How one of football’s biggest names delivers for its local community in North London

What does it take to build a winning football club?

For Arsenal, the answer has never been just about what happens on the pitch.

For more than a century, the club has been at the heart of its community in North London. Long before the Premier League, Arsenal was finding ways to support people beyond matchday. In its early years, programme cards were sold to raise money for Homes for Working Boys at the club’s former home in Woolwich.

That community spirit is still at the heart of Arsenal today. The club’s philosophy is captured in a simple message:

“Arsenal Acts for a winning team, culture and community.”

And nowhere is that philosophy more visible than through Arsenal in the Community.

·      A club at the heart of its community

Arsenal’s home borough of Islington contains some of the most affluent neighbourhoods in the country alongside communities experiencing significant deprivation. Issues such as unemployment, mental health and loneliness are having a profound impact on people’s lives.

For Arsenal, being part of its community means not just being there, but acting for the people and places who make it up.

It means asking: How can the power of football create genuine opportunities for people who live here?

That question has driven Arsenal in the Community since it was established in 1985.

·      Football as a route to opportunity

Every week, Arsenal in the Community reaches more than 5,000 people, delivering more than 140,000 hours of community activity every season.

Football is often the starting point — but it is rarely the end goal.

The programmes engage children and young people across Islington, Camden and Hackney, using sport to develop confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging.

For some participants, that can mean discovering a passion for football.

For others, it can mean discovering something much bigger: a pathway into education, employment or a more positive future.

Arsenal also works with young people and adults to develop practical skills, self-belief and the confidence needed to secure sustainable employment.

Its post-16 sport courses, which have been running for more than a decade, are one example of how the club is using its expertise and reputation to create opportunities that extend well beyond football.

·      Using the badge for good

Arsenal’s community work also extends to issues that affect football and society more broadly.

The club uses its platform to challenge discrimination and create a sense of pride, inspiration and belonging that brings people together.

This matters because football clubs have an enormous ability to influence public attitudes.

Arsenal isn’t simply asking people to come together to support a team. The club works hard to create an environment where people from different backgrounds feel that they belong to something special.

·      Club and community success

The story of Arsenal in the Community is ultimately a story about belonging.

Acting for a winning team can be measured in trophies, league positions and goals. But acting for a winning community looks different.

It can be a young person gaining confidence.A participant finding a route into employment. A talented youngster being given the opportunity to be noticed. Or regular connection for someone at risk of loneliness.

The stronger the community, the stronger the club. And when the club uses its platform to strengthen the community, everyone has something to gain.

It really is a win-win.