Arsenal FC is one of the big teams in the English Premier League, which has come to get a global – and almost fanatic – following.
Of all the teams in the league, Arsenal is arguably the most popular. Even going by Internet searches – where there are hundreds of thousands of Internet searches on Arsenal facts each year, it is clear that this is a much loved team. So great is the love for Arsenal in some places that there has been at least one reported incident where a fan committed suicide on account of Arsenal having lost a crucial game!
The team also goes by the nicknames ‘gunners’ and ‘gooners’ in hardcore soccer enthusiast circles. It is based in Britain’s Emirates Stadium, which has capacity for over 60,000 spectators. As a further sign of the popularity of Arsenal, even within England, tickets to ‘home matches’ in the said 60,000+ home ground stadium often get sold off weeks before such matches.
Arsenal is not a young team. It history goes back to the 19th century (this being the 21st century), when it was founded in 1886 – under the name Dial Square, in the earliest days of soccer. It has since grown to be one of the biggest names in soccer, both in England and worldwide.