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Son’s first game Saturday. Tips?
bromdog
Posts: 137
Looking at bringing my eldest, almost 5 year old, son to the game on Saturday. Cue a lifetime of misery jokes!
Just wondering if anyone had any experience with this and if it’s best to keep it short and sweet, in the ground just before kick off, family stand seats etc. Or get closer to the atmosphere, north upper seats, and give him a bit of a match day experience. hour before the game, novelty of grabbing some food, maybe a pub, a visit to the club shop to grab a scarf.
Coming to the game is his idea, he lives in his away kit at the moment! I never wanted to force it upon him and put him off it so it seems like a good time to try. I don’t expect to last the full 90. if we get to half time and he has had enough by then but has had a good day then that’s a success for me!
Just wondering if anyone had any experience with this and if it’s best to keep it short and sweet, in the ground just before kick off, family stand seats etc. Or get closer to the atmosphere, north upper seats, and give him a bit of a match day experience. hour before the game, novelty of grabbing some food, maybe a pub, a visit to the club shop to grab a scarf.
Coming to the game is his idea, he lives in his away kit at the moment! I never wanted to force it upon him and put him off it so it seems like a good time to try. I don’t expect to last the full 90. if we get to half time and he has had enough by then but has had a good day then that’s a success for me!
All kids a different but let me know if you think he is too young, or there is anything that will help his first experience one that makes him want to come again. Goals and 3 points are out of our hands! any tips are welcome. Cheers.
17
Comments
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Is he sensitive , even with our pathetic noise , it will seem loud to a kid , so ear muffs or whatever it is aren’t a bad thing
I was in the quadrants when I introduced my boys so near enough to the action and singing but not too near .
I’d get in the ground ten mins before kick off
they can get bored easily
fed before at home or if he likes a burger one from near ground
club shop before or after and let him have any old toot within reason
i brought lots of snacks to feed through the boredom of the game
I think one of my 4 I left at ht
rest got through the 90 of their first games
although nowadays I try and leave at ht and they force me to stay !
we always after games went for their favourite meal , so that was a target to aim at with’when the games finished we can go to pizza’ or whatever, ‘ it’s not open till the end of the game’.
depending on how much you want to see the rest of the game and your view on electronics iPad / iPhone I gave them occasionally if I was in to the game and make sure they’re wrapped up warm , better to over club it and they can take off layers rather than having them moaning about being cold ten mins in to the game and you just want to boot them .
Hope you both enjoy it and I’ll be honest it will only get better and it’s the most we talk to each other now (that’s why I hate going 😀 ) when we go see a game or when they’re playing a match .
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I remember when I took my kid when he was 5 or 6 for the first time. He probably was excited for the first 5 mins. Then got bored and needed something to keep him occupied. So personally I wouldn’t get there too early, just enough time to go in the club shop etc.
Be patient with it….. my eldest was a late bloomer into football. Was only once he was 12 or so that he really got into Charlton properly and now he has never looked back5 -
when mine first started (all were around 4 or 5 years old) it was enough haribo's to turn them diabetic.....plus an ipad/tablet
now luckily the youngest is 7 and he absolutely loves it.
get a programme so they can match the numbers to the players, go in the shop - some really cheap stuff at the moment
mine like the fans bar where they can watch the team warm up etc, plus this Saturday they might have an Upbeats game to watch as well?
my youngest is a mascot this Saturday and beyond excited
hope he enjoys the day and sees a win13 -
Took my daughter (almost 4) to her first 2 games this year. We've only been to 2 Charlton's women's games so far, figured the smaller crowd, and less noise would be a good introduction.
She absolutely loved it, fortunately both games had some goals which probably helped. We went to the club shop before and she had a couple of bits from there to help keep her occupied, a duck and some stickers, programme etc. I also had her tablet with us, and plenty of snacks. Didn't actually need to use the tablet either time but glad I had it.
I would definitely say a quieter area for the first experience, and I tried to get there and in our seats at the latest possible moment. With the men's game at least you have the kids activity zone etc. beforehand to potentially visit if you feel you're too early.2 -
I took my lad v Chesterfield in Oct 2016, it was a few weeks before his 4th birthday. It must have been one of the protest games in the RD era as we picked up a North Korean flag outside the North Stand and went in.
He stood all proud holding up the flag as the players came out, sat on his seat to watch, and 5 mins into the game asked if it was time to go home!
I put the flag over a few seats (the advantage of a half full stadium) and made a den and he sat in it watching pepper pig on an iPad for the next 85 mins. In the 86th min we scored our only goal and winner, I pulled the flag away to celebrate with him and he started to cry!
When the match finished he clapped the players off and we hung around to let the crowds disappear, once nearly empty, I lifted him over the advertising hoardings (family stand area) and told him to go stand by the corner flag whilst I got a picture. Quick as a flash a steward came over and told him off !.
