How did you become a Demon?

[Phil C 728]

Dad grew up in Norwood and supported the Redlegs. When he started watching VFL it was simply that the Demons are the same colours. 

[Little Goffy 14,522]

It went something along the lines of “Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours. I will be it.”

But really, my grandad allegedly played reserves for the Demons between the wars. Allegedly. Oh, so, so, very very allegedly.

[praha 11,240]

All this thread had told me is that I'm probably the youngest person on here.

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,118]

11 hours ago, biggestred said:

Its the off season, its midnight and i cant sleep and got suddenly curious as to how we all became dees. For me it was my cousins who were up the road who are all mad dees and that was 35 years ago and the rest is history. So how did you end up a dee?

Thanks, B'red, as confessor, and all you confessees.

In passing, I'm increasingly struck by how many of my contemporaries are on 'Land. I'd thought foruming was a younger person's pursuit, but go us!

Anyway, the 1950s were, as Dickens had it, ...'the best of times...[and then] the worst of times' to be born, Dees support wise. Six premierships in just over the first 10 years of my life. And a 50-year MCC member for a grandfather, for regular free entry as a 'Lady'. And if a sealer was needed? 'Twinkle Toes' RDB.

(p.s. Have since brought three 1980s kids along with me. Thank heavens for 2021! Our stars of the 90s, then the successful alignment with then-local Sandy, two blocks up the road, also helped during flighty childhoods and 'meh' adolescences!)

Edited December 11, 2023 by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

[Palace Dees 2,311]

Inherited from father. Only many years later did I find out how he became one. Our neighbours across the road were Melbourne which I thought was just coincedental.  It seems my father was a Footscray supporter, despite once being on the Collingwood supplementary list. I'm unsure he even pulled on a Collingwood jumper though, tbh. He was a Preston player and post career involved in coaching the 3rds and 2nds, so the VFA was his focus.

Anyway, the neighbour convinced Dad to go to a match at the MCG to see the Dees and he told me the MCG was so much better to watch footy at, that he switched.  Pretty superficial reason I thought, but a sliding doors moment I'm glad happened. ❤️💙

[DeelightfulPlay 2,548]

My maternal grandma arrived in Perth from England and decided on the Dees because they were winning.  7 or so years later, she moved to Melbourne and became one of the first women members of the MFC!  

Growing up, my siblings and I learnt it was best to avoid mum after a bad loss because she'd be so grumpy.  As I've gotten older (and we've become more successful), I've adopted that grumpiness as my own.  We're the most superstitious about games in the family (and accidentally missed the Bamg Bang Bang of 2021 because we skipped the final 3 mins of that quarter to go pack the dishwasher / toilet the dogs... reinforcement that us watching was the issue).

Dad's a Dee supporter too - but I don't know how that came about given everyone else in his family follows Carlton.  As a kid, I used to think the "keep your eyes on the red and the blues" in our song referred to Carlton being our second team because of this haha

[Fork 'em 6,983]

12 hours ago, Beetle said:

The rest is history and I was born with a hand knitted red and blue jumper.

It’s a love hate relationship.

The old man was a mad Melbourne supporter.
I was welcome to change clubs but I'd have to move out he always said.

And I too have a love hate relationship with the club.

[Tracca 850]

someone gave me $5 in year 3 at lunch time to go for the Dees. Im still mates with him today :)

[Demon Disciple 12,119]

Dad signed me up as a member before I was even born. He supported the Dees because of his older brother.

I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t need a choice.

[napster 191]

5 hours ago, chook fowler said:

Birth trauma - forceps too vigorously applied.

If there was any brain injury it must have been temporary, otherwise you’d have ended up barracking for Collingwood.

[Fritta and Turner 4,403]

My maternal grandmother followed Carlton but when her son (my uncle) started playing district cricket for the MCC the family moved over to the demons.

My father followed Prahran and was happy to swap to the Dees in the glory days. When that ended he was the first to stop going, for which my mum never forgave.

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,118]

More great stories. Keep em coming!

[Colm 2,151]

Came over from Ireland about 15 years ago.After learning about Jim Stynes and all he had done on and off the field it was a pretty easy choice to follow the Dees

[640MD 3,375]

2 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

But really, my grandad allegedly played reserves for the Demons between the wars. Allegedly. Oh, so, so, very very allegedly.

Grand fathers   and    GranMa's  are always to be believed,  no matter the stretch      Wonderful people

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Deeko2 said:

I was seven years old.

