{"id":8002,"date":"2023-07-01T18:16:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T17:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=8002"},"modified":"2023-07-08T14:36:04","modified_gmt":"2023-07-08T13:36:04","slug":"charity-begins-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=8002","title":{"rendered":"Charity Begins At Home \u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Image by Arsenal Ladies\/Adidas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I offered to write a piece for the close season on the basis that I would supply subject matter as soon as something rooted itself in the old noddle. The aim was to provide something Arsenal orientated, importantly, not too serious because summer is supposed to be relaxing and fun, and not just a stream of done-to-death, boring, speculative and inconclusive transfer tittle-tattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Transfers – The Club Plan<\/strong>
Well, the boring, speculative, inconclusive transfer tittle-tattle has turned out spectacularly well. Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and seemingly Jurrien Timber, from Ajax, all done. Amazing work by the club and a massive commitment by the owners, KSE, to the manager, Mikel Arteta, and the squad. We are all well aware of our signings, of course, and there may yet be more to come, but then we\u2019re getting into speculative, inconc\u2026\u2026 etc. However, there will certainly be departures as some clubs – cough – actually have to balance the books, trim the squad and so forth. For now, they can be the subject of the speculative, inconclusive tittle-tattle \u2026..<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past season saw the Kroenke-owned franchise, the Denver Nuggets, edge out Miami Heat to claim their first championship since they were founded in 1967. As owners of other sports teams like the LA Rams and Colorado Avalanche, the Nuggets\u2019 win marks a third major KSE achievement in as many years and the blueprint followed is strikingly similar to the one currently being executed in north London. After 20 years of negligible impact in the basketball stakes, KSE finally transformed the Nuggets\u2019 fortunes by building around a young core – namely Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray and star man Nikola Jokic, no less than 41st pick in the NBA draft – and hiring Michael Malone, a coach who they believed could successfully manage their development. Their competitive ambitions were regularly rubbished in the media, and poor finishes in 2018, 2019 & 2022 served to justify such low expectations. However, Malone used his brilliant management style to help them scale new heights and the Nuggets now hope to assemble some squad depth in the upcoming draft, as well as tie their youthful talent down to extensions \u2013 just as Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Charity Work<\/strong>
This blog, thanks to a lot of sterling behind the scenes work by organisers and technicians, has previously highlighted the work of The Willow Foundation<\/a>, founded by Bob Wilson in the memory of his daughter, Anna, which provides chances for young cancer sufferers to make special memories in their too short lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I thought, staying with the charity theme, why not take a look at the work currently undertaken by the club\u2019s own Arsenal Foundation. Early searches appeared to hit the jackpot. There was footage online of The Foundation\u2019s \u2018A Night To Inspire\u2019, which combined a video of the charity work and music at their annual event, the fun and relaxing element I was hoping for. While some excellent work and people were featured, including Arsene Wenger and Alex Scott, prominence was given to Petr Cech, Mesut \u00d6zil, and Ivan Gazidis ! Ok, time to look for a different angle then ! It has been hard, not to say impossible, to combine the charity work and music successfully, so I have simply split them up. – charity first, music to follow.

