I didn't grow up with football in the household, so I never really watched it or supported anyone when I was younger. My parents didn't want to pay for Sky - not just Sky Sports, but any Sky (we only had 4 channels as we couldn't get Channel 5 either for some reason, and it was only in 2007 I finally got access to Freeview). I can remember watching some England and other international games (the first I can specifically remember is Zidane's headbutt, Greece winning Euro 2004 and and Italy winning the 2006 World Cup) along with the odd FA Cup and some Champions League games when it was on ITV, and I collected the stickers at school, but other than that I wasn't really into it.
When the F1 moved to Sky in 2011 I started getting NowTV day passes to watch the races, and I'd watch the Premier League games around it to try and keep up with things. It wasn't until 2015 when I moved into my own place that I got Sky and BT Sports and could finally watch everything properly - the first Premier League title I watched unfold was Leicester's, and I'm probably the only football fan my age who can say that.
Although I lived in Norwich, I didn't start going to games. Partly because I'm an introvert and it didn't feel like an environment I'd be naturally comfortable in, and I don't engage with the game as much as other people. But also because I just didn't feel like I was worthy of going and wouldn't belong there because I wasn't a "Norwich fan". I'd generally followed Norwich for years, but I wouldn't have classed myself as a fan. I went to a handful of games when I borrowed the season ticket of an old colleague of mine, but I always imagined if I tried to go more regularly that I'd be found out as not being a real fan, as if I was going to get some sort of quiz on who the top scorer was from 2006 or what the score against Ipswich was in 1994. Obviously, I was probably overthinking it a bit, but it just never really seriously crossed my mind to consider going.
At the start of the 2024/25 season, through my work with Eastern Blues, I was lucky enough to be taken to a few Chelsea games, including Man City at home for the first game of the season. And I enjoyed it enough that I decided to go to the next Norwich game too. And then I went to another, and another. I saw an excellent 3-3 draw against Middlesbrough, a 4-2 win against Luton for my first W, the incredible 2-1 recovery at the death against Coventry, a 4-0 loss to Brighton in the FA Cup (followed by another loss in the FA cup against Brighton, this time for Chelsea at the Amex), and Sargent's last minute winner against West Brom.
Now, I'm probably the definition of an armchair fan to most people - I watch most games on TV, generally know what's going on enough to hold a decent conversation, and I understand the offside rule, but I couldn't analyse a game to any real depth or understand tactics or formations, on top of not truly supporting anyone. But I decided that I wanted to go to more games, to surround myself in the game more, and try to actually learn more about what I was watching. So, I decided to jump in the relative deep end and get myself a season ticket.
Strangely, for all but the first game I went to, I got the same seat at every game. For some reason it was always free, and it's not like it's a bad seat. So when it came to get my season ticket, I made sure I made the seat selection permanent. I did at first go back to my doubts about not being "worthy" of a season ticket as such a new fan, but then again I realised I was probably overthinking it. People say to support your local team and Carrow Road is only a 10 minute walk away, but while I had to join a waiting list (purely because they only sell season tickets at a certain time of the year), there was no backlog - it wasn't like Liverpool where there's a 19 year waiting list, there was "very good availability" and I got offered one at the first time of asking, so it isn't like I've deprived a "proper" fan of getting their hands on one.
So, there we go. From barely stepping foot in a football stadium to becoming a season ticket holder. Block J, row J, Carrow Road. And, when I remember or can be bothered, I will share my thoughts on the season as we go through it, as a new fan going through this for the first time.