Arsenal Football Club
Football teams are tribal, and when you sell football signs it's difficult to showcase your full range while keeping supporters of other clubs interested when it's not their team.
But today, throwing caution to the wind, I'm focusing solely on Arsenal.
A Bit of My Own History
Arsenal are my team, mainly because I was born and raised in Islington and everyone around me supported them. It was like a fever.
I can remember, as a young child, after a particular win, my dad taking me to see the Arsenal open-top bus drive down Upper Street. The whole area was packed with people cheering, singing and waving red and white scarves. We were standing outside Canonbury Bookshop, my favourite shop, and as he held me up, I reached out and touched the bus. The team were on top holding up the cup and the atmosphere was electric.
It's a memory that has stayed with me.
I went to Highbury Hill High School for Girls, which was just up the hill from the old Highbury ground.
Back then, players would walk past our school on their way up to Highbury Barn, a small parade of shops that included a bakery where they were often spotted buying a ham roll and a cheesecake – the flaky pastry kind topped with white icing and shredded coconut.
We would rub shoulders with them, with some of the sixth-form girls full of hope that they might get an invitation somewhere.
Those were the days.
Players
Footballers seemed to become more glamorous with the arrival of George Best. Although he never played for Arsenal, he was one of the first players people talked about for reasons beyond football.
This was long before the Premier League and the huge salaries that came with it. Players felt more accessible then. You'd see them in local shops, walking the streets and going about their daily lives.
My memories of Arsenal belong to that era.
This Weekend
This weekend, the bus will once again be making its way around my old home turf. They're expecting more than a million people to line the streets.
I want to be there.
I'm part of a WhatsApp group with old school friends, many of whom still live in and around Islington and remain a loyal pack. Over the last few days, the messages have been flying back and forth as everyone works out the best way to get in.
Highbury & Islington station will be closed, so Finsbury Park is the nearest Victoria Line stop. Some are planning to get the Central Line into town and walk up. Others have already mapped out their route and where they'll stand.
Reading those messages takes me straight back. The same streets, the same excitement and the same anticipation.
It's strange how quickly it all returns. I may now live in rural Suffolk amongst big skies and open countryside, but Islington still feels like home when Arsenal are involved.
Part of me wants to stand on Upper Street again, looking down the road waiting for that bus to appear, just as I did all those years ago with my dad.
Some memories never really leave you.
My Sports Sign Business
A little about where I am now.
I moved to rural Suffolk – big skies and open views.
I wanted to create a business I could run from home that still connected me to my urban roots, and football, being close to my heart, seemed the obvious place to start.
I designed my steel club signs primarily for fans, but I also wanted to bridge the gap between sports memorabilia and home décor. I wanted to create something that would look good in the home without offending any non-football members of the family.
From the feedback we receive, I think that's worked.
I've recently added the amazing Women's Football League clubs to the range too, and I plan to expand it further to include other sports in the future, so watch this space.
If your team is missing, do drop me a line.
Arsenal Club History
Arsenal Football Club was founded in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal armaments factory in Woolwich, south-east London. Originally known as Dial Square before becoming Royal Arsenal and later Woolwich Arsenal, the club moved north of the River Thames to Highbury in 1913, laying the foundations for its long-term place in north London football.
Facts
Arsenal is one of the most successful clubs in English football history.
The club has won 13 league titles and a record 14 FA Cups, while also enjoying success in European competition, most notably winning the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.
Game-Changing Figures
Several eras have shaped the club's history.
Herbert Chapman's side of the 1930s transformed Arsenal into a dominant force, winning multiple league championships and introducing innovations that influenced the modern game.
Under George Graham, Arsenal enjoyed further success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the dramatic league title victory at Anfield in 1989.
The arrival of Arsène Wenger in 1996 marked another defining chapter. Wenger modernised many aspects of the club and led Arsenal to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.
His 2003–04 side, known as "The Invincibles", completed an entire league season unbeaten, a feat unmatched in the Premier League era.
In 2006, Arsenal became the first London club to reach the UEFA Champions League final.
Today
The club later moved from Highbury to Emirates Stadium, securing its long-term financial future while maintaining its position among England's leading clubs.
Today, Arsenal remains one of the most widely supported and recognised football clubs in the world, with a history that reflects both its working-class origins and its enduring influence on the game.