Football has always been the centrepiece of my life. I have been an Arsenal season ticket holder since I was 8 years old. I was born into a football family; I quickly learned its culture the way a child absorbs language – consciously yet unconsciously. It informs my most significant relationships. My mum is an Arsenal season ticket holder, I met my wife through a shared love of Arsenal. Most of my friendships are bound up in Arsenal or football more generally, it’s an enormous part of my identity- others associate me with it as much as I associate myself with it. For obvious reasons, Nick Hornby’s ‘Fever Pitch’ had a transformative effect on me in my youth, as an Arsenal...
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