What made us 'Collingwood people'? from '01 - Add your story

[HAL]

Loving how?

[John Wren]

[Leggie]

Well Ive been a Collingwood Supporter since I was about 6 years old. (Im 40 now). Now its not like I remember this episode or much at all when I was 6 years old. I actually have trouble remembering what I did last night. Anyway this was relayed to me by my old man (And he still kicks himself)

The old man was a Carlton supporter and there was a good old fashioned Carlton V Collingwood game.

Apparently I jumped up on the lounge and asked about the game. Dad explained very politely that Carlton and Collingwood were traditional emenies. He suggested for fun that I barrack for Collingwood while the old boy stuck with the Blues.

And that was that. Instant Pies supporter.

Now apparently Carlton won on the day by about 6 or 7 goals but like I said. The old boy still kicks himself for even suggesting I cheer for the OTHER club.

Thanks Dad! Your a bloody Gem.

It actually got worse when we moved over to the west and the eagles formed years later. The old boy jumped ship and supports them. Gotta laugh.

[Captain_MyCaptain]

COLLINGWOOD - MY STORY - MY CLUB

Collingwood was always going to be my club, little did I know.

I was born in 64' a Magpie year, losing to the toffs by a few points of course. How appropriate!
I grew up in Gippsland, down Pendles way, about an hour from Sale.
When I was about 7 or 8 a cousin of mine who is about 15 years older than me, paid us a visit and brought with him a Collingwood guernsey.
It was a present for me, and boy was I rapt! However, there was one thing not quite right with that guernsey, it had long sleeves!
No way was I gonna wear the 'black n white' in long sleeves, so I promptly raided mum's sewing kit, grabbed 'the big scissors' and immediately cut the sleeves off! Was I in trouble? Of course not, so long as I promised my cousin I'd barrack for the Pies.
At first I did, but we just didn't seem to do very well and all my mates either barracked for the Scum, the Filth, or Bitchmond, and when we finished last in 76'
I thought, 'that's it, enough of this' I'm gonna have to break my promise and barrack for someone else. I wasn't gonna barrack for a bunch of losers!
Enter Tom Hafey and the Pies were back, and so was I. I will always remember 77'. The draw, the replay. The agony!

About the same time, I also learnt that my grandmother's surname was Coventry. I couldn't believe it. I had Magpie blood in me and I wasn't told! Why not?
I guess mum thought it wouldn't mean much to me. After all I was only young and mum didn't follow footy at all.
Furthermore, when we came to Melbourne we stayed with my Nanna in Collingwood. Where in Collingwood you may ask? 145 Easy St. Look it up.
A place I'll never forget. She lived a Daicos torpedo punt from Victoria Park! I couldn't believe it.
Those days when the Pies won it was drinks all round, but when they lost it was goodbye Nanna's letterbox.
Furious Pie supporters would give it a good smashing as they walked home. Wasn't you was it Joff? Just kiddin mate.
From then on I went to as many games as I could and loved every one. Well, almost every one.

So that's my story in a nutshell. Many great memories along with quite a few painful one's. Such is footy huh.

Collingwood, my story, my club!

[RudeBoy]

Four generations of my family born and bred in Collingwood, so I didn't have a choice. When I was born my Auntie placed a photo of the Collingwood team in my crib at the hospital with a note on the back reading "we're expecting big things from this boy". Talk about great expectations.

[joffa corfe]

[John Wren]

for me it was going to be carlton or collingwood depending on which grandparent was able to exert the most influence. my mum's father (carlton) lost out because he did not impose his will on me. it also so happened that i saw my collingwood grandparents more than the others and so they would take my bro and me to the footy more often.

growing up in the 70s has ensured i've had my fair share of heartache but it also went a long way to shaping me and teaching me to cope with life's ups and downs. grand finals were like groundhog day, bittersweet memories of going to the show on the saturday morning, all the fun of the fair only to be totally dispirited and despondent by the late afternoon.

that got all too much for my bro - especially when peter moore left - who abandoned ship and follows essendon. he swapped from wanitng to be peter moore for timmy watson. he was very nearly disowned and certainly not forgiven by my collingwood grandparents. the other grandparents had a quiet chuckle and were pleased for the fact he had made the switch of his own volition.

having been overseas for the last 14 odd years i have really enjoyed being able to have some involvement with the club and been able to contribute in some small way. i couldn't imagine what it'd be like to support another club, maybe i can, but i don't know any other way.

we have the greatest club playing the greatest game of all. aussie rules should be the known as the game they play in heaven.

[luvdids]

Confession time.

