Our member Toby Best shares his visit to The Arsenal to watch the team take on Manchester United in January 2026.

Thanks to Dhanesh successfully balloting for the ‘players arrival’, I was really excited for the chance to greet the players as they arrived at the stadium. A rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of them up close and show our support in person!

Getting to the stadium early turned out to be a gift in itself. Plenty of time to soak up the pre-match atmosphere and to meet up with the other three lucky members of the Singapore Gooners who also had the opportunity. Very cool to head under the stadium and take up position at the player entrance, somewhere I’d only ever seen on the TV,  one of those moments where it really hits you how close you are to it all.

We cheered, took photos, and watched the players arrive one by one as they stepped off the coaches, led out by the gaffer himself. A really cool experience.

From there it was up to the stadium bar for a couple of pre-match drinks and some catch-ups with old friends before heading to my seat high up at the Clock End. The Emirates carpet was looking absolutely glorious, and the crowd was in full voice for North London Forever  before kick-off, the stadium was buzzing ahead of a clash against one of our traditional rivals.

We were positioned just above the away fans, and the back-and-forth singing between them and the Ashburton Army was brilliant to experience up close.  As for the game itself… we all saw it, so less said about that the better!

The result aside, it was an unforgettable night and another step on what is (hopefully) a winning season ahead.

Come on you Gunners!