The Arsenal History is run by Andy Kelly and Mark Andrews. It was set up to provide fans of The Arsenal* with a more accurate account of the club’s history.
Over the last few years we’ve found that The Arsenal’s history isn’t quite what we have been led to believe it was. This has arisen through authors of The Arsenal history books blindly copying their predecessors without question.
We have thrown away all the books written about The Arsenal and researched the club’s history using contemporary sources. Everything we publish will be backed up with solid evidence, not just copied from unsourced books or Wikipedia. If you thought you knew your The Arsenal history, you’ll be surprised to read what we’ve found.
What we do
As well as writing articles on this blog was also do other things relating to The Arsenal’s history.
Books – We co-wrote Woolwich Arsenal: The Club That Changed Football with Tony Attwood whilst Mark wrote The Crowd At Woolwich Arsenal by himself. We are currently writing Royal Arsenal: From The Common To The Manor and The Big Arsenal Book Of The 70s. More details can be found by click on this link.
AISA Booklets – We have co-written booklets for the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association that each cover distinct periods within the club’s history.
Arsenal Programme – For the 2013-14 season we had a regular page in the Arsenal programme called History Lesson in which we dug up some unusual stories from the club’s past, most of which had never been previously published. For the 2014-15 season we are writing classic match reports and writing a short story that connects Arsenal or Islington to World War 1.
Arsenal 100 years in Islington – We have provided support for the exhibition at Islington Museum that celebrates The Arsenal’s 100 years in Islington. If you’re in the area, we recommend a visit. Andy also gave a talk on the club’s early history.
We also have another project bubbling that will blow your socks off. It’s long term but will be worth the wait.
* The club is actually called The Arsenal (or in full – The Arsenal Football Club PLC Limited). Stick with us and you’ll find out why.