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Question Taking young kids to football.?

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DTS

DTS

The Business
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
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In a world of my own.
Mums and Dads,

I am half thinking of taking my daughter to her first game on Saturday vs Northampton. We are staying at my Dads all weekend so I thought it made sense to give the wife a break and take my daughter to her first meaningful game.

Her past SUFC experience is the away friendly at Eastbourne when she got a bit bored and Southend under 10s away at Brighton when she got very bored -which was a shame as it was a cracking game.

My daughter is two and half (I know I look too young to have a child of that age). Are there any Mums or Dads that have taken kids at this age. My wife has said it will be a nightmare but I am thinking it would be good for my daughter to have a day out. Plus if she plays up I also have my Dad there for support.

Also anyone know what age you have to pay for kids from?

Thoughts appreciated.

DtS
 
Won't it be a bit to frightening for her, having to sit so close to Fasto?
 
Took my daughter to a friendly at Witham a few years back. Never again. She was bored stupid three minutes into the game and wanted to get on the pitch for a kick about. I took her out 10 minutes into the game while she screamed the place down. Ended up pacifying her with a sausage roll and fruit shoot on the journey home and decided there and then that football wasn't for her. Maybe I'll have better luck with my boy but not yet.
 
Haven't got kids, but I can imagine this would be an unmitigated disaster! My mate's daughter (who's 7) gets so bored that she ends up playing with her dad's mobile phone and whinging throughout the entire match.
 
Took my three year old nephew to a game last year and it didn't go well. He was bored out of his skull after five minutes (it was a particularly dull game at home to Yeovil to be fair to the little ginger scamp) and he was wanting to stroll around the East Stand at his leisure which obviously isn't an easy thing to do.

I'd be inclined to leave it a couple more years. I certainly don't intend to put Johnny or Beth through the misery of a Southend game until they're at least six or seven.
 
Have to agree with the others who have posted on this, Tried taking my four year old boy this season and being fortunate enough to have platinum suite tickets thought it wouldn't be too much of an issue. Well despite attempts by pretty much everyone including Ron Martin he wouldn't even go out to the seats as he said it was too noisy! Little ones do have more sensitive ears and hearing unlike myself who seems to be going deafer by the minute.

So in short would wait a couple of years
 
i took mine when she was 18months and nearly got into a punch up with a fella who said i shouldnt have her there!!she was winging a bit but it was really bizarre but he aplogised..i think we were losing at the time!! i only did it as i have access alternate weekends..i didnt want to choose!! anyway she is now 7 and enjoys going and shouting her head off..at 2 to 3 though they wont keep interested and you need plenty to keep them entertained..colouring,books,toys or else boredom sets in after the original fascination with the atmosphere and sammy,etc....dont be too precious about swearing around you either..i quickly learnt that to expect people to hold their tongue around you is unfair (it was hard enough for me!!)and the child just needs to know not to do it!! with my second daughter i dont think i will take her until she is maybe at school and not desperate to run off...i had to do a lot of walking around the west stand and holding her and stuff like that and you have to accept you will not be able to watch the game properly ...good luck mate
 
MK Shrimper said:
Haven't got kids, but I can imagine this would be an unmitigated disaster! My mate's daughter (who's 7) gets so bored that she ends up playing with her dad's mobile phone and whinging throughout the entire match.
Click to expand...

Well hang on Coxy its not just the kids that get bored and play up you know .. Tuesday match (aside from the opening 20 or so minutes) was so dull we ended up having a game of i-spy :smile:
 
Dave the Shrimper said:
Mums and Dads,

I am half thinking of taking my daughter to her first game on Saturday vs Northampton. We are staying at my Dads all weekend so I thought it made sense to give the wife a break and take my daughter to her first meaningful game.

Her past SUFC experience is the away friendly at Eastbourne when she got a bit bored and Southend under 10s away at Brighton when she got very bored -which was a shame as it was a cracking game.

My daughter is two and half (I know I look too young to have a child of that age). Are there any Mums or Dads that have taken kids at this age. My wife has said it will be a nightmare but I am thinking it would be good for my daughter to have a day out. Plus if she plays up I also have my Dad there for support.

Also anyone know what age you have to pay for kids from?

Thoughts appreciated.

DtS
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother if I were you DTS. She will either go hyper or she'll be bored to death I took GYS Jnr to his first game when he was 5 and he was so bored he fell asleep during the first half. Mind you, we were playing Kingstonian
 
Used to take my youngest to Berri games but i got fed up making paper planes,dont do it dave its not fun for her or you.
My oldest is 12 and has only just started enjoying the whole going out with dad watching crap football eating chips and a mergze affair,dont do it.
 
Took my eldest to an away match at Grimsby (I think), if we won we were promoted. She got bored after 10 minutes. Frankly, as it stayed 0-0, I got bored as well. She was 5 at the time.
 
I took my Son to his first game when he was 7 , he stayed interested throughout but as it was an Anglo Italian 5-2 thumping of Padova that was a touch easier.

His first league game was the next season and Tommy Mooney kept his attention throughout as we destroyed Oxford 6-1.

i would imagine it would be harder to keep a youngster interested with the current mob
 
Have to agree with most of the above. I think that 5 is pretty much the minimum age. I would suggest building her up towards it with some televised football. My son and I took a pal and his 7 year old on Tuesday night and he loved it but he'd been built up to it through a combination off telly and stat-offs with his dad....
 
ibwiajwa said:
Have to agree with most of the above. I think that 5 is pretty much the minimum age. I would suggest building her up towards it with some televised football. My son and I took a pal and his 7 year old on Tuesday night and he loved it but he'd been built up to it through a combination off telly and stat-offs with his dad....
Click to expand...

She'll end up supporting one of the "big" 4!
 
Agree - min 6/7 years. I found that going in the North bank last season was pretty good, as the kids can wander about a bit more due to the space. Reminded me of the old days when all the kids would play down at the front of the terracing.

Mark Mac
 
Yep 7 is earliest I would do.

Took daughter to reserve game at 3 and left halfway through. She enjoys it better now she is 7 although only just.
 
All seater stadia don't help. As a six year old, I could wander about the North Bank to my heart's content (because, despite our misty-eyed view of the North Bank, it was pretty deserted a lot of the time in the mid-80s), rather than having to stay in my seat. Non-league strikes me as the best way to introduce children to football these days
 
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