Tag Archives: Emirates Stadium

Do clubs do enough for disabled fans? – An open letter to the Premier League

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This season, every Premier League club has been instructed to spend £200,000 to better the experience of away fans. Many of the clubs, Arsenal included, are spending part of this on away fans visiting the Emirates Stadium, as well subsidising away tickets for travelling fans. Whilst all of this is positive news, making football a little bit (the subsidy is only £2.50 per game) more affordable and accessible, it seems there is one group of away fans who continue to get a raw deal when travelling away.

We were recently approached by a disabled Arsenal supporter to publish his open letter to the club and the Premier League highlighting the problems for disabled away supporters:

To whom it may concern,

Last week I’ve been to two games and been bitterly disappointed with the seats I’ve received from the club at both fixtures I’m afraid to say. In both instances I felt that I’ve wasted money on travel and ticket purchases as a result. Yes, I have a disability of being partially sighted from a generic condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which effects my night vision, as I can see inside stadiums as they have sufficient light but as soon as I’m outside relying on seeing from the aid of street lights I have a big problem.

The seating allocation I received for the Dortmund game was ridiculous! The nearest Arsenal fan to me was in a wheelchair at the half way line and Arsenal fans were the opposite end to me. Half of the actually match I spent extremely paranoid as one guy was continually staring at us, and it seemed like a few others were as well. I don’t speak German so that made me even more paranoid when we got looked at and then spoke in their native tongue. The guy who was continuously staring at us came up to us at half time and I can honestly say I was petrified, but he was actually friendly when he spoke to us, which was a huge relief.

In my humble opinion though I should have never have been put in this situation. When we scored I felt that I was not able to celebrate, as we were situated with home fans that were extremely pissed off to say the least. All I could do was look at our fans at the other end wishing I was able to celebrate with them. I’m not being funny but if I had watched it at home I would have been able to celebrate our goal with a smile on my face rather than sitting down feeling down!

As for Manchester United game yesterday, I’m afraid it was more of the same. We were stuck in seats with Manchester United supporters surrounding us, but this time our away fans were on top of us. As we arrived early with the arsenal coach we went into the ground to have a drink and something to eat. Unfortunately we felt uncomfortable eating because the only place to eat was with United fans, and surprise surprise they were staring at us!! So we had to leave that area and go to our seats until the game started even though we wanted to watch the game shown on the screens inside.

To make matters worse the United fan next to me through out the match was blatantly trying to wind me up to the point I wanted to hit him. I even heard him say to the guy beside him say “I’m gonna wind him up”, referring to me! Yet again, I feel that I would have been better off watching the game at home.

The bottom line is that I have spent over £200 over the last week to feel down, uncomfortable and paranoid. If I knew this was going to be the case I would not have travelled all those miles to have these emotions that are detrimental to my well-being, as I suffer from depression which I’m on medication, and pay for it!

Part of the reason why I make these trips are to get out the house and be with fellow Gooners win, draw and lose as we are family. I feel we are been segregated which makes it all pointless. As disabled supporters we should at least be told if we are seating with our own supporters so we can make an informed choice!

My eyes sight are deteriorating and I struggle outside to see in crowds in the dark, but what keeps me going is being with Arsenal fans, its one area in my life that makes me happy. If I do not need a platform I should not to be subject to this, as I just need seats. Sorry to repeat myself but I’m bitterly disappointed.

Leon Boreland

The Arsenal and Me – Joe’s Story

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February 2005, I was aged 11:

“Sit down Joe, I’ve got something to tell you.”

My Mum made it sound like someone had died in the family, when in fact she was trying to calm the reaction she knew I’d give down before it happened.

“Your Dad’s done it, he’s got hold of those two season tickets from work, your going to Aston Villa vs Arsenal.”

I’d waited years to see my heroes, this unbelievably strong, quick, unbeatable team of Thierry, Dennis, Bobby and the rest. I could do nothing else but burst out crying. There was one catch…

It was in the Holte End, Villa Park.

holte

The “North bank of the Midlands”.

I didn’t care, I turned up in my Arsenal shirt (under a jacket that my old man made me stick on), gloves, hat and I sat there with thousands of Brummies as for the first time ever, I saw The Arsenal walk out live on to the pitch.

“Whatever you do, don’t go mad when they score” the old man warned me.

Within 10 minutes, Freddie scored and amazingly I kept my cool. But when Thierry Henry, my hero and idol from the age of 7 went through and smashed it past Sorensen for 2-0, I couldn’t do anything else but jump out of seat and scream (They weren’t going to attack an 11 year old.) My Dad eventually joined in with me, two southerners buzzing in the Holte End, facing the Gooners at the other end of the pitch. And after Cashley Cole scored what is still one of the best goals I’ve seen from the Arsenal, I was made up.
I genuinely didn’t mind cheering Juan Pablo Angel’s late consolation. My day was complete, and I have been hooked on the drug that is watching the Arsenal ever since.

Luckily, since then I’ve got in the right seat, whether that was for the final season at Highbury, the Emirates or a few away games. Me and my 17 year old brother head up there together a lot now, and people can say what they like about ticket prices, how its “wrong” and how “football has been ruined by money”. And in fairness the older fans are probably right. But for us younger lads, this is all we’ve known. And the thrill and adrenaline rush when The Arsenal hit the back of the net is like no other feeling in the world. Keep backing the lads, eventually they’ll get it right. And hopefully I’ll have a seat when the finally pick up that Premier League title.

Joe

 

If you would like to tell your Arsenal story, click here

Arsenal fan unfairly banned from attending games impacts local Charity

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Fan X (as we will call him) pleaded guilty to a public order offence (threatening words & behaviour) mainly due to CCTV evidence, no complaints and no witnesses . It was just a row that got out of hand in a pub amongst acquaintances all Arsenal fans (not football related) 7 hours after a game and nearly 3 miles away from the ground.

The judge stated that Fan X did not deserve a football ban as it was clearly nothing to do with football and threw out that request by the police.The head of the Arsenal police intelligence team decided to take matters into her own hands and approached the club saying Fan X was a ‘danger to public safety’ and asked the club to impose a ban. He has never in 46 years of following The Arsenal been arrested inside a football ground. Fan X also has been banned from attending or organising any events inside our ground.

Fan X is the head of events for an Islington charity, they help keep local kids off the streets and try and give them a focus in life. The charity has held five Boxing shows at the Emirates Stadium over the last few years, all of which were great nights and went off without any trouble. They have even had some Arsenal players in attendance along with some big names in the world of boxing.

So a by product of this unjust ban is that the Islington based charity has had to find a new venue and is likely to lose out on some hard earned money to continue there great work for the local kids. Personally I am disgusted that a man a judge deemed safe to go into football grounds can get banned on the say so of one person and to ban a local charity which does so much great work for local kids will also suffer begs belief.

Fan X has currently got a legal challenge against this.

GC