San Diego Gooners – San Diego Arsenal FC Fan Website

Football can be divisive. Football can be Uniting. Arsenal Football is always beautiful. This is a website that seeks to portray a perspective by fans of the beautiful game and the team that has so successfully played throughout their history – but also integrates with this beautiful city. It’s a tribute to BA and SV Two beautiful souls. This is a website that shares a perspective of a small collective of contributors that are fans of Arsenal football Club. It’s just a website to try to fulfill some part of fandom – and not more serious than that.

This Domain was originally purchased in 2009 prior to there being a supporter’s group in San Diego (officially recognized in early/mid 2011) that met with any regularity or cohesion. Three aspiring founders wanted to change that. But, this website and several other social profiles were secured before that supporters group was formed. This website does not attempt to act on behalf of that supporters club, or speak for it. Though the management at this website, and which holds control over many of the online footprint and assets of the “San Diego Gooners” name, is part of the original founders partnership for the San Diego Gooners (A group of supporters that also took on that name). That supporter’s group originally met for matches at Shakespeare’s Pub In Downtown S.D. It Currently meets at Bluefoot Bar, located at 3404 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104.

The San Diego Gooners Handle as it exists online, is separate from the San Diego Gooners Supporter’s Group

I won’t attempt to speak for the other co-founders of the San Diego Gooners Support Group, but I will explain my position on the  matter.

After the devastating loss of the two most important people in my life, I used that catalyst to start talking about My life as a fan, and to incorporate their memories into my life in general. My aim: to continue on a relationship with aspects of my life that were so closely tied: football and these important people to me.

Some months after I first started to do this, the other two co-founders (of SDG Match Day Supporter’s Group) who I will not name here – they know who they are, and are both some of the finest people I have ever met – both as good as family to me; one of which is my best friend – we decided to try to make a go at starting a supporters group. Admittedly, I was the least hardcore of the three of us, but I also had purchased some domains and set up some social accounts under the moniker “San Diego Gooners” previously, because it seemed like a cool idea to do with my closest acquaintances – be associated with that name. The name fit. We grew. We started to see dozens, then hundreds of supporters in the pub with us. It was amazing. We even started to market the group through physical cards and the twitter handle, and a newsletter I designed and distributed. We made flags and shirts, etc. We weren’t sure if we wanted to formally adopt an “Arsenal” group name or a “Gooners” name. This was now 2011, 2 years after I originally bought the assets. 

Eventually, we got big, but not big enough to combat the Manchester United Fans that already went to the (original) pub. Conflicts in timing and matches started to complicate growth from a physical standpoint. We were looking for ways to improve the situation. 

After liaising with Los Angeles Gooners (themselves not nearly as big then as they are today – but nevertheless full of amazing people), we got to thinking how we could supercharge the group’s growth. I will reiterate – I currently have zero management say over the group as it stands today – in fact, I am villainized by some randoms in the group as the guy who stole “their” famous twitter account.

When the group decided to re-base to the newer pub, several of us stopped attending so regularly, as a result of the change in feeling and environment. Many fans remained at the initial location, and we were doing our best to manage expectations and PR, as well as attract and retain members. The newer venue is still amazing, but for a medium sized group of us it was just too different. No-harm, no foul – we still went on occasion and invited others from the original location to try to make a full transition. Because we still attended on occasion in the new pub and some stayed at the original pub, eventually some fans we wanted to come with us, decided to just not be part of the group – they didn’t want to travel – they just wanted to enjoy Arsenal.  At the transition, we were getting between 120-250 people at big matches, and the new space was much more open. Ultimately it was probably for the best that the bulk of the group moved.  

Therein lies the drama. I have no ill-will or feelings towards anything that has to do with SDG as a supporter’s group – officially recognized by Arsenal America, which of course is officially recognized by Arsenal – the entity.

It’s important to realize that the group and all of it’s social assets and domains, etc. were started by, marketed by, and Controlled by myself or one of the three original founders at all points in the history of the group (with the exception of maybe a social account) – with some delegate access allowed to whomever was in charge of posting socially, but even then, I had to unlock the account frequently becausee it had been misused frequently. Some of social accounts were created in 2011 (or later) as an official foray into representing the group. I don’t know who started the Instagram account but it wasn’t me. I told the group they could use the assets I had paid for or had the starting/controlling interest in, but that I would retain ownership and have complete say over the use of the items, and that I would relinquish them if we could all agree it was necessary at that time. We agreed it was not. As I started to take a backseat in the day-to-day, ultimately leading to a non-existent role in the supporter’s group, I still maintained ownership and had to unlock social accounts, etc. to allow the additional users to continue to be able to use them.

Today, I have decided that the thousands of dollars spent, and the time, effort, and emotional connection are important to me. I separated myself from certain assets to allow the supporter’s group to thrive independent of the assets I built up, to use to assist in marketing to new people getting introduced to the group.