We may have just lost out to Manchester City in the Premier League title challenge but one championship the club wins every year is surely that in the field of community and charity work. Arsenal’s charity arm has a long and proud history of working to support the club’s local community, delivering sport, social and education programmes to more than 5,000 individuals every single week. The 2022\/23 home kit can authentically claim to be part of the fabric of the community. At it\u2019s launch in May 2022, Arsenal and Adidas teamed up and pledged \u00a35 from every direct shirt sale to the club\u2019s charity arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve been doing to bring our community together and support the lives of people in our local area for more than 35 years,” said Freddie Hudson, Head of Arsenal in the Community. “People are the heartbeat of our community and the \u00a35 donation from our home shirt sales will provide vital support for the local projects that serve our diverse community in north London so well.” “The last couple of years have been especially tough and the impact continues to be felt, but it’s amazing what we can achieve when we all come together to support each other. We continue to draw inspiration from those who make the Arsenal family so special, and we’re thrilled to be able to give a little back in this unique way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring the community thread ran through the campaign, players like local boys Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were pictured wearing the new kit while engaging with local community groups. One of the club\u2019s core members – both on and off the pitch – is defender Lotte Wubben-Moy. The born and bred Londoner, made a long-term commitment to actively work with Arsenal in the Community as part of her contract renewal, signed in May 2022. Over the coming years, Wubben-Moy and the organisation will work together on a number of projects which will use the power of football to help girls and young women build self-confidence, develop communication skills and try new activities on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of her own role, LWM3 said, \u201cIt’s important with community work to give it the time and energy it deserves. Obviously, that is hard for me because I have to balance my responsibilities as a professional footballer. But I’m not here to just add my name to an initiative and move on. I want to give what I can, to whatever it is I am involved in. Right now, that is focusing on the community programme that I’II be running in collaboration with Arsenal in the Community starting this year. We’ve got some exciting things happening that I can’t wait to put into action for the kids of Islington, Hackney and Camden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She feels that having a shirt involved in the campaign will make it more visible and bring the projects to life. When asked about her favourite features of the new shirt she said, \u201cThe vibrant RED. I love the little features too, they’re so intricate, but every Gunner knows a shirt is made great by the colour that runs deep. And that’s only ever going to be RED for us.\u201d And her favourite ever Arsenal shirt? \u201cThe 2001 SEGA GOLD shirt\u201d. Well, that\u2019s women for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lotte Wubben-Moy has just been named in Sarina Wiegman’s England squad for the upcoming Women’s World Cup. The centre-back made 35 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions last season, the third-highest outfield minutes in Jonas Eidevall’s squad. The 24-year-old will hope to be included when England travel to Australia and New Zealand in July. The tournament will be Wubben-Moy’s first World Cup, although she previously captained the U17 Lionesses to a third-place finish at the 2016 U17 European Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is the only Arsenal star to feature in Wiegman’s 23-player squad, with Leah Williamson and Beth Mead both currently sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Mead, who ruptured her ACL in November, revealed earlier this month that she was “ahead of schedule” in her recovery but Wiegman said it would be too risky to include the 28-year-old in her squad. Gareth Southgate, please note!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2023\/24 Home Kit<\/strong>
As yet there has been no sign that a similar donation to the 2022\/23 charity work will be made from 2023\/24 sales, but there have been some frustrating issues for buyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This season, Adidas has opted for a design inspired by Arsenal’s 20th anniversary since the \u2018Invincibles’. It includes the Invincible’s record printed on the seams and a golden crest, symbolising the iconic Golden trophy. However, the standard home strip costs \u00a380, meaning that the shirt has been made \u00a310 more expensive for the last two consecutive years. To receive the Invincibles’ record stitching and the rubberised club crest, it is an extra \u00a330, amounting to a total shirt cost of \u00a3110. In addition, there is an extra charge to have a competition badge and a name and number on the back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a fairly eye watering figure in a cost of living crisis, especially say for a dad with two eager sons, or daughters, and it is disappointing to see the club take advantage of the fans and their loyalty, in the knowledge that the shirt will still be bought – after the first two days of sales in apparently record numbers too ! On the other hand, I guess record transfer fees and salaries have to be paid for somewhere along the line. What is disappointing is that in addition to the high prices, many fans have received damaged shirts, with names being wonky on the back and numbers being burnt during printing. One Arsenal fan received three shirts in poor condition, including the new goalkeeper strip having no printed name set at all. Hopefully the club will be happy to rectify such issues. After all, these shirts are going to be worn in a title winning season!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Music Bit<\/strong>
It was about a year ago when I first became aware – tuning in by chance to a radio programme – of The Dualers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Duelers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Dualers<\/strong> are a nine piece ska and reggae band from south-east London. Initially comprising brothers Si and Tyber Cranstoun, and now led by Tyber following Si’s departure in 2010 for a solo career. They first developed a commercial profile when the single “Kiss on the Lips” entered the UK top 30, peaking at 21, in October 2004 despite no industry backing. They began busking on the streets in Bexley Heath, amongst other places, before their popularity eventually won them a recording contract and performances at much bigger venues, including Wembley Arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Si Cranstoun:<\/strong> “Nobody ever believes we’re brothers. I take after our mother, who is from Sierra Leone, and Tyber is a dead-ringer for our dad, who is white. One hot summer when we were quite small, Mum took us shopping in Croydon and Tyber wandered off and got lost. His hair had been bleached by the sun and when Mum eventually tracked him down no one could believe that this black woman could possibly be the mother of this little blond boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think most people assume Tyber and I play primarily black music because our mum is black, but our dad has also been a huge influence. He used to be in the merchant navy and fell in love with ska when he spent some time in Jamaica. When he came back to London he became one of the first white promoters of ska and played regular club nights all over London with his Savoy Sound System. He met my mum at the Locarno Ballroom in Streatham, London and Tyber and I grew up listening to the Blues Busters, Lord Creator, the Skatalites and Otis Redding, to name a few. Dad’s family has a music-hall background – playing the spoons, whacking washboards – so it’s not surprising we’ve ended up as performers. I’m completely driven by music and I find it hard to switch off. Every time I hear a piece of music I’ll be thinking about how it’s constructed or what the producer is trying to do. The only way I really get to relax is when I go fishing, and I don’t go as much as I’d like so I really enjoyed our afternoon on the Grand Union canal (before the Champions League SF), even though we didn’t catch anything. It was great spending a couple of hours doing nothing, away from the buzz of life. When we were kids, our dad used to take us fishing nearly every weekend. I was always in awe of him because he’d catch something nearly everv cast. I’d be doing well if I caught something every 60 casts, but it never dampened my enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

