Arsenal Football Club and Its Cultural Significance on Society

This report delves into the multifaceted impact of soccer on society, using Arsenal Football Club as a case study. It begins by establishing soccer's global and cultural significance, highlighting its influence across politics, religion, business, and the arts. The report then provides a historical overview of Arsenal FC, tracing its origins, key milestones under managers like Herbert Chapman and Arsène Wenger, and notable achievements. It explores significant victories, particularly those at the Emirates Stadium. Furthermore, the report examines Arsenal's religious affiliations, particularly the increasing presence of Muslim players and its impact on the club's identity and fan base. The conclusion emphasizes Arsenal's unique position as a diverse and inclusive club, reflecting various beliefs and contributing to the cosmopolitan nature of European soccer.

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Introduction
The most renowned sport of the world soccer is considered as global and cultural
phenomenon. The television viewers for World Cup included almost half proportion of the
world’s populace with soccer followers in practically every country (Poulton, 2016). As an
image of soccer’s importance and value, soccer as a sport affects numerous aspects of cultural
patterns of the world ranging from politics to religion and from business to arts. Soccer has
served significantly to the world as a form of ritual combat in which nations; neighbourhoods as
well as tribes demonstrate their most ardent enmities (Wang, Goossens & Vandebroek, 2018).
Even though increasing elite of international celebrities have played external to their national
borders for much of the post war era, the globalizing of the labour market actually initiated in
earnest during the 1990s. The aim of the following research paper is to analyse the importance of
renowned professional soccer team Arsenal and its cultural significance to the society.
Additionally, it will shed light on its historical background, events and any form of political or
religious affiliation.
Discussion
Historical Background of Arsenal
Being one of the renowned and adored soccer clubs in England, Arsenal Football Club
(FC) has continually considered as major attraction for the public. Considering their past records,
the club has won around 27 significant domestic trophies thus holding records for longest
undefeated streak along with longest track in top flight of English football. Arsenal FC initiated
as team known as Dial Square in 1886 where workers had been blacksmiths who built cannons.
Considering these factors, the club developed as a professional and transformed its name to

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Woolwich Arsenal, thus developing as a complete associate of the Football League in 1893 and
the first club from southern regions of England (Jowaheer, Sunecher & Khan 2016). The initial
rise of Arsenal to eminence came with the employment of Herbert Chapman as manager in 1925.
However, in the course of modernizing several facets of the club, Chapman advanced the
training regimen and prepared effective changes to Arsenal’s traditional 2-3-5 development.
Subsequent to the agreement with couple of celebrity players, the club attained their first major
trophy in 1930 by beating Huddersfield Town by 2-0 in the FA Cup final. Such an achievement
ascertained to be the initiation of a constructive period for the club during the 1930s and claimed
five league titles and another FA Cup trophy (McDonagh, 2017). The club underwent
transformation into a goal-scoring behemoth under the management of Arsène Wenger also
known Wenger era. Such a successful achievement had been led by French players such as
Robert Pirés, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry (Collins & Rollo, 2014). Nonetheless in recent
years, Arsenal has been to some extent being a perennial attendant. Although the club had was
always been amongst the favourites to get success in the league, a series of chief grievances or
unsatisfactory losses would certainly see them fade from the title competition.
Arsenal FC’s greatest wins in history
Although Arsenal did not receive any win since they shifted from Highbury to the
Emirates Stadium, they undoubtedly comprise of number of recollections to cherish. Arsenal
followers have been treated to few truly exceptional moments since Dennis Bergkamp's
testimonial match has been played in 2006 and the Emirates has truly been accepted as Arsenal's
new home (Arsenal.com, 2019). Arsenal football club’s Emirates Stadium in London has
developed as their home stadium and aimed at wholesale energy trading over frequency
response. Studies of Collins and Rollo (2014) have noted that the ‘2006-07 season’ for Arsenal

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and in the first North London Derby held at the Emirates Stadium, where the Arsenal turned into
decisive winners. Matches between Arsenal and Tottenham are memorable ones. However, the
fact relies that Gunners defeated the Spurs in their first encounter at the Emirates which
contributed to the memorability of the match (Poulton, 2016). Another significant success of
Arsenal is marked as the Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City win. Arsenal fans also known as the
Gunners still recall the way Arsenal concluded the title of Manchester City with remarkable win
at their home ground. This win has been considered as an important event to the Gunners as to
their rivals. Such a victory has provided ardent followers of Arsenal with significant inspiration
for the run-in and progressed by securing third position which has been considered to be nearly
unimaginable at the beginning of the season (Wang, Goossens & Vandebroek, 2018).
Arsenal’s Religious Affiliation offering new identity to the club
Reports of Brdar (2016) have mentioned that Arsenal predominantly recruited squads
with British players during the 1990s. However, in current times, major proportion of Arsenal
squad features number of talented Muslim players. Players like Mesut Ozil with their remarkable
win have made significant impact in helping providing the club with a new identity.
Furthermore, in 2017, the club team has played Burnley at their home stadium and the
remarkable kick-off start of the game symbolized the significant excellence and value of the
Muslim players in the team as well as amongst their fans. Moreover, reports of Collina (2014)
have claimed that prior to the commencement of the game; the Emirates Stadium witnessed usual
sight which further brought immense respect for Arsenal as it involved the champions of the
Muslim World Cup Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi. However, in recent years, the elevating number
of Muslim players who have contracted for Premier League club has developed as a norm for
several years as the likes of Kolo Toure and Samir Nasri have respectively made significant

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mark in the red and white of Arsenal. Moreover, such a religious affiliation of Arsenal has led to
the current crop of Muslim Arsenal players which are becoming more familiar and renowned
part of Arsenal’s culture. Comprehensive studies of Rohde and Breuer (2016) have mentioned
that the popularity of Muslim players at Arsenal in recent years has re-enforced a profound
connection to the team for its followers like benefit Officer Humza Ahmed who has been
providing immense support to the club since 1998. It has been found that Arsenal has always
been a diverse football club comprising of fielded players of diverse beliefs and convictions such
as Yossi Benayoun and Bacary Sagna (Wang, Goossens & Vandebroek, 2018). Such a level of
diversity and harmony within the team along with a unified fan base has made the club team
highly appealing and inspiring to people from all across the world. With the Muslim community
at Arsenal elevating at a substantial rate, increasing number of followers are connecting with the
likes of Ozil owing to similar religious beliefs they follow and for 26-year-old accountant
Abdulakeem Balogun. This has been considered as one of the key reasons that makes supporting
Arsenal so unlike to succeeding other teams.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be concluded that Arsenal runs in an
extremely exclusive and refined way illustrating diverse beliefs and convictions from different
cultural backgrounds of soccer followers. With assistance and contributions extensively given
through the Arsenal Foundation, racism and bigotry being highly glowered upon in addition to
the progress of youth players. Thus, Arsenal has been observed as a team which draws variance
different to others as it fits the ideology of diverse faith and conviction. The cosmopolitan
instinct in European soccer hails originally from the expedition for talent and skill with
contradictory idioms in the way the game is played, controlled and coached across the continents

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over the last few years has created a realism where winning formula in recent times necessitates
amalgamation of range of these customs and beliefs.

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