Louie’s football boots. Diamond Club membership card

Sue:

I would have been about, I don't know, 11 or 12 for the first match I went to - and at Highfield Road we would always get a programme. And getting a programme, it was like going to the theatre in a way.

Lew:

When I was about eight or nine: we had just been relegated, and it turned out to be our last Premier League fixture at Highfield Road against Bradford City who had also been relegated: nil-nil. I have such a vivid memory of being sat in the upper end of the West Terrace just looking out onto the pitch, which felt colossal to me.

I was hooked immediately and I became very obsessed. I was dreaming, just watching matches in my head whilst I was sleeping.

Louie:

It’s my dad's side, they're all Cov fans so I’ve been going all my life. I’ve got a season ticket for the past three or four seasons. I don't remember the first one... I was too little.

Bal:

In about 1972, I became quite fond of watching them on television and in 1974, I went to my first game against Manchester United and I was hooked from there on.

I did think, “where's the commentator gone?” because that's what you're used to on television. I was 10. It was 1-0 to Coventry City and Brian Alderson scored the goal, top corner, back from 20 yards in the cot. I just love it... it's a way of life.

Kiera:

I went to a special Sky Blues in the community special needs football thing and I played football at the ground. Now I play pan disability football here in Coventry.

John:

Sheffield United at home - the guys kicked the ball at me and I headed it back to them. Yeah, that's how we beat them. It was before I was at school and it would have been for a cup game. I sat in the corner then.

Tickets from past games.

Lew:

I was at the away end at Nottingham Forest. I saw us score our first premier league goal and win in 25 years. It took me back to my first game and all just linked back to my very first memory of the football. If I couldn’t go to the football ever again I'd almost be like that's fine I've seen what I have to. I could walk away if I had to, I certainly don’t want to but I’ve seen it come full circle.

Louie:

I just like them all - every single game and match.

Bal:

Everybody's going to mention the FA Cup final. But on par, I'll put the semi-final as well. That was a great game and just to win that match, and just to think “We're at Wembley... we have an opportunity to actually gain our first trophy ever.”

Sue:

Going up to the first division all those years ago. That was a real achievement.

It was that Millwall match, I think, when it was confirmed. And we all just... well everybody jus marched from Highfield Road into town, into Broadgate. It was lovely - everyone in Broadgate, just singing.

Kiera:

I like to watch England’s Women’s Team because Coventry doesn’t have a Women’s team yet. So I have to watch the women’s teams of other clubs or England.

Last time at Arsenal, we sat next to the tunnel when that’s not even our seats. It was brilliant, I got to high five all the players.

John:

For me it was when we beat Derby 6-1 at Highfield Road?

Yes, I went to every game.

That was a beautiful ground!

Rubbish, and Sue’s Northampton programme

Bal:

When Sisu took over and we moved to Northampton, I admired people for following them. It's not something I wanted to do personally as clearly, Sisu was a hedge fund who invested in the team thinking that they'd get the ground and the land around it for free. To sell it off for a massive profit. It just didn’t feel right.

Lew:

When it was announced that Wasps were going to be buying the stadium. That was an awful moment in in the club's history. Being back at the arena as a tenant, to hear the announcement that it was just never going to be ‘our’ stadium - it felt like a nail in the coffin. It didn't take long for all of our problems to get even worse.

John:

It’s a struggle for me to get the money together to go and watch the team live. One of my dreams is to have a season ticket and to be able to afford to do that.

Kiera’s football medals

John:

I’d love them to stay up, to just stay up!

Sue:

Just to stay up. just to stay up… that would be, that'll be a win-win for me. That's what I want.

For us to just stay up.

Louie:

Stay up! Stay up! I’ll support Coventry City forever.

Bal:

I don't want them to leave it too late to survive. I don't want them to be the last game of the season. If they could just be safe, low, middle table I’d be happy.

The CCFC LGBTQ+ programmes, images, and a ‘We’re Back’ scarf

Lew:

When I entered into a same-sex relationship I just started questioning whether I could really reconcile my sexuality with being a football fan. It got to the point where I just didn't want to go to the arena, so I gave my season ticket away for two years.

It felt apparent that I wasn't welcome there. Even if the people around you weren't saying something openly homophobic, there's a lot of subtext I think behind certain chants. There are certain things that get shouted whether there's intention behind those words or not, it's sort of irrelevant. They impacted how I was feeling.

Rainbow Laces was a campaign started off by Stonewall and I remember seeing a photo of three Coventry players holding a pride flag. It was enough to say, OK, yeah, maybe this a safe space for me.

So after two years I went up with my dad a few times, then with some of my friends and there was a period with my husband at the time even if he didn’t really like football. I just didn't want to go on my own.

I became more and more aware of other football clubs that had LGBTQ+ support groups so I just began to think that maybe it's something I could start here in Coventry. I think I almost hoped that someone else would take the lead, because being in the limelight isn't where I would naturally place myself.

One evening, I saw a member of staff in the casino after the match and I just thought “I'm just going to approach them and ask if this would be something that they would welcome me setting up.” There was no sort of hesitation from them at all.

So I set up Proud Sky Blues, and very quickly people started coming forward and wanting to be involved. People realised that in the group they didn't have to audit any part of themselves.

Most of us who do identify as LGBTQ+ have a shared understanding and shared lived experiences. At Proud Sky Blues people can just be exactly who they are.

