As a result of discussion about attitudes towards physical education with first year primary pre-service teachers it can be acknowledged that there are diverse degrees of competence and attitude towards this subject. This study looked specifically at the prior experiences that have contributed to developing less than positive attitudes towards physical education, and discussed how these experiences have influenced the attitudes ofpre-service teachers and contributed to part of their socialization into physical education. Experiences discussed by participants were categorised into six major themes. This study provided evidence that prior experiences gained from both, schooling experiences, and other sporting experience outside school, were significant for some students and not only impacted on attitudes to participate but embedded a lasting effect on what students thought about physical education and sport as a learning opportunity. This study concludes by acknowledging that the impact of less than positive previous experience remains a contributing factor to current attitudes for some pre-service teachers and outlines the implication and possible challenges for physical education/teacher education (PETE) in the future.