Arsenal F.C. supporters
London based Arsenal Football Club has developed a strong following since its founding in 1886. Since the 1980s, Arsenal's fans have often been referred to as Gooners, a derivative of the team's nickname, the "Gunners".
Many fanzines, blogs, podcasts and fans websites have been dedicated to the club and the fans have long-standing rivalries with several other clubs; the most notable of which is with near neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, with whom they regularly contest the North London derby.
The club and the fans have regularly featured in portrayals of football in British culture but Arsenal fans come from far and wide; a 2005 report estimated Arsenal's global fanbase at 112 million, the third-largest in the world. A September 2011 report estimated Arsenal's fanbase at 100 million worldwide, still making them the third-largest team in terms of supporters.
Arsenal fans have long been stereotyped for the dissatisfaction they appear to feel – and express – towards their club. Sometimes the regular low-level grumbling will erupt, with severe criticisms and bitter feelings being aired. An example of this in the 2010s was a vociferous group – dubbed "The Anti-Arsenal Arsenal" – that had manager Arsène Wenger as the principal target of their dissatisfactions. However, the perception of Arsenal fans as being hard to please is an old one. Even at times of success antagonism was noted. Such was the experience of the title winning teams of 1953 and 1971. Not even the figure behind the successful 1930s team successes was spared: Herbert Chapman complained of the activities of the "boo-boys" and title-winning manager George Graham was strongly criticised over choice of players and tactical strategy.
In 2010, Arsenal supporters became the first fans of a Premier League club able to buy percentages of a stake in Arsenal through a "fanshare" scheme, therefore giving them rights to attend shareholders meetings.
Attendances
Arsenal's performance in home matches have resulted in them having the second-highest average League attendance for an English club during the 2007–08 season,, and as of 2006, the fourth-highest all-time average attendance. Arsenal have the highest proportion of non-white attending supporters of any club in the Premier League, according to a 2002 report.There are supporters' clubs worldwide. A 2005 report by Granada Ventures, which at the time owned a 9.9% stake in the club, estimated Arsenal's global fanbase at 27 million, the third-largest in the world.
Songs
In addition to the usual English football chants, Arsenal's supporters sing "One-Nil to the Arsenal" and also regularly sing "Who's that team they call the Arsenal", "Good Old Arsenal" and "We're the North Bank/Clock End Highbury". The fans also chant "Boring, Boring Arsenal" in self-deprecating reference to Arsenal's reputation during the 1970s and 1980s as an overly defensive, cautious team. The team's new anthem is "The Angel " by Louis Dunford.Rivalries
One of Arsenal's longest-running and deepest rivalries is with their nearest major neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur, with matches between the two being referred to as the North London derby.Arsenal also have a rivalry with West London club Chelsea, which is also considered a major derby. In addition, a strong on-pitch rivalry with Manchester United dates back to the late 1980s, which intensified in the 1990s as both clubs began often competing for the Premier League title.
A 2003 online survey found that Arsenal supporters most dislike Tottenham, followed by Manchester United and Chelsea. Between 2022 and 2024, Arsenal's rivalry with Manchester City on the field also grew stronger as the teams often competed for the top spots in the Premier League.
Traditions
St. Totteringham's Day
Saint Totteringham's Day is a concept created in 2002 and first published on the fan website arseweb.com. It is the day when Arsenal have gathered sufficient points to be mathematically assured to finish ahead of Tottenham in the league table. In 2007, the concept was first mentioned in an Arsenal official match programme although there are suggestions that it has existed since 2005. St. Totteringham's day 2010 was the first time the celebration was acknowledged by mainstream media, with mentions from the BBC, and The Guardian newspapers.The unofficial 'holiday' did not occur from 2017 to 2022; Spurs' 2–0 win over Arsenal in April 2017 ensured that Tottenham would finish above Arsenal in the league for the first time in 22 years. In April 2023 Arsenal's 3–3 draw with Southampton mathematically confirmed their higher league finish ending the 6-year run without finishing above Spurs.
The website predicts when the day will occur during the current Premier League season, and has archives of every St. Totteringham's Day since the formation of the English Premier League.
