Arsenal experience WCL celebrations at house: ‘The happiest I’ve been in my complete existence’

The huge trophy with its sweeping ribbon-like fingers is going up, waves and waves of confetti bathe over the 10,000-plus lovers and pink and white smoke erupts from at the back of the level and the gang sings. Arsenal, the brand new champions of Europe, got a heroes’ welcome in north London two days after their surprising victory over Barcelona within the Champions League ultimate.

The scenes in Armoury Square, out of doors the Emirates Stadium, had been paying homage to the ones from Trafalgar Square the day after the Lionesses lifted their maiden European identify in 2022, or the ones in the similar N5 location when Arsenal’s males’s crew lifted the FA Cup in 2015 and 2017 (there was once no public birthday party in 2020 as a result of Covid restrictions).

In phrases of ladies’s membership soccer, in England, no birthday party of a trophy comes on the subject of matching it. This was once no longer a birthday party of Arsenal Women, it was once a birthday party of Arsenal and the end result of a long-term one-club undertaking had been glaring within the numbers that confirmed up not up to 48 hours after the ancient 1-0 defeat of Barcelona in Lisbon on Saturday night time.

The centre-back Steph Catley, who anchored a lovely full-team defensive effort along Leah Williamson, moments after coming off the level, mentioned: “I had an idea in my head of what it would look like, but it didn’t equate to that. That was very special and something I’m so proud to be a part of.”

It were quick realize for the celebrations and a few lovers had became up at 6am to get a first-rate place on the entrance of the boundaries. Catley mentioned: “It says everything. They always show up for us … As a female footballer, you look at Arsenal and you want to play there. You’ve got the support and everything you need. There are world class players, but the fans make it so special. To bring them a trophy and thank them for their support is the best.”

Williamson added: “You look at the turnout today and you think about what we’ve done over the last couple of years, how we’ve positioned ourselves and how the club have positioned us in terms of a respect point of view. Then to contribute to that with a trophy win, it feels like we did our bit. The work that’s been done behind the scenes for the last couple of years is world leading. Now there’s a trophy to match that and I’m very proud of that. This is the stuff that makes you stay and want to come back.”

The trophies were the lacking piece, two League Cup wins in 2023 and 2024 no longer sufficient to fulfill the calls for of probably the most embellished ladies’s crew in England. “You have to win trophies, you have to,” mentioned Williamson. “I’m so proud of what we do off the pitch, who we are, how we lead and how we carry ourselves, I’m so proud of that but I want to win and Arsenal should be winning. I’ve looked at that legacy all my life and I wanted to contribute to it. I didn’t want to end my career just being loyal. Loyalty is great but loyalty with trophies is just something else. This week I’ve spoken to Tony Adams and Thierry Henry, people I watched, they were incredible and they won and that’s why they are remembered the way they are.”

Fans had been handled to speeches from the top trainer Renée Slegers, Williamson, the scorer of the profitable objective in Lisbon, Stina Blackstenius, and an excessively merry Katie McCabe ahead of the trophy was once introduced on level through two Arsenal within the Community individuals, 11-year-old Daisy Martin and seven-year-old Celine Davie. Then the songs and dancing started and a comfortable Win the canine was once momentarily lofted within the air through Beth Mead and Slegers to the pleasure of lovers underneath.

Arsenal have maximised this second, subsequent season’s shirts revealed with ‘champions’ and ‘25’ at the again in gold had been on the market within the store which swung its doorways extensive quickly after the avid gamers exited the level, along T-shirts, scarves, hats and hoodies paying tribute to the success. However, they’ve spent large too, the cash invested in the entirety across the ultimate – from the motels and go back and forth to the events and Emirates celebrations – a ways exceeding the €350,000 (£293,000) prize pot for the winners, which is added to the cash gathered all over the event.

For Williamson, a lifelong Arsenal fan who was once a mascot when the crew lifted a primary European identify in 2007, the stadium facade at the back of the celebrations fittingly a tribute to that aspect, it’s been a particularly emotional financial institution vacation weekend.

“I always said, ‘trophy for England over trophy for Arsenal’,” she mentioned. “Because, I just think you don’t pick your country, it’s a bit more of a fate thing, a bit more luck needs to be involved. But I feel ashamed now, because that feeling on Saturday was, I think right now, the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole entire life and I hope that other Arsenal fans are happy too. I know I lived a dream and I will never take it for granted.”

The closing 48 hours were about “trying to make it sink in”, mentioned Williamson. “Genuinely just trying to figure out what’s happened, trying to remember. I’ve watched every bit of footage so it lives as long as possible in my memory. Then I’ve been connecting with loads of people, like Tessa Payne, she was my Under-10s coach, my first coach, I’ve wanted to reconnect with all those old faces, those people that have seen the journey over the years and the people that know how much I love Arsenal and know how much this would mean to me whether I was on the pitch or not.”