Arsenal America

Recently 17 members of Arsenal America traveled to The Home of Football for an amazing holiday football feast. With the assistance of Arsenal?s Supporters? Liaison Jill Smith, they were able to not only see the games against Liverpool and Chelsea, they also got a fantastic tour of Highbury and sampled some of the local drinking establishments. Here are some comments from those that went?

Thomas Kane of Chicago enthused, ?Though not my first time seeing a live Arsenal match, the experience was still unparalleled. I said to many of my American friends that watching Arsenal come back from 2-nil down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 during last season’s championship run was better than any sporting event I had ever been to (which included NBA Finals, Super Bowls and Stanley Cup Finals). Now I can say conclusively that I enjoyed the relatively dull 1-1 encounter with Liverpool nearly as much as that! The atmosphere and feel is just beyond compare. Then, to have such a crackin’ match to wash away my New Years Day hangover was the icing on the cake. All in all, a great experience.

Naggi Asmar from San Francisco shares his thoughts on the trip:

?The atmosphere at the games was interesting. The most obvious difference between seeing Arsenal at Highbury and any American sporting event that I’ve been to is the singing. In live sporting events here, even if the fans are really involved in the happenings on the field/court/ice, it does not compare to 38 thousand people singing their hearts out.?

?The most special moment for me was the Highbury tour. It was a real privilege to see the boardroom, the trophies, the locker room and to walk out on the pitch through the tunnel. I just thought that it was very unlikely that I would have gotten to do these things and that the experience was unlikely to be duplicated again, at least for me.?

?I was surprised by how big the players are in person. Campbell, Vieira, Seaman, etc. are tall and muscular. This really does not come across on TV.?

?Also, the games go by very quickly when you are there in person. The first half was nearly over before I became aware of the clock in the Liverpool game. I think we are trained to have that clock in the corner of the screen when watching on TV.?

Sheila Fay of Boston relays her experiences:

?I LOVED my trip to Highbury. The whole experience: the darkening sky with the gleaming greeen pitch, the singing of the fans and me trying to figure out what people were saying?the jumping to our feet whenever the action got close to the North Bank and the wonderful sound of all those seats flipping back as we rose to scream for Henry or Pires… The chill of a rainy evening and the smells of chips, hot dogs and what are those things on patties they were selling…? Getting to see the players I’ve admired live. I can see it all: the whole pitch, all the players - not just the ones the camera focuses on. Wow, its so much more and yet exactly what I hoped for. And I’m so jealous that people get to go every time the team plays at Highbury.?

So, truly a terrific experience and one these American and Canadian Gooners won?t soon forget. Once again a big thank you to everyone at Arsenal who helped make it so special.

Finally, While I was unable to see the Gunners in action, this summer I?ll get a chance to see a former Gunner in action. Gilles Grimandi is coming to MLS. I think GG will fit in great here, just as he did with the Gunners. He was always the consummate team player, doing the dirty work and filling in where needed. I wish him success.