Loving Collingwood is about the heart and not the head – and my grandfather’s story helped forge my emotional connection

The Collingwood Trades premiers, 1905. Bill Bourke is third from the right in the third row. Photograph: Paul Daley

Every supporter has a unique personal story about why they barrack for their team. It might involve a special moment. Just as often it’s about where we’ve come from – geographically and genealogically, emotionally and sentimentally.

For me and most of my family, immediate, extended, it’s Collingwood – the place and the team, even though today’s prosperous inner-city suburb is a world away from the slum that gave rise to the great football club in 1892.