Torquay Fans UK Origins

[Behind-the-Gulls]

Why do you think its "crap" to live down here Gaz?

[The Farmers Friend]

Croydon born, Paignton bred.

Mum's family are originally Londoners, most of whom moved to South Devon in the 1940s and 50s. My mum followed them for a spell but moved back to London, married my Israeli dad, then joined the rest of the family in Torquay a year after I was born. We moved to Paignton in 1974 and that's where I grew up and consider my hometown, for better or worse.

My grandparents were big football fans, nominally Charlton supporters, but they would follow their local non-league team, Bromley, as well as watch West Ham and even Millwall. I suppose in those pre-hooligan, pre-televised football days a lot of people were just happy to watch a game, even if it wasn't their team - an Evertonian mate of mine said her family and friends would happily watch Liverpool or Tranmere when Everton were away. Anyway, my gran and grandad carried on the habit and started supporting the Gulls when they moved here. I went to my first game in 1978. To begin with my brother and me both supported London clubs as well as Torquay (West Ham and Crystal Palace respectively) but that gradually waned until we were both one-club fans of United.

[chunkygull]

Croydon born, Paignton bred.

Mum's family are originally Londoners, most of whom moved to South Devon in the 1940s and 50s. My mum followed them for a spell but moved back to London, married my Israeli dad, then joined the rest of the family in Torquay a year after I was born. We moved to Paignton in 1974 and that's where I grew up and consider my hometown, for better or worse.
My grandparents were big football fans, nominally Charlton supporters, but they would follow their local non-league team, Bromley, as well as watch West Ham and even Millwall. I suppose in those pre-hooligan, pre-televised football days a lot of people were just happy to watch a game, even if it wasn't their team - an Evertonian mate of mine said her family and friends would happily watch Liverpool or Tranmere when Everton were away. Anyway, my gran and grandad carried on the habit and started supporting the Gulls when they moved here. I went to my first game in 1978. To begin with my brother and me both supported London clubs as well as Torquay (West Ham and Crystal Palace respectively) but that gradually waned until we were both one-club fans of United.

oy, thats twice, whats wrong with paignton? i wouldnt want to live anywhere else, but then again that probably says a lot about me. :Oops:

[bigleigh]

For me Andy was not born in the UK. Son of a british soldier I was born in what was then known as West Germany, neither of my parents were born in South Devon either, dad is from the black country, mum from Gainsboro.

Parents decided to settle in South Devon brought a house in Newton Abbot, father was posted to Oxford, I came to live in Newton abbot with the rest of the family, at the grand old age of 11, in 1980, moved in next door to a family of TUFC fans and was taken to my first game which was 2.5 home defeat to lincoln, and the bug was bitten.

Strange but indeed true.

I'm so sorry my family are to blame for the years of misery of following the gulls Dave =D
I remember that night well, we were truly awful that night but I always remember the linesman flagging for a foul which the referee gave the wrong way(Lincoln), when the linesman informed the ref it should be a Torquay free kick the ref just replied that he was having fish and chips on his way home that night, Unbelieveable.

[FavGull]

Born in Kent, moved to Torquay aged 4, onto Teignmouth aged 6 until leaving for uni at 18. Ended up back in Kent via Leeds and 5 years flying the exile flag in Japan.

[lucy6lucy]

Born in Liverpool, Moved to Wigan. Have no family connections to South west. The great escape against Crewe is the reason I support Torquay. Remember watching it on Grandstand and that was enough for me. Torquay is my only club, although I always look out for Berwick rangers results(yes I am weird). Got some stick at School, for supporting Torquay, considering Liverpool where winning everything back then.

[AustrianAndyGull]

It is developing into an interesting study this, nearly 20% of voters have NO connection to the area whatsoever so are we the Man Utd of league 2?!

I include myself in this, I worked and lived for a bit in St Columb, Cornwall and have always loved the West Country so my method was for me to cover my eyes, stick a pin on a map of Devon and the closest club to the pin would get my full, utter and totally passionate allegiance for the rest of my life. It could have been either of the 3 Devon clubs and you'll never know how close that pin came to me being a Greek! It landed just south of a village called Hennock near Bovey Tracy and give or take a mile or two I became a Gull. A bizarre story indeed.

