What is it that makes football special?

Noticed this morning that for the Exeter Barrow game on Tuesday there were 88 Barrow fans in attendance. Knock off a few who may be studying locally and you have 75+ people travelling around 700 miles midweek to a game which doesn't matter to them to support a team in the bottom 6 of League two. Looking at their twitter seems they set off 09:30am and got back about 05:30 Weds morning.

No other activity generates that loyalty - anyone doing that trip to go to the theatre or a gig would be laughed at / possibly advised to see their GP. What is it about football that inspires that level of support?

 

have you been to Barrow?

 

I have & a day away from it sounds like a good idea.

 

Many carriages of old rolling stock with loads of fans and a few rozzers on.

 

Football is far from unique for this.

Thousands sleep in tents for days with toilets from the Middle Ages to see not even their favourite band.

I’ve set off at 2 in the morning to spend 4 days in a car to watch rally cars. Loads organise holidays around sporting events.

I’ve done weekends away built round theatre productions, restaurants, sporting events and gigs. And even foreign holidays for WRC events.

And if you think travelling 200 miles for a crap game of football is mad. Try getting up at 4.00, driving 100s of miles, standing in the freezing cold for 3 hrs with a risk of watching 2 cars go past before a very long pause to then realise there’s been a major accident and the stage is cancelled. one of the saddest moments of my life looks like that.

 

Old School.

 

Cycling fans at the side of the road.

 

I think it's the wooden stands, Woodbines, Bovril, bloke in white coat with flat cap putting up the halt time scores. You know - that sort of thing....

 

I get all that- told my wife I was taking her abroad for the weekend of valentines day when we ended up watching the reds at Wrexham c2004 I think. I mean I was technically correct.

My point was aimed at those who were on the supporters coach. What on earth possess them to do that trip ('points about being away from Barrow noted ).

 

Those were the days.

 

In a separate post I mentioned that I once cut into a Devon holiday to take the first Mrs Dalestyke to a first Round first leg League Cup tie between Exeter and Walsall. It ended 0-0 and she wasn't very impressed. More recently I took the current Mrs Dalestyke out for Valentine's Day to Crawley V Barnsley. We didn't fare too well in that game either (to put it mildly) but the relationship is hanging on.

I'm trying to think of something suitable for next season. Maybe I should just take her to a home game to put paid to the notion "You're always going out on a Saturday enjoying yourself." I've tried to explain the reality but seeing is believing.

 

I get it, I think the simple answer is that it’s a lifestyle thing, much more than the actual game. It just becomes ‘what they do’.

And I’m saying ‘they’ cos I couldn’t sit on a coach for hours for a game of football.

 

Forest Green sounds quite romantic.

 

Went to Plymouth and back on the coach with my dad and brother for a cup tie mid nineties. Never again.

 

Is it ,it gives people a purpose in life,a tribal identity

 

It used to do that for me. Then it waters down over the years. Eventually you realise that there's more to life than Barnsley F.C. It can be quite therapeutic.

 

Sadly, i don't find the ol' footy special anymore!
Way too money orientated, and the majority of players lack personality!
It's not the sport i grew up loving.

 

Went to Paignton (torbay) for hols and we'd a friendly against Tiverton or Taunton ( might have been neither lol. T'owd memory bank failing) midweek of second week of hol. I drove up to exeter to have a look round during the day. Intending to drive up to the game later. I picked up a free local newspaper and they'd played the bugger the night before. at the request of Barnsley the week before if I remember rightly.
Chuffbags.

 

No but off next weekend lol.