We’ve just had a girl who is now 4 days old. We also have a 3 year old boy. I live in Norwich so do I encourage my kids to support their home club or should I push them towards the Clarets? One thing for sure though, is my boy’s first game will be a Burnley with me and my Dad.

The first live game my two boys attended was a season opener against Forest at Turf Moor, we drew 1-1, I think.

They both support other teams, City and Chelsea but they've got season tickets at Burnley and really enjoy coming to home and away games with me and they've asked to renew for next season.

All about compromise.

A difficult one, but I'll explain my position on it.

I am a Swindon "fan" because I was born there and I went to watch them as a kid through to my teenage years. After I moved to Burnley through work and my kids were born there I took my son to watch Burnley as it was where he was born and I have "supported" Burnley ever since - he's 17 now, and he is a Burnley "fan" in much the same way that I am still a Swindon "fan", but he also has links to Swindon so also "supports" them too, if that makes sense. I no longer live in Burnley but I still support them because I still had a ST with my kids until a couple of years back and in all honesty I can no longer afford to go to all the games. I will go to watch both Swindon and Burnley when the opportunity arises, and when they played each other in the cup a few years back I was a Swindon "fan" supporting Burnley in the away end at the County Ground - work that one out...!

IMO - there is nothing wrong with kids going to watch their local team and becoming fans of those teams whilst also supporting other teams, so in your case they could be fans of Norwich but also support Burnley.

Of course, this goes out of the window if any child is born in the Blackburn area, it is classed as child abuse to make them be fans of them

Do you live on “Lesbe Avenue”?..........I’d make the kids support Ipswich just to **** the locals off.......

Yeah, I see the argument for letting them support their local team, go with their mates etc. But life isn't fair, so mine can traipse across the Pennines once a fortnight to watch the Super Clarets and bloody well enjoy it.

My missus wanted our 2 boys to support Chelsea because she thought they both suited blue and it brought out the blue in their eyes........

Whoever they like.

My tow girls are Eight, and Four. The eldest is just not interested in football at all. I took my youngest on the Hanover Friendly last summer(she was Three at the time). We were well away from any of the trouble in our seats in the JHU, and she was rather oblivious to the bother at the time. The three things she talked about after the match were the Roll-Over Hot Dog she ate, the 'naughty' fans, and, most importantly, Bertie Bee. She has subsequently watched the Bertie Bee Movie on YouTube over and over(her particular favourite bit is when he does the Worm after Stanislas scores the winner).
She's pestered me to take her on again since, but I am sticking to Friendlies for the time being.
I think she will be a Burnley Fan, but I'm not going to force her to be. That said, she can support who she chooses, but I will only ever take her to Burnley Matches

Let them support whoever they like

But make sure that the Burnley shirts, scarves, hats etc are always in view

No probs with my eldest, but my youngest flirted with supporting Everton but me and my eldest slowly worked on him (in a nice way!) till he's happy running around in his Burnley kit.

Lord Beamish wrote: She's pestered me to take her on again since, but I am sticking to Friendlies for the time being.
I think she will be a Burnley Fan, but I'm not going to force her to be. That said, she can support who she chooses, but I will only ever take her to Burnley Matches

You definitely don't want to subject her to a real match otherwise she may replicate your antics at school

Come on - there needs to be some advantages from being a parent !
For those whose kids are under the age of 12 or 13 enjoy it whilst you can - after that they will just suck the life and money out of you without any gratitude !

So make your kids support Burnley - you know it makes sense. Buy them their first strip when they are little and make up scary stories about the other teams if they mention that their friend Chantelle at nursery likes Manchester United.

If all else fails play the "Santa won't come" card.

They'll thank you in the long run - actually they probably won't !!

My seven year old lad has lived all his life in Kent. Many of his school mates support the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham but they never go to the games. He gravitated towards the Clarets simply because of me. I didn't need to encourage him too much because I think he got the bug watching me watching the Clarets on the box while we were going 23 unbeaten. If he wanted to support our nearest clubs - Charlton or Palace - I'd take him. But he's not interested. I've made it my mission to take him to as many games as I can, bearing in mind we live 300 miles from the Turf. I can't tell you how proud I was when I took him to a football training school last summer in full Burnley kit, with a Burnley bag containing a Burnley drink bottle and Burnley towel. And when gently ribbed by the Charlton coaches for supporting Burnley, his response was brilliant: "At least we're not playing Blackburn next year." I might - just might - have planted that line in his head.

Advice to the OP is to lead by example. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to claim him for the Clarets while we're not crap.

Weeds, as she was born and bred there and now lives there. But she doesn’t will be sat next to me on Saturday
UTC

Eldest firmly a claret, daughter a claret but likes Chelsea (?!) too, and, as we live in Sheffield, youngest a claret but has a soft spot for Wednesday...

Themselves, so it saves you some cash. Bank of Dad needs to go into receivership asap.
They're a bloody drain on your health, wealth and happiness if you ask me!

I think everybody in football should support their local team from birth. What is the point otherwise? I support Burnley because I was born and raised here, I don't watch other team sports like Rugby/American football/Basketball because how can I pretend to support a team? How do I fake emotional connection?

When the day comes that my partner falls pregnant, I'm going to place my Bluetooth speaker on her belly, every night until birth, and play the 1994 Wembley song to the little one.