As we left the ground he asked if he could come back to the next game as he had really enjoyed it. In reality I bought him back about 2 yrs later!
Now he goes with his sister and 2 cousins plus 4 adults and all the kids love it.
I would recommend the family stand, the lack of swearing words and all the other kids around will make most children more relaxed and enjoy it imo.
Good luck!10 -
Mine was about 5 for his first game.He loved the noise, atmosphere etc but soon got bored of the game. Take a tablet or something for him to play with.1
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All kids are different. Some have more of a threshold for the game, some like the noise, some don’t etc. I waited till they were 7 before I thought mine were ready.Personally I’d pick somewhere with some empty seats around for a first game (not hard these days), in one of the quads or East or West, don’t get there early, take a device he enjoys as a back up, bring a cap in case the sun comes in bright and low, and some treats.Good luck1
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There will be times during the day when you instinctively feel like saying ‘don’t tell your mum’, Don’t waste your breath.9
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I took my son to his first game in Feb, he's also 5. He didn't really follow the game at all but loved the crowd element. We had another boy in our row also enjoying his first game, and was really, really into it. Had his iPad as a back up as there was no way I was leaving the game early.
"Daddy, why does he keep shouting come on you reds?"
"Because we all support them team in red, so we need to cheer for them"
"......... I want the blue team to win"
He's still walking back to China.
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Mine was a first game of the season against Barnsley 2-2. He was eight months old.
Hardly missed a game since, although in his early years I didn’t take him to evening games.
The only problem early on was the noise.0 -
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Just tell him not to kick the back of the seats in front of him ! :-)17
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It's been a long time but for the first few games I made sure I took stuff for him to do.. in those days it was a game boy and paper and pencils to do drawing. 90 minutes is a longtime to hold their attention so be prepared to miss a lot of the alleged action on the field answering his questions, keeping him amused.
I took him when we were at Upton Park, playing Plymouth and Peter Shilton was in goal, but the over riding image of the day was Jamie on his knees back to the pitch, using the seat as a table, drawing, while the hood of his coat was drawn up over his head!2 -
Take him somewhere else.9
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Ha ha, when ours were little they used to go in the family stand. There was an older kid who sat in front of us who I presume was brought every week by his dad. The kid liked singing along with the songs, his favourite being the 'tits, fanny and Charlton' one; the dad had long since given up trying to stop him. It was a marvellous moment to see the look on both faces when one week the kid sang along with gusto only to look up and suddenly remember that this week there'd been a change of plan and his mum had brought him.letthegoodtimesroll said:There will be times during the day when you instinctively feel like saying ‘don’t tell your mum’, Don’t waste your breath.
Don't worry @bromdog, this level of bawdyness is quite atypical for the family stand.7 -
and take him for a wee while the game is going on, NOT at halftime. Supervising amongst hundreds of pissing dicks is not for the faint hearted.
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I took my son & daughter when they was both 3 at the time. I brought their ipads/tablets/switch to keep them entertained along with headphones as others have said they get bored after 5 mins or so. We also sat in the Curbishley stand closer to the away fans as the empty rows of seats they can run up and down or sit closer to the pitch if the weather is good. Also gives them more space to be entertained.1
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Took mine to a local game aged 4 and by HT he was bored and wanted to be in the clubhouse playing pool... fine when it's 10 mins away but not when it's a 90 min commute lol. Trying mine again at Luton or Hitchin this summer for a friendly and then maybe charlton the following year.
Definitely got family stand though and take the kids kindle/switch0 -
Took mine to the Havant & Waterlooville cup match for their first game. 10 minutes in and they were asking when they could go, so out came the ipads and we stayed until the end as its a distraction for them.
Their 2nd game was Barnsley a couple of weeks ago. Completely forgot their ipads or any snacks but to my surprise I didn't need them. They were engrossed and really enjoyed it, also helped by having their grandparents with them.
My boys are 7 so getting to the right age where they understand more of what is going on. That said, next time I'd still make sure I'd have something as a backup to keep them occupied just in case. As others have said don't get there too early and have a few snacks handy!1 -
I took my boy when he was 8, (now 31) luckily he was football mad and nagged me to go.Use to sit in the East stand by the away end so he’d watch the other side players warm up. So being in the Prem helped so we saw some big names. I think 8 is about right as they have a general idea.Hope your lad enjoys the game0
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I think that's too young personally, they aren't interested, nobody looks like they are having fun with kids that age. If its part of a hardline indoctrination then firm it out and do it, make no negotiations and both of you can suffer equally. In all honesty I cant imagine its ever been easier taking kids to football, there are family stands, at charlton there is plenty of space, you now have electronic shit they can play with but that all points to me of overly accommodating little people who don't want to be there
Wait until he is older to understand what going entails a tiny bit more. At 5 years old I can tell you I was not to be listened to, my ambition was to be a toilet duck ffs or optimum prime. I had no sense of consequence. In fact at the age I am now I'm not to be listened to.