Why do I post this here? Why do I use this site, when it also shares a name with the supporter’s group? Because I always owned/controlled them. I built them. And despite at times, allowing certain people to use the assets, they remained mine. Note: all ownership of these domains and profile names pre-dates the formation of the supporters group by a significant amount of months. Note also, that I completely divested any control in several assets (social and otherwise) so that the group could independently use those accounts and assets to market themselves. The group has built enviable followings on their Facebook page and Instagram, and a new twitter account (which I would gladly post here if someone reasonable from the group reaches out to me); all these accounts have vastly similar follower tallies – none too far different that the others. I am being accused of stealing an account on twitter (which has always been tied to my email, and was built by me, which has nearly 5x the followers of the Official account’s twitter – because they say that I want to steal their followers). The follower counts grew by less than 25% over the course of the past 8.5 years, and I am being accused of stealing the followers I built by tweeting 7k+ times over the nearly 15 year period I have owned the account. It’s simply not true. I haven’t tried to monetize their work or discredit anyone. I haven’t used the account unfairly. They simply want what I have always owned, because it matches the name. Even though my account (with the same name) precedes the group by at least 10 months.

We did a lot of the grunt work to make the supporter’s group viable. I’m not looking for credit, I’m asking to not be actively discredited for something that was always understood, and for which I had the foresight and ownership of. I get that some people are hurt by not being able to use the account, but it was actively trying to be stolen from me by whoever had access to the account for a year. The group management has had my contact information and knew I would have been flexible (I offered to allow them to use it, after all). I finally was warned by the social platform that I must either reclaim the account and lock out any other users, or I would risk losing it, so I did. I let it go dormant for 2 years so that the group could build up before I started using it again. They did. And I am proud of them. I decided to start using the account again for personal reasons, and have barely used it, and now I’m being called a thief, and unethical, etc. It’s simply not the case. Until I was bombarded by attack dogs from the group I had intended to try to find a harmonious use case for the group. But they ultimately decided to use underhanded tactics to make me look like a bad person. Note – no fewer that 15 people that have deep roots in that current group have always had ways to contact me. They have yet not decided to. Instead I’m being shamed for something I haven’t even done.

A lot of people have been led to believe that I stole some account or something. The account in question was only ever owned by me, and while it may have promoted the group, it was always understood that it was a personal account and that I would not be letting go of it.

And for the record: less than 25% of the followers and fans of that account were built over the 8.5 year period that I let it be used – I had established a massive baseline of followers prior to even allowing any other user to market the group using the account.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter, but certain rabid members of the supporter’s group seem to want to shame me into submitting to their will.

I will point out that on occasion I have offered multiple assets, ownership changes, administrative privileges, etc. to members in management of the group, and they have declined. They were all aware of the fact that I had no intention to relinquish control of any asset I had held without a formal agreement. They declined on many occasions to take ownership, etc. of such items.

I have now been inspired by “hashtag Marisa” and “DJ Kyle” to start using these assets which I have held for more than a year longer than the roots of the San Diego Gooners Fan Supporter’s group as recognized “official” by Arsenal America, These statements have a clearly defined and fact-based timeline.

I wish zero harm to the supporter’s group.

They are vastly an amazing bunch. So many great memories have been made with many of the people in that group.

San Diego is a transient community – people come and go often. The past 5-6 of the highest level leadership proxies in the more recent past have all moved out of the city at least, some out of the state. The group dynamic is ever changing, and I respect many in the group. But I have a different use case in mind for the assets I paid for, owned, built up, used for more than 14 years, and control today, which happen to share a Name with the group.

I want to be clear: I will never talk bad about the group as a whole. Arsenal fans that desire to see a match in a pub-like environment should link up with the group. It’s a phenomenal way to enjoy a match. I choose not to do so, except on occasion, and may not at all, going forward. But, this website, the associated (multiple website domains), and some of the social handles and identities that are not currently associated with the supporter’s group (because I have not gifted them to them), will be used for other completely separate purposes. I’m not here trying to promote anything that is close to what they are doing. There is not a risk of misleading anyone. I have been clear in every way on this matter.

I wish the group the best, I will promote them without alienating them as best as possible, and I think you should hook up with them to make memories in their given meet-up spot. But as for this handle, and these assets, they will be used for purposes I am committed to, with respect to the football club’s intellectual and tangible trade properties, and the accepted use purposes of the owned assets by other entities. In other words, I won’t infringe upon the property owner’s assets or claims, and I would prefer that I stop being used as a scapegoat for any management indecision or lack of foresight by anyone who may have been able to enact a better outcome for the supporter’s group.

Hopefully you will see that my intent is to help fans of the Arsenal enjoy the matches more. And that I will continue to use the properties I have control over, responsibly and with a specific focus. I wish you all the best, and while this post may seem petty, I think it’s equally unfair to chastise me for doing what just makes sense for most people. I’m not in competition with anyone, not the least of which is a supporter’s group that I co-founded 15 some odd years ago in San Diego. Up the Gunners!