Why Did You Start Following Your Favorite Club?

Chelsea FC - 2002.

I liked them in FIFA 03 (J.F. Hasselbaink and Zola FTW) and it just carried on from there.

Chelsea FC - 2004. Played right back in high school, john terry was my favorite player for england, so I followed his club. (not his morals)

I started watching Manchester United about ten years ago, when I was the only soccertard in my rural AL town. (We had a rec league for people who didn't play American Football, and I was the only one who took it seriously. I looked like Messi.) Back then, United was one of the few teams that was always on TV. Plus, they were ridiculous to play with on FIFA. Ten-year-old me liked their kits, the fact that they were on TV the most, and their greatness on a video game. Yeah, shallow, but I was a kid.

I followed all the games I couldn't watch on Man U's team website. I subscribed to a kid's soccer magazine that always seemed to have a United pull-out poster. I also found it strangely cool that I shared a last name with the team's manager. (I still think that SAF is a distant relative.)

Over the last decade, a lot of people have asked me if I would ever change my club loyalty...grow out of my childhood choice and pick a club that wasn't so dominant. As a United fan in America, most people think you're an idiot bandwagoner that only picked the club because they win a good bit.

But I'm hooked. I've invested too much time into this club and fought enough haters to turn my back. I love United's style of play and the talent that SAF assembles year in and year out. They're just an exciting team to follow.

I don't know who I like in the premier league. I like aspects of Chelsea, Tottenham (they used to have Wilson Palacios my fellow countryman), Arsenal, and Citeh (but only cuz Swagotelli was there).

I do have somewhat of a loyalty to Barca though. All because of Messiah.

I honestly just love the game, and just want to watch great matches. If I did have to choose though, it would be Arsenal cuz I love Walcott and Arsene's style of play. Just frustrating how he doesn't open up his pockets more.

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I honestly just love the game, and just want to watch great matches.

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Agreed. If I must choose one I go with ManU but I really like watching Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, etc. Ive also gotten to know the smaller clubs as well and they have some great players and fans also.

Chelsea- 2011.

Never followed soccer growing up since I was so terrible. However after my baseball days were over I needed a new sport. I started watching some games on tv once I got fox soccer and loved watching them more than other sports (probably due to lack of commercials). My friend from Northern Ireland whom I visited in 2008 was a Chelsea fan so I had a slight fondness with them. Started Fifa games and watching champions league and became hooked to CFC.

Newcastle United - Summer 2010

Two main reasons:

1. I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and I read an article back around that time that compared NFL teams to EPL clubs, and it mentioned how NUFC fans were as passionate as Steelers fans.
2. I had been following the EPL for awhile without a club, so I needed to pick one. I figured why not root for the down-and-out recently promoted club trying to prove something.


and Barcelona - 2007ish

Thierry Henry and Messi.

FC Porto (Since I was born)- my Dad had season tickets for 10 years and my Grandparents lived about 300 yards from the Estadio do Dragao from when I was 2 to when I was 26

ETA: know the stadium was opened in 2003-2004, my grandparents lived in the same house for 50 years and it ended up being right next to where the stadium was built, when I was growing up we went to games at the old stadium

I marginally watched WC in 2006. My interest in soccer truly started in 2010 WC. I actually thought "Chelsea Arsenal" was a club at that point.

I got FSC last year and followed EPL a decent amount but wasn't sure what club to follow. I just knew I wanted to figure out a club that would be competitive for UCL. Most of the top flight teams didn't click with me for a variety of reasons. But I kind of took interest in Arsenal which has a cool name and a lot of history. Once I started watching at the end of last year, I realized how attractive their brand of football is to watch.

I'm actually interested in finding teams from other leagues to watch based on my lineage. From what I can tell, I should research Aberdeen, Hearts, and possibly a couple of French and German clubs.

This Man