How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:00 am  

For some pre-season interest - tell me your tale - here is mine;

Its December 1963 and I sat alongside a lad called Michael Greenhough in school - he was mad keen on Bradford Northern.
Every Art lesson the teacher gave us a subject - Michael Greenhough was a brilliant artist - but to the constant ire of the teacher - he used white, read, amber and black as his colour palette all the time.
It drove the teacher up the wall
That Christmas he gave us the nativity as the art subject and Michael did his usual ace drawing - and baby jesus's swaddling was white, red, amber and black. the teacher went ape

Michael attended the "Re-Birth" meeting held at St Georges Hall with his dad and after days, weeks and months of his going on about Rugby League and Northern - I got my Aunt and her husband to take me to a game (just to shut him up).
That was Northern V York in October 1964 - Northern won.
I was hooked from that day - the smell of wintergreen, closeness to the players, the endeavour and bravery of the players, coffee laced with whiskey, grabbing autographs on the walk from pitch to changing rooms....
Much has changed but my love of the game has never faltered since that day, Michael quit going as he grew up - but I didn't. He was responsible for a lifelong legacy!

Your turn now...

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:37 am  

Dad drifted away in the 70s. I played for Dudley Hill as a kid. There was regularly a guy there giving out free tickets. Went a few times, and then pester power took care of the rest.

That was about 1980. I wasn't completely consistent as a young teen but by about '89 or so it's been a constant.

[Pumpetypump]

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 10:28 am  

I was born in Bramley and my mum and dad went to watch them and sometimes Northern. Apparently when Bradford won the league in 80/81 I was carried around on the players shoulders in the bar afterwards. Although I don't remember it (I was about 3 or 4), eventually I was no longer in plain sight but after a slight panic in which my dad was wondering how to explain how he lost me to my mum, I was found chatting to the players somewhere across the bar.

My personal decision (as opposed to being taken by parents) to actively go watch Bradford despite living in East Leeds was in about 91 (the year Feath went down) and my mate and I rang up to ask how much Season Tickets were. They were so astonished that anyone in Leeds wanted to watch Northern that they sent us two free ones. That act of kindness cemented the love affair.

It would have been much easier growing up in East Leeds to have not been a Northern fan, but I don't regret it for a second obviously.

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 10:36 am  

Came to Bradford in 1992. A number of the contractors & consultants we employed did hospitality there. It would have been churlish not to partake.

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:00 am  

My dad took me to Odsal form when I was about 2 in a pushchair as he walked up. When I was old enough I walked up with him and we sat on the rotting wooden bench seats at the front on the then 'New Stand'. When I was school age I started going with my mates and have been ever since. Did the same with my kids and now grandkids but never did wear the flat cap which was mandatory in my dads day.

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:34 am  

My father took me and my brother from being around 7 or 8 I would guess. Later when I was older I cycled to Odsal from Cleckheaton . I was one of the 300 and odd who attended the last home match before we folded in 1963, and one of the 15000 plus when we reopened against Hull KR. (So I guess I have seen a few financial calamities) Been going ever since. I took my son from him being able to toddle, and he now is taking his children.

Errol Stock - how your name brings back memories. I remember him coming to Northern with Garth Budge. Errol became my hero, how I wanted to play like him! My other hero was Lionel Williamson, who played with his socks rolled down round his ankles. When I played, my socks had to be round my ankles too!! Great post and brought back many memories. Thanks for that, but you have reminded me how ancient I now am.

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 11:54 am  

Got dragged along by some friends around Sept 1995 and told there were exciting things going to happen the name was changing from Northern to Bulls it was going to be the dawn of a new era for League.
I went along with a slightly jaundiced view coming from a Union background, anyway I was surprised at the space of Odsal also the fact that both sets of fans could mix and have some good banter without any fisticuffs, though the only time I saw any was when Worky Town visited and it was their own Fans fighting among themselves that happened on both visits before they dropped out of SL. Still I got hooked by the era of League and the entertainment during the first few years and was committed as a RAB before long.
Though my support has to be from a long distance these days I still support the Bulls with the same passion

[Bulliac]

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:09 pm  

Short and simple really - my dad took me from being a kid. That was around the early to middle 1950s, not that I remember much about the games and to be honest, as I believe I've admitted before, the main thing I remember is being told off by my dad for pulling old sauce [and other] bottles out of the old tip on which the Coral stand [or, "our conference and banqueting facility", as it is known these days..] stands.

It was never definite I would end up at Odsal though. My Grandfather was a dead keen Avenue fan and, with both clubs playing on Saturdays in those days, I would go with him when Northern weren't playing at home. I got to sit in the stand with my grandad....and got a meat pie at half time, so I gave up a right gravy train to stick to the Northern/Bulls. That kind of dedication should have got me a free ticket, I think..

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:38 pm  

BeechwoodBull wrote:

My father took me and my brother from being around 7 or 8 I would guess. Later when I was older I cycled to Odsal from Cleckheaton . I was one of the 300 and odd who attended the last home match before we folded in 1963, and one of the 15000 plus when we reopened against Hull KR. (So I guess I have seen a few financial calamities) Been going ever since. I took my son from him being able to toddle, and he now is taking his children.

Errol Stock - how your name brings back memories. I remember him coming to Northern with Garth Budge. Errol became my hero, how I wanted to play like him! My other hero was Lionel Williamson, who played with his socks rolled down round his ankles. When I played, my socks had to be round my ankles too!! Great post and brought back many memories. Thanks for that, but you have reminded me how ancient I now am.

Amazing BeechwoodBull! I have used Errol Stock as a sign on for the Totalrl.com/forums since 1995 and only one person on there ever knew of him (he asked if I was really him).
I also use it on Twitter - but on there it will never be picked up on.

So you are the first and only person who shares my memory to a tee (at least online). Errol Stock was my first ever true life hero, an excellent fullback who made an immediate impact on his arrival. When games were played with a smattering of snow on the pitch, both he and Garth Budge stood out a mile (sun tanned legs you see!). I think Garth Budge still watches most games - or at least when I saw him last at the back of the "new stand" a couple of years ago.

Some may class us as ancient - but as far as I am concerned - completely on the ball

Re: How Did You Become a Bulls (or Northern) Fan? : Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:45 pm  

I started to follow SL when it was first formed and shown on Sky as i was in the RAF Regiment at the time. i then decided to follow a team so i started with the first letter of the alphabet and Bradford was top of the list.
I now live in Silsden and have been a season ticket holder for the past 8 years COYB