From Keown to Hornby: Arsenal takes over the British Library for one day

If you’re the sort of person who can happily lose hours reading about football, not just watching it, and you're an Arsenal fan, this one’s very much aimed at you.

The Football Writing Festival: Arsenal Special is taking over the British Library this Saturday (28th of March), pulling together a full day of talks, panels and general Arsenal chat with a line-up that leans heavily into both football and culture.

It’s a deep dive into everything surrounding Arsenal FC, from the people who’ve played for the club, to those who’ve written about it, and the fans who’ve built entire platforms off the back of following it.

Given how Arsenal are currently being talked about as genuine title contenders, the timing isn’t exactly accidental, although hopefully the recent League Cup loss is forgotten about.

The day kicks off with Nick Hornby, whose Fever Pitch remains one of the defining books about football fandom, in conversation with Henry Winter. It’s a strong opener: two people who’ve spent decades putting football into words, now doing it live.

From there, things branch out. There’s a session dedicated to Arsenal Women, featuring club legends like Rachel Yankey, alongside former players Gill Sayell and Kirsty Pealling, a reminder that Arsenal’s success isn’t just confined to the men’s side.

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If you’re more interested in how the club gets covered week in, week out, there’s a panel with writers including Amy Lawrence, John Cross and Sam Dean, digging into what it’s like to report on a team that rarely goes quietly for long.

Elsewhere, things get a bit more academic with a session on Black Arsenal, exploring the club’s long-standing cultural connection with Black identity, stretching beyond football into music, fashion and wider society.

Then there’s Martin Keown, who’ll be sitting down to talk through his time at the club, from coming through as a young player to being part of the Invincibles era. Expect a few decent stories there.

It’s not all panels and analysis, either. Later in the day, the focus shifts to the fans, the people behind blogs, podcasts and fanzines who’ve kept the conversation going long after full-time.

It all wraps up with a celebrity quiz hosted by Clive Anderson, featuring familiar Arsenal-supporting faces like Jazzie B, Michael Rosen and Tom Watt, which should be a slightly less serious way to end things.

The whole thing runs from 11:30 through to 20:30 at the Pigott Theatre, with tickets available in-person for £32 or alternatively, you can tune in virtually online from £10.

It’s a long day, no doubt, but if you care about Arsenal beyond just the 90 minutes on a weekend, this is about as close as it gets to a full cultural unpacking of the club in one place.

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