We think there was a match on Sunday! And as long-time supporters of the Arsenal Women’s team, it felt like family picking up those trophies.
The same people who performed week in, week out, to a few hundred of us at Borehamwood, are now household names. We hope that in the new world, that small ground connection can be retained. Elsewhere on these pages, back in 2019, we were asking whether the team should be playing at such a small ground when the home of the Arsenal is the Emirates. It didn’t feel right. We were told before they could move to Highbury, the game had to gain acceptance and not be playing to empty terraces. That said, the owners did declare last year they wanted to play more matches in N5, and there are three lined up for the coming season. Maybe the time has come for a big switch.
But there will be logistical issues of pitch care, policing and stewarding, to name but three. And fixture clashes. We’ve been badgering anyone who’d listen that you can’t play the same day at two different stadia and expect people to support both teams when there’s no time to travel from one to the other. But double-headers? Not sure about those. Let’s see what happens. But either way, well done all the Lionesses, and especially the Arsenal contingent.
But we felt more than a tinge of sadness that probably the greatest advocate of the women’s game, Maria, wasn’t there to be part of it.
Meanwhile, the small matter of the men’s team.
Were you there on Saturday (vs Sevilla)?? Probably not, as it seemed it was very much a crowd of reserves. We didn’t see any regular season ticket holders! Just shows what demand there is to get tickets and see the team play. We expect they all enjioyed it. And there wasn’t a Mexican Wave, either!!
But issues arose – there was a massive crush of people on the east side, ages before 12.30, so it wasn’t a last-minute rush. It’s why the kick-off was delayed (we think). We’ve asked the club for comment. It might have been turnstiles operators still being on holiday (back in the day, this writer missed Malcolm MacDonald’s first goal because the gates at Highbury were understaffed for the opening game of the season!) but we’ve asked for confirmation that things are being checked and won’t be like it for Fulham.
The absence of information about the delay, the lack of team information and most of the usual pre-match rituals – and the confusion over not taking the knee – seemed to sum up the haphazard organisation on the day. Maybe it was the heat.
But it was such a carnival atmosphere, nobody seemed to care! If we can generate as much noise and enthusiasm for all the forthcoming ‘proper’ games – and keep it going for the full 90 – we might become the ‘twelfth man’.
One new video screen is in place, the other looks like it’ll be ready for Fulham. I know it sounds churlish to complain, but we did wonder why, having invested in a giant screen, almost big enough for the Odeon Leicester Square, the videos and information remained the same size as before and the rest of the screen was taken up with giant adverts for Addidas and someone else. (I tried to ignore them.) Did it bother you? Not important enough to raise specifically with the club, maybe, but one to ask at the next Fans’ Forum? Let us know.
