Football is my passion. Manchester City is my team.
Dad was from the Manchester area (Timperley to be precise) and was a Blue. He used to watch the game from the Platt Lane stand at Maine Road, as a boy, going with his dad. My Grandad used to play football for City, briefly, and then for Chester City in the 50's, until my Nana made him stop. He used to cycle from Timperley to Chester along the Old Chester Road, play his football and then cycle home again. After he died, my Nana told Dad and I she'd found his signing on papers for City - and you can imagine how excited we were at this news. Then she announced she'd thrown them in the bin! We were speechless!
Mum was from London and met dad as a young Guardsman in the Coldstream Guards. She is a Crystal Palace fan, and the daughter of a staunch Arsenal fan. Her cousin married a West Ham fan and they raised all of their family to be Hammers. So you can see that we have a mixture of teams supported in our family. Yet my brother and I never had a moment's hesitation - we supported City, without ever really making a conscious decision. Our blood was Blue - we were Blue.
As dad was in the army, we moved around all through our childhood, living in the south of England (for dad's ceremonial duties) and abroad. Without modern wonders such as satellite TV or the internet, we followed City's results from afar. I didn't get much chance to keep up when I married my first husband as he hated football, and I can still remember one year when I wanted to watch the FA Cup Final and did my ironing in the kitchen so I could listen to it on the radio.
When he left me, I quickly rediscovered my passion for the beautiful game, and when I first got online in the summer of 2000, the very first site I hunted down was the official City one. I was living in Sussex and had never met another City fan except for my dad, brother, a local ice-cream seller and a postman! It was an absolute delight to me to finally meet others, albeit online. These wonderful people welcomed me, and educated me, and got me to my first match at Maine Road. It was an evening game against Arsenal. They stuffed us 0-4, the fans sang their hearts out, with the legendary banter between fans in the various stands. I was hooked!
(A few of my City friends and I, with Paul Lake)
From that game, I attended as many as I could, travelling up from Sussex as much as I could manage, being a single parent. I then moved to Chester, partly to be nearer to my parents and partly to be nearer to City. I managed to get to many more games, including most in that last season at Maine Road. A few special ones are etched in my memory - Keegan's first, winning league 1 title, and of course, the final game there. When we moved to CoMS, I finally got what my heart desired - season ticket so I could see my beloved Blues every home game.
Champions! 
Me & the League 1 Champs Cup 
However, this period was tinged with sadness as my dad and I never made it to a game together before he died. To my eternal regret. I was visiting him daily in hospital as preparations were made to move there, and I attended the open day there for fans to go and look round, find their seats etc. I came back and enthusiastically told him all about it, but he died before we even played the opening game. Sometimes, I do still have a tear in my eyes and a lump in my throat when I am at matches and think of him and the fact that he never saw us play at our new home.
Eventually, through a football message board, I met Billy, a Newcastle fan, and a group of City fans met him prior to our FA Cup 5th round game at St James' Park in February 2002 and we remained friends via e-mail and occasional visits to matches and my home. We became a couple in December 2002, and he proposed via MSN after England beat Turkey that spring! I moved up to Geordie Land to live with him in August 2003, though I still have my season ticket and travel back for City's home games. He is a Newcastle season ticket holder, so weekends are always planned around our football, and we both have a soft spot for each others' team and watch games together on occasion. It's lovely being married to a fellow football fanatic, and we both appreciate being able to share our enthusiasm with the other.
Football has been the saviour of my sanity through some difficult periods in my life - not just the 90+ minutes of escapism when the games are in progress, but also the kindness and support of other fans (not just of City) and even that of one manager in particular, and a couple of players. Even now, attending games for a few years, I get excited on match days. I drive the 3.5 hour journey in eager anticipation, my little car covered in City stickers and scarves, wearing my colours proudly, and singing along to the City music in the CD player . I start buzzing as I park up and walk to MY seat, in MY home stadium. I am full to busting when MY team come out onto the pitch and the day that I don't feel like that, even prior to games I feel sure we'll lose, is the day I will stop going. I love everything about match days, from meeting up with friends, to singing the songs, smiling at the moaners behind me, and cheering the goals. I don't ever want to fall out of love with football or the football family.
I like to go to Newcastle cup games with Billy now and then and I like St James' Park very much (both as a home, and as an away, fan. Incidentally, when our two clubs play each other, we always sit in with our own fans and meet up again afterwards.) I have a huge soft spot for the club and enjoy being with Billy's friends, and chatting football with my Geordie colleagues. I thoroughly enjoyed Shearer's testimonial and his "I was asked to join a club that plays just outside Manchester" speech ;)
Mum and I also try to go to Selhurst Park once a season to see Palace play, which we really enjoy. When we first did this I found a CPFC message board and asked for some help with getting tickets - the people there were so lovely that they continue to accept me on their board some 4 or 5 years later, and help us out with tickets each trip, too. As a consequence, I've got some wonderful Palace supporting friends and like to meet up with them when I can.
ENGLAND
Billy and I are both England fans and have been to a few England matches together, and it's nice to have our National Team to support together.