More ways to watch the Arsenal

More ways to watch the Arsenal

I’m often asked about how to get to see Arsenal on a one-off basis – particularly for people who are travelling from a fair distance away.

I covered the main ways of getting tickets on a one off basis in my earlier article which you can find by clicking on that link.


One option that I didn’t mention in my earlier comments was the Weekend Break, through which you can buy a package of two or three nights for two, at a four star hotel in London, and two tickets in the Arsenal section for the match – all as one package.

If you are not able to buy tickets through your membership scheme, or you are not a member, and you want to have an overnight stay, then you can certainly arrange this.

The best way forwards is to type Weekend Breaks to Watch Arsenal into Google and then book through one of the reputable travel agents that you will find listed there – although inevitably with Google you will get some sites that don’t have Arsenal tickets.

Now I am going to give a bit of a disclaimer here because I haven’t used this approach, since although I live outside London I have always bought my tickets through being a member of Arsenal – and I would still strongly recommend that you do join.

But if you are coming from a distance away and just coming for a one off, and want a hotel, that can be a way of arranging things.

There is also the Club Arsenal Package which provides tickets and a meal before the game at the Emirates Stadium – and indeed a number of similar packages. But believe me, they are intended for the particularly well to do. If you feel that forking out £30 for a ticket to go to a game is a bit much, don’t even look at these prices, or you will do yourself a serious mischief.

But if you do look, and you are then shocked, let me add one thing. All the premier league clubs have this sort of package. Yes it is expensive but there is obviously a market, and the money goes to the club and into the pot of buying more players.

There is more information at https://premiumconcierge.arsenal.com/hospitality-packages/

But let me give a word of warning if buying in advance for a one-off match. Games can be moved to another date, and can on occasion be moved close to the date of the game.

The most obvious reason is well known – matches are selected for TV and so can be moved to different times on a saturday, or to the sunday or monday. And indeed in the near future, they will also be moveable to a friday as well.

But there are three other reasons why matches can be moved to another date.

First, the Europa League. Arsenal have never played in this European Competition, but some clubs are regularly part of it, and their matches are played on a Thursday night. Which means if we are playing a Europa League participant our match will be moved to a Sunday.

Second, FA Cup matches. If we are playing in the FA cup, then any league match that was arranged that day will be moved – and that can mean being moved with only a short bit of notice.   This can apply to the 5th, 6th and semi-final rounds – if Arsenal are involved.

Third, the weather. Although the Emirates is a very modern stadium with undersoil heating etc, there has been at least two matches postponed because of the weather. One I recall arose from a sudden snow storm, where the snow came down so fast, so close to kick off, that there was no chance of clearing the pitch in time. I’d been driving for 90 minutes when the message came through.

The other occasion I recall also related to wintery conditions, where it was deemed by the police that the walkways around the ground were too dangerous because of the ice that had formed in the area after heavy rain.

So do be warned. Games can get called off and if you are worried about such an eventuality you need to check with your booking company to see what would happen in the event of a postponement.

But leaving the unlikely events like these aside, all the previous ideas for getting tickets are still valid and they are the ones I would recommend. Join Arsenal as a Red Member – and if you are really committed put yourself on the Season Ticket Waiting list. Details are on www.arsenal.com under Membership.

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