Happy New Season folks!
We’re back!
Happy New Season. What a way to start! New keeper in, old keeper out – literally OUT! Several other new signings to boot. The “Exciting New” stadium (like the “Magnificient New East Stand” in 1993) already underway. Pre season in USA and the Boyle Cup game in Ireland at the fantastic venue of Croke Park! Let’s hope that our involvement in the Boyle Cup lasts a little longer than the doomed Whyte and Mackay Cup in the 2000s. If you weren’t around then, it lasted one game! Hibs away.
Although paid work and family commitments meant I couldn’t attend, Croke Park would have been a ground to see. Ancestral home and HQ of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) , Gaelic football and hurling. From humble beginnings in 1884 as the Jones’ Road sports ground, bought by the GAA in 1913 and renamed in honour of Archbishop Thomas Croke in 1913. Home of THE famous Rule 42. No foreign sport should ever be played on it’s (GAA) properties. Eventually amended in 2005 to allow other sports like rugby and other football by GAA Congress. Following the ban on it’s members being allowed to attend other sports being lifter earlier in the 20th century.
The Secretary has been there to watch a couple of Gaelic (proper) football games at the old Croke Park before it’s massive redevelopment. Games permitting, I’d like to go there and watch a game one day.
Back to it
After a prolonged time away, not of my own making, the season starts this weekend, at an away game at 3pm! Yes, I said it. 1st game of the season, away, 3pm on a Saturday. Woo hoo! Happy New Season!
Cup game away (boo) at the same ground three days later, and then the announcement of three changes Arse away 12.30pm (but at least still on a Saturday), Sc*m at home 2pm on the Sunday and the Mackems away now 4.30pm on the Sunday. Not quite a happy new season. But this won’t be the last intervention of the true Gods of Football, SkyTVisf**kings**t, BT or TNT as they are now called, and Amazon. Depending on how we get on in both the League and the Cups (both Cups with any luck), they’ll be more changes afoot. The BBC and ITV will also get in on the conversation, sooner rather than later. Give it a few more years, and it’ll be Netflix too.
Happy New Start
The branch is now in it’s 31st year as the Harrogate & District Leeds United Supporters Club. The Harrogate branch itself has been in existence since the 80s in some form or another. Initially just as arranged transport for away games. Morphing into home (some choice visits to the Kirkstall Lights!!!) and away travel (including European travel +/- UF tours) and then more recently (2000) just away travel.
Patterning really how Leeds United, and generally football, has changed over the last 40 years or so. In the beginning, League football started small and local. A bit of a niche sport in the 80s, only certain groups of people were attracted to the terraces. Hardly any games sold out in those days. That was with pay on the gate as well. Plus, it wasn’t accessible unless you were there or read the papers. TV companies got involved in 90s, money got into the game in Europe early 2000s, global explosion followed. The rest is history.
The old beginnings
However, this 25 year period has been the longest consistent one. The current Secretary, in fact Committee, has now been in place since 2000 and is the longest consistent core Committee the branch has ever had.
People (Committee members as well as branch members) have flitted in and out since the 80s. Moreover, as with any organisation, people grow older, priorities change, work changes and money obviously comes into it. People move to other towns, people emigrate to other countries, and family life comes first. On (double!) relegation in 2000s we lost a lot of members. During the Bielsa years and when we got promoted, we acquired more and we’ve had some old faces return. There are also differences in opinion which can cause division. It happens. We learn and move on.
Everyone has got to start somewhere
I genuinely thought in 1993 that eventually I would grow up, so I needed to enjoy everything while it lasted. I threw everything, money, annual leave, my liver (!) into those glory years after promotion. I’d just finished at uni and managed to scrape a few home and aways in within the limits of my student grant before I splashed out on my first season ticket. For those of you who don’t know what a student grant was I’ll explain. Grants were what we got from the Government if we were academically clever enough to go to uni but our parents couldn’t afford it. I qualified with a 2.2 (Desmond), got a job that summer and bought my first season ticket with my first pay cheque. I joined the branch years later in 96 and basically, I’m still here. Never grown up then!
