What made us 'Collingwood people'? from '01 - Add your story

[Nutmeg]

This has been a great read....
I'm another family type - both parents are pies, mum purely by chance (she grew up in Nth Balwyn) dad cos of his dad and grandfather. He had uncles play for Richmond and Melbourne, but stuck with the pies. Irish catholic-working-class background so what else could he do?
Don't remember 1990 - I was seven and at a friend's house. Her dad (a scum supporter) was watching it and me and my friend watched bits of it (i converted her to pies in conjunction with her grandparents!) but living 300km from Melbourne I didn't realy get into it.
There was a time when we didn't even get commercial telly, but me and my bro and sis always had pie jumpers, and my bro was pretty obsessed. we used to kick a soft football he'd made around the back room - collingwood1 vs collingwood2 and both of us had 35 on our jumpers.
First game at age 12 (1995) and we pumped St Blunda by 12 goals on a Fri night at the g. Never got to see a game at Viccy park - I'd only been to five games before I moved to the city (2001) cos it required so much organisation to get down etc.

It's amazing how many people here have followed the pies without ever being to games etc. I now try and recruit as many foreigners as possible to the black-and-white: I have friends in Germany who wear their Magpies scarves all winter!!!

[Troppo]

[RudeBoy]

[Mike]

We used to get Loys soft drinks delivered in Canterbury in the 70s Rudeboy, but not to Monomeath Ave, we weren't quite in that social strata - how about Highfield Rd? Was that you?

[skaman]

[joffa corfe]

[Mike]

You're never going to let it go are you Joffa?

You were there... you were in Canterbury when I was and no amount of Northern/Western suburbs speak will get you ot of it.

Actually, I can do that stuff too. I also lived in Southernhay St in Reservoir in the 70s and worked at Preston Motors in Preston. Can I be working class now please? Go on. No? Oh well it was worth a try.

We did get Loys delivered in Canterbury though... I remember that... even if most of my other memories are starting to dim somewhat.

[colin_wood]

was never so lucky to get the home delivery suger water....sigh

[makri]

Never had much choice but to follow Collingwood.

The story goes that when my mum came from Greece in the 60's her family settled in Abbotsford. Mum, with her two brothers, went to school at Victoria Park Primary.

Curiosity finally got the better my uncles who would wonder what was all that noise was taht was coming from the ground in Lulie Street on a Saturday afternoon. Growing up knowing only soccer they assumed that it must have been a soccer match.

Inside Victoria Park they were confronted with this strange game, no round ball, no nets no sleeves on the jumpers! But after a few more games the game was learnt and Collingwood adopted as the team of choice.

When you look at it, it's funny that the footy influence comes from mum's side. My dad, although he is from a Greek background, was born here but never really got into the footy. He grew up playing soccer and following the South Melbourne Soccer Club.

Shit I might have been a Swan!!

[raymond35]

Theres so much on here i'm going to take a couple of visits to read it all.

I dont know why i am a Collingwood supporter, its certainly not easy at times, but the sight of a great player in black and white is an awesome sight. For some reason seeing Peter McKenna, Len Thompson and Wayne and Max Richardson on the field inspired fanatical following in me. It is something that you never lose.
The only thing i love more than Collingwood is my son, and when i take him to see the pies for the first time at the MCG during the next year, it will be very interesting to see if he supports them or not. Either way, i want him to see the other thing in my life that has meant so much to his dad, and maybe he will become one of us.
Who knows.

[2 PIES IN CAIRNS]

For those who haven't bothered to go back to page 1 of this thread, I reckon the following deserves an airing.

[melissa]

I was a late bloomer, my entire family on my father's side barracked for the Pies, and although i liked them i was never really that into football as a kid. Got interested as a teen though, watching Hawthorn in the eighties i had a crush on Gary Ayres, so I followed the Hawkes for a while, albeit halfheartedly. I had to admit that although i was a Hawkes supporter, Collingwood was fast becoming a favourite team and it wasn't because of any individual player. Its not exactly something you can put into words. Every time I watched a Collingwood game, win or lose, I felt a kind of pull toward becoming a Pie supporter. My first game was the Qualifying final replay between the Pies and WCE at Waverly in 1990. We sat amongst a crowd of Collingwood supporters and the atmosphere was magic. I really felt like a part of something huge and yet, down-to-earth and welcoming. It was like I was part of a really, really big extended family. It's the way I've felt ever since. The win was a major bonus!
I became a Pie through and through after watching the 1990 Grand Final and seeing my dad and his brothers, my brother and cousin Dave sing the song, arm in arm in a circle like the players do in the rooms, tears in their eyes and grins on their faces that wouldn't go away for at least a week. Or maybe two. I didn't want to be seen as a bangwagoner so i pretended to barrack for Hawthorn for about six months after that fateful October day but when Darren Millane died, I was devastated and that kind of clinched it for me. My dad looked at my face and said "We got her", to my brother and I'm pleased to say they did, after all! I celebrated twelve years of barracking for Collingwood by getting a tattoo of Jock One Eyed McPie on my shoulderblade. I'm now a proud Pie supporter for life.
I'm proud to say my daughters are both Collingwood, and I'm well on my way to converting the Better Half. Just a couple of games should do the trick....

[Mike]

[warburton lad]

My grandfather came out from the UK in the early 1920's and eanrt a few bob as a boundary umpire (VFL). He followed the pies cos they wore the same top as his soccer team in wales.

When my dad was about 5 , my grandfather was a goal umpire (VFL) and used to sneak my dad in behind the goals at one end of the ground where he was goal umpiring. My father who is still alive remembers (vaguely) the Coventrys, Colliers, Regan, Fothergill Todd, all the greats of the time.

Dad never pushed me to barrack for the Pies- he didn't have to. In the 60's I recall the matches against the Tigers under Hafey and the 1970 GF was a bitter, bitter day.

Cried for a week in '72 when Greening went down against the Saints, went to both 77 gF's against North- we should have won them both- and 79 & 80.

Was rapt when Tommy coached us and bitter when he got the sack!

Took the video out of the VCR and smashed it withan axe in 1981 when we played Moore who was not fit.

Signed up with the New Magpies when Ranald Macdonald took over the club.

Put $100 wen it lookt like we would fold in the 1980's.

Cried tears of joy in 1990, and tears of despair in 2002, 2003.

Have endured years of ridicule from other clubs supporters, remember and have been to many games at the grounds at Windy Hill, Lake Oval, Junction Oval, Arden Street, Glennferrie, Waverley.

Seen our greats (Tuddy, Thommo, Billy Picken, Daicos, Millane, Brown, Bucks) in games and at training, rain, hail or shine.

Celebrated pumping victories and mourned savage beatings. Been swept up by the roaring chants of "Collingwood, Collingwood" through the old Southern Stand at the 'G' in all the big games. Hairs still stand on end at the memories.

Seen our very best, and some of our worst and WOULDN'T CHANGE TEAMS FOR ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD!!!

Go you Mighty Magnificent Magpie Machine.

[okjoe]

Does anyone really read all this. But for the record my father grew up in Collingwood. He watched them go thru their paces at night on the training field, sold the footy fixtures at the games in the 1940's. If we weren't balck & white would of been put on the adoption list quick smart. There was never any question. And now a very close person from our family is extremely associated with the Pies. Like a dream true more than you could ever imagine would happen. So proud