WHoever they like, but ideally their home team

Sick of these 2hats at work all from round here who support United, Liverpool etc. Despise em

Some go to the extent of sitting in the away end when United come to the turf, even though they live 2 mins away from ground. But then still attend some home games, and never go to Old Trafford

And..Wear United shirts at footie mid-week (5 a side)

Hate em

Barcelona, so it doesn't cost them a fortune travelling the country getting let down by **** poor performances.

Seriously they will decide for themselves. If they want to watch football with their parents they will follow your team. If they like doing things with their mates they will go to the local club.

My three lads are adults now. When they were children, one suffered peer pressure at school (we live in NW Cheshire now) to be a United fan (could have been Liverpool or Everton) so his Mum bought him a shirt. However, before that he was on the Turf with me at ten months. The middle one was given a Newcastle shirt by a Geordie mate`of mine, for which I forgave him. The youngest was only ever Burnley. Now they are all Complete Clarets, attending games when we are in town, including that glorious day at Stamford Bridge. They go their own way but know what's right...............

Facebook is full of Liverpool/United or whoever supporting friends that have pictures of their kids in Burnley strips.

This premier league era has certainly gained a generation of young fans. Clarets were hard to find in Padiham in the late 80s, when I was first starting out.

Great replies. I was actually born in East Kent and my Dad is a Burnley fan(from east Kent also) so I followed suit. First game was the Sherpa Van Trophy in 88 when I was 15. Loved it and loved the fans. We now love visiting Burnley for home games when we can. It’s a unique football town. Norwich just can’t compete!

I threatened putting my kids up for adoption unless they supported Burnley. They're now aged 21 and 16 and both still living at home so I think they got the message..

My eldest is 6 and has been on a handful of games with me. He hasn't been very interested this season but he is getting more interested in football in general. His favourite teams are Burnley, Man City, Barcelona and Rochdale!!!

We live near Hollingworth Lake so his local team is Rochdale and if he chooses to support them when he's older I won't stand in his way. He'll have mates who'll go no doubt.

However, as with all kids, currently he wants to watch the best so he likes Man City. So much so that he's happy to come on the Turf with me this weekend!!

Barcelona comes purely from the fact he knows who Messi is. That's it.

It'll settle down in the next few years I'm sure. I won't force him but I hope he goes for Burnley if only to provide him with some of the great Father and son moments I've shared with my Dad over the years.

The clarets or I would put um up for fostering simply as utc

My passion for football and the Clarets came from the family DNA. Listening to them argue before they set off for the match got me so enthralled but as much as I asked to go on "it was an adult thing". I didn't get taken until I was 8 and have been hooked ever since. I don't agree with dragging kids along to a game they have to want it. My eldest first went at 8 and loved it, the second spent most of the match running around being a pest and had no interest.
Let them make their own mind up. Whatever they decide they are right.

My passion for the Clarets comes from my upbringing.
I come from Gt Harwood and most of my friends are Barstewards but my dad was a Claret so as a boy he would take me to the Turf.
My boy is a Claret too, as the same happened to him.
If we lived somewhere else who knows who my son would have supported but I do suspect he would have been a Claret.

Get them while they are young.

My brother in law supports rovers. So naturally before he had even been to the hospital to collect the kids i had already bought them clarets strips.

Both now avid clarets and ones a season ticket holder in the cfs

Daughter was born in Salford hospital. Spent her early formative years living in Manchester. She announced one day she was a United fan so I threw her tv out of the window.

Claret Till I Die wrote:I threatened putting my kids up for adoption unless they supported Burnley. They're now aged 21 and 16 and both still living at home so I think they got the message..

Back in 1976 (I think) I had a flirtation with Leeds and got my mum to buy me a pair of socks. My Dad threw them in the bin and threatened to sell me to the gypsies....I was only 7!

I would always try to keep them to the true faith - I treat it as a family heirloom.

My eldest, who was never that into football, defected to Liverpool aged 8. My youngest - now aged 8 and football mad - has a season ticket, and taking him to the game is one of the joys of my life. Living where we do, peer-pressure is ever present, but being above Everton in the league certainly helps. He also knows he won’t get to go very often if it isn’t to Burnley. He may change at some point but I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

My advice to you would be to use our current status as a selling point while we can!

Burnley Ace wrote:Back in 1976 (I think) I had a flirtation with Leeds and got my mum to buy me a pair of socks. My Dad threw them in the bin and threatened to sell me to the gypsies....I was only 7!

...or you could take a more hardline approach!

Born and raised in Derby, my mum is a Derby fan and used to go home and away when I was younger, but my dad took me to Burnley more because it was cheaper being two divisions lower at that time, and that's what stuck. It's a 4 hour round trip for every home game but I don't regret it!

Born in Burnley, raised in Padiham.. So therefore a Claret. Like someone said earlier not many Clarets in Padiham in the 70s and 80s. Lot's of lads at school where Liverpool or United the odd Villa fan. But strangely enough most are Clarets now. My eldest 2 both in their 20s have both been on the turf. My youngest is 7 we moved to MK for 5 and a half years, back up north now, but just outside Huddersfield. And my youngest is a Burnley fan and season ticket holder just like her Dad. My other half is Everton due to her dad being a scouser. She did try making her a Blue, but I said the only blue she will be is Claret and Blue UTC