Chanting and singing is such a major part of being a fan, isn’t it? It’s almost like there are fans and then there are the fans that get to chant in the stadium, how lucky are they?! Those fans create the songs, they know the history of the club and know when to borrow which songs for which player etc. They are pillars to clubs everywhere. Truly special. I love them.
You also have the obvious fact that vocal fans help a lot. Players always want to hear their fans yell and scream. Their voices, their support, their energy… they love that and it can get them over tough moments in matches and all that stuff.
I, however refuse to participate in that. Granted, I’ve only seen AWFC play once but even then, at Wembley.. FA Cup Final…. vs Chelsea… I just couldn’t chant or sing. There are several reasons and I’m gonna share them just in case there’s people out there that feel the same way, so you know you aren’t alone.
Reason #1: I don’t love doing what a lot of people are doing at the same time, in most settings, both on a macro and a micro scale. I am peace with not belonging in many arenas in life and I have always stood against peer pressure and this, as silly as it sounds, is another example of it.
Reason #2: I don’t feel comfortable singing in front of people. It’s one of my biggest fears and as a musician, who is supposed to do this easily and do it well, it’s just not a real thing for me. I don’t like my singing voice too much and I certainly don’t want the person next to me to hear it. Beyond this, precisely because I’m a musician, I don’t wanna hear someone totally off pitch next to me and mess up my part. It’s petty but it’ what it is.
Reason #3: I hate yelling. I hate screaming. I hate raising my voice. It hurts my voice, really bad. I’ve never been a yeller and my body is just not used to it. I also can’t get over how annoyed the people in front of me must be with someone yelling in their ear.
So, if you are like me and have these same reasons or others, know that you are NOT less of a fan that the most vocal of fans out there. Sometimes vocal fans can be super annoying and look silly. I’ve seen videos of this, I’ve witnessed it in real life. Just be you and experience the experience however you need to experience it. There’s not perfect or correct way. I mean, don’t boo or insult the fans or leave the match, that just kinda sucks. The difference is for the latter examples you have to actively do something whereas not singing or chanting is literally withholding action. With that said, I wish I was at Meadow Park not chanting, a definitely not singing any given weekend.
If you see people quiet next to you, ask them if they are comfortable singing, maybe they need to be told it’s ok so they enjoy their time more. We don’t all want to hear: “ooh, its not about X its about X” Try to be understanding and patient and know football is art and we enjoy it our own way.
d ❤
THAT ARSENAL WOMEN PODCAST on:
A very subjective look into AWFC 
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