If one morning you find yourself out on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and South Elliott Place in Brooklyn, New York, be warned â your peaceful morning stroll may well be interrupted by an almighty roar. Go looking for the source of the commotion, and your ears will take you to FancyFree, the only bar in Fort Greene thatâs rammed at 9am.
Step inside and youâll find scenes that wouldnât look out of place in north London. Namely, red-and-white-shirted fans going ballistic, limbs and drinks flying everywhere in response to an Arsenal goal. Meet the Brooklyn Invincibles, who for nearly five years have been flying the Arsenal flag in New York, and trust me â these guys know ball.
After ridiculing my first mention of âsoccerâ, co-founders Jason and Howard tell me all about falling in love with the âgold tooth and â90s swagâ of Ian Wright, and what it has taken to create an inclusive fan club, 5,600 kilometres away from Arsenalâs home.
âItâs hard to find places to watch footy here,â explains Howard. âA bunch of us started going to the FancyFree and got cool with one of the owners. So we just asked if we could turn it into an Arsenal bar and, for some reason, he was in.
âFor our first match, 12 of us watched us lose 2-0 to Brentford with no volume on the TV. It was a slow burn, but eventually we got the sound on, people started coming out of the shadows and, after that, the owner only missed one 7.30am game all season.â
That's right. Time difference means a 12.30pm kick-off in the Premier League is 7.30am in New York. Champions League games start at a more respectable 4pm, but on a weekday that still isnât particularly easy to coordinate, especially for those with full-time jobs.
âWatching the Champions League is always hard,â admits Howard. âPeople are navigating office meetings and calls, which is why weâve nicknamed the bar the âdentistâs officeâ during Champions League matches! A lot of people book âdentist appointmentsâ months out once they know the schedule.â
Despite the time-zone challenges, the Invincibles have come a long way in four and a half years; there are now around 450 members in their WhatsApp group, and over 11,000 Instagram followers. Oh, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee is an honorary member.
Check out their Instagram if you donât believe me. At the end of every game, in front of a Do the Right Thing mural at Leeâs studio just round the corner, the Invincibles take a family photo with the man himself front and centre.
âWe harassed Spike enough to come through, and the first time he came to watch with us, it was a vibe,â Howard tells me. âHe loves the energy, and it slowly brought in more Arsenal people.â Other famous faces including Daniel Kaluuya, Paul Bettany and even mayor Zohran Mamdani have also dropped by.
What the Invincibles have built is an enormous family, with members from all walks of life united by their unlikely common interest, based an ocean away. However, as Howard explains, thereâs more to the Brooklyn Invincibles than just football.
âWe also wanted to blend into this our love for fashion. We do Fresh Kit Fridays, where we post different outfits people have worn, so if youâre not into football, then thereâs still a place for you. Arsenal does that as a team too, right? The club is bigger than what goes on in the stands.â
âWeâre like a family at this point, weâve seen people have kids,â Jason adds. âIf someone needs a job or a sublet, thereâs someone who can help you here.â
Arsenal clearly offer Brooklynites a sense of home that goes deeper than football. âI think Brooklyn has the same spirit as Arsenal,â says Howard. âBrooklyn has always been one of the most diverse parts of New York, a haven for working-class immigrants, much like Islington. Itâs known for its confidence in style and cultural imprint, just like Arsenal, who have always played with swagger and flair.â
That swagger is another point of connection. âArsenal had characters who moved the cultural needle: Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp,â Howard adds. âBrooklyn has bred icons like Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Spike Lee and Jean-Michel Basquiat, names that are constantly referenced because they define the soul of the place.â
What the Invincibles are doing in Brooklyn shows that football allegiance isnât dictated by your post (or zip) code, but by culture, identity and resonance. You donât pick your club. Itâs something that finds you, wherever you are.
If one morning you find yourself out on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and South Elliott Place in Brooklyn, New York, be warned â your peaceful morning stroll may well be interrupted by an almighty roar. Go looking for the source of the commotion, and your ears will take you to FancyFree, the only bar in Fort Greene thatâs rammed at 9am.
Step inside and youâll find scenes that wouldnât look out of place in north London. Namely, red-and-white-shirted fans going ballistic, limbs and drinks flying everywhere in response to an Arsenal goal. Meet the Brooklyn Invincibles, who for nearly five years have been flying the Arsenal flag in New York, and trust me â these guys know ball.
After ridiculing my first mention of âsoccerâ, co-founders Jason and Howard tell me all about falling in love with the âgold tooth and â90s swagâ of Ian Wright, and what it has taken to create an inclusive fan club, 5,600 kilometres away from Arsenalâs home.
âItâs hard to find places to watch footy here,â explains Howard. âA bunch of us started going to the FancyFree and got cool with one of the owners. So we just asked if we could turn it into an Arsenal bar and, for some reason, he was in.
âFor our first match, 12 of us watched us lose 2-0 to Brentford with no volume on the TV. It was a slow burn, but eventually we got the sound on, people started coming out of the shadows and, after that, the owner only missed one 7.30am game all season.â
That's right. Time difference means a 12.30pm kick-off in the Premier League is 7.30am in New York. Champions League games start at a more respectable 4pm, but on a weekday that still isnât particularly easy to coordinate, especially for those with full-time jobs.
âWatching the Champions League is always hard,â admits Howard. âPeople are navigating office meetings and calls, which is why weâve nicknamed the bar the âdentistâs officeâ during Champions League matches! A lot of people book âdentist appointmentsâ months out once they know the schedule.â
Despite the time-zone challenges, the Invincibles have come a long way in four and a half years; there are now around 450 members in their WhatsApp group, and over 11,000 Instagram followers. Oh, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee is an honorary member.
