Family Supporting different teams

Mudball

Assistant Pro
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
5,242
Visit site
The cricket WC is big in our household. Support for Eng and India. My son is a big IPL fan so he has seen most of the top players in action - except Pakistan.
This WC he has really liked Amir as he also looks to bowl pace.

Yesterday in the car during the school run we were discussing the fourth place and he mentioned he wanted Pak instead of Eng!! All because he wanted to see more of Amir!! All the usual Root-Butler-Bairstow-Archer were cast aside. As the traffic built ahead, I realised I was starting to argue with him on his choice and had to stop myself from pulling rank on him... funny is the world of sports which can divide family opinions.

Anyone in similar situations before?
 
In the cricket World Cup I'd like see Pakistan do well buts that only because I was lucky enough last summer to work with the whole team when they came to England. Really top bunch of guys so polite and courteous.

But to answer your question yes this is rife not just in my household but my family.

I grew up an Arsenal fan as my grandad used to take me to Highbury all the time, my brother is a huge Spurs fan so cue many fights verbal and physical as a child. My sister follows West Ham as our mums family are from there and she went with my other grandad to watch them as a kid. Despite all this my Dad grew up a Utd fan and has been there from way back in 68 watching them live at Wembley to now he still goes up to watch them.

Then there my actual house, my Mrs is a Liverpool fan courtesy of being Irish and being brought up to support the Reds, my oldest boy like his grandad follows Utd and goes to games with him, my youngest 3 all arsenal like me. Its rare we can have football on and agree to even speak let alone cheer the other teams on 😂
 
I would never support another nation over my own, that's just weird.

The only sport I support a club side in is football, and I literally support Spurs because my dad does. There's no other reason really. He took me to a game on my 9th birthday and that was that. I have no brothers and sisters, but my two older cousins support Spurs, although my Uncle supports Man City (none of us are sure why - he always has done but he's not from Manchester or anything). So not much rivalry in the family really. One of those cousins is married to an Arsenal fan, so probably a few arguments there. My missus has no interest in football. When we have children I'll be doing my damnedest to make sure they are Spurs fans. If they're not, then I kinda hope Watford as a next-best option, since we live only a couple of miles from Vicarage Road, and at least tickets would be cheaper. :p
 
We don't have an international split, all English, but we do have club splits. I grew up as an Everton fan in a Liverpool house. My wife and son are Newcastle fans, daughter has no interest. I did not put any pressure on my son to follow Everton, living up here it made sense for him to follow his local team as Newcastle is a one club city. There is no bitter fighting between any of us over teams, just a bit of banter when the teams come up against each other.

I'm with Orikoru on finding the international split a bit odd. If you are born and raised in a country, it is ingrained in you, why would you support another one? (no, I am not going all Norman Tebbit here, I just find it peculiar)
 
We don't have an international split, all English, but we do have club splits. I grew up as an Everton fan in a Liverpool house. My wife and son are Newcastle fans, daughter has no interest. I did not put any pressure on my son to follow Everton, living up here it made sense for him to follow his local team as Newcastle is a one club city. There is no bitter fighting between any of us over teams, just a bit of banter when the teams come up against each other.

I'm with Orikoru on finding the international split a bit odd. If you are born and raised in a country, it is ingrained in you, why would you support another one? (no, I am not going all Norman Tebbit here, I just find it peculiar)
Generally speaking I'd agree with both of you. It gets awkward though when you've a Mrs like mine born in England to an Irish family with a very Irish surname. Ends up split loyalties as obviously she wants both teams to do well and then when they meet its like who does she cheer for. As a a result my kids do the same as its natural for them but then when the 2 play they almost feel a of guilt and don't know when to celebrate or not.
 
Generally speaking I'd agree with both of you. It gets awkward though when you've a Mrs like mine born in England to an Irish family with a very Irish surname. Ends up split loyalties as obviously she wants both teams to do well and then when they meet its like who does she cheer for. As a a result my kids do the same as its natural for them but then when the 2 play they almost feel a of guilt and don't know when to celebrate or not.
My thought on this is which international team would you stand there for, tear in your eye, belting out the anthem. Which one do you want the picture of with you in the shirt the most? For me it is an brainer but then maybe it is easy as I am English on every side going back a number of generations. I am sure if I go back far enough there will be someone from elsewhere, that is pretty inevitable especially as my dad's side is from Liverpool, a port city, but I don't have that recent family history which may mess up my thoughts on this.
 
