Last weekend, I finally made it to my first Arsenal Women football match at the Emirates Stadium. Holloway Road station on the Piccadilly Line is the closest station to the Emirates Stadium only some five minutes’ walk away. However, it is usually closed on match days due to capacity issues, and so I made my way from Highbury & Islington station along Holloway Road. Any worry about getting lost would have been unfounded. I only needed to follow everyone else wearing red and white.

I mentioned in my previous post of this series that I really struggled with feelings of anxiety and panic attack just before I arrived at the Chigwell Construction Stadium for the away game with West Ham. But thankfully I did not feel that bad this time around, and happily made it to the Emirates whilst following all the other people wearing red and white. Maybe it was because I knew that Arsenal fans would outnumber the away fans, being that it was a home game at the Emirates Stadium. Wearing the same red and white as the other fans this time does give a sense of community too.

Arriving in London N5

The pre-match day information suggests getting there at least an hour before kick-off, and I arrived at around 10:30 for a midday kick-off. I spent some time in the Armoury, Arsenal’s flagship shop at the Emirates Stadium. The expansive range of products on sale is rather impressive. What was more impressive, however, was the stream of people doing pre and post-match shopping.

After picking up a match day programme, I followed other fans up the stairs by the side of the Armoury. Climbing up to the terrace above the shop, I saw the queues starting to form by the large letters around the stadium. Finding my designated turnstiles, I joined the queue to have my bag checked before squeezing through the turnstile. I had, before match day, downloaded my ticket onto my phone as recommended. Whilst entry to the West Ham v Arsenal game was by way of a QR code, getting into the Emirates Stadium was just a case of tapping in. The small screen on the tapping in interface at the turnstile even greets you by name!

Entering a different world

I was a little disorientated after passing the turnstile at the Emirates Stadium for the first time ever. Having shuffled awkwardly through the narrow turnstile, I felt like I had entered another world. From the world of pretty paving, trees and colourful banners outside the Armoury to a world of utilitarian concrete architecture. It felt like quite an appropriate metaphor for how I felt entering the stadium for the first time and being faced with crowds of fans queued to get their pre-game food and drinks. I grabbed myself a helping of sausage and mash. The sausage seemed a little overdone, but it was actually alright for a quick pre-game bite. I did not notice any seats around, and tables were designed to be at standing height.

With the crowd gathering, I felt myself get a little tense. But thankfully I did not end up having a full blown bout of anxiety and panic attack like I did before getting to the stadium for the West Ham v Arsenal game. If I had thought that passing through the turnstile was entering a different world, then heading through the numbered passage to the stands was yet another portal to another world. The grey concrete gave way to red seats and the veridian green of the turf. I had picked an aisle seat near the half-way line, giving me quite the view of the whole pitch in anticipation of the action moving from one end to the other.

North London Forever

Taking my seat, I was not sure what to expect, to be honest. My aisle seat seemed quite spacious compared to the crowd just inside the stadium waiting for their food and drinks. As a pre-match ritual, I knew Liverpool has You’ll Never Walk Alone. I knew West Ham has I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles. Being that this was my first game at the Emirates Stadium, I discovered that Arsenal also has a pre-kick-off song: North London Forever.

At the time, I was not actually sure what was being sung. But it did add to the atmosphere of anticipation for the game, with the crowd singing as the players stood in formation waiting for the referee’s starting whistle. After a quick Google when I got home I found out that Arsenal adopted the chorus of Louis Dunford’s The Angel (North London Forever) as their pre-kick-off song in 2022, and it is still sung before home games now.

North London Forever,
Whatever the weather,
These streets are our own,
And my heart will leave you never,
My blood will forever,
Run through the stone.

Louis Dunford: The Angel (North London Forever)

Listening to a music can often stirs emotions. But there nothing really prepared me for the power behind 24,000 fans singing the same song together. It leaves quite the impression. Although it makes me wonder what it might be like to hear a full capacity crowd of 60,000 sing together. Must be put it on my bucket list to experience at least once!

Arsenal scored and early goal and took the lead. Sadly, Aston Villa scored a 93rd minute equaliser, and with only four minutes left to go of added time, Arsenal just could not find the back of Aston Villa’s net again. I have seen games end up this way on television before, but there is something that makes you feel more invested in the result when watching in person. Perhaps it is something to do with the gasps of everyone immediately around you, which you would not be able to pick up when watching on television.

Will I be back?

Despite the slightly disappointing ending to the game, having led for most of the game only to come away with a draw during the dying moments of the match, I definitely want to come back to watch another game at the Emirates Stadium. I especially want to see what the view is like from other areas of the stadium. Who knows, maybe I will even try and experience some of the hospitality packages which Arsenal offer too, just to see what it is like. I certainly feel less nervous about it than I did before now that I have experienced both a home and an away game.