Since the majority of us are from the States, I'm sure there are many interesting stories of how our fandom came about. I'm sure there has been a thread on this in the past, but I'm relatively new here and haven't seen one since. For me, it all started back in 2004. Then, I had joined the message board "whitesoxinteractive.com" The site has a history page, which says this I guess the founder of this site is a Gooner. I thought this was interesting, but didn't think much of it, as I had no interest in soccer at the time. I started to notice Arsenal threads on the general forum from time to time, and I guess from this random connection the Gunners were like the sister team to the site, and anyone who was a soccer fan followed Arsenal. I remember the '06 UCL Final being a huge deal over there, and I rooted for Arsenal knowing really nothing about them. My soccer interest really got going during the '06 World Cup, and as my interest grew, I decided to root for Arsenal permanently, and am glad I did.
when i first starting playing fifa 01 i sucked horribly. Arsenal were the best team in the game so i stuck with them....lol Also, my Aunt's husband used to live in england and is also a fan, so he also influenced my decision.
I used to be a huge Thierry Henry fan, I even learned French just because he's French. I still am a big fan, but it's hard to see him as the same player in a Barcelona shirt.
my cousin in London was a fan so I became one too - first through Fifa, then through yahoo's soccer page, then through the game of the week on FSN, then the Champions League until finally I paid for Fox Sports World in 2003. But I started following the game by working/hanging out with a bunch of Brits, Irish, Jamaicans and South Americans around the time of World Cup 98.
The soccer club for which I played growing up was started by an expat and named Arsenal after his favorite club. Borrowed the crest and everything.
well, as a really young fellow (aged about 7 or 8) for one season i enjoyed man united due to a large amount of pressure at primary school, for some reason i idolised lee sharp...fail i saw sence however the following year or so when a certain ian wright caught my eye and i realised an internal hate for manchester united growing up from a complete none football background (dad was useless) i had to learn the game myself and chose the follow arsenal in about 95/96 i always had a soft spot for birmingham abck then too, back when they were winning the autoglass shield and were in the olkd division 3 (football league 1 now) anyway, bergkamp became my new hero, then anelka, then henry and so forth and thats how
My middle brother started following them around 01/02. He snagged a Nike Arsenal sweatshirt from Gabriel Brothers (they get defective or overstock clothes, haha). I wore it a few times and decided that is who I would follow because they had a cool name and a cool logo. I was fortunate enough to be studying abroad in Hertfordshire the spring of 2004, so I caught Arsenal matches whenever I could.
I have followed Arsenal off and on for a number of years now. The love affair started in 89 at the famous Anfield game and then continued thereafter. As a player, I was totally useless dribbling the ball and played as right back. Arsenal had the best defense in the league for a long long time (imagine that). When AW came on board, I was a bit skeptical and wanted Rice to continue as full time coach instead. But he won me over with the attractive style of football and passing. Back in the day, it was hard to get live games anywhere. Things mercifully changed for the better in the 90s with the internet. At least I could read the papers and follow the team. Made a couple of trips to Highbury when I was in college too. Towards the end of 1990s, one could watch the games at bars and places like that. Fox soccer helped a lot too and occassional games could be viewed on ESPN if I remember correctly. Arrival of Bergkemp was really a turing point for the team. I have and will always put him above Henry, who is a close second. Favorite all time list has Rice at #3 and Parlour at #4. There you have it all now....
Highbury and how it was simply amazing, embodying everything that was great about the culture of the game. The motto Victoria Concordia Crescit also. Henry and Bergkamp didn't hurt either....
My dad first got FSC at the house back in the winter of 04. One morning during Christmas break, Arsenal were playing Newcastle and I remember thinking, "Henry plays for Arsenal, this should be interesting". So I watched and was completely sucked in. I didn't care much for the English game, but Arsenal won me over. I saw them as the "rose that grows from concrete" and I found that fascinating. So as an Arsenal supporter I've only seen them lift one major trophy (FA Cup v Man Utd)...Although I will admit that I was much more casual about it back then, I didn't watch nearly every match like I do now, I wouldn't wake up at 5am, etc.
Playing with them in FIFA 96. I was bangin' in goals like crazy with Ian Wright on that game. When I finally got FSC and discovered Internet streaming I became a real fan though.
I actually followed as much I could without any internet nor cable around the time Bergkamp joined in 1995. I have always followed the Dutch national team and he was one of my fav. players. That said, it is so much better these years with so many online avenues to chat with fellow supporters. I was such a late internet user that I would never have known about any online sites to chat with fellow fans in the early days. Plus, I kick myself that I didn't have cable from 99 till 2004 as I could have seen so much more.
