Arsenal's Global Fanbase: Uniting Gooners Worldwide

English football has one of the largest fan bases globally, as seen in the club's revenues, watch time, and match attendance. Arsenal is no exception and is one of the most followed English clubs, with an average fan attendance of 60,147 out of 60,704 total seats. The large number of spectators draws from Arsenal's large pool of fans whom the 125-year history has pulled. 

Significant statistics of the Gunners is that they were the first South English team to join the Football League. Moreover, they have only been relegated once and hold the longest streak in the top division.

Gooners Estimate

While football clubs rely heavily on fans through ticket and merchandise sales, it is difficult to estimate the number of fans for any club. It is generally agreed that Real Madrid and Barcelona are the most followed clubs owing to their large attendance and social media following. However, it is not practical to have a census of all football fans across the globe. 

That is because one fan may support more than one club across different leagues, some fans may change allegiance (very rare), and so on. One main way to measure a football club’s fanbase is to use their social media following. However, this ignores the millions of fans who watch the games on TV and the stands weekly.

Arsenal fans are called Gooners, which rhymes with the club's Gunners nickname. The fanbase is large, which necessitated the club to move from Highbury Stadium, with a capacity of 38,419 fans, to Emirates Stadium, with 60,704 fans. Arsenal fans are drawn from its environs in London, all over England, and across the globe. Gunner's historical performance means that it has always had a huge global following. In the 2007–08 season, the club registered 60,069 average attendance, representing 99.5% of the available stadium capacity. 

Social Media and Internet Fans

It is on social media that Arsenal interacts with fans to share some club news such as new signings, next season jerseys, ticket prices, clarify incidents, and just make some good online banter. Arsenal's message and reach on social media have been successful, as it is the 10th most followed European football club and the 5th in England with over 100 million fans, with more than 40% being on Facebook.

Fans on social media get to show what they are doing globally for Arsenal and offer their unsolicited criticism to help build the club. Over the internet, Arsenals' website highlights a wide range of official supporter clubs in different countries. 

That means fans have a bigger say in the club's operation and can visit London and watch their favorite club play at the Emirates Stadium. The club also allows fans to organize meet and greet events, such as the May 2023 annual National Meet in Melbourne. During these events, fans enjoy fun activities, meeting fellow Gooners and discussing players, as well as club matches.

The fans also show their support through betting. It is very popular. However, it's crucial to equip yourself with various betting tactics and knowledge before placing a bet. Arsenal fans know their team. So, it is no surprise that betting is part of the fun among the Gooners. 

Even football themed slots are popular, and the Football Superstar Slot is one of them. You can click here to find out where to play it. On the site, you will also find information about payments as well as bonuses that you can claim when signing up as a new player.

Arsenal Membership

Apart from the raw attendance, we can also measure the Gooners by their membership in the club. Arsenal sells tickets to customers as a timed event or even 24 hours before its home matches. This is done through the Arsenal hospitality tickets or several membership tiers. It has five membership levels tied to different groups of Arsenal fans who want to watch games at the Emirates Stadium. 

While the club shows the cost and the success rate of each member tier in ticket sales per match, they are tight-lipped on the total membership. There are rumors that Arsenal has 42,000 gold members, 30,000 silver members, and 200,000 red members. 

With gold membership, you get the best seats, VIP hospitality, and corporate entertainment for every competitive home fixture. You also get tickets to all 19 home premier league matches and 3 home Champions League group stage games.  As a silver member, you have exclusive ticket access to all Arsenal home matches. While red membership offers access to the club’s general matchday tickets and Arsenal’s online video service.

Other club memberships include:

Arsenal Digital Membership

There are many Gooners online who generally love the club but may be unable to travel and watch Arsenal games. In that regard, Arsenal has set up digital membership for its fans in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, France, and Spain to gain full access to the club's online content. Fans can also receive the content delivered to them in their local language.

Junior Gunner Membership

All kids are placed in the junior Gunner membership. It has three levels: the Welcome to the World membership catering for 3-year-olds and below, Team JGS catering for 4 to 11-year-olds, and young guns catering for 12 to 16-year-olds. The membership grants junior fans and their guardians a chance to access tickets, an invitation to player events, and free stadium tours.

Purple Membership

Arsenal cares for its members with disabilities, hence the purple membership category to support its disabled fans. This special membership ensures the fans get a unique viewing platform and a dedicated supporter lounge to meet the fan's special needs.

In Summary

Arsenal remains a fan-based club, with the Gooners going out of their way to attend matches through membership and season tickets, watch games on TV, and build camaraderie online. Arsenal is a great uniting factor that has helped to cater to the needs of sports fanatics while entertaining them, and this season, fans are supporting the elephant (As Arsenal is known online despite its mascot being a dinosaur) to carry the premier league trophy in its current form.