Back to the old days
To give you a bit of insight, in 70’s / 80’s Thatcher’s Britain education was different. At 16 you either were clever enough to do O levels or not, so you took CSEs instead. If you did O levels and you could hack staying in school a bit longer, you went to Sixth form. If you did CSEs, you went onto college to do a B Tec or HND (Kitson / Park Lane if you lived in Leeds) or got a job. In Sixth form, you chose 3 subjects and were forced to do General Studies. By the time you did your mocks, you’d been to the careers officer who advised you whether to try for a place at uni or just aim low and go for a polytechnic.
Leeds Poly? Great place! I eventually got to Uni, worked my rear end off. Still some great gigs at the Poly though when I could afford it. But at that time, The Duchess was better!
Back to it
Anyway, like anyone embarking on any adventure, you’re always a bit hesitant at the start. Football was and still is, an adventure. My first away was quite a start! This is another story, for another time. But, the branch has always been very welcoming, to many waifs and strays. Everyone has to start somewhere. Once I started going, I got used to seeing the same faces week in week out, and I knew that I was hooked. The same faces meant consistency and more importantly, they had your back, as you looked after your own at away grounds. Whatever you got up to! So once again I’ll say, Happy New Season to all current and potential new members. I hope this is a new start for all of you.
Keeping it real
The pattern is the same with the Leeds United fan base. There’s a fortunate few who have been able to afford season tickets / away season tickets for 30+ years. Season tickets were not essential until recently. Remember in the Cellino years, in 2016 season ticket holders were offered the 15,000 ST renewals by June, top 6 place or 50% back?
We came 16th (?) I think and we got our refund, but only 25% as 15,000 eventually renewed. For the unbelievers https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/how-many-season-tickets-will-leeds-united-sell-by-sunday-and-how-much-will-fans-get-back-if-they-dont-make-play-offs-1794153
These lucky souls are what makes up the core of the (certainly away) fanbase. In 1993 we barely had mobile phones, let alone UHD camera phones capable of making small movies. Thanks to T’Internet, every single minute of matchday is now captured and plastered all over social media for the whole world to see. People who we only ever saw on Saturday at football or in the pub are now superstar super fans across the globe. The conversations that we only ever had in the pub or at the game are now 24/7 thanks to Noseybook, Twitter, Instagram etc. and to people all over the world. Football has truly become a 24 hour global experience.
Times have changed, so have we.
Now, no one has to wait till match day for that pre match analysis of the team selection and game plan or post match forensic dissection and dissemination. The last bus home is no longer the end of the discussion. In fact discussion and debate, opinion and counter opinion, it never ends. Thanks to the like of SkyTVisf**kings**t and social media, football never stops. It can, and will take over your entire life. Sometimes, it is not necessarily a good thing. When you get to the point where football becomes life encompassing, and your life is on public view for the world, something else has to give.
I must admit, I am so glad that my early years following Leeds were not all documented for all the world to see. We did some stuff back then when we were young. Times have changed. It’s not like it used to be and in some ways, that is a good thing. Like the song says, “regrets – I’ve had a few ….. but I did it my way!”
Meet the gang
But we’re not living in the past anymore. It sometimes helps though to reflect back to remind ourselves how far we have come. This keeps us grounded. We’re all grateful for all that we had.
With that in mind, seeing as it is the 31st year, I thought I’d introduce you to the Committee. Here’s a photo of us back in 1996 or around that time. Chairman Charley, everyone knows. He’s one of the most famous faces on Facebook, having maxxed out his followers and friends.
Charley is the public face of Harrogate & District LUSC. The rest of us, well, we really aren’t that bothered with publicity and never have been. We’ve very little to say to be honest. Unless you ask me about the ticketing system at Leeds United over the last 20 years. I won’t shut up then. On that subject, I can go on ad infinitum. However, we don’t much feel the need to be seen and talked about at games. It’s enough just to be there supporting the team
But, after 12 years of doing this website, here is The Secretary, Paul McManus, the Membership Secretary Roy Flynn and me, the Comms Officer Lai in one collaged photo. With a smiling Chairman Charley Megginson. We look a bit older now, and are probably that little bit wiser than we were 30 years ago.
Welcome and happy new season!
