Arsenal: Why the hearts of Dial Square FC fans still sing for the club across town

Fans of Dial Square person breached distant from Arsenal, but ties remain

It's the astir important league lucifer the Emirates Stadium has ever staged but Stuart Morgan, an Arsenal play summons holder, is 24 miles distant successful the municipality of Chertsey.

He's talented his accustomed seat, to the close of the extremity astatine the Clock End, to a mate. It's a staggering situation. Cut this antheral unfastened and he'll bleed each shadiness of reddish the Arsenal person ever worn and yet helium has willingly passed connected the accidental to ticker Mikel Arteta's broadside instrumentality connected Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne and the remainder nether lights. Why?

"I wanted to marque definite I told the afloat communicative of Dial Square FC," helium says, astir fractional an hr earlier kick-off.

"It's important we archer the communicative properly."

The commencement of this communicative is debatable. Some judge it begins with the enactment of Dial Square Football Club successful 2020 aft a radical of Arsenal fans, led by Morgan, became disaffected with the mode the northbound London nine was run.

Others reason the story's archetypal lines were written successful 2018 erstwhile the American billionaire Stan Kroenke became the outright proprietor of Arsenal.

Perhaps we request to spell backmost further to 2006 and the demolition of Highbury, oregon to the banning of lasting terraces successful 1994, oregon whenever half-and-half scarves were archetypal spotted extracurricular shot grounds.

Stuart Morgan led a fans' breakaway from Arsenal successful 2020

"Something has happened successful the modern elite crippled that conscionable doesn't beryllium close with a batch of fans," Morgan says. "There's this feeling successful your gut, it's heavy wrong you, that you cognize isn't right.

"It's the money. It's the greed. It's the mode fans are treated arsenic customers. We're made to consciousness that the lone crushed we beryllium is to walk much money.

"A batch has changed and it's not each for the good. The nine badge, the stadium, summons prices, determination seems to beryllium a caller kit each different week. It's not the Arsenal I fell successful emotion with.

"So, alternatively than conscionable mope astir it, I decided to bash something."

Morgan, who works successful the operation industry, has acquisition successful non-league shot administration. He held a director's relation astatine Camberley Town successful 2016 and helped steer the nine to the semi-final of the FA Vase that year.

That gave him the assurance to subdivision retired connected his own. So excessively did the fortunes of AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester, 2 clubs that sprung from the disenchantment of fans anxious for a greater dependable successful however their teams were run.

Dial Square was the archetypal sanction of Arsenal Football club, coined by munitions mill workers successful Woolwich, south-east London successful 1886.

A period aboriginal they rebranded arsenic Royal Arsenal and did truthful again successful 1893 erstwhile they became Woolwich Arsenal. The nine crossed the stream to northbound London successful 1913.

Morgan's semipermanent program is to find a imperishable location for Dial Square arsenic adjacent to the founding mill successful Woolwich arsenic possible.

For present they are tenants astatine Alwyns Lane, the location of Chertsey Football Club.

Dial Square, successful red, are successful the 12th tier, 11 beneath Arsenal

Four days earlier Arsenal's crippled against Manchester City, Dial Square are hosting Lightwater United Football Club nether grey Surrey skies.

The players deterioration heavy burgundy shirts with matching socks and achromatic shorts. The club's badge is predominantly occupied by a sundial signifying a 'new dawn'. A banner beneath contains the Latin connection renascitur, meaning reborn. On either broadside are 2 acorns, some a awesome of a caller opening arsenic good arsenic a motion to the Royal Oak pub wherever Morgan's thought archetypal took root.

Dial Square predominate the game. Morgan is simply a whir of activity. He's perpetually connected his telephone arsenic helium updates chat forums and the club's societal media channels. They present person implicit 4,000 followers connected Twitter with fans successful Norway, New Zealand, Germany and the United States.

There are astir 50 radical successful attendance astatine Alwyns Lane. It's a sizeable fig for a lucifer successful Division One of the Surrey County Intermediate League (Western) - the 12th tier of English football. Almost each of them stock the aforesaid divided allegiance - they are besides fans of Arsenal.

"I'll ever beryllium an Arsenal fan," says Dave Nathan, whose great-grandfather was a groundsman astatine Highbury successful the 1920s. His grandma washed the Arsenal players' kit connected an robust washboard down the North Bank stand, antecedently known arsenic the Laundry End.

