You know where to find us

Arsenal’s fixture list for the 2024/2025 season was released yesterday, and Gooners everywhere began making plans. Our directive is unchanged: watch all matches at Maggie McGarry’s in San Francisco.

Thanks to the AFC News Room for the graphic!

We turned up in big numbers last season, despite the Gunners finishing second. The pub atmosphere was grand and genuinely felt like a return to a pre-pandemic vibe.

We’ll hope for more of the same this season. We’ll have scarves, t-shirts, and other swag, as well as our regular charitable efforts. And donuts, always donuts. Both the men’s and women’s Arsenal teams are visiting the U.S, so we’ll also have a few preseason match-viewings, for everyone not traveling to the matches.

Tickets to Arsenal Matches

Gooners frequent ask about getting tickets to see Arsenal in London. My recommendation is always the same, join Arsenal America and request tickets through their lottery. Arsenal America’s ticket request system will open THIS Friday, 6/21 for paid AA members. This graphic highlights their process.

When joining AA, please remember to select Bay Area Gooners as your designated branch! For more info: https://arsenalamerica.com/ticket-faq/

Leading up to the new season, if you have any thoughts, hopes, suggestions, gripes, etc, for our group, drop me a line!

Best,

Mark

Arsenal in America

Last season seems almost a distant memory now. The talk is all of the Euros, Copa América, and Arsenal’s visit to the United States. Maggie McGarry’s will be showing the tournament (more info below). And we will be at Maggie’s for the preseason Arsenal men’s matches.

Both Arsenal teams are coming across the pond. The men make July stops in Philly and Los Angeles while the women touch down in Washington DC in August.

Arsenal Philadelphia and Arsenal America are already working on events around these matches.

Arsenal America Membership is open!

Speaking of Arsenal America, annual memberships opened yesterday. As there are no membership fees associated with the Bay Area Gooners, I always encourage Gooners to join AA, as we are their official San Francisco branch. Membership is $30. Being a member gets you membership swag packs, discounts, and access to tickets to Arsenal home matches.

SF City FC

Locally, San Francisco City FC, a USL 2 team are in the midst of their season and still have several matches at Kezar Stadium coming up. I went out to a SF City FC match recently and it was a fun local, grass roots experience. Though I could not bring myself to join in any “C’mon City” chants.

Euro 2024

Euro 2024 kicks off today! Here’s a schedule of the matches. Maggie’s is showing all matches after 9:00 am PT and select earlier matches. Check their social media for details.

Hope you Gooners are enjoying your summer and that I see you soon!

Best,

Mark

We had joy, we had fun

The Premier League season ended with a raucous, fun morning at Maggie McGarry’s. While we packed the pub to watch Arsenal beat Everton, a paltry group of City fans celebrated another league title.

Complacency must have set in with that lot, as their numbers have surely waned this season. Matches against the Gunners seem to be the biggest draw but their largest crowd is rarely as big as our smallest.

I’ve really enjoyed our gatherings this season. The pandemic years really took its toll but our group feels especially revitalized and I’ve found my love of Arsenal fully rekindled. Sure, we could all watch the matches at home, but the camaraderie and community at Maggie’s is impossible to replicate.

Our supporters group is nothing without all of you, and it’s been great getting to know everyone. I’ve also watched with pride as our Oakland based offshoot, East Bay Gooners, has really come into its own.

I’m already excited about next season. We’ll have a few off-season events, including match-viewings for Arsenal’s U.S. friendlies, for those of you not traveling to Los Angeles or Philadelphia.

If you ever have feedback, comments or ideas for our group, I encourage you to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support. Hope to see you all very soon.

Best,

Mark

This is the end

Spurs capitulated on Tuesday, as most (if not all) of us knew they would. Now, 115 FC are 2 points ahead and face West Ham away on the final day of the season. To win the league, Arsenal must not only beat Everton Sunday, but hope the Hammers can win or draw. In short, all we need is a miracle.

We have reached the end. While hoisting the trophy seems unlikely, we’ve witnessed an incredible Arsenal season and I am very proud of the lads. I recommend this recent Arseblog post, which sums it all up beautifully.

Let us know on our Facebook page if you’re coming!

As we have all season long, regardless of start time, the Bay Area Gooners will pack the place. Aside from Maggie’s owner, Mick, that other lot don’t generate much of a presence at the pub. Except when they’re facing us or likely to hoist a trophy, so expect them to show up in numbers on Sunday.

But forget about them. We’ve had a great season. Our gatherings have been immense and a lot of fun. Let’s show up in numbers and in full voice. Let’s celebrate what has been a great Arsenal season, and who knows, maybe something else. At the very least, we can remind them, there’s only one team at Maggie’s.

Please remember that Sunday is also Bay to Breakers. This will impact public transit and result in street closures here. Complete information here.

See you at the pub!

Best,

Mark

Penultimate warriors

With only two matches left, there is already a tendency to gaze backwards and make some assessment of Arsenal’s season. FC *115 (the club formerly known as Man City) seems unlikely to drop points, so it appears the Gunners are headed to a 2nd place finish in the Premiership.

Personally, I’m not looking back just yet. We’ve got Man Utd on Sunday and then Everton to close out the season the following week. Even after 18 years of hosting matches at Maggie’s, I still relish being at the pub with our community.

Last week was brilliant. A solid 25-30 Gooners turned up for a 4:30 am kickoff to see us beat Bournemouth. This included a half dozen or so Silicon Valley Gooners who made the trek from San Jose. Talk about dedication. We made sure everyone who attended got an “I’m a f**cking legend” name tag.