Its something you will do together eventually, dont do it and both of you hate it4 -
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This empty seats advice is good. Worked for my daughter. Only became an issue at Wembley in 2019. From being able to run up and down aisles for 90 minutes to a huge crowd, noise, then the bedlam of our winner and her dad whipping his shirt off , having never shown much overt emotion in her life up to that point. 😀AFKABartram said:All kids are different. Some have more of a threshold for the game, some like the noise, some don’t etc. I waited till they were 7 before I thought mine were ready.Personally I’d pick somewhere with some empty seats around for a first game (not hard these days), in one of the quads or East or West, don’t get there early, take a device he enjoys as a back up, bring a cap in case the sun comes in bright and low, and some treats.Good luck6 -
Out of curiosity, do you ever watch games on CharltonTV at home?
If so, does he ever show too much interest to those matches?
My Son is six now, and have always wanted to take him to see Charlton, but until now he's never once shown interest in watching Football whenever its on the TV, so I wont take him until he takes genuine interest in the Sport.3 -
ForeverAddickted said:Out of curiosity, do you ever watch games on CharltonTV at home?
If so, does he ever show too much interest to those matches?
My Son is six now, and have always wanted to take him to see Charlton, but until now he's never once shown interest in watching Football whenever its on the TV, so I wont take him until he takes genuine interest in the Sport.
I suspect no one, ever, watched Charlton on tv in recent seasons and thought that’s the team I want to support.15 -
1. Buy a programme.
2. Put it away in your pocket, out of reach.
3. Take it home.
4. Keep it safe.
5. Give it to him on his eighteenth birthday.
Best. Present. Ever.16 -
Unless we lose 6-0Chizz said:1. Buy a programme.
2. Put it away in your pocket, out of reach.
3. Take it home.
4. Keep it safe.
5. Give it to him on his eighteenth birthday.
Best. Present. Ever.
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Expect the crowd soon got used to it, that's baby's for youseth plum said:Mine was a first game of the season against Barnsley 2-2. He was eight months old.
Hardly missed a game since, although in his early years I didn’t take him to evening games.
The only problem early on was the noise.
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Blimey, that's pushing it a bitoohaahmortimer said:Is he sensitive , even with our pathetic noise , it will seem loud to a kid , so ear muffs or whatever it is aren’t a bad thing
I was in the quadrants when I introduced my boys so near enough to the action and singing but not too near .
I’d get in the ground ten mins before kick off
they can get bored easily
fed before at home or if he likes a burger one from near ground
club shop before or after and let him have any old toot within reason
i brought lots of snacks to feed through the boredom of the game
I think one of my 4 I left at ht
rest got through the 90 of their first games
although nowadays I try and leave at ht and they force me to stay !
we always after games went for their favourite meal , so that was a target to aim at with’when the games finished we can go to pizza’ or whatever, ‘ it’s not open till the end of the game’.
depending on how much you want to see the rest of the game and your view on electronics iPad / iPhone I gave them occasionally if I was in to the game and make sure they’re wrapped up warm , better to over club it and they can take off layers rather than having them moaning about being cold ten mins in to the game and you just want to boot them .
Hope you both enjoy it and I’ll be honest it will only get better and it’s the most we talk to each other now (that’s why I hate going 😀 ) when we go see a game or when they’re playing a match .
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From experience with my son, I took him at 5 and it was a bit too early and then left it for a bit. I think for him, 7 was about right and he had his DS to play with when he was bored. Whilst all children are different, It is asking a lot for a child of 5 not to get bored.0
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I've got a shirt from the year both my daughter and laterly son were born. Both still sealed and wrapped. They're hidden away, won't be getting them until they turn 18. Obviously had to take a massive guess on correct size, but hey ho. Waited until both were on sale late in the season, so not too expensive. Pristine, retro shirt for their birthdays when they get there.Chizz said:1. Buy a programme.
2. Put it away in your pocket, out of reach.
3. Take it home.
4. Keep it safe.
5. Give it to him on his eighteenth birthday.
Best. Present. Ever.10 -
How do they breathe?DyerConsequences said:
I've got a shirt from the year both my daughter and laterly son were born. Both still sealed and wrapped. They're hidden away, won't be getting them until they turn 18. Obviously had to take a massive guess on correct size, but hey ho. Waited until both were on sale late in the season, so not too expensive. Pristine, retro shirt for their birthdays when they get there.Chizz said:1. Buy a programme.
2. Put it away in your pocket, out of reach.
3. Take it home.
4. Keep it safe.
5. Give it to him on his eighteenth birthday.
Best. Present. Ever.12