Check out their Instagram if you donât believe me. At the end of every game, in front of a Do the Right Thing mural at Leeâs studio just round the corner, the Invincibles take a family photo with the man himself front and centre.
âWe harassed Spike enough to come through, and the first time he came to watch with us, it was a vibe,â Howard tells me. âHe loves the energy, and it slowly brought in more Arsenal people.â Other famous faces including Daniel Kaluuya, Paul Bettany and even mayor Zohran Mamdani have also dropped by.
What the Invincibles have built is an enormous family, with members from all walks of life united by their unlikely common interest, based an ocean away. However, as Howard explains, thereâs more to the Brooklyn Invincibles than just football.
âWe also wanted to blend into this our love for fashion. We do Fresh Kit Fridays, where we post different outfits people have worn, so if youâre not into football, then thereâs still a place for you. Arsenal does that as a team too, right? The club is bigger than what goes on in the stands.â
âWeâre like a family at this point, weâve seen people have kids,â Jason adds. âIf someone needs a job or a sublet, thereâs someone who can help you here.â
Arsenal clearly offer Brooklynites a sense of home that goes deeper than football. âI think Brooklyn has the same spirit as Arsenal,â says Howard. âBrooklyn has always been one of the most diverse parts of New York, a haven for working-class immigrants, much like Islington. Itâs known for its confidence in style and cultural imprint, just like Arsenal, who have always played with swagger and flair.â
That swagger is another point of connection. âArsenal had characters who moved the cultural needle: Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp,â Howard adds. âBrooklyn has bred icons like Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Spike Lee and Jean-Michel Basquiat, names that are constantly referenced because they define the soul of the place.â
What the Invincibles are doing in Brooklyn shows that football allegiance isnât dictated by your post (or zip) code, but by culture, identity and resonance. You donât pick your club. Itâs something that finds you, wherever you are.
If one morning you find yourself out on the corner of Lafayette Avenue and South Elliott Place in Brooklyn, New York, be warned â your peaceful morning stroll may well be interrupted by an almighty roar. Go looking for the source of the commotion, and your ears will take you to FancyFree, the only bar in Fort Greene thatâs rammed at 9am.
Step inside and youâll find scenes that wouldnât look out of place in north London. Namely, red-and-white-shirted fans going ballistic, limbs and drinks flying everywhere in response to an Arsenal goal. Meet the Brooklyn Invincibles, who for nearly five years have been flying the Arsenal flag in New York, and trust me â these guys know ball.
After ridiculing my first mention of âsoccerâ, co-founders Jason and Howard tell me all about falling in love with the âgold tooth and â90s swagâ of Ian Wright, and what it has taken to create an inclusive fan club, 5,600 kilometres away from Arsenalâs home.
âItâs hard to find places to watch footy here,â explains Howard. âA bunch of us started going to the FancyFree and got cool with one of the owners. So we just asked if we could turn it into an Arsenal bar and, for some reason, he was in.
âFor our first match, 12 of us watched us lose 2-0 to Brentford with no volume on the TV. It was a slow burn, but eventually we got the sound on, people started coming out of the shadows and, after that, the owner only missed one 7.30am game all season.â
That's right. Time difference means a 12.30pm kick-off in the Premier League is 7.30am in New York. Champions League games start at a more respectable 4pm, but on a weekday that still isnât particularly easy to coordinate, especially for those with full-time jobs.
âWatching the Champions League is always hard,â admits Howard. âPeople are navigating office meetings and calls, which is why weâve nicknamed the bar the âdentistâs officeâ during Champions League matches! A lot of people book âdentist appointmentsâ months out once they know the schedule.â
Despite the time-zone challenges, the Invincibles have come a long way in four and a half years; there are now around 450 members in their WhatsApp group, and over 11,000 Instagram followers. Oh, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee is an honorary member.
Check out their Instagram if you donât believe me. At the end of every game, in front of a Do the Right Thing mural at Leeâs studio just round the corner, the Invincibles take a family photo with the man himself front and centre.
âWe harassed Spike enough to come through, and the first time he came to watch with us, it was a vibe,â Howard tells me. âHe loves the energy, and it slowly brought in more Arsenal people.â Other famous faces including Daniel Kaluuya, Paul Bettany and even mayor Zohran Mamdani have also dropped by.
What the Invincibles have built is an enormous family, with members from all walks of life united by their unlikely common interest, based an ocean away. However, as Howard explains, thereâs more to the Brooklyn Invincibles than just football.
âWe also wanted to blend into this our love for fashion. We do Fresh Kit Fridays, where we post different outfits people have worn, so if youâre not into football, then thereâs still a place for you. Arsenal does that as a team too, right? The club is bigger than what goes on in the stands.â
âWeâre like a family at this point, weâve seen people have kids,â Jason adds. âIf someone needs a job or a sublet, thereâs someone who can help you here.â
Arsenal clearly offer Brooklynites a sense of home that goes deeper than football. âI think Brooklyn has the same spirit as Arsenal,â says Howard. âBrooklyn has always been one of the most diverse parts of New York, a haven for working-class immigrants, much like Islington. Itâs known for its confidence in style and cultural imprint, just like Arsenal, who have always played with swagger and flair.â
That swagger is another point of connection. âArsenal had characters who moved the cultural needle: Ian Wright, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp,â Howard adds. âBrooklyn has bred icons like Biggie Smalls, Jay-Z, Spike Lee and Jean-Michel Basquiat, names that are constantly referenced because they define the soul of the place.â
What the Invincibles are doing in Brooklyn shows that football allegiance isnât dictated by your post (or zip) code, but by culture, identity and resonance. You donât pick your club. Itâs something that finds you, wherever you are.
