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Player Valuation: £500k
I just wanted to post this up after reflecting on my son’s first visit to the HDS to watch our club on his 11th birthday.
My son is of the techy / indoors generation and he was mildly enthusiastic about an 8-hour round trip up North and even asked me if we had to stay for the whole game if it was boring.
He had no idea what a special day was in-store for us both and what turned out to be the perfect match in our breathtaking new stadium (Illy being fit was great as well), he seemed unconvinced when I told him that ‘once Everton has touched you’…
His first ever game, the scene set by an exemplary minutes silence for our fallen hero’s, experiencing the raw passion of our fans and his own (3 offside goals, live VAR and questionable refereeing decisions, certainly played havoc with his emotions) he loved the standing ovation for Barry, the rocking South stand (we were close by in the East) and as a boy from the rural south, he also hadn’t experienced the wide variety of randomly screamed expletives before, which he found hilarious
Early on in the match he asked me why it was a bit quiet and everyone so nervous. I explained how important match-day was for the fans, how much of their hard earned money was spent supporting Everton and how desperate we all are for a win on a Saturday, which could make the whole week a lot brighter and how sometimes it’s nice to just watch but to make sure you are vocal when the team needs you.
As a 47 year old Southern toffee since I was 8yo, which I chose for no other reason than because everyone at my school supported LFC and who for some reason I had an inbuilt dislike for, it was heartwarming to see my son instantly fall in love with our special club and supporters. For now, he doesn’t need to know what we’ve all been through these past years and I’m hopeful that his time supporting the club will be so much happier and positive.
For many Evertonians I guess watching a match is almost part of the weekly routine but I hope you appreciate how lucky you are to be so near to our new home and I hope you still occasionally feel that magic and wonder, as if you were watching the game through a child’s eyes for the first time.
It’s a 4 hour commute from down south but he’s already been searching up (easier) matches to come and watch. We look forward to returning soon. UTFT
My son is of the techy / indoors generation and he was mildly enthusiastic about an 8-hour round trip up North and even asked me if we had to stay for the whole game if it was boring.
He had no idea what a special day was in-store for us both and what turned out to be the perfect match in our breathtaking new stadium (Illy being fit was great as well), he seemed unconvinced when I told him that ‘once Everton has touched you’…
His first ever game, the scene set by an exemplary minutes silence for our fallen hero’s, experiencing the raw passion of our fans and his own (3 offside goals, live VAR and questionable refereeing decisions, certainly played havoc with his emotions) he loved the standing ovation for Barry, the rocking South stand (we were close by in the East) and as a boy from the rural south, he also hadn’t experienced the wide variety of randomly screamed expletives before, which he found hilarious
Early on in the match he asked me why it was a bit quiet and everyone so nervous. I explained how important match-day was for the fans, how much of their hard earned money was spent supporting Everton and how desperate we all are for a win on a Saturday, which could make the whole week a lot brighter and how sometimes it’s nice to just watch but to make sure you are vocal when the team needs you.
As a 47 year old Southern toffee since I was 8yo, which I chose for no other reason than because everyone at my school supported LFC and who for some reason I had an inbuilt dislike for, it was heartwarming to see my son instantly fall in love with our special club and supporters. For now, he doesn’t need to know what we’ve all been through these past years and I’m hopeful that his time supporting the club will be so much happier and positive.
For many Evertonians I guess watching a match is almost part of the weekly routine but I hope you appreciate how lucky you are to be so near to our new home and I hope you still occasionally feel that magic and wonder, as if you were watching the game through a child’s eyes for the first time.
It’s a 4 hour commute from down south but he’s already been searching up (easier) matches to come and watch. We look forward to returning soon. UTFT