My thought on this is which international team would you stand there for, tear in your eye, belting out the anthem. Which one do you want the picture of with you in the shirt the most? For me it is an brainer but then maybe it is easy as I am English on every side going back a number of generations. I am sure if I go back far enough there will be someone from elsewhere, that is pretty inevitable especially as my dad's side is from Liverpool, a port city, but I don't have that recent family history which may mess up my thoughts on this.
I think that's what kids need to develop as they grownup the affinity to which ever side they feel the natural pull. In my Mrs case though she spent and equal amount of time in both countries no has developed a natural affinity to both and doesn't feel the pull to either as both are home. I'm English born here, raised here fought for the nation but even then I'd never stand there tear in eye. But I can belt out the anthem both verses of it which most people don't have a clue about the 2nd verse 😂
 
I think that's what kids need to develop as they grownup the affinity to which ever side they feel the natural pull. In my Mrs case though she spent and equal amount of time in both countries no has developed a natural affinity to both and doesn't feel the pull to either as both are home. I'm English born here, raised here fought for the nation but even then I'd never stand there tear in eye. But I can belt out the anthem both verses of it which most people don't have a clue about the 2nd verse 😂
She could just do what half the country does and just become Irish suddenly on Paddy's Day.
 
I'm a lifelong Toffee, but moved to Dorset in 1989 before the kids came along. My son was pretty much on his own through his playing time at school wearing Everton kit - took some stick but is absolutely staunch. My sisters are both Liverpool fans.
 
My wife (scottish) supports England in Cricket.... but most def would never do so in any other sport.

also with Football she is a Rangers fan yet her cousins in Glasgow all Celtic.... you wouldn't believe the some of the trouble there is there!
 
I agree with some of the above comments... we are drifting loyalties in footy.. But i was suprised to hear support Pak as a country.

.... i usually turn my back if Pak anthem plays at the Eng v Pak
 
My Dad chose Wolves when he first came to England from India in the 60s, because the one lad who looked out for him at school did, as you can imagine he was in the minority in those days and luckily he started hanging around with school hard knock and they're still mates to this day, so I carried on the tradition, even though my older brother chose Liverpool, being born in '77 I'm sure it was a touch choice.

My boy will support Wolves and he won't have a choice, and he'll be in the minority seeing as though we live 2 miles from the Hawthorns. The wife's family are a mixture of Stoke and Leeds, but she isn't fussed really.

The whole family supports India in the cricket too.
 
My lad when he was a toddler. For crimbo I asked me mum to buy him A city Kit. He was about 6. Christmas day he does no more than open a Utd kit. I was livid. Best bit me dad was with her, he is City through and through . My lad wore it and followed them for 4-5 years. It stuck in my throat. Fortunately he grew out of it.
 
I would never support another nation over my own, that's just weird.

The only sport I support a club side in is football, and I literally support Spurs because my dad does. There's no other reason really. He took me to a game on my 9th birthday and that was that. I have no brothers and sisters, but my two older cousins support Spurs, although my Uncle supports Man City (none of us are sure why - he always has done but he's not from Manchester or anything). So not much rivalry in the family really. One of those cousins is married to an Arsenal fan, so probably a few arguments there. My missus has no interest in football. When we have children I'll be doing my damnedest to make sure they are Spurs fans. If they're not, then I kinda hope Watford as a next-best option, since we live only a couple of miles from Vicarage Road, and at least tickets would be cheaper. :p

They should support Watford, end of. Local team. Great familly club. No reason not to.
 
The only conflict in our house is me, and the wife thinks I'm nuts - very perceptive she is. I was born in England but from an Irish mum. Support England for football but played all my (early years) rugby when we lived in Ireland, and support Ireland for rugby. Visited Lansdowne Road many times. Always look for Leinster's results, and the Naas under 17's team I captained as a boy growing up.

Wife's mad keen on sport, and a rabid England supporter. Rugby matches are interesting, especially when Ireland play England.
 
Top