"I wonderment if that's due to the fact that of my nan," Nathan says, conscionable arsenic Dial Square's towering centre-back Adam Sewell sweeps location the game's opener.

"I could person been calved successful Timbuktu and I'd inactive person been fixed a reddish and achromatic scarf for Christmas. Arsenal is successful my DNA."

Nathan says that going to shot "used to beryllium a feeling". He speaks of an idyllic mounting wherever "it didn't substance however overmuch wealth you had successful the bank, each that mattered was you became portion of the Arsenal.

"Now I consciousness that excessively galore radical successful the Emirates spot their summons arsenic a presumption symbol. And I'm not going to criticise anyone for going. But personally I consciousness that it's changed excessively much. The ambiance is truthful quiet. It's missing that magic, that consciousness of assemblage that I had before.

"I wondered if I'd ever get that back. I travelled astir the state and did the 92, which for maine meant I went to each crushed that had a turnstile and charged you a interest for a summons for a crippled of football.

"And arsenic I went down the pyramid there's a stronger transportation betwixt the nine and the fans. They admit each penny you springiness them."

But nary different nine could scratch that itch. So Nathan returned to the Emirates.

"It was the crippled where Andy Carroll out-jumped Manuel Almunia [in 2010 erstwhile Newcastle won 1-0]," Nathan says. "I'd tried to get my partner's lad to the crippled but determination were nary tickets, which was a shame. So I went myself.

"But erstwhile I was determination I saw truthful galore bare seats. Members who conscionable decided they didn't fancy it. Or firm types who were not interested. World War Three could person started connected the transportation and these boys successful suits successful the stands, connected their phones, chat chatting to each other, wouldn't person noticed.

"Then they near 20 minutes earlier the crippled was over. I was fuming. My step-son could person been there.

"My dad, who was ex-military, raised maine to bash things 'the Arsenal way', arsenic he'd say. I thought, 'This isn't the Arsenal way. They've mislaid the Arsenal way'. I've been looking for thing similar [Dial Square] ever since. What we've got present is special."

Dial Square person a country and, aft a fewer scrappy touches from some teams, Sewell nods successful his second. At the different end, down Dial Square goalkeeper Aaron Bufton, bent 2 ample banners.

One reads 'Created by the poor. Stolen by the Rich'. Another displays the hashtag #KeepGreedOutOfFootball.

"It's truly that simple," explains Andreas Charalambous, a lecturer astatine the University Campus of Football Business located astatine Wembley Stadium.

"People mightiness deliberation we person a hidden agenda. We're doing things right. I came present to consciousness similar a comrade, not a customer."

Charalambous besides serves arsenic the president of Dial Square FC Enterprise (DSFCE), which owns 15% of the club. The remaining 85% is presently owned by Morgan, though his purpose is to loosen his clasp implicit clip and springiness afloat power to DSFCE.

DSFCE is comprised of members, not shareholders, who each walk £90 a twelvemonth to articulation arsenic a 'full instrumentality owner'. They person adjacent voting rights and each subordinate is encouraged to dependable their sentiment concerning the day-to-day moving of the club.

Dave Nathan's household connections to Arsenal spell backmost generations

"All anyone wants is to consciousness similar they person a say, that what they accidental matters," Morgan adds. "When you travel present you consciousness empowered. You really matter. You can't underestimate however important that is for shot fans."

When asked however helium feels astir Arsenal today, Morgan takes a beat. Usually he's a torrent of words arsenic his lips determination faster than Bukayo Saka's feet. You tin spot that this is simply a question he's inactive grappling with.

"To beryllium honest, it's love-hate," helium says. "When I spell to the ground, I effort to enactment these things to the backmost of my mind.

"Do I consciousness blameworthy astatine all? Maybe a little. But I spell to ticker my shot club. The shot nine I've ever watched and loved. The owners volition travel and go. Kroenke volition 1 time merchantability the nine for a profit. I'll inactive beryllium there.

"And we promote radical to proceed to enactment Arsenal. It's ne'er been an either-or thing. We're not achromatic and white. We'd ne'er archer anyone that they person to choose. We person Dial Square fans travel down wearing Arsenal shirts and that's great. You can't crook disconnected the tap. Supporting Arsenal, it's successful the body, it's successful your blood."

For Marc Brewer, who archetypal attended a crippled astatine Highbury backmost successful the 1970s arsenic an eight-year-old, this is particularly true.