My dad has been a big follower of the Dutch national team since he was kid. So in the early 90s he would always wear a dutch jersey around the house and, naturally, I found whatever orange shirt I could find to copy him. When Bergkamp came over in 95 I was 10 and coincidentally my dad bought me my first Dutch jersey so I fell in love with Arsenal through good ole Dennis. Even though we (obviously living in NJ) couldn't catch games on TV, we had family in England and Jamaica send us game tapes so we kept up until good ole FSW brought the highlights every week. Haha, I still remember waiting at the door for Saturday's mail to come as that was usually the day our tapes from the previous week's games would come in the mail.
My spelling is terrible. I constantly mispell names. Good to have folks ieyou correcting me at all times.
Wow, good question. I became an Arsenal fan back in high school -- around 1990 actually (graduated in '91). Funnily enough, I was originally lured in by our kits. I saw them on a poster at a soccer store and really like them. I loved the classic red kits with the white sleeves. Back then we were wearing Adidas with JVC as our sponsor. But, the thing that put me over the top was Nick Hornby's "Fever Pitch" penned in 1992. I can't consider ANYONE a Gooner unless they've read the Arsenal Bible. I think I read it in '93 and I was hooked thereafter. I have read it no less than five times and it still gives me chills. And yes, I thought the baseball movie, "Fever Pitch" was blasphemous. We won the League in '90-'91, losing only one match under George Graham. Then we won the double -- FA Cup and League Cup in '92-'93 and the Cup Winners' Cup in '94 and my allegiance to anyone else was never questioned. Bergkamp (my all-time favorite Gooner) arrived in '95 and the Professor in '96 -- and I was essentially in full blown infatuation mode at that point. I hate Spurs and ManU. Bergkamp, Henry and Cesc are my favorite Gunners of all-time, in that order (for now). My most memorable season was the Untouchables season of 2003-2004 when we finished without losing a single match. Sadly I have never been to a game in London -- Highbury or the Grove. It is probably one of the most disappointing things in my life, considering I am a huge sports fan and have been a Gunners fan for so long. I hope to change that this year. Unfortunately, my business and family obligations have always prevented me from making the trek. It really is one of the saddest stories of my life. I keep up with Arsenal through a variety of blogs (my favorite being www.arseblog.com) and my home bar is the Brewhouse in Atlanta, where Gunners unite on a weekly basis. One-nil to the Arsenal.
Someone walked into my high school in 94 wearing a strange JVC jersey. A couple years later, I figured out what it was, and mildly became a fan, mostly because that was the only team I had heard of. I was finally hooked in 98 (when I had more internets). I remember seeing Bergkamp's WC goal against Argentina and remarking how cool it was that he was on the club team I liked.
Like a few here, I mostly knew of them through the 90's era of FIFA video games. I was like 12 or 13 and just loved their name and colors. Once we got the internet, I was able to read about them and check scores. It continued to blossom into what it is today and I'll forever be a Gooner. Still haven't made it over for a match but I plan to change that hopefully next season. One of my friends got me one of those Armory Square stones for my birthday. Make sure I find it when I make it over there. I have converted my father, brother, nephew and a few close friends.
in 2002 when i started my masters, i moved in with a friend who had time warner cable. back then FSC was fox sports world and they showed mostly soccer games. i had loosely followed the epl before (fellow trini dwight yorke was lighting it up with manu). i am not sure if it was the style of ball that arsenal played, the panache of guys like henry, pires, vieiria but soon i was captivated by arsenal and watched them any chance i get. i haven't splurged on a shirt or anything like that yet and i have not made it to a game yet but that is my dream, hopefully with my sons one day. gooner for life
As most girls who grew up in the '90s, by soccer interest was consumed by Mia Hamm and the USWNT. The 1999 World Cup sealed my fate as a soccer fan. It wasn't until 2006 that I had much interest in the men's game, coinciding with getting FSC. By then I had already heard of Thierry Henry and along with the US, I routed for France in the '06 World Cup. The 2006/2007 season was my first season as an Arsenal fan, due to Henry. The season started with me watching any soccer game I could, but I only seemed to care about the outcome when Arsenal was playing. By the end of the season, I was a die-hard and I've never looked back. I haven't made it over to see a game yet, but I'm hoping to get to the stadium when I study abroad next year.
Very cool, a fellow Dutch supporter! As I mentioned a few posts earlier, Dennis is what got me to following what Arsenal was doing.