I went home that night and cut 2 straight lines out of white t-shirt and got some wood glue and tried to apply them to the back for my magnificent number 11.  Sadly, the glue didn't work

 

Bless

🥹

[Demongirl35 1,053]

My late grandfather went to his first game as a late teenager ( was born overseas) and it was melbourne V Collingwood. His friends all went for Collingwood and said he needs to pick a team, his friends assumed he’d pick Collingwood but he wanted to be different and picked Melbourne. Then his kids went for Melbourne and now us grandkids are all Melbourne and my baby has no choice but to go for Melbourne! 

[Ethan Tremblay 30,856]

I just came across this board one day and started posting. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Ethan Tremblay

[Guest]

I’ve told my story on DL before but why not tell it again, amirite 😁

When I was 7yo my family emigrated to Aus. My older brothers immediately chose Carlton as their team, all us younger siblings naturally followed. My eldest brother was the most passionate and since I adored him so much I was just as passionate… outwardly, anyways. Truth is, the first time I saw Melbourne play (vs Carlton, of course) it was love at first sight. I still don’t know why but there was no denying it. No way could I tell my siblings, especially my beloved older brother… it would’ve broken his heart. So for 20 years I masqueraded as a Blues supporter. I went to every Carlton H&A match and countless finals. I wore navy and white everything. It wasn’t until my brother passed away (tragically at a young age) that I “came out” as a Dees supporter. This caused much confusion and uneasiness throughout the family. One brother didn’t speak to me for six months.

Anyways, I’m still as crazy in love with the Dees as I always was, but I don’t ever have to hide it again. 🥳

PS I told this story to a gay friend of mine and he said, “geez WCW, I thought I had a tough time coming out!” 😅

[Rab D Nesbitt 8,367]

As an immigrant it was the nickname / logo and club colours that drew me as well as the name of the city I'd moved to. Although we were in our royal blue period at the time and sucked big time as a team. 

 

 

[Katrina Dee Fan 3,661]

Born into it.  Dad was a massive Melbourne supporter, and all of Mum's family Hawthorn.  We could pretty much choose who we wanted to barrack for when we were kids, my brother and I both chose Melbourne, my sister Hawthorn.  I think I chose Melbourne for the following reasons:

- I idolised my big brother, and I pretty much copied everything he did;

- I was Daddy's little girl, and worshipped the ground he walked on;

- Even as a kid, I figured Dad was more into footy than Mum was, and if I had much of a chance of going to the footy, I best choose his team;

- I did waiver a little in the late 70s in later primary school years, mainly because kids in my class laughed when I said I barracked for Melbourne, but then I figured that because my primary school colours were brown and yellow, I had enough poo and wee in my life already.

2024 marks 39 years of being a Melbourne member.  I'm pretty much dyed in the wool now.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Katrina Dee Fan

[Young Blood 2,620]

Like other family ties.

Grandad played two games for the Dees in 1927. Went on to captain the Zebras and had some success there.

[Timothy Reddan-A'Blew 5,118]

Other interesting stuff (re?)unfolding here: a strong immigrant component to the Demonland siblinghood; and, the possibility of a Demonlander forebears 'Team of the Century'?

[ElDiablo14 4,998]

15 hours ago, biggestred said:

Its the off season, its midnight and i cant sleep and got suddenly curious as to how we all became dees. For me it was my cousins who were up the road who are all mad dees and that was 35 years ago and the rest is history. So how did you end up a dee?

I arrived in Australia back in 2015. I am originally from Mexico.

I am a sports junkie so of course I started to check the local "eccenttric" sports (eccentric to me at least 😬).

Found AFL and started following in 2016.

Then 2017 comes and I decided I had to choose a team, and the natural choice for me was the Demons since my hometown's soccer team nickname is Red Devils. Besides I love the colours 💙♥️.

[chook fowler 19,458]

2 hours ago, napster said:

If there was any brain injury it must have been temporary, otherwise you’d have ended up barracking for Collingwood.

funny you should say that. I didn't get on with my old man so I became a Dee supporter to p--- him off -and it did. Job done.

[Tarax Club 3,904]

No blueblood Demon dynasty in my family affiliations l’m afraid. Reason l’m a Dees supporter is probably due to Dr Don Cordner, giving a group of young neophyte nurses tickets to attend the footy at the ‘G. My mother was training to be a nurse at the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne at the time and was a recipient of of Don Cordner’s largesse.

Fast forward to the Ronald Dale’s appearances on the Tarax Show live at the Channel 9 Studio in Richmond. Although the only time l saw him play was at Princess Park, my Dad was a Blues supporter.

Of my three daughters only the youngest is a true red and blue Demon. But we both enjoyed the pleasurable catharsis from MFCSS by attending the 2021 Grand Final  together.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Tarax Club