I have two teenage boys , both born overseas. Both enjoy playing football but I have failed miserably in rasing them as canaries. My eldest takes a passing interest in Liverpool purely on the basis that when he was seven an Emile Heskey bust fell into his cereal bowl. However he is far more interested in playing than supporting. However now that we are back in the UK and leaving near Peterborough my youngest is becoming a Posh fan. I started taking him so he could see live football (as a non-season ticket holder the occasional cup game is the best I can do to watch Norwich). I am torn between pride that he is supporting what is for him his local team and despair that he has not seen the light and supporting Norwich. How have other canaries who have moved away ensured their kids support Norwich and remain true to the faith? This thread was partly inspried by Thai's similar thread on life outside the premier league - I find I am taking an unhealthy interest in Peterborough (though enjoy winding them up on how RM has improved sinced he swapped London Road for Carrow Road and predicting similar greatness for Ryan Bennett).
Can't really comment on your kids mate as I did not have any old enough to make me worry when I was in the UK. I find I am taking an unhealthy interest in Peterborough - Do not fret! I used to live in Huntingdon and I went to London Road quite often see Peterborough. I still like them and always watch out for how they are doing and hope they can do well BUT my heart still pumps Yellow & Green, that never changes
Well, I live in Norwich and I still have trouble. We often have a spare season ticket so the kids have ample chance to come to Carrow Road and support the lads. My oldest I have no problems with, it took her a while but she's now a staunch Norwich City fan. She had her first game in the Barclay without us this season... *sniffles* ...so proud. My son on the other hand has only a passing interest in football. His best friend at school is a Man Ure fan and so he went through a stage of wanting shirts and hats with the Man Ure badge on them. Grudgingly we obliged him, thinking an interest in football was better than no interest at all, but all to no avail. He says he loves Norwich now, but whenever we take him to games he's more interested in what the bloke in front is doing and reading all the sponsors on the advertising hoardings than he is in actually watching the game.
As a young kid I supported Liverpool but finally saw sense by the time I was 11 or 12. Had I stuck with Liverpool I doubt I would have the same love for them as I do for Norwich City. I have no regrets. A cousin of mine was born in a place where there weren't really any football teams nearby. His Dad supports Luton but my cousin chose Manchester United and has Luton as a second team. When I asked him why he supported Man United the best he could come up with is that our grandad was from Manchester (but it's actually Oldham).
Born and raised in Wisbech so was a Posh fan and took my eldest lad to London Road he reckoned he wanted to watch a big team so we started going to Norwich and well he converted me
Living in the United States, two kids born in Manchester (UK rather than New Hampshire that is), both support Norwich. For my son its about having the shirt with his own name on the back (individualized shirts are not readily available in the US). For my daughter, its a fashion statement when she goes to soccer (hate that word) practise. Being top (or close to top) of the league, and winning most weeks, during our League 1 and Championship seasons helped as well.
As my son is 5 months old today he is already in his second batch of NCFC clothing. It is my plan that he will continue to have yellow and green kits and clothing until he is old enough to buy clothes for himself. When learning the names of colours yellow will be the first one he is able to say, followed by green! On The Ball City will be sung to him on a regular basis. He will learn to count to 9 in no time at all as we replay the DVD/YouTube clips of us thrashing 1p5wich 9-2. Simple subtractions will be introduced as we work out the goal difference of 4-1, 5-1 and 9-2. 1p5wich itself will be considered a swear word and be banned from usage until he is old enough to sing songs pointing out how much we dislike them and if he even mentions wanting a replica kit of a 'big' club then he will be locked under the stairs and starved to within an inch of his life! If that doesn't work I don't know what will.
A damn good thrashing should do the trick!!!! Either that or stop them using these new fangled intrusions, Bookface, Witter, that Hedgehog or the Plumber thing computer games. Stop feeding them, lock them in a darkened room with loads of spiders until they repent!! Yeah that should do it!! Of course I'm only joking!!
Well my oldest who is 7 has been to see reading twice, in fact he is a member there, has been given Full a qpr kit but still wears the yellow and green. Hasn't even seen them yet, the canaries
I've got two stepsons aged 11 and 13, they were born in Blackpool, have a Brummie Father and a Jock Mother, the eldest is a Canary through and through although he can't go to games as he is Autistic and can't cope with crowds and a lot of noise, he has been to a few reserve games though, he asks for the newest kit for his birthday every year with his name and age on it which he always get, the youngest asked me for a Chelsea shirt, in short he was told to either buy it himself or get his Father to buy it, I took him to the Burnley game and he is slowley coming round to the boys in yellow and green.
Now that is the spirit. I'll be just the same when/if I have kids - They can support whoever they want, but they're on their own if they want to support anyone other than Norwich or Lynn.
Nice to see another Linnett on the board get there occasionally CS but children's Rugby, football and hockey seems to take all my spare time when not following the Canaries
With me, it's always been first and foremost a love of the game, and I took my children to see local clubs, (Forest, Darlington , Sunderland), when they were little and we moved around, but made sure they knew where my real allegiances lay. Mixed results. My older daughter became a proper Manure supporter, and still is. Her kids now support Norwich when they're with me and Manure when they are at home up north. My son is a dyed-in-the-wool super member canary, and is making sure his little daughter has the relevant yellow and green. My younger daughter is also a Norwich supporter, was a season ticket holder when she lived in Norwich, but is now getting on with her life and career and no longer an avid fan.
