I live in Bishop Auckland so its a mixture but mostly red and white when i was young. my father went to Wembly to watch the Bishops in the 50s but not interested in anyone else. Anyway an old family friend asked if he could take me to Roker park when i was about 11 never looked back and thank **** he never took me to Sid James allotment
My Nan was born outside Sunderland, and it's been passed down lol even though I've never met someone my own age who supports Sunderland where I live.
I remember supporting Liverpool when very young during early 80's (forgive me) just followed the crowd at primary school. Soon woke up though! My dad had no interest in footy but his side of the family came from Penshaw and Hetton areas. My grandad loved his football, followed sunderland but always looked for nufc results also. I was about 10 when I fully accepted my blood had white stripes running through it. Funny enough my first game I attended was nufc against arsenal taken by my uncle to try and poison my mind. It didn't work and arsenal won 1-0. My first game at roker came shortly after. We played norwich and lost but the roker roar was epic and I was overwhelmed by the whole event and hooked. I've never been a regular attendee at Safc games due to lack of money when I was younger and these days due to working most weekends. But I am no less passionate than any other fan. One day I will own a season ticket! Probably in my retirement though.
It's the family team, my grandad was from Newcastle but went to school in Sunderland. He married a mag and converted her (but not her mother!). My mum went to Sunderland poly, met my dad who also became an addict. I was born in Sunderland (I think I'm the only proper mackem in my family!), hated football until the 2006 world cup. I got completely hooked on england and italy (my dads italian), after that I started watching sunderland if they were on, by the end of the season I was completely addicted. Since then this illness has only grown, I saw my first match Feb 2008 v Pompey away, saw us v Arsenal home 2009 and us v Spurs home this year. I've been looking for a cure to this disease, but the only thing I can do is sate it by going on this forum and watching a match whenever I get the chance.
My father was also among the many at the time that went to Roker one week and Sid James the week after but I remember as a kid in Hendon in the early 50's hearing the Roker Roar from ower the wata , first game I went with my dad was in 1958 and I've been hooked ever since.
I was born in Ashington when it was Newcastle daft but my Dad was a Sunderland supporter and took me to see Arsenal for my first game at Roker Park when I was 5 years old. That was 64 years ago and I've supported them ever since. Throughout the 60's I saw very few games because I spent a lot of time on the road as a rock musician but met my future wife in 1970 and took a boring 9 to 5 job but also got two season tickets and got to see the lads both home and away for many years. In the 80's I got interested in photography and very quickly started to travel again, this time worldwide so the season tickets had to go. I retired a couple of years ago and yes, I got a season ticket again. We haven't won much in my time but it has been wonderful to be able to go to games and experience both highs and lows for all these years.
Forgot to mention I was born in Whitley Bay, wrong side of the river maybe but its still fairly close.
Hated the SCUM - dunno why. Remember watching the final in 73 as a 13 year old - If anything at that time I had a soft spot for Leeds, but I wanted Sunderland to win that day, So I suppose that was the start. My dad followed both but preferred the SCUM (he's a mackem noo at 86). My 1st game followed a couple of seasons later when I went to the 1st game of the season with my best friend. We got the bus from Consett - I was F*cking hyper all the way there. I could not believe the crowds in the streets outside the Fulwell End - then walking up those steps and seeing the pitch for the 1st time, I am sure that I had a tear in my eye and was totally hooked from that second. We were playing Chelski and we won 2-1 - cannot remember who scored, but we were the best team by a mile. Now I bleed Red and White. Bart
Why do I support SAFC. Gawd I've asked myself that question many times especially on a freezing cold February afternoon when the opposition is playing us off the park.
Whe I was 6 I cut myself open jumping over a barbed wire fence. I bled red onto my white skin & it looked good. That was the year we won the cup & that was end of story. My son has also been brainwashed by me.
My dad starting taking me to the matches in 1975, the season we got promoted. Most matches I was in the paddock area, which must have been quite posh, cos it was 90p to get in, whereas it was only 50p to get in the Roker end. I remember I was able to sit on the wall with the advertising on and I was always above the Visionhire advert lol. Imagine that now? Still remember the Sunderland v Bolton match, where whoever won would be promoted. We of course won 2-1 with over 52000 fans packed into the ground. Most incredible atmosphere I've ever known at a football match and it's that which got me hooked.
