Reimagining Black Arsenal: Football, Identity and Society

The concept of Black Arsenal, developed by Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka over a 10-year research period, was an attempt to consider Arsenal F.C as a rare but natural space of affinity among Black football fans. It has since become a way for Black people of different generations and locations to make sense of their own personal identification with Arsenal as a form of Black cultural memory and belonging.

Revisiting Black Arsenal after the historic 2025/26 season, culminating in Arsenal’s first Premier League title in 22 years, this discussion considers the experiences of interracial collectivism expressed across social media since Arsenal’s victory. Ahead of The Conduit’s flagship Venues for Impact summit which examines sports and stadia as drivers of social cohesion and growth, this is an opportunity hear from Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka as he explores how the events have inspired new and unique convergences between football culture, Black identities and civil society. Together, these developments point towards a new social sphere, that invites us to reimagine Black Arsenal as a social practice, its origins and purpose, and examine its potential for informing the future of sports and therefore contemporary society.

Event Schedule

6:15pm: Pre-event socialising and networking
A cash bar will be available for refreshments.

6:30pm: Event begins

7:30pm: Event ends

Speakers

Dr Clive Chijioke Nwonka is Associate Professor of Film, Culture and Society at University College London. Nwonka’s scholarship broadly centres on race and the humanities, with a particular focused on the study of Black film, culture and identity. He is the co-editor of the book Black Film/British Cinema II (2021), the author of the book Black Boys: The Social Aesthetics of British Urban Film (2023), and the co-editor of the book Black Arsenal: Club, Culture and Identity (2024)