Football tickets should never be this hard to find, but that’s this generation

(Photo by Furknsaglam: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-watching-football-match-3131405/)

Football used to be called the ‘Game for the working-class'. The rise of the sport in the United

Kingdom was thanks to those communities over the last century. The fans back then were on those dirty benches on the side, but everyone knew each other. A community.

However, with the rise of popularity, investors invested and tickets to a football match have

become increasingly difficult. As I grew older, my addiction to the sport grew. So, I regularly

became a match going fan. That is, until this season. I haven't been since August, and for

someone who used to go every month, that sense of belonging was missing.

I was lucky enough to manage to finally get a ticket to watch my team, Arsenal, in March.

I’m a ‘Red Member’ for Arsenal, meaning that I have early access to tickets when they’re up for sale. However, when they’re sold out, tickets are up for a re-sale whenever an occupied ticket owner decides to put theirs on sale. But of course, it isn't as easy as that due to the high demand to watch the best team in the Premier League.Should it be that difficult for tickets to a 60,000-seater stadium?

It was an 8pm kick-off time, and the rainy conditions made it a bleak and gloomy atmosphere; a foreshadow for what was to come.

After the regular security checks, the barriers opened after I scanned my ticket. Instantly, a

wave of the Arsenal supporters chanting. You get used to the strong scent of beer, yet it still

caught me off guard since it’s been a while and of course, that sense of guilt since I’m Muslim.

I get a whiff of the overpriced burgers and hotdogs, with grease all over the floor and a few chips lying around. No, it isn't the most pleasant before you enter the stairs. I keep walking until I find the stairs, because I’ve not yet been seduced by the aroma. Or maybe

my wallet is just forcing me to say no. Every step, the voices get louder, the noise starts to

surround you, and then you finally see the view of the gracious green pitch. ‘The Carpet’ some call it.

A man sat next to me. His grey hair and cockney accent were quite typical of any Arsenal fan

who had been going to games since the 1970s.

He spoke about all the experiences he has been through from being a five-year-old getting

shoved through the barriers with his brother without a ticket, to holding a notebook from the

box office including the tickets that were needed instead of this new way of buying them online with computer glitches and automated bots stealing the chance for people like him to go to a match.

Those stories are one of their own, a different time, a different generation. The people you

meet at the football are always unique, but some will always leave a mark on you.

You may watch football by yourself or only catch the highlights on your phone. But when you're actually behind the stands and the players are looking indirectly at you, there's a different feel to it. That attachment you have, an affiliation through a screen turned into reality. When the players stepped foot on the pitch, the flags were raised. An army, a battle, a fight about to proceed. The loud roar after each player is mentioned, grows louder after every name.The atmosphere was sublime, and the second the ball smashed into the net, the roar was thunderous.

It’s an overwhelming sensation when your team is winning but football is a rollercoaster. So,

when it’s the other way around, that feeling of frustration kicks in. The rage through the clench of fists and angry shouts through the raised tone. It’s a part of the game too, and first they're the things you notice. Until sooner or later you’re clenching your fists yourself and suddenly you are the frustrated fan. Or the one that is jumping in joy, holding onto the person next to you because you share that happiness. Family.

European nights are meant to be special, and even though Arsenal lost this game, it was still an experience to savour. Because I’ll miss that first wave of chants, the bellows from the beer

dads, the sigh of relief after hearing that beep when scanning your ticket, the dazzling lights

show that blinds you for a few seconds.

Lose, win or draw, I will always love watching the team that’s become one of the only constants in my life.

Dramatic? Of course, but who knows when I’ll manage to watch them. Let’s make it

easier to watch football in person again, and let people make more memories.