[Albion] Should i let my 13 year old son wear his Chelsea kit to the game at the Amex?

btnbelle said:

Does he not own a Brighton shirt?

If Yes why would he not want to wear it.
If no, does he not want one,. Why would he want to go to a match in another teams shirt?

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Mo Gosfield said:

My son has spent all his life living a good 80 odd miles away from Brighton. Everywhere he turned when he was younger, he found his peer group supporting top 6 sides. An Uncle ( armchair Man Utd fan ) started to work on him and then, to compound the problem, his mother and I split up. At one time I went nearly a year without seeing him or speaking to him.
When I did eventually start seeing him again, I started to talk to him about the history of the game and my history of supporting BHA. I told him how important it was to go to games ( home and away ) and feel the matchday experience. I told him that he would learn more about players away from home. I recounted great times at the Goldstone and away trips with mates. Most importantly, I kept telling him that when you support a team that is not counted as one of the heavyweights, you will have as many ( if not more ) lows than highs but the highs you get will be an experience like no other. You will learn to manage the disappointment of defeat but you will savour each victory like gold-dust.
I told him that people gravitate towards a successful team because they like the idea of winning a lot more than they lose. They are fearful of losing face in front of friends and lack the self-confidence to overcome the mental bullying that can occur. What they never gain is the maturity to cope with spells of constant disappointment. They enjoy winning but it is only a minor elevation from the norm. The pulses don't race that much, as winning is taken for granted.
Thankfully, he took all this on board and even though he is still a relatively long way from Brighton, he comes to as many games as possible and I am proud to say that he is as avid a fan as me. Its not always easy to bring youngsters round to your way of thinking, particularly when outside forces are at work, but don't give up. They are not in the playground, with its inherent peer pressure, forever and you never know, your love and passion for your club, may eventually start getting to them. You have to keep sowing seeds.

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Mo Gosfield said:

My son has spent all his life living a good 80 odd miles away from Brighton. Everywhere he turned when he was younger, he found his peer group supporting top 6 sides. An Uncle ( armchair Man Utd fan ) started to work on him and then, to compound the problem, his mother and I split up. At one time I went nearly a year without seeing him or speaking to him.
When I did eventually start seeing him again, I started to talk to him about the history of the game and my history of supporting BHA. I told him how important it was to go to games ( home and away ) and feel the matchday experience. I told him that he would learn more about players away from home. I recounted great times at the Goldstone and away trips with mates. Most importantly, I kept telling him that when you support a team that is not counted as one of the heavyweights, you will have as many ( if not more ) lows than highs but the highs you get will be an experience like no other. You will learn to manage the disappointment of defeat but you will savour each victory like gold-dust.
I told him that people gravitate towards a successful team because they like the idea of winning a lot more than they lose. They are fearful of losing face in front of friends and lack the self-confidence to overcome the mental bullying that can occur. What they never gain is the maturity to cope with spells of constant disappointment. They enjoy winning but it is only a minor elevation from the norm. The pulses don't race that much, as winning is taken for granted.
Thankfully, he took all this on board and even though he is still a relatively long way from Brighton, he comes to as many games as possible and I am proud to say that he is as avid a fan as me. Its not always easy to bring youngsters round to your way of thinking, particularly when outside forces are at work, but don't give up. They are not in the playground, with its inherent peer pressure, forever and you never know, your love and passion for your club, may eventually start getting to them. You have to keep sowing seeds.

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SUA Seagull said:

There can occasionally be good reasons why father and son support different teams. As a north Londoner, my dad was lifelong Arsenal and took me to many games in the 60s when I was a kid, although I never felt any affinity towards them. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because my older brother supported Spurs, primarily because we lived nearer there, all of his mates were Spurs’ fans …. and also to annoy my dad!

At the time, I had uncles and aunts living in Hove and when we visited them during the school holidays or at weekends I’d walk to the Goldstone to watch the Albion. I became immediately hooked/obsessed and loved following “my” team and their ups and downs. My London-based mates all thought I was crazy.

When my son (also a Londoner) was born it was pre-ordained that he would be a Seagull. No debate. His first babygrow was in Albion colours, his first kit was Albion (along with all others since) and when he was old enough to understand it all, he too was hooked. Whilst his mates were all supporting Premier League teams we used to travel far and wide to watch the Albion in Leagues 1 and 2 and he always supported them with a passion. Now aged 59 and 29 respectively, we are both STHs and have been for years.

The payback for me came last May when, after the Wigan game, with my son’s phone buzzing with congratulatory messages from his Premier League-team-supporting mates that “Albion had arrived”, he hugged me and thanked me for introducing him to the ways of the Albion and said that he could never, ever have imagined supporting another team. Albion is his passion, as it is mine. It was a very emotional father-son moment. In the fullness of time I hope the cycle repeats itself between my son and his kids.

So, OP, I think maybe you need to have a chat with your lad to try and wean him of Chelsea onto the Albion. It’s never too late and he will thank you in the years to come.

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dazzer6666 said:

Did you read the OP ?

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Brighton Lines said:

This is all a bit silly. Although I don't think allowing him to wear an away shirt is advisable.

I'm not sure kids should be told who to support though.

As regards being in the home end at away games, I'm sure plenty of us have tried to gain tickets through relatives for matches at other grounds. It's no different. Let's not be hypocrites.

It's always a shame when folk choose teams other than their local one though. That's one piece of advice any parent should give. It's how the game survives. It's up to them after that.

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Harry Wilson's tackle said:

Yes but you don't go poncing around, having it large as a full kit wanker in the other lot's end, no matter how old you are. Its just ****ing rude.

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Brighton Lines said:

Well, no. I would neither do it nor encourage it.

But I would get tickets for the home end...

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Emperor Tomato Ketchup said:

I find this quite bizarre, you are supposed to be a Brighton fan but want to know if it’s ok to take someone with you into the stands wearing Chelsea colours with a Chelsea Badge with possibly a Chelsea players name on the back?

I’ll ask a question back to you, I’m a Brighton fan and have been for many years but when we play Palace will it be ok if I take a Palace flag and hang it above the entrance/exit to my block in the East Stand so everyone can see it when they go for a piss and/or pint?

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MrSnuggles said:

You could put a palace flag in the urinals!

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