Getting the kids interested.

[yellowmonkey]

I have 3 boys and the cost is a big factor as to whether they attend games, their school is also in Newton Abbot to I doubt the club would ever be interested in going that far. Saying that Exeter Chief's recently done a visit to the school and they invited them to a kick around at the clubs ground with a free ticket for the next home game although I had to pay.

[chunkygull]

well, here we go then, round 3. i've told the buhy' we're going football today and he's coming, he had a bit of a tantrum because he wants to play his xbox. ive made a few compromises (blackmailing little sod), but success.

he has told me already he is not going to enjoy it. its ike a blatant refusal to like something before you have ever even experienced it. its like when a person says they dont like someone and they've never even met them.

we are going to try the popside today so maybe a different atmosphere will get him into it. lets hope there is at least a bit of singing. he is a few years younger than i was the first time i went on the pop (hes 12 in a few weeks), but its a bit different now to when i was a young buhy watching torquay in the late 80's.

the pop always seemed a lot more rammed back then, there was definitely more singing and rowdiness. also, there was the english football hooliganism stuff at that time, not at plainmoor really though, but because of these reasons mum and dad always said i couldnt go on the pop. i had to watch from the standing area of the grandstand and just imagine what it was like being in the middle over there singing the songs and being one of the lads.

i've told the lad gilbert the gull might do surfin bird (bird is the word) today if we are lucky, so fingers crossed. bit of pre match entertainment.

hoping wth all my heart and praying to the gods of football that we have a decent game today with at least a half decent atmosphere and then my son catches on and takes an interest in torquay united and football in general.

i do think the club should be doing a bit more in schools. i know they do community stuff and school stuff already but maybe a few players and a member of the coaching staff could go into school to do q&a sessions and a light coaching session or kickabout.

we had plymouth argyle do this when i was at paignton college (torquay uniteds catchment area), there were already a few of us who supported torquay so it had no effect, but there were a few after that day that crossed over to the darkside and went to watch plymouth.

i know the club have teams, academies and sessions outside of school time but we need to grab those who havent been interested until now or they havent joined a club or been to a game, take the club to them rather than wait for them to decide.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Good stuff chunks, hope you and the lad enjoy the game and see a really excellent gulls performance.

[taxilady]

took my 6 year old granddaughter today for her first game. She loved it ! Definitely wants to come again. I think she'd have liked Gilbert's dance, but he was right over at The Pop & she couldn't really see him too well from The Bench.At the end, Ricey came over to talk to her when I told him it was her first game; good for him, she loved that as well.

[chunkygull]

brilliant taxilady, im really glad your grandaughter enjoyed the game, another fan hopefully. well done ricey.

that was the only thing about gilberts dance he was right in front of the pop, so miles away from where i was sat. some of them got it though, which was good.

we were sat in the family stand, right hand side, front row. my dad and the buhy, both decided they wanted to sit, both complaining of a bad knee. old age for one, rugby for the other. so the pop was out.

i couldnt hear what was being said over the tannoy so i almost didnt look over and see gilbert because it was so quiet. it was only when my lad shouted dad, dad, gilberts doing it, look. then they turned the music up.

we were well chuffed and laughed our heads off and high 5'd, my dad was confused at us getting all excited about it, then he said i was a bloody idiot when i explained to him what it was about and i had asked mr candy through the forum if it could be done.

gilbert just has to do it again, that has to become his signature tune/party piece surely.

anyway, the buhy enjoyed the game today, when there was a bit of singing and clapping he started joining in (bonus).

he did get a bit bored at times 1st half and wasnt watching the game, but i tried talking him through things a bit and whipping up a bit of enthusiasm. i keep telling him, there is usually loads of singing, cheering and chanting and its a brilliant noisy atmosphere (well it used to be).

half time, some girls about 15 sat next to him and he kept asking me and my dad to swap seats with him because the view was bad, he sat in an empty seat next to me after a few minutes whining, then he admitted he moved because he is uncomfortable around girls, but when i said "dont be daft", he said he didnt know why - i know why (yaay, he likes girls).

2nd half he loved it, especially laughing at me leaping about and shouting when the 3rd and 4th went in. he was on his feet and cheering first for the 4th though (progress?).

like i said i put my foot down today about him going, but i think next time he might go a bit more willingly. fingers crossed.

now all we need is torquay to play well, make it entertaining and score a few goals every game and i might be able to get the buhy right into football.

[FavGull]

Went to Saturday's game with an old school friend and his 11 year old stepson. It was his second game,and despite the initial disappointment in his face when I informed him that Poke hadn't played all season (he arrived in his orange goalie shirt with our number one's name on the back), he had a great time. Stood on the popside, I did offer to sit down, and perhaps we should have as he was struggling up to half time, but got to lean on the railings in the second half so he was ok. Winning and scoring 4 clearly helps convert youngsters into fans, and I'm hopeful we have got one here as he was enthusiastically telling his mum all the details after the game and read my programme all the way home.Happy days!