His near forearm is inked with Arsenal's sanction successful the classical gothic font. His close is simply a canvas for the aged crest - the 1 with the achromatic markings similar tiny Christmas trees and the much realistic looking cannon.

Brewer's devotion is much than tegument deep. His oldest lad is named James Charles Paul Merson Brewer. His 2nd lad is named Mathew Joseph Ian Wright Brewer. When his girl was calved helium kept the contented going and called her Hollie-Ann Manu Petit Louise Brewer.

"They're mouthfuls," helium says of his kids' names, "but it shows however overmuch I emotion Arsenal."

Brewer, Dial Square's caput who besides sits connected DSFCE's committee of directors, has been to the Emirates twice, but felt hollow connected some occasions. He can't callback who Arsenal were playing. "It didn't permission an impression," helium says.

If Brewer is jaded, it's casual to recognize why. A week aft helium inked the club's crest connected his limb it changed to its existent iteration. Softer lines, brighter colours, much successful keeping with modern aesthetics.

"What was the point?" Brewer asks. "It's similar alteration for change's sake. It's weird. I can't subordinate to it immoderate more.

"It's painful. It truly is. It feels similar I've mislaid something. I can't halt watching though. I'll ever privation Arsenal to win, but that feeling of transportation is gone.

"So I joined Dial Square. And starting astatine this debased level, to beryllium connected the travel from the start, that's thing that is truly appealing to me."

That sentiment is echoed by some fans and players. The nine captain, 34-year-old Eddie McKinlay, knows that his hopes of playing astatine a higher level are over. But helium recognises that helium has the accidental to found a bequest astatine a nine with large ambitions.

"This existent radical has a accidental to bash thing genuinely amazing," helium says aft his squad completes a 4-1 win. "In 10 oregon 20 years we tin look backmost and say: 'We were determination astatine the start. We helped marque this happen.' Not each nine tin connection that."

Morgan is steadfast successful wherever this commencement leads. His purpose is to oversee Dial Square's introduction into the Football League wrong 10 years.

"When we started we acceptable ourselves the people of getting to measurement six [tier 10] by the extremity of our 5th season," helium says. "If we get promoted this year, which we will, and get promoted again adjacent year, we'd person got determination with a twelvemonth to spare."

At the moment, the task is funded by members' contributions, Morgan's pouch - helium estimates helium puts successful £3,000 a twelvemonth - a indebtedness from a manager and a sponsorship woody with a wealthiness absorption company.

The online nine store has brought successful £8,000, with products that commercialized connected Arsenal's past and Dial Square's present. Beanies are particularly popular. The yellowish distant portion that mirrors Arsenal's 1971 Double-winning squad sold retired successful nary time.

"As we ascent the ladder we'll pull much interest," says Morgan. "We'll pull much fans that volition amusement enactment for our task by purchasing our shirts. We'll get much sponsors and merchantability much shirts and much players volition privation to join. The lone mode is up."

Dial Square's triumph implicit Lightwater lifts them to 2nd successful the league.

Four days on, conscionable arsenic Arsenal's players are going done their warm-up connected the clubhouse screen, quality filters done of Dial Square's ain rubric race. They person been awarded a further 3 points for a antecedently cancelled game. Now they're 2 points disconnected the league leaders, Laleham and Kempton FC, with a crippled successful hand.

Some of Dial Square fans watched Arsenal's decision to Manchester City from their caller club's home

It doesn't spell arsenic good for Arsenal. De Bruyne's superb opener is cancelled retired by a Saka penalty, but it's one-way postulation successful the 2nd half. City's better-stocked seat makes the quality arsenic Jack Grealish and past Haaland people to unafraid a 3-1 win.

Morgan, Nathan, Brewer and the remainder wrong Chertsey's clubhouse are crestfallen astatine the last whistle. They soon particulate themselves off, but for a fewer fleeting moments, they're conscionable arsenic emotionally invested arsenic they were erstwhile this enslaved was archetypal forged successful childhood. Those aged threads inactive clasp strong.

Even aft the commercialized tie-ups and cash-ins, aft the Super League splits and Wenger Out rifts, aft the metamorphosis from a section nine to a planetary conglomerate, their bosom strings inactive sing for the nine crossed town.

"That volition ne'er change," Morgan says. "Hopefully 1 time radical volition consciousness the aforesaid mode astir Dial Square".

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