Shirley Woolner

Why Blue?

It is all down to Mars Bars! I am writing this on behalf of my two children, now aged 11 and 9, who are true Blues, despite being born in the football backwater of Suffolk and coming from a divided family. How I came to marry a Red, I don’t know, but there was always an unstated understanding (my understanding at least) that any children should be brought up as Blues. So when my son and daughter were born, as my husband registered their birth, I registered them as Junior Blues. However, despite receiving the Junior Blues magazine on a regular basis, it was not until a very wet day in Swindon that I could honestly say that they became confirmed City supporters.

Although my son went to his first match at the age of 7 months to watch City play Crystal Palace, the first memory both he and my daughter have of seeing the beloved team was 4 years ago. Having moved to Gloucestershire and with the children now old enough to attend a football match without the aid of push chairs etc., we decided to go and see City at our nearest Nationwide football ground – Swindon. However, after sitting through torrential, driving rain in the uncovered stand and seeing the Blues lose, I thought that all my hard work had gone to waste. How could two children, surrounded by school friends (never mind their own dad), supporting successful teams and visiting glamorous locations, ever continue to follow City after such a miserable afternoon? As we drudged back to the station, our legs and bodies sodden with rain, my heart heavy with the feeling of failure, two City supporters came out of a newsagents, carrying a Mars Bar each. When they saw the dejected faces of my two children, they immediately handed over their chocolate saying ‘Here, you deserve this’. At the sight of the Mars Bars their faces lit up and they suddenly realised what supporting a football team like City really means – the spirit of friendship in the face of adversity – or maybe it was however bad things are, there is always something to enjoy. After that day, they faced many more disappointments before they experienced the joy but their allegiance to City has never faltered.

As for their dad, he must be one of the very few Reds outside Manchester who finds himself in a minority. However, there is one drawback – having to pay for three tickets every time I want to go to a match is proving to be very expensive. Roll on the time when they are earning a living and can pay for their own tickets!

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #657 on