My name is Sophie Stokes. I am 19 years old and a passionate Crows supporter from birth, my parents wouldn’t allow anything else! For our last family photo in 1997 (first premiership) my parents dressed me and my sister and brothers up in Crows scarfs and guernseys, we were holding flags and wearing beanies! i think it showed our parents two main loves their football team and, oh yes, their children!! I am originally from Adelaide but have been living in Scotland for the last two years to travel and work and try and further a career in music!
I am quite proud to say i have somehow managed to see most of the last two seasons, whether it was sitting at an Aussie bar in Edinburgh or at home on the internet! Also having my parents fill me in anytime I rang them helped, letting me know who was best on ground, or who had been injured!
One of the best things to see whilst being over here was all the Aussies getting together and starting their own competition over here in Scotland and possibly England, they go around at Aussie Day trying to recruit new members, have fundraisers and of course play the game!!
A moment I will NEVER forget was when my parents came to visit me for two weeks in September 2009. We went travelling up to the Scottish Hebrides and had stopped in a tiny little village called Kyle of Lochalsh on the Isle of Skye. Of course being a Scottish village there were about five pubs and we went into every one of them to see if they were showing Fox Sports, so we could see the Adelaide v Collingwood final. It wasn’t until I ran into the smallest pub of the lot that we found someone who would show our game!
The next two hours consisted of my father standing five centimetres away from the TV shouting at it, my mother crying and me covering my eyes feeling sick with nerves! I’m sure the barman and the old local drunk now think all Aussies are crazy, but they too by the end of the game were wanting Adelaide to win as much as we were and gave us a drink on the house because we lost!!
I am coming home in April and cannot wait to see the guys live in action again! I hope to be there every home game cheering them on! C'mon the Crows 2010!!!
Sophie Stokes
If you are living or travelling overseas and have a similar story - or even one quite different - get in touch with us. We have published some great stories (see the Crows Around the World archive archive here)
But we want more! Where are you living or holidaying? What took you to another part of the world? How do you get your Crows and footy fix? What you miss most about being closer to the Crows? Do you meet with other Crows supporters to watch or listen to games?
You may be living in London and watch the games at a pub. Or perhaps you are in a Kombi van driving around Europe; teaching in Japan; working in New York; or backpacking through Asia.
Write to Communications Manager David Burtenshaw at dburtenshaw@afc.com.au and tell us your story. The best articles will be published on our club’s official website.
