Whether it's self-made or forced upon you, the decision about which football team to support is usually taken before you learn to ride a bike or even tie your shoelaces.
At such a young age, you're clearly oblivious to what you're are signing up for. You're subjected to an unwritten contract, where blind devotion is exchanged for intermittent moments of joy - and large amounts of heartache and pain.
Visit afnews.co.za for more information.
And best of all… it's a lifelong pledge of loyalty.
Or is it?
Most would say 'yes'. And you might be directed to page one, rule one of the official football supporters charter – if such a document existed.
It would appear, in a world where someone can divorce and remarry, switch political allegiance or renounce a religious faith, ending a relationship with a football club is largely unheard of.
And changing allegiance to another team? That would be considered a mortal sin by the vast majority of football fandom.
But can you really STOP supporting your football team?
'I've got them tattooed to me'
Dylan, 21, didn't choose Oldham Athletic - the club chose him. The Latics are his local team and his family have followed them for generations. Speaking to BBC Sport, Dylan said he doesn't think he could ever turn his back on them.
"I wouldn't ever be able to. I've got them tattooed to me. I absolutely love my club. I go home and away, not missed a game since 2024," he says.
"If I had to stop going to games, I would still follow the results.
"When you get brought up as a football fan, it's supporting your team no matter the result.
"We've been in the Premier League and down as low as the National League. Yes, I prefer the win and the three points, but it's not about that, it's about the atmosphere, the people you meet and just the team in general."
[BBC Sport]Football fans are, of course, wide ranging but to understand those who may be considered extreme we only need to remember 'fan' is short for 'fanatic'.
"Watching a football game can sometimes be a reflection or window into other people's lives of their hopes and desires," explains Dr Richard Simpson a psychologist at Leeds Trinity University.
"I think there's multiple levels of attachments people develop, they form a love for their team, for their community. It's not a romantic love but we build emotional bonds, we create memories and experiences. If we look at social media for example people sometimes have their club as part of their name, so they lead with that. It becomes who they are."
It also makes perfect sense that fans often see their club as an extension of themselves. The money they spend on matchday tickets or replica shirts contributes in part to the stadium rebuild or transfer fee for a new player.
A natural by-product is when their chosen club is performing well they feel an element of success in their own lives. However, the same can be said in reverse.
"You've got to stick through the thick and thin. That's what makes football, football," Wolves fan Reco tells BBC Sport.
"I'm sure we all know a glory hunter here and there, but it's not what being a football fan is about. It's about the highs and the lows. I've seen us play down in League One. I've seen us play in the Europa League and at Wembley.
"Right now, it's not going so good, but the journey is what makes being a football fan worthwhile and it's what gives you a closer connection to your team and the fan base around you who share that love for your club."
When your team have won every trophy possible
However, as the sport continues to grow and reach new audiences, we are seeing differing takes on what it is to be fan.
There are many who support a top-tier side and also a local team further down the footballing pyramid.
Many fans also keep a close eye on a chosen team from another major European league. Then there are those who prefer certain players to clubs and so might switch who they support based on a transfer. This could be compared to those who might follow a Formula 1 driver and so would focus on whichever team they were currently driving for.
Yet for those who consider themselves football purists there can only ever be space in their heart for one team.
But ironically for Manchester United fan Steve it is a full heart that is central to why he turned his back on the club he had supported for decades – Manchester United.
"My first game was in 1978, at home against Spurs. Most of my family are [Manchester] City fans but all my friends supported United, so I had to choose between being popular at home or at school," he says.
"In the end I choose school because I didn't want to be bullied."
Steve eventually became a season ticket holder and says he did not miss a match for 47 years. All that changed on 24 May 2017 when Manchester United beat Ajax 2-0 in Stockholm.
"We were so lucky as United fans going through the [Sir Alex] Ferguson era, chasing titles and then building on that and trying to get to the next level of winning European trophies," Steve says.
"I'd seen them win every single trophy, FA Cups in the 70s and 80s, the Cup Winners Cup in '91, Premier League titles and, of course, the Champions League in 1999.
"I always said that if United won the Europa League – the only trophy I'd never seen them win – I'd pack it in. So when they did that night in Sweden, it felt like the last piece of the jigsaw had been completed.
"When you finish a jigsaw you can either look at it and enjoy, or you can smash it up and start again. I didn't want to start again."
Being in the minority
Steve admits his personality traits means in most situations not just football - it is all, or nothing. Since making the vow he hasn't been back to Old Trafford and barely keeps up with news of the club. He does, though, miss the faces he used to see week in week out.
The time he used to spend at football Steve now shares between family, horse racing and rugby. And how does he feel having stopped supporting his football club?
Liberated.
"Listen, plenty of people pointed the finger at me when I was saying, 'I don't want to do this anymore', thinking it was in some way linked to United not being as good as they used to be," he says.
"But everything just got tiresome, you know, and I just thought, how long do I want to keep running my life around something that doesn't feel like it wants me. To me, it was a pretty easy thing to do and it's easy once you make the decision to stop doing something.
"You'd be surprised how quickly it becomes background noise then."
Steve is in the minority though. Speak to most football fans and their longest relationship may be between them and their club.
So, Can you stop supporting your football team?
The obvious answer is yes – why so many of us refuse to do so might be a more pertinent question.