Few people understand Arsenal’s global fan base like Elliot Smith – a man who has fostered a community of listeners from around the world from his home in the United States.
Smith is the host of the hugely popular Arsenal Vision podcast, a channel that follows the ups and downs of the club.
Despite living thousands of miles away from the team he follows, Smith has his finger on the pulse of what it means to be an Arsenal fan and has been widely accepted by the supporters who perhaps once sneered at Americans following English clubs – many of his listeners are now based in the UK.
“There’s an interesting dynamic for the people of a certain generation in the United States who supported Arsenal,” he said. “The degree to which you had to really work to stay invested made the relationship feel important and valuable.
“This was something you fought and you scraped and you clawed and you worked to stay connected to, and because you put that work in, that made it feel significant.”
Smith spoke to CNN Sports from a bar in Budapest, joined by his friend Andrew Mangan, who created Arseblog – a popular website about the club.
The pair saw from different perspectives just how much the Premier League meant to fans from all around the world, not just those from North London.
“It’s a global fan base now, and what has changed most of all, maybe, is that I think at the Emirates, and in North London, there is no longer a widespread antipathy towards it being a global fan base,” Smith said.
“A lot of people just spontaneously went to their pubs (in the US) and showed up there after winning the league, similar to going to the Emirates. It’s like you just knew you had to be at the epicenter of your Arsenal experience, and that’s where people went. It’s a beautiful thing.”
They are hoping, and praying, for more success today.