Enter the villains

Great start to the season at Maggie McGarry’s last Saturday. The dedicated Gooners who turned up were rewarded with a solid 2-0 win for the Gunners. A number of new faces amongst the more familiar ones, keeping our cult growing.

Now Arsenal travel to face a club becoming quite the thorn in their side. Since our former manager, Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa, they have bested Arsenal several times, including the last two matches, which put a severe dent in the Gunners’ title hopes.

Okay, maybe I didn’t rate Emery when he was our manager, but for my mental well-being I need Arsenal to reassert their dominance. I don’t just need a win, I want us to batter them. Spoiler: I will take any win.

I want to mention a developing situation potentially threatening our ongoing gatherings at Maggie’s. Since moving into an apartment just above and to the right of the pub, a new neighbor has been making repeated noise complaints. Most are focused on noise emanating from our early morning match viewings.

Mick has assured me our indoor/outdoor viewings, 8:30 am and later, will continue. We need your cooperation for our earlier, inside only matches. When coming and going or taking a smoke break, please keep outside noise to a minimum.

I’m baffled (read: really pissed off) someone would move upstairs from two bars on one of the busiest streets in The City and expect peace and quiet. But the police are obligated to follow up on these complaints, so let’s do our part to help minimize them.

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. COYG!

Best,

Mark

PS: Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

About to kick off

Saturday Arsenal’s match marks the 18th year of the Bay Area Area Gooners’ existence. A handful of die hard Gooners at Maggie McGarry’s has grown into a robust supporters group, turning up in boisterous numbers to watch the Gunners play, at all hours of the day.

Arsenal’s 2024-2025 season kicks off against Wolves at home, for the first of three August matches. We’ll be at Maggie’s for the match, which has a very reasonable 7 am start time.

Beyond supporting Arsenal, we strive to do good works throughout the season, and this season will be no different. We’ll also continue to offer scarves, t-shirts, and other BAG swag, sales of which help fund the group’s expenses.

We encourage you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

If I do say so myself, we’ve built a really great community, and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces on Saturday. I’ll bring the donuts!

Best,

Mark

Arsenal preseason tonight!

Quick note to remind everyone, Arsenal’s preseason tour of America begins tonight in Los Angeles! If you’re not making the trip down south, you can join us at Maggie McGarry’s for the match. Kickoff is 7:30pm and as always, Maggie’s is 21+.

Hope to see some familiar faces tonight!

Best,

Mark

But wait, there’s more!

Hope you’re enjoying your summer. There’s plenty of footy to occupy you in the off-season with Euro 2024, Copa America (despite the US bombing out), Bay FC and SF City FC.

We previously discussed Arsenal’s impending visit across the pond, with the men’s team making July stops in Philly and Los Angeles, and the women in Washington DC this August.

But wait, there’s more! Yesterday, Arsenal announced a second match in LA. Three days prior to their match against Manchester United at SoFi Stadium, the Gunners will face AFC Bournemouth at Dignity Health Sports Park. Full details on both team’s schedules here.

Arsenal Los Angeles is planning events around the Southern California matches as is Arsenal Philadelphia. No word yet from the DC Armoury Arsenal supporters group about events around the women’s matches.

We’re planning match-viewings at Maggie McGarry’s for some of the pre-season matches, so watch this space or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Best,

Mark

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