Arsenal and the club’s cultural roots go hand in hand. Over the years, intersections of black identity within the UK have become a major part of Arsenal’s DNA.
From Ian Wright to Thierry Henry and now Bukayo Saka and Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal has had a strong connection with the Black British cultural diaspora in a way that institutions, let alone football clubs, couldn’t have imagined.
The Gunners speak to more than the 60,000 people in the Emirates but millions around the world. It is more than just a matchday experience. Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka, Professor in Film, Culture and Society at UCL and editor of the book ‘Black Arsenal’, said: “People support Arsenal because they feel like they are a part of a community”.
When you look at the jubilant celebrations that occurred on the streets of north London after Arsenal’s clinching of the league title, one finds a multi-cultural festival of sight and sound. People from different walks of life coming together to break bread, sing songs and rejoice over a shared love: Arsenal. Football has a way of bringing people together, and Arsenal football club is unique and distinct in ways that other clubs haven’t got the same ability.
To others these celebrations seemed so effortless in ways one can’t comprehend. Being black is cool to many, but it carries certain connotations that aren’t always welcome. Jeanette Kwakye MBE, broadcaster and former Olympian said: “A lot of the time when black stories in the UK are reported, the joy gets sucked out of things but there is something about Arsenal that allows you to feel quite safe and able to express your joy.
“Culturally Arsenal feels like quite a safe space for those who are black in the UK.
“It is really important for my children to understand and feel safe at the club, it is not always the case with young black children in those kinds of environments and spaces”.
Recognition and representation are safety. The Premier League champions have created a safe space where players and fans alike can express themselves without fear or reprisal or being ostracised.
Dr Nwonka said: “Football culture is the most capricious cultures. Where you can equally love black people and hate black people at the same time.
“It makes the space very vulnerable”.
Arsenal’s ability to champion black players of various heritages means it holds a special place in the hearts of many across the diaspora. Arsene Wenger’s 22 year managerial stint saw him bring many players from across the world to the club, opening the hearts and minds of many a football fan.
Arsenal has such a rich cultural tapestry, not only in the various coloured kits over the years, but also in the memories that come with them both on and off the pitch. People buy into the story attached to the kit. Every collection has a meaning that might not be for everyone, but somewhere within our fan base, someone connects with it.
Through fashion, Arsenal have integrated themselves into modern-day society with kit collaborations that look to pay homage to the club’s popularity across Africa and the Caribbean. The root of Arsenal’s popularity across the regions can be found in the many African legends who have worn the cannon on their chest over the years. Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria. Christopher Wreh from Liberia. The Ivory Coast produced Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue and Kolo Toure.
When Foday Dumbuya, creative director and founder of Labrum London, designed the club’s 24/25 away kit, he said: “Arsenal released a statement saying they want to celebrate their African fan base, showing the recognition of not only London audiences, but also those miles away from the Emirates”.
The blacked out zig-zag away kit is a legacy football kit. The Pan-African colours of the 1920s represent when African countries started to gain their independence. The release video was even shot in Sierra Leone, demonstrating how far the club is willing to go to bring the stories of their fans to life.
Dumbuya said: “My whole thing is about people, movement, migration. When cultures collide, beautiful things are born out of it. When people move, cultures move.
“When you look at Arsenal and what they stand for, it’s about the community and the people. People come from afar and they support the club they believe in”.
As such when Arsenal celebrated their first Premier League title in over 20 years, there were celebrations in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Togo and more. Some even went as far as creating their own Arsenal-style traditional wear.
When you have such established voices involved in the development of such collaborations, the creative work reads as authentic and respectful, rather than disruptive or trendsetting. Arsenal’s rich history and affinity with black culture means the club is able to speak in a distinctive voice that few other football clubs can replicate.
Arsenal’s ability to move into cultural spaces goes beyond fashion and into music as well. Artist and producer Juls, who curated the score for the launch of the 24/25 away kit said: “Music is so important. You can introduce different ethnicities to different sounds. It bridges diversity and brings unity.