Yellow ribbon symbolism
Wearing a yellow ribbon, or symbolism pertaining to yellow ribbons or the colour yellow is a tradition often associated with Arsenal playing at Wembley Stadium. It is thought to have originated in the 1950s and 70s, when Arsenal had considerable successes reaching the FA Cup Final. As a nod to Arsenal's iconic yellow kit used, fans sang a rendition of "Round Her Neck She Wears a Yeller Ribbon" as a chant. Originally, a US war poem, first published in 1917, it was popularised in 1949 by the film She Wore a Yellow Ribbon starring John Wayne, where the Andrews Sisters performed the song. Since then, it has been established into fan folklore.Incidents
Arsenal supporters enjoy good relations with police forces around the country and especially the Metropolitan Police. The club and authorities work closely together to police fans, with both using their available powers where necessary.Arsenal fans have been involved in a number of incidents of racist and homophobic abuse at matches over the years. They have been accused of making homophobic and racist chants and materials directed at ex-Arsenal left-back Ashley Cole. In 2018, Arsenal announced an investigation into "discriminatory and violent" behaviour by fans during a match against rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Fans were alleged to have hissed and chanted about "gassing Jews". Antisemitic abuse has been a longstanding issue at matches involving Arsenal and Tottenham, as the latter have historic links with North London's Jewish community. It was reported in 2006 that Arsenal fans had also been criticised for continued use of the word "Yid" in chants.
A 2021 investigation found that Granit Xhaka had been racially abused by Arsenal season ticket holders online. The same study found that Hector Bellerin was targeted with homophobic abuse. Former Arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor claimed he was racially abused by fans with a chant about his dad washing elephants after he transferred to Manchester City. In 2019 Arsenal announced an investigation into racist abuse directed at Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly after a Snapchat video shot during the Europa League match showed a fan using the n-word; the club pledged to find and ban the culprit. An AFTV pundit was dismissed from the channel after he referred to South Korean Tottenham player Son Heung-min as a "DVD", a racial slur that is a reference to selling illegal discs. Wilfried Zaha of Crystal Palace said he received racist abuse and threats to his family on social media after he was accused of diving to win a penalty during a 2–2 draw with Arsenal. In February 2013 the Football Association launched a probe into allegations that an Arsenal fan had racially abused Newcastle United's Cheick Tiote.
Fans of Arsenal and Manchester United were singled out for criticism after being recorded chanting sexist abuse at Chelsea's female club doctor Eva Carneiro during matches.
Support outside the United Kingdom
Arsenal is one of the most popular Premier League clubs in the world.Africa
Arsenal and Chelsea are the most supported football clubs in Africa. Arsenal are the most popular club in East and North Africa, with Twitter research from 2015 conducted by the BBC finding that Arsenal were the most popular club in Algeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.Oceania
Australia
Arsenal is one of the most popular Premier League clubs in Australia. While the men's team has had only a few Australian players, the women's team has a strong history of recruiting Australian players: Steph Catley, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Caitlin Foord. Arsenal's men's and women's teams have played in Australia before, most recently in 2024 when Arsenal Women played the A-Leagues All Stars Women at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, winning 1–0.Arsenal Australia
Arsenal Australia is the official Arsenal supporters' group in Australia. It has branches in each state and territory except for Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. The state with the largest amount of Arsenal fans is New South Wales.Notable supporters
Below is a list of well-known people who are or were Arsenal supporters:Royalty
- Olav V of Norway
Entertainment
Actors and actresses
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
- Alfie Allen
- Jamie Bell
- Paul Blackthorne
- Louise Brealey
- Saffron Burrows
- John Challis
- Gemma Chan
- Joan Collins
- Kevin Costner
- Charlie Cox
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Phil Davis
- Rosario Dawson
- Danny DeVito
- Adrian Dunbar
- Natalia Dyer
- Idris Elba
- Tom Ellis
- Tom Felton
- Colin Firth
- Matthew Fox
- Jamie Foxx
- Nicholas Galitzine
- Andrew Garfield
- Rupert Graves
- Esha Gupta
- Ben Hardy
- Anne Hathaway
- Charlie Heaton
- Tom Hiddleston
- Brendan Hunt
- Gary Kemp
- Martin Kemp
- Val Kilmer
- Hugh Laurie
- Matt Lucas
- Kate Mara
- Neil Maskell
- Sir Ian McKellen
- Xelia Mendes-Jones
- Tobias Menzies
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers
- Demi Moore
- Deepika Padukone
- Alan Parker
- Disha Patani
- Robert Pattinson
- Anna Popplewell
- Will Poulter
- Freddie Prinze Jr.
- Daisy Ridley
- Patrick Robinson
- Tom Rosenthal
- David Schneider
- David Schwimmer
- Kaya Scodelario
- Andy Serkis
- Ranveer Singh
- Kyle Soller
- David Soul
- Dan Stevens
- Mark Strong
- Gregg Sulkin
- Josh Tedeku
- Bradley Walsh
- Ashley Walters
- Micheal Ward
- Tom Watt
- Barbara Windsor
- Letitia Wright