Smith Rowe: Looking forward and giving back

How is your fitness now Emile? How was the rehab, and did you approach it differently this time to previous injuries?

I’m feeling good now – I’ve been back in training for a while and it’s all good at the moment. I don’t think I did anything differently in rehab, I just felt a lot better with it this time. At first we thought the injury would be a bit longer, but I started feeling really good after just a few weeks, so then I kicked on and I’m feeling good now as well.

How did you feel in those first few games back. Were you apprehensive at all when you got back out onto the pitch?

No, I’ve had no problems, so now I’m not thinking about the injury at all. It’s behind me and I want to kick on by getting on the pitch. The team has been doing so well lately and of course I want to be part of that, and to get involved as soon as possible.

How do you assess the team this year with the changes we’ve made?

I think we’ve definitely pushed on and we look really strong this year. We’ve added some new players and brought a few new players in and they’ve added a lot of strength to the team.

It’s great to see Declan here. I knew him a bit from playing with England before, and he’s a great guy. Obviously everyone can see what he’s doing on the pitch – he’s been amazing for us. But off the pitch too and around the training ground, he’s added more leadership. The way he demands the best from himself and his team-mates is really good. He’s one of the big leaders here already.

With us fighting at the top of the league now, have you noticed a step up in intensity in training as well over the past few months?

Yeah, training is really intense actually. I think it’s got to be like that to keep pushing every day and to keep improving, and the manager demands that.

It’s nice to be high up in the league, but in training you are not thinking about that – you just want to get better every day and keep improving. I love that side of it. Everybody has to prove that they can play here, so it means every session you have to be at your best. It’s a great environment to be in.

We saw you in action at The Arsenal Hub recently with some of our young supporters at a community event. What was that like?

It’s fun. It always is when you meet the kids there, because we’d love to do more of that sort of thing as players when our schedule allows it. It’s great to see their reaction when you walk in the room. You can make their day by just being there, so it’s strange when you think about it like that, and it’s a huge privilege for us too.

You have been a regular visitor to the Hub in recent times, helping out at events, and you regularly give up your time at Christmas too. Why is it important for you to be involved in that way?

I think it comes from my parents. Both of them work with kids and for me it’s really important to give something back whenever you can. I want to follow in my parents’ footsteps in that respect, and I enjoy it too, getting involved and seeing the smiles of kids’ faces.

I like to do things at Christmas too, because it’s a big time of year for children, and if I can help with that, then I want to do it.

As you know, No More Red was set up to help combat knife crime and one of the aspects we are highlighting this year is ‘creating safe spaces’. How important was it for you feeling safe in your own environment when you were a kid?

Well, I grew up in south London, and it was a bit different for me because I didn’t go out that much. My mum and dad preferred me to stay in. What I’d mostly do was go to the park behind my house and play football, but that always felt very safe to me because it was literally at the end of my garden.

That was great for me. I could play there with my dad and my brother so that was obviously important to me at that age. Then when we moved when I was about 14 or 15 we could go to a club and play table tennis, watch football and stuff. At that age I think it’s important to have somewhere like that.

We are also championing role models. Who were your main role models growing up?

Mainly my parents and family, especially my brother, who’s older than me, he’s 30 now so him and his friends were definitely influential for me. We played football together, and at that age you also look at how they behave, even the things they wore and stuff like that. You might not even realise it at the time, but you need people to look up to who are setting a good example.

I wanted to be just like my brother when I was growing up. Also I think kids need to see that there are similar people from similar backgrounds or areas who are out there on the right pathway, that they can follow too.

We are also highlighting the importance of providing opportunities to young people. What opportunities did you have growing up?

I had that park behind my house which was great, and it’s great to see Arsenal building facilities in inner-city areas where kids can play football too. It has to start somewhere, and I was lucky that I went to Arsenal at a young age, and then had the opportunity to work with great coaches.

But everyone needs to get that first chance, and I think the good thing is that there are more opportunities and places where kids can go and play football now. That’s why I like to get involved too, and see both sides if you like, because now I’m in football I’ve had my eyes opened to more of the work that Arsenal does in the community.

Finally, we are also focusing on the importance of a sense of belonging, working together, and having respect for each other.

Yeah, that’s really important for me – you definitely improve when everyone around you is working together, and when you really feel like you’re part of a team.
I was lucky enough to have that while I was growing up at Hale End. I always wanted to try to get on with everyone, be respectful to others.

Maybe I was lucky, but all my age group teams got on well. It was like a brotherhood, and that makes it so much more enjoyable.