Belonging: Identity, Pride and the Power of female fans

BELONGING DEC 2024 ISSUE 1

IDENTITY, PRIDE AND THE POWER OF FANS

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CONTENTS PAGE

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Editor’s Note

The Power of Female fans

Match Day

Your Voices - The Interview

North London Forever Matchday Gallery

The Questionnaire

Matchday Styles Outfit Inspiration

Hi, I’m Maia, and welcome to the first issue of my zine series, Belonging. This debut issue focuses on something I’ve loved my whole life but only got into this year: football, and in particular Women’s football.

Supporting Arsenal has been a family tradition, starting with my grandad, a Caribbean man who saw himself reflected in the players. For my family, Arsenal is more than a club, it’s this type of bond that continues to connect us and the future.

Surprisingly, I only discovered Women’s football two years ago, and I wasn’t a fan at first. I found it boring, and thought it lacked the energy of the men’s game. If a Women’s match was on the TV I would often leave the room, whilst everyone else watched. That changed this April at my first Women’s Super Leage (WSL) match at the Emirates Stadium. Watching the women play with passion made me more interested in the game, plus, they don’t roll around on the floor like the men, lol!

While men were there to support, it was empowering to see women chanting, dressed in football shirts singing into the stadium. I admired the feeling of belonging, and soon joined in conversation with women near me, cheering the women to a well deserved victory.

I created this zine to showcase what being a fan means to me as well as many other women out there too, and there was no better place to start other than my home club.

WITH THE INCREASED ATTENTION IN WOMEN’S FOOTBALL, I HOPE THAT THIS ZINE COULD PERSUADE YOU TO GO AND CHECK OUT A WOMEN’S FOOTBALL MATCH ONE DAY!

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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THE POWER OF FANS

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AND THE GROWTH OF WOMEN’S FOOTBALL Football can’t work without the support of each club’s loyal fans. Whilst football has been considered a male dominated sport for a long time, women teams have been working silently, building up their own fan bases. It’s finally their time to shine. Last season the Women’s Super League saw many records broken thanks to the power of female fans.

Around 58% of WSL match attendees are women, meaning about 800,000 women attend matches each season. In the 23/24, the WSL saw a record of 1.38 million fans attend across all matches, a 170% increase from just two seasons ago. Compared to the men’s Premier League, where only 37% of matchgoers are women, the WSL shift creates a more welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere with new energy in the stands. A standout moment was Arsenal vs.

Tottenham at the Emirates, where over 54,000 fans attended, highlighting women’s football taking over male domintated stadia. This isn’t the first time that Arsenal Women have broken records either, doing it again at the Emirates, against Chelsea with 59,042 attendees and against Liverpool with 54,115 attendees.

Women aren’t just showing up, they’re also driving revenue. Merch sales are increasing, with female fans leading the charge in purchasing kits, merch, and season tickets. Some clubs now have record numbers of women season ticket holders, proving this isn’t a short-term trend but a new movement. The visibility of women in the stands and their active presence in fan culture shows us that football thrives when it’s inclusive, vibrant, and community driven. The WSL is just the start, and with this energy, women’s football is set for an unstoppable future.

“ It’s inspiring to see so many women and young girls in the stands. Their support is what makes the WSL such a special league to play in.”- Alex Greenwood, Man City, Defender 7

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MATCHDAY - 8 NOVEMBER 2024

EMIRATES STADIUM, N5 North London Fo

rever

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YOUR VOICES

IN CONVERSATION WITH FANS Before the match I wanted to speak to some of the female fans about their identity, pride and the feeling of belonging to Arsenal football club.

8 NOV 2024, approx. 17:39

I

t was a cold Friday evening, the energy outside the stadium was buzzing. Fans gathered in small groups, chatting about what to eat, the latest club news, and their match predictions.

Women of all ages stood out in the crowd, friends, mothers with daughters, sisters laughing

together, and children whose excitement filled the air. I spotted a group of women and gathered the courage to strike up a conversation. After introducing my project, the discussion flowed easily.

Their passion for the game shone in their responses, each one a piece of the larger community.

*for this purpose of this project the interviewees have asked to remain anonymous*

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Maia: Who or what inspired you to support the women’s team?

I1: I’ve always supported the Men’s team, and thought why not support the Women too.

I think if you’re going to support a club you support everyone, not just the ones that are doing the best.

I2: Yea, I would say the same, I’ve always supported Arsenal, so it was just natural for me too.

Maia: Any pre-match rituals you have? Your favourite player? I’m gonna go with Alessia Russo as mine.

I1: We usually go out to eat and maybe shop for some merch before the game.

I2: Yeah we keep it really simple, don’t want to do too much, you know. Oh- and my favourite player would have to be Beth Mead.