“Music is such an amazing universal language, when people are watching something, they’re listening subconsciously at the same time”.
The African drums and uplifting vocals represent both the pains and the joys that we as black people have experienced in the past. As multiple flavours and elements of black music are blended together, there is no appropriation, but rather a deeper understanding of the origins of the sounds.
Arsenal have been able to captivate what is essentially the culture capital without it feeling overwhelming or overbearing. The expression of the club is one thing, but creating a space where players can freely express themselves on and off the pitch is another.
Some fans may exchange the word community with family because we care so deeply about the players as if they were our brothers, sisters, sons or daughters. The players are more than footballers, more than the number on the back of their jersey.
When Saka announced his engagement, fans felt like they were a part of it and were going to his wedding even though we weren’t invited. There is a comfort in knowing what is coming next. The aunties, the food on the menu, the traditional ceremonies and outfits. It automatically brings in not only football fans but also people from across cultures, demographics, ages, and genders.
Notting Hill Carnival. That is who we are as people. When you couldn’t turn your head without seeing someone wearing that Arsenal Jamaica kit. Dancing celebrations like Ian Wright’s renowned bogle dance or the kalika dance from Ghana – that is who we are as people. Dance moves that are designed for the nightclub but dance moves that wider followers of the sport see and recognise that neither players nor supporters have to suppress our joy and who we are as people.
Anita Asante, former Arsenal and England footballer said: “The culture that has been set at Arsenal is not a contract.
The toxicity of the football environment makes us so protective over our players. Even though Eberechi Eze missed his penalty, the entire club embraced him saying we’ve got his and we are not going to let this derail how we feel about him. There is a different kind of inevitable dread when black players play for England.
Asante added, “It’s not, you play for us and you’re only good when you’re successful and everything goes right”.
There’s a level of confidence that has been built because of this strong sense of belonging, the strong sense that permeates through the community and the pride that black people have as fans of Arsenal Football Club.
There will always be people of different backgrounds who will come together to appreciate Arsenal’s club culture, and some who hate it. That goes way beyond the footballing experience but about how you can live as Londoners, as British people as well.
Arsenal are leading the way in bridging that gap. Asante said, “In women’s football we pride ourselves on inclusivity. I think we all know in all honesty that we want to see more diversity on the pitch in the women’s game.
“What Arsenal do exceptionally well is the archiving of history, reflecting upon the success of the club and the legends that have played at the club”.
Household names such as Alex Scott and Rachel Yankee are names the black community and wider are aware of. Asante, who won the quadruple in 2007 said: “The changing rooms that I’ve been in, so much of the music and camaraderie and the joy, dancing, has come from black players.
“We are often the ones steering what the music is gonna be, therefore we are kind of creating the temperature of the team and how that temperature goes from the dressing room to the pitch.”
This temperature feeds into the fanbase too. Supporters are authentically creating the ethos of the club from the ground up. Dumbuya said: “You can’t buy culture. You have to be in it to understand it.
“Being an Arsenal fan, being black it’s a feeling, it’s not just an aesthetic that people can pick and choose”.
You have to be able to understand that there is a black energy circulating around the club at the moment. You cannot hide from the celebrities and musicians associated with the club. Spike Lee, 21 Savage, Donae’o, Femi Koleoso, Jeremiah Asiamah to name a few. But you also cannot hide from the fact that there is less drinking and heavy partying, but more prayer. The ‘Bible Brothers’ featuring Jurriën Timber, Noni Madueke, Saka, Eze and more are not hiding their faith.
Arsenal is the club that is leading the way. They have been constantly setting the standards and now it’s for other clubs to match up to that. In 2002, when Arsene Wenger made history fielding a starting eleven with nine black players, the legendary manager changed the trajectory of English football. Marquee statements such as being the first club to step up and say we are playing our women’s home games at the same venue as the mens.
Though other clubs may try and replicate what Arsenal have done over the years. No one will come close.
