How much do you look forward to the first day of the season, compared with when you were younger (say, a teenager)?

[Isaiah]

It's getting close to the start of the season and it's around this time of year I get nostalgic for my childhood years of following Everton (I'm 38 now). Back then, opening day of the season was just behind Christmas for the day I looked forward to most. I used to follow the transfers throughout the summer, spend hours piecing together my Daily Mirror Fantasy Football team (I had only one uncompromisable principle - David Unsworth had to be in there; his penalties were worth their weight in gold, or rather, Fantasy Football points), and on the first Saturday of the season I'd wake up early and 'savour' the build up to a new season. I lived close to the ground back then and just going outside on the street at about 10am you could feel the change in the atmosphere. People were wearing football shirts, you could hear people talking about the upcoming games, guys just generally looked simultaneously happier and more worried than usual. I still maintain to this day that football towns like Liverpool, Newcastle or Manchester (all 3 of which I've lived in) have a different kind of energy in the air come season opener day.  It was great to have football back, to see the names of the goalscorers showing up on teletext, and the next day, having a league table to pore over in the Sunday papers, even if it did just show half the teams on 3 points, Norwich was top, and the 'top scorer' was usually some non-entity at Charlton who'd bagged a freak hattrick. 

I still get a lot of the same thrills now, but as with most things, it's not quite the same as it was in childhood. It doesn't help that the opening 'day' has become an opening '4 days', beginning on Friday evening and ending on Monday night. But that aside, I can say that my excitement for the opening day is still very high. I wish everyone kicked off their first game at 3pm on a Saturday, but I know that money rules everything in the game now. 

What about you, do you still get as excited for the start of the new season as much as you did as a kid, or has something changed for you over the years? Those of you who have kids, do they look forward to it they way you did back in the day?     

[Finn balor]

I’m taking my boy to the Wigan match Wednesday. He’s nine and he’s not that much into football but he’s looking forward  to it. I was under a different name back in the day. I think tricky trev and posted the day he was born. It was derby day he waited till the game finished. 0-0 at Anfield when fellaini got sent off. I’m 40 and you can’t beat football. I’ve no idea what people do if they aren’t interested. I love movies but if we get 3 points at palace first game of the season? Thats like optimism and we all need that 

[JimmytheJimster]

I loved going the first game of the season be it home or away, meeting up with mates you only see at the match. It's tarnished a bit now as I can't get to as many games, but I always remember Walter Smith's first game walking up to the ground and a steward saying to me "cheer up mate it can't be as bad as last season" with me replying "that's what I'm worried about" sure enough the game and the season was nothing to write home about, other then the Duncan Ferguson debacle. I think that is the only time I've never felt optimistic for the first game, although we'd spent a bit of money getting some good players and had a new manager, something just didn't feel right.

[Romey 1878]

I don't think I get as excited for the first game of the season now. I only really get excited if it's a home game because I'll be there. I still get the butterflies then, and I always go up to the ground a bit earlier to drink it all in - I love getting back to Goodison Park.

[StevO]

The first home game of the season will be very exciting. The season doesn’t start until the first home game for me.