I'm 34 years old. The majority of my years have been wasted barracking for........ Carlton
It happened like this. I'm from a family of 5, older sister, younger brother, and me the girl in the middle. Dad, brother and sister are Collingwood. Mum is Carlton. I assume that I felt sorry for Mum being on her own so decided to follow Carlton. The only games I ever went to were Carlton v Collingwood as Dad wouldn't take me to a Carlton game unless his Pies were playing. I'd go, Carlton would usually win, and to be honest, I didn't really care. If Collingwood won, I'd be quietly pleased oon the inside, not letting the family know I was actually glad they'd won. I can remember even getting tingles down my spine during one Collingwood win. No one ever knew though, because being Carlton I had to hate Collingwood.
I couldn't even tell you who the captain of Carlton was, or name 5 of their players.
Then a few years ago, my brother and I were at Mum's and he was talking about the footy and said to me "who's got the biggest balls in the Collingwood side" and my first answer was Woewodin, which is who he was talking about. He was shocked that I knew his answer, as was I. It was then that I looked at Mum across the table from me and said "Sorry Mum, you're on your own. I barrack for Collingwood" I got shivers down my spine saying those words - I barrack for Collingwood - it felt so right, I'd been wanting to say it for years.
That was in Woewodin's second year at Collingwood (would be grateful if someone could tell me what year that was) and I have never looked back.
I finally saw the 'black & white light' as I call it, and realised I have black and white blood running through my veins.
I am now a member of this great club, would never have considered being a member of Carlscum! And go to every game that's on when I'm not working. I used to hate footy season coz it was so boring (even when Carlscum were doing well, I wasn't interested). Now, I can't wait for it to come around!! Can't believe there's only 13 rounds to go before it's all over again and then the long wait to next year. (not counting the finals that we'll be part of).
If I mention to anyone now that I used to barrack for Carlton they absolutely can not believe it because they only know me as a passionate Pies girl!!!
So there you have it. I am a passionate, proud and loving member of this great club..... at last!!!

[ANNODAM]

Growing up in the western suburbs of Melb. around the corner from that shit hole they call Western Oval, there wasn't a team I hated more than those bottom of the ladder scraggers of Footscrapy! More so than Carlton, even to this very day!

My family weren't a footy family being wogs, they could think of nothing worse than wasting their hard earned money on the footy.

Going to school, of course kids would ask who you barrack for. I would've been about 7 or 8 when I began hanging around 2 girls, one was a HAW supporter, the other NM. They used to come to school in the Winter with their scarves & shit. When they asked me who I liked, I didn't have a team. I didn't like the colours of HAW or NM, so definitely knew those 2 teams were not for me.

I had a look at the teams & their colours one day & was kinda drawn towards the black & white. No particular reason, had no idea about the history, the GF appearances & so forth. I convinced my younger brother to also barrack for COLL, but that was shortlived, as he grew older, he ended up going for FITZ. Now to my disgust, he has swung allegiance & has decided to go for those flea ridden mutts. I think living in the western suburbs near Coode Island has frazzled his brain somewhat!

Parents still had no interest in footy, although the old man kinda sways towards ESS. My cousins on the other hand, most go for the Pies except for a couple who I don't consider worthy relations anyways.

I met my husband at the footy, we're both COLL, daughter is COLL & even our Basenjis wear COLL collars.

I always said I would never brainwash any of my kids & give them the freedom of choice when it came to the footy (just as I had) but my daughter seems to like COLL. So COLL it is!

[RudeBoy]

[handy point]

Warwick Capper
Greg Williams
Geoffrey Edelsten.

Three reasons why I'm a Collingwood fan.

[Captain_MyCaptain]

Great thread. Well done to all those who have contributed.
Make it a sticky I say.
Go Pies.

[spoljar]

I was born in 1975 and brought up in Brunswick in the late 70's early 80's. My mum was the one that made me a Collingwood supporter and half of Brunswick at that time were Collingwood Supporters including the neighbours on both sides of us.

I used to love watching about 10 boys that were a little older than me all wearing their Collingwood jumpers and playing footy in our street each weekend. Every weekend I would ask them if Collingwood had won and one boy in particular would wink at me and nod his head. Naturally I didn't really appreciate at the time that we were going through the great Hafey era.

That's pretty much how my love affair and frustration with this great club started and has continued.

[Daicos Mullets]

My parents were English, so had no interest in footy. When I was about 5, my sister convinced me to barrack for Collingwood (she's a Geelong supporter) because some boy she liked at school barracked for the Pies. The local footy club in the country town where I grew up were the Magpies too. It just stuck from there. I couldn't imagine being anything other than Pies fan.

[kambarker]

My parents came from Austria to escape the Holocaust...........they knew only Soccer.
We lived in Glen Iris........there were only 2 families in the neighbourhood who were migrant families. I was born here after the war and our nearest neighbours knitted me a black and white scarf and beanie and took me regularly to Vic Park to introduce me to footy and make me a True Aussie!!!
Collingwood became my team by default. We were then great rivals of Barassi s Demons!!!
My husband came from Sydney and played Rugby Union for NSW and VIc. He quickly fell in love with our game and supported My team!!
My children both are Pie supporters. My son says that to be a Pie member is really character building !!
However, My daughter married and ardent Blues barracker and at the moment lives in New York. My NY grandchildren are being told there is one great team, Collingwood and wear Daisy's name and No on their jumpers. However they are also being told that Juddy is the strongest player in the AFL. It didnt help that the Blues beat us a few weeks ago.??
When they visit Melbourne I always take them to a Pies game.

We can only hope that they see the light ( in B & W ) when they came back to Melbourne to live!!!!!!!