More of This Sort of Thing

June 5, 2026

2 min read

A hand holding a flare from which red smoke is flowing. A blue baseball cap is at the bottom right hand corner of the photograph

I must confess that I no longer follow Premiere League football as much as I used to. These days my interest is usually piqued when England play at international tournaments.

Set in a park a group of people in the background. In the foreground a man is holding a homemade sign with the words "more of this sort of thing" He is wearing an Arsenal football shirt.

I grew up in north west London so Arsenal were not my local team. But as a kid I thought it would be funny to wind up my older, cooler and football mad cousin. He was a Tottenham Hot Spurs supporter who lived in Harringay. That, plus red was my favourite colour.

The back of two women of the African diaspora, both with long hair.

The irony is that he now lives abroad and I’ve ended up living near to both grounds in North London.

A woman of the African diaspora has her back to the camera. She is wearing a denim jacket against which lie her braided hair plaited with the colours of yellow and red

I drive past the Spurs ground at White Hart Lane usually heading for the A10 on my way out of London, but I often cycle and walk through the Emirates Stadium on my way to the Holloway Road.

The latter route feels more local to me and even 20 years after they were erected those giant concrete letters spelling out the club name still brings a smile to my face. After moving to N16 one of my earliest memories of walking along Drayton Park was the levitating roar of the crowd on a match day.

A red framed racing bicycle in a shop window.

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

Premiere League Title and the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup

A mural around a front door. It features cartoon character Buggs Bunny pouring coffee into a red cup. In the foreground a man walks by wearing a red and white scarf and above his head is bunting with the words "lovely day to be champions"

A man in a red shirt at the open window of a house. In the foreground is a red car.

Preparations for the Sunday event began on the previous Tuesday when the crowd barriers began to line the area around Finsbury Park. For the whole week North London had been awash with red and white in celebration and preparation for the parade.

In the background are gathered a group of football supporters. In the foreground a woman sits with a child. The child wears a number nine shirt with "z.jesus"

A man and a small boy walk through the park. The boy is wearing a football shirt with "REMY" and the number ten on the back.

A young boy is up in a tree. He is wearing a red and white football shirt with the number forty one on the back.

Starting out at 10:30, walking up Stoke Newington Church Street and weaving my way through Clissold Park I saw a few people had already secured their Green Lanes spots on the parade route. Continuing to Blackstock Road and hovering at the local free house where there was a logjam I eventually circled back via Highbury Park and headed home for lunch.

A man is wearing a black t-shirt with four footballers each wearing sunglasses and Emirates football shirts.

Planning is everything because by the time I returned to the park the Green Lanes entrances were impenetrable. Of course it is impossible to be everywhere at once and later it was a joy to watch other scenes across the boroughs via social media.

A child sat on a woman's shoulders. We see his legs from the knees down and he is wearing red socks with "AFC" embroidered on the front. He is also wearing blue crocks shoes.

Through the national game north London had shown the country the spirit of community cohesion. It was an occasion not to be missed and I am grateful that I was able to document a small part of the day.

A group of Arsenal football supporters look on through a haze of red smoke as the team bus approaches.