Gooners in Highbury
Words: Tom Reed in conversation with Alex Amorós
Images: Alex Amorós
Distances matter in football, whether it is the markings on a pitch, the ref’s measurements for a defensive wall or judging if a mate is within earshot for your order at the bar.
Arsenal’s Emirates sits less than 500 metres from the site of the grand Highbury stadium so the old gaff is still very much there in spirit, even if the North Bank and Clock End are gone.
Alex Amorós felt something in the air at Arsenal before the 2025/26 season and decided that Highbury would be the centre of it all.
So he took his film camera and captured N5, the people and the vibe of a season that turned out to be more than memorable.
The results form the new fanzine Gooners in Highbury which is a candid snapshot of a club in time of success for both the men’s team (who won the Premier League) and women’s eleven (who claimed the Champions Cup).
He lives in the Highbury area so it was no chore.
“I wanted to capture the essence of it all. To create that connection between the past and the present…The majority of people who live around the area are Arsenal fans. A lot of fans go through Highbury every single time. They go to different pubs around the area, like the Gunners.”
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
When asked about the number of fans who come to watch Arsenal from outside London, Alex is philosophical, being a Spaniard himself.
“Obviously I am foreign but I live in the area, I have those roots, I walk through the stadium constantly but I get as well that I was was looking for was to the keep that connection between the people and the club.”
The resulting fanzine is 97 pages long, featuring mainly portraiture but also poignant scenes from match-day.
“We went to the pubs, the food trucks and I usually walk around the area for an hour, hour and a half, trying to be inclusive too with female supporters etc and make a 360 view in understanding how the community feels.”
“ I cover the FA Cup, Champions League, you can see the four seasons, this is more like a documentary process covering everything. I didn’t do the Premier League parade as I wanted it to be about what makes such a season.”
And that’s what Gooners in Highbury does, capturing the everyday moments of match-day that combine to make a season which won’t be forgotten any time soon.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
©Alex Amorós. Gooners in Highbury.
