil win) then Bury the following Saturday. We went to Plymouth away in the February, a one all draw with highlights on match of the day if I recall correctly. Very rare to have lower league games on.

Started going regularly with my mates in 1974 (Torquay four nil win).

Still support them avidly but lived in Yorkshire since 1989 so only get to four or five games a season when they are away 'up north', or the very occasional home game. And Wembley.

[Simmops]

Family - kind of - but my parents were Southampton fans. We lived by Prospect Park though so I used to go with my brother; first game Spring 1971 and we were relegated to Div 4 for the first time at the end of that season.

I never saw the appeal of following Liverpool/Leeds/Arsenal who won all the domestic trophies back then....at least I could watch my team every week; back then Match of the Day had 2 matches and there was one on ITV the next afternoon. None of this blanket Sky stuff.

Where do you live MSR?? I live near H. HEATH and I am a mid sussex massive.