Elizabeth Mitchell

Why Blue?

Because I was born into a family that is Blue.

Because I can still remember the first time I climbed the steps in Maine Road and saw the ground, floodlit in a November night: breath frozen in the evening air, a crescendo of cheering as I entered the stand at the same time the team ran on to the pitch.

Because team posters hung on my bedroom wall in competition with Starsky and Hutch, but I still have the City ones.

Because wherever I go in the world and I mention Manchester, I still get a thrill when I tell people I am not a Utd fan.

Because I worked in Stretford for four years – a Blue island in a blood-red sea of baloney.

Because a football team is for life, not just for successful times.

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #545 on