I will move down to Devon at some point as that has been my plan for the last 10 years although it hasn't happened yet and may not for a while but i'll get there in the end. I must admit to feeling a total spare part when I first began going to games, I was a Yorkshireman who knew more about York City than TUFC, I didn't know anybody, didn't know too much about the club in all honesty and never really felt a part of things. I stuck with it though and I felt much better when I began getting involved in the singing every away game. I still didn't know anyone and had to sort of stand on the periphery but I began to gradually fit in and now I have lots of people i'm familiar with to stand with at games and I feel very much part of this great club.

I know I can never be a true Devonian but I'll do what I can do and i'm loving every minute of it even if we are a bit poo.

[coley in stripes]

Born Tottenham, North London. When I was about 10, my Dad told me that he had brought a few shares in Torquay United and the better they do, the more the shares would be worth......Been hoping every day since !

[happytorq]

oy, thats twice, whats wrong with paignton? i wouldnt want to live anywhere else, but then again that probably says a lot about me. :Oops:

It must be said that there is plenty wrong with both Paignton and Torquay - like so many people who grew up there, I moved away, and don't regret it. When I was in the Bay about 6 weeks ago, it confirmed a lot of why I left. It's always going to be a huge part of me, because that's where I was born and grew up, but there are so many things wrong with the place now that moving back doesn't bear thinking about. There aren't any good jobs and the council seems intent on fleecing you out of all of your money for very little in public services, for example.

There's a tendency to romanticise the place that you come from or live, and it's really only once you leave that you can get an appreciation for its faults. This is not to say that Torbay is a *bad* place; it isn't. I've been to plenty of places that are a lot worse, it's just that for a lot of people it doesn't suit them and they/we have to move elsewhere.

[hector]

My dad started taking me in the 79/80 season, my Dad, a TUFC obsessive,, being Torquay born and bred and lived here all his life, as was his dad before him, also a long-standing Torquay fan.

I grew up, like most kids, following a 'First Division' club and I loved Liverpool but once I saw the likes of Richard Bourne, Peter Coffill, Steve Cooper et al, it really became more Torquay. Growing up, I could sort of separate Liverpool and Torquay into different spheres and one didn't compromise my feelings for the other but gradually I grew out of supporting Liverpool to such an extent that I really started to to dislike them by the time Souness had finished managing them.

I left to live in London around '89 and barely got to watch Torquay, unless they were anywhere near London, which wasn't too often around then, unless it was Cup games. One year, I think I only got to watch them once. Pre-internet, I did begin to feel quite remote from the club (plus at a time when Bateson had people like Impey and Compton in charge, I felt slightly resentful) as I didn't know the players, would forget they were playing etc and by the time I returned to Devon around 94 and the play-off season, I felt a bit of an interloper on some parade I wasn't party.

From then on, I have been a season-ticket holder for most years, despite now living more in Exeter territory in East Devon.

Bizarrely, I think my favourite seasons have been the Conference years (not that I would want to go back there) and Cyril's first season because both of those eras seemed to signal a change in the fortunes and perception of TUFC.

[hector]

It must be said that there is plenty wrong with both Paignton and Torquay - like so many people who grew up there, I moved away, and don't regret it. When I was in the Bay about 6 weeks ago, it confirmed a lot of why I left. It's always going to be a huge part of me, because that's where I was born and grew up, but there are so many things wrong with the place now that moving back doesn't bear thinking about. There aren't any good jobs and the council seems intent on fleecing you out of all of your money for very little in public services, for example.

There's a tendency to romanticise the place that you come from or live, and it's really only once you leave that you can get an appreciation for its faults. This is not to say that Torbay is a *bad* place; it isn't. I've been to plenty of places that are a lot worse, it's just that for a lot of people it doesn't suit them and they/we have to move elsewhere.

I have never had much affinity with Brixham or Paignton but I agree with what you say. Whilst I don't live too far from Torquay (35 miles or so), I never feel, when I go back there, which is frequent enough, that I would want to live there again...I often feel there is a slight edge to Torquay these days.