M: Good choice, and thanks for taking time to speak to me.

Maia: Who do you come to matches with, have you made any new friends along the way?

I1: We come together as friends, sometimes our parents come along but we like to bond together over the match.

M: Aww that is so sweet, I hope you girls continue this tradition!

Maia: How do you think women football supporters are viewed?

I2: I think women are often ignored in these spaces, but we bring so much positivity and good energy to these matches.

I1: I would say the same, I feel overlooked and boys always say I can’t like football, it’s so dumb.

Maia: Do you feel there’s a unique culture among Arsenal fans? How would you describe it?

I1: Arsenal is known for it’s unique culture anyway, and I can always feel at home being here. It doesn’t matter what race, gender, sexuality etc. we are all part of the bigger family.

“I think women are often ignored in these spaces, but we bring so much positivity and good energy to these matches.”

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Who or what inspired you to support the women’s team?

I1: We have always supported the men so naturally we supported the women but as my daughter has gotten older and we have been able to go to matches together, as our interest has grown.

Who do you come to matches with, have you made any new friends along the way?

I1: I wouldn’t say that I have made new friends coming to matches but I come with my daughter often, it’s our special thing that we do!

How do you think women football supporters are viewed?

I1: I think women are viewed as much better behaved compared to the men.

M: I definitley agree with that!

Do you feel there’s a unique culture among Arsenal fans? How would you describe it?

I1: There is no other club that I know where they have such a diverse culture which is always celebrated, it’s nice to see the same diversity included in the Women’s matches too.

Any pre-match rituals you have?

Your favourite player?

I1: We don’t really have pre-match rituals but my favourite players are Katie McCabe and Leah Williamson.

M: Thank you for speaking to me! Enjoy the match

Do you feel there’s a unique culture among Arsenal fans? How would you describe it?

“Sorry to interrupt but as a teacher, I try to push my girl students into spaces where they don’t often see themselves, such as on the pitch.”

Who or what inspired you to support the women’s team?

I1: Growing up the Women’s team was never really a big thing, I feel they didn’t have the chance to be shown.

I2: Yeah, it’s always been men, men, men.

Football has been about men, but we are here to show them, well actually women can do it too.

I1: Sorry to interrupt but as a teacher, I try to push my girl students into spaces where they don’t often see themselves, such as on the pitch.

Who do you come to matches with, have you made any new friends along the way?

I1: I wouldn’t say that we make friends but we just speak to the people around us and bond from there.

How do you think women football supporters are viewed?

I1: I feel the vibe at the Emirates is better than anywhere else where women play. Everyone that comes here feels like they are part of a group regardless of their differences.

Any pre-match rituals you have?

Your favourite player?

I1: Oh, there’s too many players to pick from.

I2: Yea I don’t think I can pick one player, I love them all.

I1: In terms of pre-match rituals, I sing the chants in my head all day. Like all day I’ve been humming them in my head.

M: Looks like I have a lot of learning to do then, lol. Thank you girls for taking the time to speak with me, I really appreciate it.

“I feel the vibe at the Emirates is better than anywhere else where women play. Everyone that comes here feels like they are part of a group regardless of their differences.”

I1: You’re either viewed as a “pick me” because you want to be involved or sometimes people see it as well oh you’re a woman and you like football, so it’s shocking for people. It has changed over the years though, so it is becoming the norm.

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Being at the Emirates feels different to being at other stadiums, and it is Who or what inspired you to support difficult to describe, the women’s team? sort of like you are I1: Honestly it came from a period of time when the Arsenal [men’s] team weren’t winning anything and the Women’s team were in a modern cultural dominating. This was during the Alex Scott era, I also thought she was really cool! It feels so hub? Basically we much easier to follow the women’s team now though (Post-Euro 22) and seeing the sport grow is such a satisfying part of supporting the are all really cool Women’s team.

Who do you come to matches with, and I think other have you made any new friends along the way? clubs need to catch I1: I either go by myself, with my brother or the friends I’ve made online. I always find people up. are really nice so even if I’m by myself there’s always the option of chatting to whoever’s next to me. Most of the friends I’ve made through football have actually been online funnily enough.

How do you think women football supporters are viewed?

I1: Sadly the first words that came to mind were negative ones? I think I’m just so used to misogyny around football that the big cynical part of me thinks women football supporters are viewed as either fake or annoying. But I personally love seeing other women football fans!

Do you feel there’s a unique culture among Arsenal fans? How would you describe it?

I1: Yes! Every fan of every team would probably say this but I genuinely think it’s true of Arsenal because of the club’s unique connection to the Black community, particularly Black Londoners.

