Having heard about the Gills latest celeb support Amanda Byrom (from Total Wipeout fame) having her alligences chosen by lottery live on the TV, I started wondering why people support my beloevd club. For me I had no choice, Gillingham was thrust upon me at an early age by my Dad, who chose Gillingham when he moved to Medway, having been a Charlton fan as a boy, being born and raised in Greenwhich. I am aware of others who have chosen to support the Gills (the fools) but how and why do you support the blue army?
My Grandad grew up in the Medway Towns so has been going a long, long time! He took me to my first game when i was 4, 1-0 win against Scunthrpe nearly 20 years ago and haven't looked back since! So like yourself it wasn't much of a choice, but I certainly wouldn't have it any other way!
My mate suggested going to a Gills game as a young lad in 1973 to see us play West Ham in a friendly. Atmosphere was absolutely electric, packed house, could not see a thing but loved every minute of standing there on the terraces for an evening game. You know what the best thing is, if I could do it all over again I probably would and enjoy it even more. I will die GFC simple.
So refreshing to hear tales of first matches and allegiances to clubs, in the age where nowadays kids can be so easily swung towards the commercial greed of the majority of Premiership and European top-bods. FYI - I know the irony of me speaking of "the youth of today" when I'm still 22 years old, but I grew up in an extended family obsessed with Chelsea, so I guess I could have gone either way! My first game was in the terraced Rainham End in the 95/96 season against Lincoln, memory is a little hazy still but it's something that will always stick with me. Couldn't ever find it in me to contemplate supporting somebody else.
Born and raised in Woolwich my dad took me to Charlton as a kid, have fond memories to be honest of the valley with my dad. I moved to Medway in 1983 and as the Gills were now my local club, I went and fell in love with the place. My wife and two kids come every week and I will continue to do so until I die. UTG!!!
Whilst many of you have supported the Gills since your childhood, I have only just started following them since the start of this season. The reason is that Keds was my hero at AFC Wimbledon and I am pleased that he is living his boyhood dream of playing for his hometown club. I know that makes me a 'plastic gill' but apart from supporting Keds I have been following the team's progress and when I am not working at AFC Wimbledon I do try and come to Priestfield - as per the Macclesfield game at the end of the month. I also know people at the club and at Gillingham Independent Supporters Club through being a member of the Dons Trust.
Stepdad was a Glasgow Rangers fan who was kicked off his ship in Chatham and stayed and started watching Gills after the war. I was born in Gillingham and he took me along to my first games in 1979/80 I was 11 I think. At this point I threw away my Manchester United shirt and followed the Gills. Been going regularly ever since although missed some seasons when were in the Championship as I was raising a young family and pennies were needed elsewhere hence my tag Born again Gill.Guess I have always been there when Gills needed the support most. Most memorable match Gills 5-4 Hereford ... Did you see that one BRB
My dad took me to my first game sometime in the mid 90's. we were playing Bristol Rovers, cant remember the score but i can remember punches were thrown leading to a gills player being sent off. The crowd went mad, even my dad, and i can still remember copying him! haha Loved it! My dad unfortunately passed away in 2004 but i still take his shirt with me to games! always will! UTG!
My dad took me to see Gills play Maidstone at Dartford in a game that ended 1-1 i believe! Living in Snodland i had a choice Maidstone or Gills!! Phew UTG
Born in Gillingham and was taken by a family friend on the back of the World Cup win in '66. From then on in wind and rain, relegation, promotion in the early 70s marvelling at Peach, Tydeman and Yeo (what would he be worth today?) Crap snacks, toilets, leaking roofs apart from the town end that just leaked and the half time dash to change ends. Westwood, Price et al...... I moved away in '74 but travelled up from Brighton for every home game that I could for the next 7 years. Still got a load of those 70s programmes somewhere. Work overseas (Iraq) at present but set the alarm for the mid week games to wake up and check the score. Too easy to support a big / successful club. You don't have the right to enjoy the success until you've suffered the bad times. Gills forever.
Being raised in Gillingham with a some of my family supporting Gillingham I decided I liked lower league football from my first few times of going to matches with my uncle, never been any doubts about choosing Gillingham, they were the first team I ever thought about and have always been my team, would never change them for the world.
