It’s fantastic to be back here at Emirates Stadium today for another exciting season ahead and, on behalf of us all at the club, I want to extend a very warm welcome to everyone.
We’ve got off to a strong start with our result at Old Trafford last Sunday and it was amazing to feel a part of the away supporters’ noise and energy! Thank you for the passion everyone brings. We’re going to need that again this season.
A lot has happened since we were here for our final home game of the Premier League season back in May, including our women’s team winning the Champions League trophy in Lisbon and sharing a special moment with supporters for the trophy lift back in Islington. It is an incredible achievement and we are still the only English club to achieve this having also won it 18 years ago.
This was quickly followed by our six Lionesses winning the UEFA European Championship trophy. Each Arsenal player in the team wrote their own individual story and made an impressive contribution to this success.
Over the summer we’ve strengthened all our teams with significant investment. We’ve welcomed six new signings to our men’s team, alongside four new women’s players joining the Arsenal family and we’ve invested in our academy too. We have made the signings we set out to do. We’re also equally delighted that a number of players have committed to new long-term contracts.
It makes us all incredibly proud to see Myles and Ethan break through and commit their futures to the club that’s nurtured and developed them into Arsenal players. They know what it means ‘to be Arsenal.’
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We’ve worked hard in pre-season with tours to Singapore and Hong Kong for our men’s squad and a training camp at adidas’ HQ in Germany for our women’s team. Of course, the pre-season trips help to physically prepare our players and give young players an opportunity to shine, but they also forge a formidable unity amongst the group.
This unity and connection extends way beyond the teams and into the heart of our supporters and through our extended Arsenal family here in Islington and around the world. That connection between us all fuels success.
The club is in great shape to push on and our talent and performances continue to be recognised by others on the biggest stage. On Tuesday, Mariona picked up Player of the Year at the PFAs and was included alongside Alessia, Kim and Emily in the WSL Team of the Year, with our new signing from Liverpool, Olivia Smith, winning the Young Player of the Year.
Declan, William and Gabriel Magalhaes were all included in the Premier League Team. We look forward to the Ballon d’Or next month where we have over 10 nominations across a number of categories including Women’s Club of the Year.
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But we always demand more. We are relentless in the pursuit of progress. The club is always moving forward. We’ve made great strides over the last few years and we vowed to take the learnings from last season to improve. My father and I have loved working together and alongside the rest of the board and our leadership team to determine how we can be even better and what we can do to support. There are always ways to evolve.
I can see everyone at the club taking actions to make sure we don’t stand still. We want our supporters to take every step with us on this journey. The margins are so fine and the Premier League is amongst the most competitive leagues in the world and the positive energy we generate gives us an edge. Once again this season, we rely on the kind of noise and energy everyone brought to our match against Real Madrid last season to inspire the team.
The Emirates has become a fortress in the last few years and a tough place to come. We lost just two Premier League games here last season, let’s be even better this year.
We’ve talked a lot this summer about reaching new heights and now it’s time to do just that and put it all into practice. Mikel, Renee, our leadership team and everyone at the club has mine and my father’s full support. Pressure comes from expectation. It’s a positive thing and a privilege, not a burden. It means we’re doing things right.
There are high expectations on us all – it’s shared. We’re The Arsenal. It signals we have the potential to continue to build great things together. We need to get our heads down and focus, believe in what we’re building and enjoy the journey we’re on as we’ve come a long way and we’re not done.
We believe in our coaches and our manager, our players and staff and everyone connected to the club. We are greater than the sum of our parts and we believe if we all pull in the same direction, even better days and magical nights are to come.
Finally, everyone on the Board has been deeply affected by the recent passing of Richard Carr, our former Director. Richard devoted his life to the club and made a huge contribution towards our academy. He will be greatly missed by everyone and our thoughts are with Richard’s loved ones at this difficult time.
He was a much-loved member of the Arsenal family, and right up until the final home game of last season, was a familiar and joyful presence in the Directors’ Box. We were all incredibly fond of Richard. His devotion to the club and his passion – particularly for our academy – means his presence, impact and legacy will never feel far away.
The Arsenal family is also greatly saddened by the passing this week of Mark Pearce, our Stadium Facilities Manager who had worked at the club since 1997. Mark was a deeply valued colleague who played a pivotal role in the running of our stadium - delivering matchdays and events that brought joy to so many. He was respected by everyone who worked with him: kind, committed, and calm under pressure. He will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with Mark’s loved ones.
We will be thinking of Richard and Mark as we come together today to enjoy our first competitive home game of the season. Let’s continue on a journey that generates pride and inspiration for Arsenal supporters everywhere.
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