A new book explores how the north London side, its fans and stars such as Paul Davis, Ian Wright and Thierry Henry became a gamechanger for inclusion and Black culture in defiance of ingrained prejudices
Read extracts from Black Arsenal by Eddie Otchere, Ian Wright and Rodney Hinds
In July, Arsenal football club launched its new alternative away kit for the forthcoming 2024-25 season. The shirt, made by Adidas, is designed by Foday Dumbuya, founder of the London menswear brand Labrum, and it pays specific homage to the club’s African fanbase, and to the players – Nwankwo Kanu, Kolo Touré and others – whose deeds are woven into the north London club’s recent history. Using black, red and green details to refer to the pan-African flag, Dumbuya – who was born in Sierra Leone and moved to London at the age of 12 – intended the design to celebrate what he sees as Arsenal’s unique place in the multicultural capital and its appeal to fans, including Spike Lee and Jay-Z, worldwide. Dumbuya’s design is a natural successor to the club’s green, black and gold “Jamaica” pre-match kit, launched at the Notting Hill carnival in 2022.
That heritage and spirit is also the focus of a new book, Black Arsenal, published for the start of the season, created and co-edited by Clive Chijioke Nwonka, associate professor of film, culture and society at University College London (UCL). With contributors that range from cultural studies stars to pioneering former players Ian Wright and Paul Davis, the book examines how the club has become an authentic expression of integrated Black British culture. In a week in which the ugly face of racial conflict has been a dispiriting reality, it’s a reminder of the great strides this country has made in moving beyond such tensions, with the national game and the global brand of the Premier League at the front edge of that advance.