I grew up in Greenhithe and honestly had never heard of The Gills until I was 15 (95-96 season) when we started receiving the Kent Today newspaper. Everyday there was something about them on the back page and they won promotion that year. My first game was a home game against Chesterfield and spent the whole game taking piss out of Jason Lee (****, ****, ****, Jason Lee ****, ****, ****) it was a brilliant atmosphere, great fun and I just felt at home. My only previous experience of a "proper" match was a Charlton Barnsley game, it was sterile and dull and I really didn't think i'd go to another match again, so glad a gave a smaller a go. From the first moment I saw Priestfield I fell in love and have never looked back. UTG
I have been a football fan all my life, originally I supported to QPR on the basis of a hat-trick I saw Rodney Marsh score on the big match in about 1970 (I was 6). But I never went to a game, in the late 80s A friend started going to the Gills, and I occasionally went with him my first match was a mid week game V Bolton the stand out player that night was Gavin Peacock and I believe Keith Burkinshaw was the manager. At this point I was working Saturdays so could only attend mid week games, but I was bitten by the bug of "real football". Fortunately i soon changed jobs and my Saturdays were free of work and I started to attend regularly and for the 1992/1993 season became a season ticket holder standing initially in the open town end. I remained a season ticket holder sitting in the same seat in the Rainham End from when it became all seater, until 2009/2010 season when another change of jobs means that I work again more weekends than not, so I am only getting to about 10 matches a season, but The Gills are my team now and always will be, I have 20 assorted shirts in blue, red, white and black , stripes and hoops, and I still wear many of them, I have been to Wembley 3 times and have many memories of great away trips too. 4 promotions and 4 relegations in my time supporting club, and whilst winning at Wembley was fantastic both times, my favourite moment remains Super Bobs last minute header to beat Fulham at Priestfield the Rainham End was still terraced and I dont think I have ever seen a goal that was celebrated more vociferously than that one. Everyone in the Rainham End went mad and you just cant reproduce that sort of celebration in an all seater stadium.
Started out as an Arsenal fan, when at school I started speaking to a mate who was a Gillingham fan. We spoke about the team all year and the first game I went to was the Playoff final against Wigan and I'd never experienced anything like it. Likewise someone above, I'm now living abroad (Burma) but make sure I'm up to check the results.
No wonder the attendances are going down - it seems that some of you 'so called' Gills fans are nowhere near the place ! I was ' dragged up ' in spitting distance of the linesman at Priestfield and started watching when Gills actually won a league. My journeys to a home match are 100 miles -haven't missed a match since 1998 and watch most away games. I have seen lots of matches - but for sheer drama how can that Hereford game be beaten ? - eh brb & I'm surprised that you didn't say that the West Ham game was a testimonial for Brian Yeo ( just under 13000 in the crowd .) I have, of course, arranged for my funeral to take place at the penalty spot at the Rainham End at the end of the last game of the season ( hopefully not this one )
Oi.......Domus! 3000 miles is a tad too far to get back for home games. I remember the floodlights being erected and could see them from my back garden, and before I was old enough o go to the ground, the sound of the crowd cheering a goal would send a shiver down my young spine. I don't think trying to prove that A is a better supporter than B is the point here, I think the point is that Gillingham FC engenders something really special inside of us. And always will. UTG
My Dads fault, he has been a Gills supporter all his life but moved up to London in the 1960`s to work at Heathrow Airport, he gave me and my brother a choice of supporting either Arsenal or Gillingham, my brother chose Arsenal and I chose the Gills! The best decision I ever made. I went to my first game in 1977 at the tender age of 5, a 0-0 draw with Lincoln, these days I live in High Wycombe and I commute to all the home games from there, I wouldn`t change a thing, the highs the lows, it is and always will be be a pleasure to be a Gills fan!
The other big question is if you could go back would you choose someone else? My answer would be simple, no, I would never change Gillingham for anyone else, because may have our bad days but what drives me through past that is that I know there would always be the good ones just around the corner.
It seems apparent that most of us on here are too old to use "puters" We prefer standing rather than sitting, We preferred the old floodlights that lit up everything in Medway except the pitch, Some had a choice of Arsenal or Gills !! We all thought it was better with no roof on the bogs...maybe just me. Gates have fallen because everyone has moved to the ends of the earth. Most were taken first time by dad (Theres an opportunity here Scally .....Father and son free day!) And between us with thousands of games watched it seems the best game ever was against Hereford except BRB of course who wasnt there
I think that is a brilliant idea as I believe nothing can buy you real fans so to let them in for free will bring us more fans and would improve the gates for the future.
