How to start an Arsenal supporters club branch in your city

Arsenal fans in the United States organize through Arsenal America. Arsenal’s page on it says it was founded in 2001 and has grown into a national body for community, charity and fan engagement across the country, with local branches meeting in pubs and bars for every match. Arsenal NYC and Arsenal Philadelphia are listed by the club as supporters clubs in their own right, and Arsenal Canada covers the north. On matchday a branch does what every good branch does: same bar, sound on, a table by the screen for the newcomer, and the next kickoff posted before anyone leaves.

What Arsenal requires

Two pages matter, and they ask for different things.

• Arsenal’s own page on setting up your own club says to contact the club’s Supporters’ Liaison Officer by email, after which the club sends an application form, a covering letter and guidelines. The page does not state a minimum membership, a fee or a naming rule. It does list what an official club gets: a personalized club crest, a listing in the Supporters’ Clubs section of Arsenal.com, access to the supporters clubs extranet for ticket ordering, the chance to nominate and present a Player of the Year award, a possible feature in the matchday programme, stadium tours outside normal hours subject to availability, twice-yearly meetings with club officials, and permission to produce limited personalized merchandise with the club’s approval.
• Arsenal America’s branches page sets the bar for a US branch. According to that page, to be considered for branch status you must already have a public meeting space that will regularly show Arsenal matches, and active social media channels that promote your group. It also notes that some cities have Arsenal supporters clubs that are not official Arsenal America branches. For creating a branch, that page says to contact branchliaison@ArsenalAmerica.com; the general address Arsenal lists for Arsenal America on its North America page is info@arsenalamerica.com.

Geography is the other rule. Arsenal Philadelphia’s page on new chapters covers groups within 50 miles of Philadelphia County and points anyone beyond that to Arsenal NYC or Arsenal America, so where you sit on the map decides who you write to.

Before you apply

• A bar that has agreed, in writing or at least in a text you can screenshot, to show every Arsenal match with sound. Arsenal America asks for this before it considers you.
• An Instagram or X account that has been posting for a few weeks: the pub, the kickoff times, photos from the matches you already watched together.
• A name that says Arsenal and says your city. Existing groups run from Boston Gooners to Alamo City Arsenal. Ask Arsenal America before you print it.
• A handful of regulars who will show up for the 7:30 am kickoffs, not only the north London derby.
• One person to hold the relationship with the bar and one to hold the relationship with Arsenal America.

Getting recognized

1. 1
   Check the branch list

   Arsenal America’s branches page lists every branch and its venue. If your metro has one, join it and bring your friends; a second branch in the same city is a question for Arsenal America, not a default.
2. 2
   Lock in the venue and go live on social

   Watch three or four matches at the bar first. That history, with photos, is what you send. A group that has never met is asking for a favor; a group that has met four times is asking for a badge.
3. 3
   Email Arsenal America

   Write to branchliaison@ArsenalAmerica.com, the address Arsenal America’s branches page gives for creating an official branch, with the venue, the socials, the regulars and how far you are from the nearest branch. For anything else, info@arsenalamerica.com is the general address Arsenal publishes on its North America page.
4. 4
   Outside the Arsenal America structure, write to Arsenal

   A club that will stand on its own, the way Arsenal NYC and Arsenal Philadelphia do, goes through the club’s Supporters’ Liaison Officer as described on the setting-up page, which sends the form and the guidelines.

After you are official

• Announce it from your account and the bar’s, and tag Arsenal America so the national account can pass it on.
• Meet every match. Carabao Cup on a Tuesday night included. Consistency is the whole product.
• Keep the schedule public. Next kickoff in local time, doors-open time, any change of room. Post it again on the morning.
• Show up for the national and regional events Arsenal describes Arsenal America running each year; that is where a new branch meets the ones that have done it for twenty seasons.

List the chapter on SoccerMapd

SoccerMapd’s where-to-watch page for Arsenal lists chapters by metro and links each one, next to the week’s fixtures in local time and the US TV channel where it is announced. A branch that lists itself appears there for its city, on the Arsenal team page and in the supporters club directory. State whether you are an official Arsenal America branch or a group still applying; both belong on the map.

Once listed, ask for the schedule console link and tick the matches you are showing. The supporters club guide walks through it. No account is needed and nothing costs anything.

See Arsenal fans by city