IF you are still at school

[Einstein agogo]

so if you live in or around the surroundings of reading , which i'd probably stretch to Bracknell e , basingstoke S , newbury W and maybe henley to the north ( although it's trickier with oxford and wycombe being up there )
WHO do the other kids at your school support? , IS there a decent RFC following? , I went to school in Bracknell and i can honestly say the NO-ONE supported reading except ME ( this was in the 70's - 80's ) AT least no one I knew anyway.
I'd say that it was a mainly mix of Liverpool , Man Utd , West Ham and Tottenham ( now liverpool and man u fans would just be glory hunter fans ) west ham and Tottenham fans maybe have something to with ex londoners moving to bracknell PLUS west ham hooligans ( inter city firm ) had quite a cult status.
..anyway , i spoke to my nephew who's 11 ( Basingtoke ) yesterday and he said "it was great when reading beat liverpool" , i said "were any of your friends at school pissed off? and did you joke with them"? ,he said "yes" i said how many of your classmates support liverpool and he said " EVERYONE" !
fcukme , we've got some work to do!

[Royal_Delight]

so if you live in or around the surroundings of reading , which i'd probably stretch to Bracknell e , basingstoke S , newbury W and maybe henley to the north ( although it's trickier with oxford and wycombe being up there )
WHO do the other kids at your school support? , IS there a decent RFC following? , I went to school in Bracknell and i can honestly say the NO-ONE supported reading except ME ( this was in the 70's - 80's ) AT least no one I knew anyway.
I'd say that it was a mainly mix of Liverpool , Man Utd , West Ham and Tottenham ( now liverpool and man u fans would just be glory hunter fans ) west ham and Tottenham fans maybe have something to with ex londoners moving to bracknell PLUS west ham hooligans ( inter city firm ) had quite a cult status.
..anyway , i spoke to my nephew who's 11 ( Basingtoke ) yesterday and he said "it was great when reading beat liverpool" , i said "were any of your friends at school pissed off? and did you joke with them"? ,he said "yes" i said how many of your classmates support liverpool and he said " EVERYONE" !
fcukme , we've got some work to do!

Not the only one mate! Live in Singapore and I can tell you no one supports the lower leagues. Fans who support the big 4 have no idea about the history of the club and there are some who apparently "support" Man City.

Derby County fans here are in their 60's as they are fans during the club's run the the EPL though I have heard of Stoke and Sheffield Utd fans. Guess I'm the only one here who supports the 'ding'

[ZacNaloen]

When I was at school (Waingels massive) a fair number supported Reading, or at least cared how Reading got on.

around 20 I know of in my year group went to matches regularly. The rest amounted to either disinterested in football, supporting a prem club or following football but not supporting any team.


The Reading supporters became more pronounced in sixth form as we mingled more with the year below and there was a fair number of supporters there.. I graduated the season before promotion.


Out of my current group of friends in Reading they all care how Reading get on, even if they don't attend matches. All are football fans, I think we have a spurs fan... the rest are Reading.

[Einstein agogo]

When I was at school (Waingels massive) a fair number supported Reading, or at least cared how Reading got on.

around 20 I know of in my year group went to matches regularly. The rest amounted to either disinterested in football, supporting a prem club or following football but not supporting any team.


The Reading supporters became more pronounced in sixth form as we mingled more with the year below and there was a fair number of supporters there.. I graduated the season before promotion.


Out of my current group of friends in Reading they all care how Reading get on, even if they don't attend matches. All are football fans, I think we have a spurs fan... the rest are Reading.

so the catchment area is quite tight , currently , i expect a successful reading will bring in fans from further out ( like bracknell for me )
My friends didn't start comin with me to elm park until the McGee era , they were all spurs fans , and one Palace fan , but they liked a day out to watch GOOD football.

BTW what is waingels???
I'd love to know what the teenage support was like in very local schools then during the 70's & 80's

[ZacNaloen]

Waingels Copse is the school I went to in woodley

[willz_royal]

My college (QMC) has a smattering of Reading supporters, but chelsea/utd/arsenal are in the vast majority (unsurprisingly).

[Wax Jacket]

I can never understand how young kids are still being sucked in by Liverpool - they're shit. amazing what two flukey cup final wins can do for a club.

[Einstein agogo]

I can never understand how young kids are still being sucked in by Liverpool - they're shit. amazing what two flukey cup final wins can do for a club.

it is surprising , i agree ! it does vary from school to school ( or so it appears ) but not enough evidence yet
but the liverpool thing is why i brought it up ... i mean...Basingstoke...why? not even Southampton or Pompey..LOL

[Thaumagurist*]

I can never understand how young kids are still being sucked in by Liverpool - they're shit. amazing what two flukey cup final wins can do for a club.