In the same way some clubs really connect with the working class, I feel like Arsenal has that here. It truly is a culture club as we always like to say. Being at the Emirates feels different to being at other stadiums, and it’s difficult to describe - sort of like you’re in a modern cultural hub? Basically we’re all really cool and I think other clubs need to catch up.

Any pre-match rituals you have?

Your favourite player?

I1: I’m annoyingly superstitious to the point I have to tell myself to chill out. This is oddly specific but whenever I’m going to a game with someone else and we get food, I always have to get chips from this one specific stand, I can’t have anything else haha. And even though I own quite a bit of merch, there are only specific jerseys that I wear because I worry if I wear a different one it’ll be bad luck (which limits my fit options…I need to work on that) and Leah Williamson is my fav player!!

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Who or what inspired you to support the women’s team?

I1: Kelly Smith, I saw an online one on one training session with her, and fell in love with the team from there!

Who do you come to matches with, have you made any new friends along the way?

I1: I don’t as I’m an international fan but it is a dream to attend a match one day, and yes I’ve made many friends along the way, on social media and ot

How do you think women football supporters are viewed?

I1: I don’t know what people outside the community think of us, but we are really close knit. We don’t really care about what they have to say, lol.

I don’t know what people outside the community think of us, but we are really close knit. We don’t really care about what they have to say, lol.

Do you feel there’s a unique culture among Arsenal fans?

How would you describe it?

I1: The culture - Arsenal according to me is synonymous with class, from there being free tampons for us [ladies] in the washrooms, to having Arsenal in the Community running all year, like having games including kids to adolescents to elders for health check-ups, the club really takes care of us all. It makes me proud to be a supporter of this club, with their unique identity and approach to looking out for their supporters etc.

Any pre-match rituals you have?

Your favourite player?

I1: I keep it simple and just wear the jersey on match days. My favourite player is Beth Mead.

M: Mead seems to be a club favourite for sure!

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NORTH LONDON FOREVER WHATEVER THE WEATHER 16

Capturing 3 sisters who kindly agreed to be interviewed pre-match.

See their responses on page 13.

3-0 up, and in motion.

Mead, patiently waiting for her team mate to take the corner kick.

During the match, fans across the stadium lit up their flashlights, creating a Mexican wave effect.

After a 5-0 nil victory, the ladies made their way around the pitch celebrating with the fans. What a perfect way to end the evening.

THE QUESTIONNAIRE When did you first realise you were an Arsenal fan?

As soon as I was born I was in the kit.

What’s your favourite matchday memory?

Can I say watching the girls win. It’s always a good memory as I want them to do so well.

How do you express your identity as an Arsenal fan?

I’ll usually wear one of my T-Shirts. I get a lot of stares though, or people side-eyeing me, as if I’m wearing something offensive, lol.

If you could meet one Arsenal Women’s player past or present, who would it be, and why?

Alex Scott because she’s a pioneer within Women’s Football and broadcasting. She’s an inspiration for myself, and many women who support Arsenal. Also she seems super cool and down to earth.

What’s your match day ritual?

How has supporting Arsenal shaped your identity?

I woudln’t say it’s shaped my identity, I will always be who I am with or without the club, but there is a strong sense of loyalty and community which comes out from supporting this club.

I don’t have one. I’m still quite new to the whole process of going to matches and stuff, I am yet to develop one.

What makes you proud to be an Arsenal fan?

Have you made any connections or friendships through supporting Arsenal?

The sense of community and our fan base.

All the interviews are from women I have connected with at the club which I am really appreciative for. Outside of this project I have spoken to a few, and I hope I can further these connections into friendships.

If you could tell the world one thing about Women’s football, what would it be?

Don’t sleep on female talent within football, it’s important women know they are celebrated in this sport.

Match day must have?

In the winter months it’s definitely a scarf to keep you warm or your favourite jersey as a lot of people do take pictures outside the stadium before the matches.

Best kit design?

I would say the away kit in collaboration with African designer Labrum London. I love the use of Pan-African colours, a homage to Arsenal’s large African, Caribbean fan base.

What do you hope for the future of women’s football?

I hope that more women and girls get into watching women’s football, as well as playing.

I also hope that as a community of fans there can be solidarity between both men and women to support Women’s talent.

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MATCHDAY

styles

Matchdays are more than football, it’s a day of good energy, fun and also about how you show up to the match! Here’s some outfit inspo to nail the perfect look, of comfort, style and football culture.

Vintage Football Jersey Chunky vintage jewellery Camera

Earrings

Beige trainers

Denim jeans 29

Matchday programme

Arsenal x Aries collab

Club Scarf

er s v l i S rie o s es c c a

White trainers

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ns a e J

Denim shorts

African x Jamaican outline pendant

Club Badges

Black and white trainers

Away Shirt

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ISSUE 2 COMING SOON!!!