Conor Price
Between January 2015 and March 2016 I attended 18 away games with Arsenal. 15 domestic games and three in Europe against Bayern Munich, Olympiacos and Barcelona. I don't earn a massive amount of money so spending money traveling over the country and Europe takes its toll on my finances. Blinded by passion I do it anyway.
The morning I got back from Barcelona my girlfriend was taken into hospital and the next day she was diagnosed with leukaemia. The following day I was due to go to Everton away but obviously didn't go. When you get news like that suddenly you realise what is really important in life.
She is the most tolerant person I know. Since we have been together I have been to Brussels, Munich, Athens, Barcelona and Paris twice without her. All football trips. We have been to Paris together once for her birthday and that's it.
She has responded very well to her treatment and hopefully by the start of December she will have finished treatment and can start to plan a normal life again. We are planning a trip of a lifetime next summer to Las Vegas. We have started saving money but still have a while to go. It's becoming blatantly obvious to me that to save up enough I'm going to have to give up Arsenal for the time being.
I will still go to some of the cheaper games but the amount of money I spend yearly is unbelievable when you add it all up. Factor in Oyster card, programme, beer money and food and it's even more. My biggest problem is that I can't not go to football. I don't want to be one of those guys who sits in front of Sky Sports News to get their football fix. I go and watch the Arsenal youth teams a fair bit, which I enjoy. It's free entry and the games are often very entertaining. However the crowds are small and mainly made up of players’ families, scouts and a few enthusiasts like myself. I don't want this to be my only source of live football.
I have started going to a lot of non league games around London and I love it. Hampton and Richmond are close to me and a club I now consider my "second team". I have visited other clubs and have started to become a bit of a ground hopper. Corinthian Casuals, Clapton FC and Carshalton Athletic are other clubs who have impressed me on my travels.
Cheap tickets, beer while you stand and a severe lack of selfie sticks makes non league a very enjoyable experience. It was on my fifth visit to Hampton and Richmond's Beveree Stadium where something strange happened. They won 4-1 and I cheered every goal. Previously I would clap and shout out ‘C’MON Hampton’ occasionally but this was different. It actually made me quite worried. I somehow thought I was cheating on Arsenal. However the more I thought about it the less bothered I became. I know that Arsenal are my team and always will be. Being happy about a non league team should not make you feel ashamed. Many people are now fed up with Premier League football and are getting their fix in the non league.
Arsenal has been in my family for many decades and rest assured that will continue, but for the foreseeable future I will not be spending huge sums of money on the club. To be honest I will miss Arsenal but I doubt Arsenal will miss me. My first ever game was at Highbury in 1994. I was 7 years old. I have dedicated enough time to them and I don't feel less of a fan if I attend less games. Football has always been a massive part of my life but some things really are more important.
After the year my girlfriend has had battling and beating cancer she deserves this trip and now my focus is on getting to Las Vegas with her.
It's supposed to be a lot nicer than Middlesbrough.
