In all my time as an Arsenal fan, I’ve seen a large number of Arsenal fans demanding the women play at the Emirates Stadium – yet, when Arsenal Women kicked off their 2021/22 WSL campaign at home to champions and rivals Chelsea, over 50,000 seats were left empty. Many people are content with the idea of supporting women’s football, but fail to follow this through – this article aims to convince more Arsenal fans to support the women in the exact same way that they support the men. To watch all the games, involve yourselves with the social media content, and give the team your unrivalled support. After all, Arsenal is for everyone.
The main drawing point to a football team is their players, and Arsenal Women are overflowing with quality. Wanna watch the best player on the planet? We have Vivianne Miedema. 100 goals in 110 games for the red and white of Arsenal, with not a single penalty in the mix. Miedema is in with a shout of winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or for her stellar calendar year so far, with unstoppable performances for both club and country.
Miedema may steal the headlines, but she is just one of many Arsenal players who can pride themselves in being some of the best players in the WSL. In fact, it was Katie McCabe who was voted Arsenal Women’s Player of the Season for her efforts last term, where she racked up 11 assists and a further 4 goals to help secure the side’s place in UWCL qualifying. Other key cogs to Arsenal’s machine include Leah Williamson, Kim Little, Lia Walti, and Jordan Nobbs to name just a few.
I haven’t even touched on what an incredible summer transfer window Arsenal had, bringing in real top-quality to help push the side onto a title challenge this season. Mana Iwabuchi joined the club from Aston Villa, having previously linked up with Miedema at Bayern Munich. Iwabuchi is gifted with an abundance of technical qualities, making her an absolute joy to watch. Nikita Parris joined from European giants Olympique Lyonnais. Having previously played for Manchester City, Parris finds herself 3rd on the list of the WSL’s all-time leading goalscorers with 49 goals in England’s top-flight (in fact, 4 of the top 5 currently play for Arsenal, with Parris in good company alongside Nobbs, Mead, and Miedema).
Arsenal added to their talented array of defenders with the experienced Denmark international Simone Boye Sorensen, before snatching up Frida Maanum, who is widely regarded as one of the brightest young talents in women’s football. Following success at Linkopings, Arsenal signed up the 22-year-old Norwegian international who has massively impressed fans so far in her first few games as an Arsenal player.
Perhaps the biggest signing of all, though, came on transfer deadline day, when Arsenal announced that Tobin Heath was a Gooner. At 33-years-old, Heath has practically completed football, with 2 Olympic gold medals and 2 World Cups standing out among her glistening list of honours. This was a statement signing from Arsenal to finalise their 2021 transfer window, which is one that puts them in a much better position than previous seasons.
This actually feels like the perfect time to start involving yourself with Arsenal Women – so much change has happened this summer, including the arrival of new head coach Jonas Eidevall. Eidevall is a passionate coach who demands high intensity from his players in every match, which was evident in Arsenal’s massive 3-2 win over Chelsea on the opening day of the season. This is a hungry Arsenal side who were first to every ball against the 2020/21 WSL champions, who operated a high press to put Emma Hayes’ side under insurmountable pressure, and who knew exactly how to exploit Chelsea’s weaknesses. It’s an Arsenal side who used to fall short in the big games under Joe Montemurro, but who now seem to know how to rise to the occasion. Of course, this was just one game, but with the WSL being such a small league, every single point counts, especially if you can take points away from your title rivals.
Winning the title this season would be over joyous for Arsenal who, despite being the most successful club in England, have fallen short in recent times. To get across the finish line, they will need as much support as possible, and this is where you guys – diehard Arsenal fans – come in. COVID-19 demonstrated to the world exactly why fans are so important in sport, and Arsenal Women need all the support they can get.
I mean, why wouldn’t you want to support a football team that are so engaging with their fans? Supporting Arsenal Women almost feels familial. The players appreciate every single last one of the fans, as demonstrated after their opening day victory at the Emirates, when almost the entire squad stayed behind to take photos, sign autographs, and even just to chat to their supporters. Having attended the match, one moment that resonates in my mind is when Caitlin Foord, amidst all the chaos, stopped for a one-on-one chat with a fan who had travelled all the way from India to support the girls.
There is a genuine connection between the club and the players, which is also felt on social media. The Arsenal Women Twitter admin is doing an incredible job at engaging with the fans and providing them with excellent content, and the players are no different. If you want to get to know the players’ personalities a little more, then you can check out Lisa Evans’ WePlayStrong vlogs – they let you get to know the girls and what they’re like off the pitch in a funny, light-hearted, and engaging way. This sort of a connection is often something that is lacking in men’s football and, whilst it is more prominent in women’s football as a whole, Arsenal Women are certainly stand-outs.
If I’ve convinced you to start following Arsenal Women with a little more intent, you can look ahead to their next few fixtures. Arsenal head to Reading on Sunday before another huge clash, this time against title-contenders Manchester City. The future looks very promising for our women’s side, and you’ll be missing out if you put all your eggs into the men’s basket!