Arsenal

For years, I’ve pondered which football team to follow. Before moving to England, I had no preference, so it felt like a big decision. Once you pick, you really can’t change. I even wrote about this in a separate entry. To make it official, I discussed it with my kids and got their buy-in on my choice. I had chosen Arsenal for several reasons (which I won’t go into again here).

I’d never been to a professional football match before. M, the girls, and I had talked about going, but without a team to root for, it didn’t feel worth the effort. This fall, though, I booked tickets. Since I have two daughters—and because it’s generally easier to get tickets—I chose an Arsenal Women’s match. Afterward, my daughters were looking at kits to purchase. That’s when my oldest announced she wasn’t getting one because she wasn’t sure if she’d follow Arsenal like the rest of us. Instead, she was considering Chelsea.

When I asked why Chelsea, she explained that one of her teachers is a Chelsea fan, and Alex Rider, a character from a book series she likes, is too. I jokingly told her I didn’t know where I’d gone wrong as a parent. She laughed, knowing I was kidding. I shared a story about my dad, a New York Giants (American Football) fan, and how, even though I wasn’t into football, if I had to choose, I’d have picked the Washington Redskins back then. My dad didn’t give me a hard time about it.

At the Arsenal match, I told T that if she enjoyed the experience, I’d look into taking her to a Chelsea home game to see if she liked them better. She agreed, while A was set on returning for another Arsenal match. (Side note: I keep reminding myself to say “match” instead of “game.”)

When I started looking into Chelsea home games, we stumbled upon the Chelsea vs. Arsenal game at Emirates Stadium. T then said if we went to that match, she’d “most likely” choose Arsenal. I offered the Chelsea home game option again, but she was set on seeing Arsenal face Chelsea at Emirates. Before the match, she even asked for the same light-blue Arsenal kit top that A had. I told her that once we bought it, there’d be no turning back. 🙂

The whole family went to the Arsenal vs. Chelsea match, and while we were all disappointed by Chelsea’s win, it was a great game. You can never be entirely sure with T, but I’m mildly confident she’s officially joined the rest of us as an Arsenal fan.