l used to be just as keen on football. The first match I went to see was Crystal Palace at home playing Bolton Wanderers and I’ve been a Palace supporter ever since, although my interest is fairly casual these days. I didn\u2019t mind watching the Arsenal match at Tyber’s as there were some other mates there so I tried to think of it as more of a social occasion. I watched bits of the match, but I spent most of the time on my mobile in the garden. I do think it’s a cop-out supporting a side like Arsenal that’s got loads of money when it isn’t your local team. But I suppose I just have to accept my brother is a Gooner through and through.”

Tyber Cranstoun:<\/strong> “Si didn’t really understand the importance of the match. I’d watched so many hours of Champions League football, and to see Arsenal’s chances nearly go out the window because of one player’s play-acting in the penalty area was … well, I can’t describe it. As any die-hard football fan knows, you experience tremendous highs and lows throughout any match, but that game was particularly intense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know Si thinks I’ve jumped on the Arsenal bandwagon, but I’ve supported them since I was a kid. Admittedly, when I first got interested in football I just wanted to support a team that was glamorous and successful, but that’s what kids are like. It’s gone way beyond that now. When I watch Arsenal playing, the rest of the world simply melts away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’d say we’re good mates and we do socialise with each other but not all the time. It’s great that we know each other so well because we don’t feel we have anything to prove, although there is possibly a slightly competitive edge to our performances. We’re both singers, but we don’t sing passively out to the audience like a boy band, we sing to each other, almost as if we’re trying to outdo the other one – a bit like the soul singers Sam and Dave. That’s partly why we’re called the Dualers, because it conjures up this idea of conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve been performing at venues and busking on the streets around the south-east for the past eight years, and sold 35,000 copies of our first two CDs on the streets alone. We’ve got completely different voices; mine is deeper, quite gravelly, like a baritone, whereas Si can hit high notes I couldn’t dream of, but when they come together it seems to work. There isn’t any serious rivalry, though. Just enough to fuel our music.”

(The interviews are my edits taken from a piece by Hilary Whitney in The Guardian, from July 2006.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Dualers tracks: ( some live in the street, some recordings \/ videos)<\/strong>

Don\u2019t Stay Out Late<\/a>
Red Light<\/a>
Kiss On The Lips<\/a>
Written In The Stars<\/a>
Good Thing Going – Under the Bridge at Southend<\/a>
Commoner to King<\/a>
Enjoy Yourself (4 year old mystery dancer)<\/a>

Hope you enjoy !

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I offered to write a piece for the close season on the basis that I would supply subject matter as soon as something rooted itself in the old noddle. The aim was to provide something Arsenal orientated, importantly, not too serious because summer is supposed to be relaxing and fun, and not just a stream […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,2,10,16],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8002"}],"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\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8002"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8007,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8002\/revisions\/8007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}