This Sunday, our start time is more civilized. Arsenal’s next to last match against United kicks off at 8:30am. Expecting a good turnout on what should be a beautiful day for a gathering. I know it’s Mother’s Day, so plan on bringing mom to the pub.

Let us know on our Facebook page if you’re coming!

We’re having a raffle Sunday and will have some fantastic prizes, including jerseys, t-shirts, scarves, and other AFC memorabilia. Proceeds will help cover BAG expenses, such as our website, donuts at matches, swag orders, etc. While this is a labor of love for me, there are costs involved.

Hope to see you Sunday at the match!

Best,

Mark

Be a f**king legend

We celebrated another St. Totteringham’s Day last week. Things got a little squeaky towards the end, but Arsenal got the win and we had a great group at Maggie McGarry’s for the match.

Being an Arsenal supporter in the States presents its own challenges. American Gooners are often maligned as less genuine because they weren’t born into it. Which is counter-intuitive to me. Having it foisted upon you by location or familial connections is one thing, but shouldn’t conscious choice (however irrational) count for something.

Not to mention the level of dedication required to actively follow one’s club. We’ve been blessed with some reasonable start times this season, but endured plenty of early kickoffs as well.

Which brings us to Saturday’s match. 4:30 am. Yes, 4:30 am. Anyone who gets up to watch a team clear across the pond at this ungodly hour cements their bona fides. And if you join us tomorrow at Maggie McGarry’s, you’re a f**king legend in my book.

This has been one of the most exciting seasons in recent history, and we’ve still go three matches left. Any title-winning equation still requires a Man City slip-up, in addition to the Gunners winning the rest of theirs. We’ve had tremendous support at Maggie’s throughout the season and it’s been a lot of fun (and stress) watching with everyone.

I’ll be at the pub for Saturday’s 4:30am kickoff. Hopefully joined by some other f**king legends.

Best,

Mark

One team in London

Perfect way to spend a weekday, watching Arsenal batter a hapless Chelsea.

But we must abbreviate our celebration as the North London Derby looms large on Sunday. The Gunners take a short trip across town to face a well-rested Tottenham side. The Spuds could play spoiler in the title race, as they face all 3 sides at the top end of the table, in the coming weeks.

We all know what’s at stake. City walloped Brighton Thursday and Arsenal must triumph again to keep title hopes alive. With a win, we could be celebrating St. Totteringham’s Day, where Arsenal have sufficient points to mathematically finish ahead of the Tiny Totts in the table.

A 6am kickoff may elicit groans from some, but it wasn’t that long ago, we had a 4:30am NLD and still pulled in 100+ true Gooners. And if you happen to know someone who supports Spuds, don’t bring them.

I’ll be bringing donuts and if you’ve been to an early morning match, you’ve likely had Bob’s Donuts. Jesus Zamudio, a member of Bob’s staff is in critical condition following a hit and run, and funds are being raised for him here.

See you Sunday at the pub!

Mark

Righting the ship Arsenal

Arsenal seemed to be on the ropes prior this weekend’s match. Losses to Villa and Bayern within the last week ended the Gunners’ Champions League run and dented their Premiership title hopes. But they left Wolverhampton on Saturday with a much-needed win.

While only one match, it’s the first step in righting the ship Arsenal. The course that lies before them, is daunting with Chelsea Tuesday and a North London Derby on Sunday against a well-rested Spurs side.

We’ll need Arsenal to dig deep if they are going to hold onto the top spot. Sure, we’ll need City to drop points, but the focus has to be on navigating the rocky seas ahead.

Weekday matches are always a tough ask for working folks but we’ve been getting great crowds. Hope to see you there.

Cheers!

Mark

The show must go on

Well, that week sucked. A loss at Villa severely dents Arsenal’s title hopes and then the Gunners are unceremoniously knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich.

Reaction ran the gamut, with a few short-sighted calls for the manager’s head, while most Gooners tried to keep perspective in the face of these dire defeats.

I’m not here to tell anyone how to feel, but I’m the latter. Under Arteta, we are in the ascendancy and perhaps victims of our own success. The team is still developing and clearly lacks a few final pieces of the puzzle.

There’s still a lot of football to be had and the show must go on. A glimmer of hope remains, Arsenal can lift the Premiership trophy. They must keep winning and hope City drop points. I’m keeping faith with the club until the end.

We’ve been getting some tremendous crowds at Maggie’s. Last Wednesday was no exception, the placed was packed with Gooners. Tomorrow’s match is an absurdly congenial 11:30am. Practically unheard of for U.S. start times.

So no excuses. No wavering. Just unconditional love for the Arsenal. See you all at the pub!

Best,

Mark

Jetzt geht’s um die Wurst

Jetzt geht’s um die Wurst translates to Now it goes around the sausage, a German expression which has come to mean there are higher stakes now, or all or nothing. All or Nothing is coincidentally, the name of the Arsenal TV series on Prime.

Sunday’s match against Villa was to put it mildly, a debacle. The Gunners squandered a gilt-edge chance to retain the top spot, following an earlier Liverpool defeat. The Premiership is not completely out of reach, but there are definitely higher stakes now in our Champions League journey.

Arsenal head to Munich for the quarter-final second leg, hoping to do the business after a first leg draw at the Emirates. Thankfully the away goals rule no longer exists. If the teams are level at the end, we’ll see extra time and penalties (if necessary).

Here’s hoping the lads rebound from Sunday’s stumble and fall. See you all at the pub!

Best,

Mark