Sue’s collection of programmes, previously carried in by George Curtis and Jimmy Hill

Sue:

I was sort of 12, 13, and I used to go with Dad up to the graphic press on the Saturday. My Dad used to print the programmes for the team when we were in the First Division.

It was done on the Saturday because most of these programmes have a lucky seat number or lucky programme number.

We would take them to the ground and that's when George Curtis and Jimmy Hill were always waiting for us. They'd say, “hello, Gordon, hello Sue.” They'd go to the boot of the car and carry them in. I don’t think any manager would do that nowadays.

Recently at one of the Diamond Club lunches, I sat with George Curtis's widow and daughter on the same table. I was telling them this, and they said, “oh, yeah, they used to do everything.”

The Trophy that Louie and his team won this year, and Kiera’s medals

Louie:

I like playing football, the sport is good and nice.

I want to play and be on the pitch, and I like my friends.

I play defence and a good defender tackles well. You can slide on the floor and get the ball. Slide, knee, tackle. To be a good team player it’s good to pass and shoot.

In May, my team the Copeswood Tigers Under 8's won the R&T Woolacombe Football Festival and we got this big trophy. It was a hard game because it was a really good team but it was 1- 0 to us. Charlie H scored the goal.

The littler trophy I won for being the most reliable player at Copeswood, doing as I’m told and being supportive.

It feels ‘amazing’ to be a Champion.

La Louie’s Looms - on sale, get them while you still can! [Limited stock]

Louie:

Before the match I go with my dad, and we go to the pub.

I've been making loom bands. I've been making them and selling them. They’re two pounds.

They used to be one pound, but now we’re in the Premier League they’re two pounds. Prem Prices. I’ve made 20-odd or 30-odd looms. But, I’ve sold most of them now.

I've only got a few left but I’ve made £15 or £16.

If you would like to enquire about purchasing La Louie’s Looms please do drop The Museum of Me a DM and we will direct you to the right team. Press one for a bulk buy, press two if you would like to buy Louie’s next kit for him, press three to speak to an operator.

Please note: this is a VERY busy time for us here at La Louie’s Looms.

Coventry centred memorabilia

Louie:

I like being from Coventry. It’s a good place, with good, nice people, and good friends.

John:

I just love Coventry when they play football. The community is good. I get on with everybody.

Lew:

When the city does anything good or just wins a football game, I feel a sense of pride in that.

If you grew up here, this is your home.

It's just intrinsically linked to your personality and your identity. For me, and for most people, football is the only real output we have for that feeling.

Bal:

At Coventry, I’ve never had much racism at all to be honest.

A couple of times when I’ve come out, some away fans have been really derogatory... using the ‘P’ word for no reason at all and you think “where’s that come from” but the white people around me, Coventry City supporters, have just hung onto me. Saying “its not worth it”, and that’s really heartening. You feel part of it all.

Sue:

It's just been part of my life for so long.

Ups and downs, and going south, and just having the p>#s taken out of you so much because you were a Coventry City supporter.

I'm being proud and saying, “yeah, bring it on” ...we're sticking up for the team.

Kiera’s collection of football shirts

Kiera:

There's a lot of people at my school who ask, "Oh, why do you wear like, a lot of football kits?” and I just say “because I like football.” I’ve got the old one from last year. And then I have two Brazil ones, I love Lyle Messi ones, I’ve got one Ronaldo, one's, a Chloe Kelly, one is Kira Walsh, but that's in a frame.

I wear football shirts every single day. I don't even wear none of my other clothes. They're so comfy. It would be really good if CCFC had a women's team, I totally would support them. I'd go there every week and I’d get my favourite players name on the back of my shirt.

The thing is, the men’s game can be quite boring because the players keep falling over for some reason. If they just roll around for one second, fine - but if they roll around for like 55 minutes it just wastes the game. I like watching the women’s game. The crowd are very very nice and it doesn’t matter what football shirt you've got on.

A football player cake topper set

Louie:

My favourite player is Sakamoto. He’s just a good player and he has good crosses. Yirenki too, because he’s really good and he can set up chances for us to score goals. But, we just don’t finish.

Sue:

Bobby Gould... and I suppose George Curtis. I used to see him and he used to talk to me and I’d be, like, starstruck! Dion Dublin as well. Until he went to the Villa.

Bal:

Tommy Hutchison. Without a shadow of a doubt. Then, Jim Blyth.

We were blessed with goalkeepers. We had Bill Glazier who was brilliant, Terry Yorath, he was superb... I could then go on about Ian Wallace, Mick Ferguson, Cyrille Regis.

John:

Sakamoto, I like Sakamoto, he’s really good. And Haji Wright and Ellis Simms. But Simms is on about going though... but I want him to stay. He’s a good player.

He’s good.

Kiera:

Viktor Gyokeres. I like his celebration because he looked like someone stinks. Kira Walsh too. And I like Lucy Bronze because she is autistic. And Chloe Kelly when she scored the penalty, well my brother, my dad, and my mum screamed in my earhole!

Lew:

Viktor Gyökeres for me is probably my favourite player for being, in my opinion, the best player to wear a City shirt (so far).

It was impossible to not lean forward when he got the ball and it was a sheer pleasure watching him completely tear Championship players apart.