Arsenal F.C. Supporters
London based Arsenal Football Club have developed a strong following since their founding in 1886. Arsenal's fans are often referred to as Gooners, the name derived from 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 these is with 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. Gunners come from far and wide, a 2005 report estimated Arsenal's global fanbase at 27 million, the third largest in the world. A new report, from September 2011, shows that Arsenal's estimated fanbase has reached 100 million supporters worldwide; still making them the third largest team regarding supporters.
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.
Read more about Arsenal F.C. Supporters: Demographics, Songs, Rivalries, Police and Community Relations
Famous quotes containing the words arsenal and/or supporters:
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—Harry S. Truman (1884–1972)
“No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition. It reduces their supporters to that tractable number which can be managed by the joint influences of fruition and hope. It offers vengeance to the discontented, and distinction to the ambitious; and employs the energies of aspiring spirits, who otherwise may prove traitors in a division or assassins in a debate.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)