[chunkygull]

by happytorq » 26 minutes ago

It must be said that there is plenty wrong with both Paignton and Torquay - like so many people who grew up there, I moved away, and don't regret it. When I was in the Bay about 6 weeks ago, it confirmed a lot of why I left. It's always going to be a huge part of me, because that's where I was born and grew up, but there are so many things wrong with the place now that moving back doesn't bear thinking about. There aren't any good jobs and the council seems intent on fleecing you out of all of your money for very little in public services, for example.

There's a tendency to romanticise the place that you come from or live, and it's really only once you leave that you can get an appreciation for its faults. This is not to say that Torbay is a *bad* place; it isn't. I've been to plenty of places that are a lot worse, it's just that for a lot of people it doesn't suit them and they/we have to move elsewhere.

cant disagree with the first bit. dont know about the second bit as ive always lived here, my family on both my mum and dads side goes back a lot of generations.

im not blinkered though, previous post was a bit tongue in cheek, i just wanted to know what others thought.
to be fair torquay gives me the shivers at times and i really dont like it day or night, i almost refused to work over there at one time, brixham i feel has improved and what has been written about paignton is bang on.

i can see easily why many people move away.even since i was a kid it is plain to see that many things arent what they were, torbay has become a strange place, a mass of contridictions, a complicated entity, those high up in office have a big time charlie attitude but we are still a short sighted, small thinking, narrow minded, behind the times place. dont get me started on the billy big bollocks bloody council.

it is true that there are many, many people who live in torbay that are not from here, many people from torbay do not live here and have moved on.

i wouldnt want to live anywhere else, i dont like change and like i said my family is here and from what i hear and read, even on here ( andys matchday threads possibly :~D ) about places north of here, it could be much, much worse.

[lucy6lucy]

It is developing into an interesting study this, nearly 20% of voters have NO connection to the area whatsoever so are we the Man Utd of league 2?!

I include myself in this, I worked and lived for a bit in St Columb, Cornwall and have always loved the West Country so my method was for me to cover my eyes, stick a pin on a map of Devon and the closest club to the pin would get my full, utter and totally passionate allegiance for the rest of my life. It could have been either of the 3 Devon clubs and you'll never know how close that pin came to me being a Greek! It landed just south of a village called Hennock near Bovey Tracy and give or take a mile or two I became a Gull. A bizarre story indeed.

I will move down to Devon at some point as that has been my plan for the last 10 years although it hasn't happened yet and may not for a while but i'll get there in the end. I must admit to feeling a total spare part when I first began going to games, I was a Yorkshireman who knew more about York City than TUFC, I didn't know anybody, didn't know too much about the club in all honesty and never really felt a part of things. I stuck with it though and I felt much better when I began getting involved in the singing every away game. I still didn't know anyone and had to sort of stand on the periphery but I began to gradually fit in and now I have lots of people i'm familiar with to stand with at games and I feel very much part of this great club.

I know I can never be a true Devonian but I'll do what I can do and i'm loving every minute of it even if we are a bit poo.

Andy you have opened a very interesting thread, I mean why are currently 21% of our forum members supporting Torquay when they have never lived there. Its bizarre to say the very least. It would be worth adding another question in your poll, how many of these 21% support Torquay through holidays etc. I do not fall into this equation but how many L2 clubs have this unique support.

[RussianGull]

Devon parents and family, moved around due to Dad being in the forces, ended up in Lincolnshire.

Returned to Devon to study (to watch the Gulls every other Saturday..) and continue to spread the good word of Torquay United across the globe!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Good point Lucy and that is why I support a devon club. I've always loved the area and have always wanted to live down here (which I did briefly but had to move back sadly). To be honest Cornwall is my favourite, such a beautiful county but Devon comes a close second and there aren't any pro footy clubs to support in Cornwall!

I nearly became a full time York City fan as I didn't live far away and the other closest clubs were Donny who I hate and Leeds who I probably hate more but supporting Torquay has always been part of my long term plan to settle in the area and be part of the community.

I think what chunky and others are saying is true, Torquay and Paignton, Plymouth etc are a bit rough and getting worse but I look at the bigger picture. Just look at what you all have on your doorstep, endless beaches and fishing villages, tourist attractions, Dartmoor and more. You are all so lucky.