Arsenal
soccer club is one of the most popular teams in England. It was established
1886 in the south-east of London by the workers of the Woolwich Arsenal
Armament Factory. It has turned professional in 1891 and in 1893, it joined the
Football League. It took thirty years before the team won its first major
trophy. But once it started winning, it didn’t stop, winning two FA Cups and
five Championship titles. Since then the team kept on impressing and breaking
records. In 2005-2006, Arsenal went ten matches without taking a goal, a record
for the UEFA Champions League.
The
Arsenal soccer club played on the Manor Ground stadium in Plumstead for most of
its starting years. Initially it was just a field, but when Arsenal joined the
Football League in 1893, they installed terracing and stands on Manor Ground.
They continued to play home games there for twenty years, before moving in 1913
to north London. Since then the team’s home stadium is Highsbury. At its peak
it could hold 57,000 spectators, before it was turned into an all-seater
stadium, reducing its capacity to just over 38,000 spectators. This number was
also reduced in order to make room for additional advertising.
The
Arsenal soccer club is referred to as “The Gunners” and its supporters call
themselves “The Gooners”. The Arsenal supporters are numerous and very loyal.
When Arsenal is playing at home, the supporters show up in very large numbers,
ensuring that in most matches all the seating is sold out. In 2006, an Arsenal
game reached the fourth highest attendance of all times. The team’s fanbase is
considered to be 27 million worldwide, the advent of the internet ensuring that
Arsenal clips reach a wide audience. Arsenal’s oldest rival is Tottenham
Hotspur, but rivalries have also developed with Chelsea, West Ham United,
Fulham and lately Manchester United.
No comments:
Post a Comment