[chunkygull]

thats brilliant, i'm well pleased we are at least getting a few youngsters to convert to the religion of tufc.

i wish i could get my lad as interested or even a little bit as excited as that. he seems to have the apathy disease that most of torbay suffer from.

he hasnt seen us lose yet, 2 out of 3 games he has took in have been entertaining wins. the atmosphere at all 3 games could have been a helluva lot better. although barnet was getting there, not quite, but nearly.

i might take him to an away game so he can see what its really like when the torquay fans get rockin'.

getting a young supporter or any supporter hooked normally does only happen during a successful or winning period. take it for example when a lot of kids choose a premier league team, its virtually always one that wins the league or fa cup a lot.

my dad put it into perspective, he said to me - "if you remember when you started going to plainmoor it was the 2-2 draw with crewe in may 87 when we survived in the league with an injury time goal. the atmosphere that day was unbelievable, especially after the whistle" - he is right, thats what got my interest.

he also reminded me that from the next season we had a great few years under cyril knowles, near promotion, a wembley cup final. then in 91 wembley play off promotion and then a season in a higher division. through this time i was getting addicted to football and torquay united and they had me. so yeah i had quite an exciting start to following the club so its no wonder i became a supporter and stayed one.

my dad said (roughly) - "a few good times or a run of results for the team usually draws new supporters in, its great when we are winning and if the the atmosphere at the ground is good that helps. even if the team never capture that again and times are bad, true supporters keep coming back and they stay supporters, when you start to really care and love the club and the game thats it.

part of the psyche of a football supporter is, they always hope today will be the day, im going to see something, ive seen it before, it could happen again, we could win today, the atmosphere might be great, it could be entertaining. once you have had that good time, you keep coming back hoping it happens like it did and occasionally it does. its addictive like a drug and you are always trying to get that buzz again."

he's become quite a wise bloke my dad.

[stevegull]

To be fair my first game as a nipper was a dire one. We lost to Darlington 1-0 via a late, late Julian Joachim goal and we were essentially down at that point. Although I can't remember which season that was...

[Branscombe]

For any of you with kids, the Future Gulls are up and running again. For ten pounds membership/joining fee they get a really smart ruck-sack ideal for school, sports etc.(probably worth more than the joining fee on its' own) plus organised events eg just they've had a multi-sport day run by the community coaches where almost 50 children took part and a questions and answers with Alan Knill. Various other events to get them involved with the Club are in the pipeline including a Halloween Party at Plainmoor etc. etc. The Junior section also get in free to all non-category A games, discounts at the club shop etc. See the link below...

http://www.torquayunited.com/fans/junior-fans/

Also worth a look at the Torquay United Football In The Community site to see what's available for the the kids, as well as all of the weekly football courses there are holiday courses and Birthday Parties/tours of the ground, chances to meet players etc. Frank Prince and his team also run courses at local schools throughout the area.

http://www.tufitc.com

[chunkygull]

Well I hope todays kids go free promotion has the desired effect of ramping up a better atmosphere. Heres hoping for a rip-roaring attacking performance and a convincing win for the Gulls. Hopefully we can show enough new kids (and parents with them) what they are missing and they will want to keep coming back for more for many years to come, just like what happened to many of us.

However in my case, it is still the same as when I started the thread, my lad just wont give football a chance properly. He is stubborn and determined not to like it, he is refusing to go today even though it is free for him. I know he would love football if he gave it a try but its like banging my head against a brick wall. Im not going to push it or force him because that will make it worse and I will never get him interested.

I didnt start really taking a proper interest in football until I was 12 and that was when I saw my first Torquay match but I was hooked from then on and didnt miss a home match for years. My son liked his first game (earlier in thread) but then after the next one the enthusiasm wore off. He has refused to go since. He plays football at school a lot more now and I am hoping that will spark something.

Anyway, lets hope todays kids free promo has the desired effect.

[ethantufcbaker]

The first match I went to was when I was 12 and I watched Lincoln city lose 2-0 against tufc at plainmoor. At the time I hated football, I hated sports. The only other football I had EVER watched was when england played Germany in the world cup (lampard hit the bar and the goal should have counted etc). I remember not wanting to go to the match but when I got into the grandstand, my mood changed. The old grandstand may have been nothing like bristows bench but it did get me into football. I still go with my uncle sometimes to football. My stand now is the popside

Anyway like other have said very few people would give Torquay a try even for free. I have 5 mates go have watched Torquay and only 3 have watched them again and only me and another watch every home match. The fact is I still support Arsenal, but Torquay gives me a buzz every time I enter the ground. The first season under long was the best and if more kids had come then, then they would be interested.

I go to PCC and the team train on our astro often and are friendly enough. However they haven't come into to school to advitise the club. Free tickets etc. There are 2000 people at PCC that is like our home gate. Even if it only attracted 100 more people thats £600 in tickets + food drink programmes etc and if parents come then the atmosphere would be better and the club would be better financially.

Sorry for the long reply.