Or maybe it is their dads who support Liverpool...

[rfcjoe]

But if they're mixed race...

[Einstein agogo]

I can never understand how young kids are still being sucked in by Liverpool - they're shit. amazing what two flukey cup final wins can do for a club.

Or maybe it is their dads who support Liverpool...

possibly... but come on spacey , contribute more.... what was it like for you.. did you actually support RFC when you were a kid.
Do kids always support the same team as their dad??? i can imagine if the team isn't local that it might just be a second team. My mother supports palace , her father nottingham forest , my dad supports reading , his father pompey... the thing is , the were born locally to THEIR clubs , i just always believe you should support the team from where you were born... I've never followed pompey,palace,forest just cos of my family infact there's a good amount of rivalry. the only 2nd team i've had is Partick Thistle cos of some obscure family connection that i forget, but they are not in the same country/leagues as reading

[Royalwaster]

Live in Oxford and both in my son's school and their local football club, the majority are Liverpool supporters too. I've always wondered why as they have been so mediocre for so long, but apparently there is a strong Steven Gerrard effect. Loads of little ones start loving SG and then become Liverpool fans.

No other Reading fans though - although I spotted one in one of the other age groups in the club sporting a 'ding shirt.

My son last week started playing in his school's afterschool club and he said that when he came out in his Reading shirt all the others booed him - I guess it might be the Liverpool effect. Pleased to say though that he is not daunted.

[LUX]

when I was at secondary school (mid 70's, say) Reading Racers were more popular than RFC. Two out of 26 of my class went to EP, maybe one other across the whole year of 70 odd boys. Mind you, it was Div 4.

Over here in Lux, many clubs are represented amongst the Anglo/Irish, but I can confirm that Liverpool are the most popular amongst the kids, and Arsenal amongst the adults. The Irish pub organises a coach to certain Man U home games.

I have a Wycombe Wanderers colleague (born in the Royal Berks), plus a Fulham fan who flies to every game, home and away.

For RFC it's just me and my son, although a lot of the Irish had a soft spot for them during the time of Shunt and Doyle.

[rob9182]

I can only think of 4 or 5 hardcore fans in my year. There are obviously more in younger years, but this is a really small following considering I live in Wokingham. Which is closer than any of the towns you mentioned at the beginning of this thread. Not good enough if you ask me.

[pearcetom]

I work in thatcham and on my floor out of 100 people, about 3 people including myself support Reading! Considering most people here live in Reading that's awful

[susieroyal]

When I was on teaching practice in Maidenhead, some kids got in loads of shit for singing 'blue army' and refusing to stop. Did make me laugh!

Now working at a school in Derby - first year was year we got promoted. Nearly fell off my chair when my new form walked in on first day (Non-school uniform for Year 7) and one of them was in full Reading 'keeper kit! He was born in Slough. Also a girl in Year 11 was at away game at Leicester cos her Uncle is a Reading fan. To be honest I think there are more of us around than we realise!

[prostak]

'How old are you', followed soon by 'If you are still at school'. This IS grooming, isn't it?

[leww_rfc]

No urz fan's down here, did see someone in town wearing a Rfc top during the summer though

But no down here there are top 4 supporters (oh and liverpool supporters ), a lot MORE cardiff and swansea fans now that their both doing well.

[PEARCEY]

I live in the Cheltenham area and my kids school seems to have loads of Liverpool fans. My lad relished going in the day after that Anfield victory..they all know he supports Reading and tried to avoid talking to him.
What does surprise me though is the support we do have. My lad goes to football training on a Saturday morning and another lad aged about 6 had a Reading top on...so two kids that day wore their Reading shirts proudly. Not bad considering there were no other kids seen wearing any other Championship strip and only a couple of Man Utd and Liverpool shirts being worn.

Whenever I go on holiday whether it be Croatia or Cornwall I see/meet Reading fans....we seem proud to show allegiance to our club.

[Victor Meldrew]

I used to run a boys' team in Ringwood (about 25 years ago) and had an evening at The Dell when Shilton and McMenemy's son took a coaching session.
Out of our 16 boys only one wore a Reading top (obviously my son) but surprisingly bearing in mind it was only about 15 miles away there was only one Saints top.
Most of the boys followed their dads' teams.

Incidentally when I was at school many years ago everybody interested in football followed Reading but most had a top level team that they were interested in as well.