{"id":11377,"date":"2025-06-24T16:13:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=11377"},"modified":"2025-06-29T17:42:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T16:42:56","slug":"one-club-two-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=11377","title":{"rendered":"One Club. Two Teams."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A couple of months ago, Arsenal Women beat the mighty Barcelona Femeni to win the Champions League with one of the all-time great Arsenal performances. It was a special day in the history of our club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many good things happening on the women\u2019s side of the club that they would never fit in one article. Wondering what to focus on for this piece, I found myself reading this typically excellent (highly recommended) post https:\/\/arseblog.news\/2025\/06\/arsenal-women-and-emirates-stadium-is-a-significant-success-story\/<\/a>  from the inimitable Tim Stillman. He has done so much to report on the Arsenal women\u2019s team, and his huge efforts (and the wonderful quality of his output) have enabled me to engage and to grow my own fandom, so it is only right to say at the outset a huge thank you to him and to everyone at Arseblog who has contributed to what I consider (from my limited knowledge) to be the best coverage of a women\u2019s team in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, having acknowledged that I am standing on the shoulders of giants, and that so many great pieces have already been written about our recent success, I am simply going to offer a personal view of how my relationship to our women\u2019s team has developed, and hope I turn up some interesting nuggets along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Times, They Are A-Changin\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was a kid, I knew nothing about \u2018Arsenal Ladies\u2019, as they began. Gradually, although I could not quite say when, I became aware that we had a women\u2019s team and that they were the best. I was glad of that, and wished Vic Akers\u2019 side well, but took little further interest. Kelly Smith was probably the first player I could actually have named, even recognised. By the time we won our first Champions League, in 2007, I was interested enough to check the BBC website as the second leg of the final played out. After the men\u2019s team had lost their own final the year before, I liked the idea of the women scooping up some of the glory we had missed out on. I was proud that we had such a good women\u2019s team and wanted them to win. But I never actually watched them play. Unless you went to the games, it wasn\u2019t an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things kept evolving. The world kept changing. More money was invested in women\u2019s football; still a fraction of the men\u2019s game, but enough to provide some security to players who could start to take football seriously as a profession. The standard of play went up and up. A few years ago, The Arsenal, always at the forefront of the women\u2019s game, began to play a few matches at the Emirates. I was interested and went along when I could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first time I saw Arsenal Women play their counterparts from Barcelona was in December 2021 at the Emirates Stadium. I had taken along a female friend of mine (Leyton Orient fan) who has played the game in local leagues for over twenty years and who I knew would enjoy the experience and appreciate the football. In the end however, very little of the football that we both ended up admiring so much came from the Arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Barcelona produced a masterclass, running away 4-0 winners as we chased their shadows all evening. As we left the stadium, my friend had seen enough from the Spanish side to opine \u201cWell, they\u2019re a bit good.\u201d Indeed, they were.  We had catching up to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, there were 12,232 fans in attendance to witness that dismantling of a decent Arsenal team. That felt like a pretty good turnout but only six months later stadiums were full up and down the country as we were swept away by the Lionesses, who triumphed in Euro 2022 to bring football home. Chloe Kelly\u2019s winning goal and iconic celebration was a moment of pure sporting adrenaline that was roared on by record numbers of viewers. Women\u2019s football had arrived. The public cared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arsenal, as always, showed the way, capitalising on the mood in England to pull thousands to the Emirates on matchdays. I went when I could, and I loved it. But we were no longer the pre-eminent team, our dominance broken by richer clubs in variant shades of blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut to Lisbon. Two months ago, we returned to the pinnacle of the women\u2019s game. In a remarkable fifteen game campaign, we overcame Europe\u2019s best to win the Champions League for a second time. This time the final was broadcast live around the world. I\u2019d spent the season watching the players, I knew the team, how we played, how tough the opposition were. And I knew that we were The Arsenal and that no group of players could do more justice to what that means than those that took to the field that day. I was already proud of them before a ball was kicked, but then something special happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt that game. It mattered. I kicked every ball and every nerve in my body was jangling. We stood firm. We played some good stuff. We scored a goal. I went nuts. And then, after an eternity, the final whistle went, and I found tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, and I had to keep pumping my first and shouting \u2018YES. YEEEESSSS!\u2019 just to let some of the emotion out. This was my team, and we had won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning is a funny thing in football. Most teams don\u2019t win trophies, and it isn\u2019t what matters most to fans, despite the impression social media gives. Of course, we want to win, but only a few teams have a realistic chance of winning their league; the rest just try to get through a season without a relegation scrap. Winning trophies is not a prerequisite for our support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all want different things from our teams, but I think a common thread is that we want to care, and that means that we want our teams to do things worth caring about. For some, that means simply how well they play or how successful they are. Fans may be willing to ignore all sorts of difficult questions if their team is winning. You don\u2019t have to look far in the men\u2019s game to find examples of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, for others, we want teams we can connect with. People who represent values that align with our own. We want to be proud of them. For me, that is important. However, there is no doubt that winning matters. When your team wins on the biggest stages it provides validation for how you feel about them. This is professional sport, and it is only when you win that everyone else pays attention to what a special group you are. The good qualities that fans see every week become visible to the wider public, the plaudits flood in and the good times roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have never previously felt the same level of intense emotion at a women\u2019s game as I did that CL final victory. It surpassed even the Lioness\u2019 triumph. It was up there with the best days of the Wenger years. You cannot fake that feeling and it doesn\u2019t come along often. It is the high point in the life of a fan, the rush we dream about, an intoxicating mix of