Fellow Blues,
My name is Austin, and I have quite the story on becoming an Everton Fan. Born and raised in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania (USA), and was always into American Football, hockey, and amateur wrestling (was decent enough to compete in college at a high NCAA level).
After college, I moved to Chicago, Illinois where I met an Everton supporter at a bar by chance (not shockingly, he was drinking beer watching Saturday morning Premier League football muttering to himself). Heard his accent and asked the 'best way to get into the beautiful game as an American'. His advice was to "pick a team, support them, and soon I would gain a vested interest in their success and pageantry.
He surely wasn't wrong; so we more or less decided that we would support each other's favorite teams. So he became a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey fan, and I became an Everton supporter. Last season was my first full season as a fan, and I must say it was awesome. It really was fantastic to be able to get up Saturday morning and try to continue to learn more and more about the game. Understanding and beginning to learn the nuances of Premier League football (fuck the Koppites), was quite an experience.
I now have both of this year's kits, just the tops; I've been told if I ever wear the shorts and the jersey I would be quite the wanker. But just wanted to reach out to all and say the Blues have a life-long supporter in Maryland United States!
Go Blues! NSNO!
Cheers,
Austin