Tuesday 8 May 2012

Arsenal's New Shirt For 2012/13 Unveiled



Arsenal unveiled their new home strip for 2012/13 yesterday, and the reaction to it hasn't been exactly positive among their fans. I have to say I'm far from impressed with it myself, and I really can't see it being a best seller among the fans. In particular I think the black stripe on it is very unlike anything which should be included on an Arsenal shirt.

Of course Arsenal produced new shirts for the current season because of the celebrations for the club's 125th anniversary. There were also new shirts the previous season, and the fans are faced with forking out for the third season in a row. I know the anniversary was a one off event, but in the present economic climate it's an awful lot to expect of loyal fans.

It's not as if fans can just decide to change their allegiances over night. Sometimes it feels like the club are taking advantage of the very people who have made it what it is. There was a rise in ticket prices this season despite the financial hardship which is being felt by so many people all over the world.

I don't live close enough to Arsenal to be lucky enough to go to every home game, but if I did I can't imagine I would be able to afford a season ticket. Like so many others I lost my job in the current recession, but after eight months of looking for work I managed to eventually find one. I can only imagine that Arsenal fans in a similar situation to mine would have to give up their season ticket first.

There is a waiting list to get a season ticket, but that list has to be growing shorter by the day. It's an awful lot easier for casual Arsenal fans to get tickets for games at the Emirates at the moment. I have been over to three games myself this season, and there were no problems at all getting tickets for those games.

I was lucky enough to see Arsenal win all three of those games, and I'm looking forward to going over a couple of times next season. It means I have to put money aside every week, and add it to the little bit of money the advertising on my blog makes. I have to say the welcome myself and the other Irish Gooners I travel with get is second to none.

The hashtag #GoonerFamily gets used quite a lot on Twitter, but I genuinely feel a part of that family when I go to London to watch Arsenal play. It is a dream of mine to make a trip to an Arsenal away game, and join the greatest set of traveling fans in the Premier League. It brings a lump to my throat every time I hear the Arsenal fans singing loud and proud on their away days.

I may have gotten a little off track, but my point is that times are tough, and it's not easy for fans to shell out their hard earned money on a new shirt every season. The very least the club could do is make sure the shirts are ones the fans really want to buy, but I just don't think next season's is one of them. It will be very interesting to see how many fans are wearing the shirt when the new season starts.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

2 comments:

  1. thankfully the stripe is actually blue like the crest. i thought the same when i first saw it. agreed though - still not convinced

    @ryano83

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  2. It looks far too much like a Manchester United shirt for my liking.

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