elation and vindication. That performance gave me the ultimate footballing fix, and I loved it. It will go down with Anfield \u201989 as a game when every man and his dog had written us off and yet, against all the odds, we believed, we fought, we won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an experience that I have thought about often in the time since, surprised by how deeply I felt it. It marked an overt realisation that something has happened that I thought was impossible – I care about another team in the same way that I care about Arsenal. Except, of course, that team is Arsenal too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it means to support the club has shifted for me. In a way that I cannot neither fake nor deny, I have become a fan of the Arsenal women in their own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after a season of watching every game I could, it is still new to me to recognise how much I care, how seriously invested I am. I can also see that I support the two teams in subtly different ways, although in a sense, I find the entwined strands of my support incredibly complimentary of each other. I am fulfilled in a slightly different way by both teams and the way I engage with them, and I am getting even more from my Arsenal fandom. And I am very glad and grateful for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s About The People<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the second part of this piece, I\u2019d like to look at some of what makes Arsenal women so special, and for me it is the community of fans that I want to highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have been lucky enough to get to the Emirates for a women\u2019s game and a men\u2019s game any time recently then you will have had no trouble recognising the different vibes. The women\u2019s team has a hardcore following of fans who travel home and away to games, sing vociferously and have songs for every player. But most of the fans on an Emirates Stadium matchday don\u2019t know many of the words. Me included!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The atmosphere is far more chilled out than at men\u2019s games. There are more kids around, and there is often a sense of celebration in the air; a different crowd bring a different vibe. I like to think that Arsenal is always a welcoming place on a matchday, whichever team is playing, but there is no doubting that the women\u2019s games have an overt air of inclusion that extends to people of all ages, genders, sexualities, races, religions and any other group you can think of. Seeing all these people come together for the Arsenal is pretty special, and if you haven\u2019t been then I can\u2019t recommend it enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere is quieter. Lots of people chat to each other as they watch the game, perhaps more like the crowds at cricket or another slower game, pausing to cheer when there is some action, but not necessarily generating energy for the team to feed off of in the same way. There is a sense of encouragement and goodwill, rather than the vociferous (potentially alcohol enhanced) baying and chanting that crackles through the best men\u2019s games. It\u2019s probably less natural to start a chant about the onanistic activities of the officials when you\u2019re surrounded by seven-year-olds who, quite literally, don\u2019t know the words. The referee\u2019s a what, daddy?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when The Arsenal score and \u2018Freed From Desire\u2019 plays out in the stadium the whole place starts dancing and cheering, scarves get swung, and it is hard to get the smile off your face. It\u2019s pretty special. Na na na na na na na, na na na, na na!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have another friend who has never been a football fan but over the years my Arsenal fanaticism has intrigued her and gradually drawn her in. She still is not bothered about watching the men\u2019s team, even if she is pleased when they win, but she has started making it a habit to attend women\u2019s games because it is such a good afternoon out. This season, she took a ragtag crew of workmates, friends and even her mum to watch us beat Spurs 5-0. None of them had any allegiance to Arsenal, none of them had even been to a live football match before, but they all went, and they all had a brilliant day. Even from afar, I was so chuffed about this. This sort of thing is simply not possible at a men\u2019s game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even non-fans are turning up and starting to see Arsenal as a positive and inspirational institution. Which is exactly what we are. The Arsenal Foundation is incredible, the club do so much leading charity and community work, and the women\u2019s team is plugged right into the heart of that. My friend gets updates from the Gay Gooners Instagram account and it\u2019s a simple way to be part of a growing community, all brought together by football and The Arsenal. How good is that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The availability of tickets and the craic on offer is drawing and engaging a whole new set of people who would not have access to tickets for the men\u2019s games and who probably wouldn\u2019t want them anyway. Something new and exciting is developing on matchdays at the Emirates. There is an energy about the women\u2019s team that is joyful and vibrant but based on the highest standards of professionalism and quality within the entire staff. They are a special group, led by a special manager and backed by the club. And they are drawing in new fans and old to experience football in a way that is fresh, energised and downright fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The football played by the team is fantastic, top players all playing for each other, and they are great to watch. I see them on TV far more than at the stadium, but you can still hear the travelling gooners regularly out sing the home fans. Even if you live on the other side of the world, you can feel the energy the team and the fans transmit, the bond between them somehow more intimate than in the men\u2019s game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I shall be cheering on Rene Slegers\u2019 team next year, I cannot wait to see how we do in our efforts to bring home the WSL after too many years. And I\u2019ll be thrilled to see us defend our European crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were 10,000 people outside the Emirates to see the Champions League trophy hoisted, against the backdrop of a banner featuring the last team to do it, which rightfully adorns the side of the stadium. There are many more fans around the world who support from afar, inspired by what this team and this club stand for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as Champions of Europe, this still feels like the start of the journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever the final destination, I can\u2019t wait to be along for the ride, and I can\u2019t wait to share it with you all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, \u2018holics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A couple of months ago, Arsenal Women beat the mighty Barcelona Femeni to win the Champions League with one of the all-time great Arsenal performances. It was a special day in the history of our club. There are so many good things happening on the women\u2019s side of the club that they would never fit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,26,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11377"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11382,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11377\/revisions\/11382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}