Arsenal in the community

There is a side to Premier League football clubs that few are aware of. Players are often seen as overpaid prima donnas, and clubs as exploiting the fans with excessive ticket prices, but that is far from the whole or the true story.
Since the 1980s, Arsenal FC has had a dedicated community team, set up in response to social unrest in London at the time. Today, Arsenal in the Community works with over 5,000 individuals each week across a range of education, social inclusion and sport programmes – 360 programmes a week in 150 locations. Arsenal’s tradition of giving has also expanded over the years, from making contributions to good causes local to the club to supporting major charitable projects in the UK and overseas.

In 2004, Arsenal launched a Charity of the Season initiative which saw ChildLine, the David Rocastle Trust, Willow Foundation, Treehouse, Teenage Cancer Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Centrepoint all benefit. Then in 2012 Arsenal Foundatio...