Nebraska may be Cornhusker football country, but the beautiful game is making big inroads. The group of Arsenal supporters in Omaha started out as just a couple of friends, but as branch manager Vince Odorisio says:
“For the last 10 years the group of game watchers has grown -- as has the number of Arsenal fans in Omaha.”
Group Name: The Good Life Gooners (Omaha Gooners)
Location: Omaha, NE
Year established: 2011
Number of active members: "We have 34 Facebook friends with 10 of us usually watching games."
Where we watch matches: "We now meet at The Union Pizzeria & Sports Bar, 1420 Cuming Street Omaha, NE 68102 (402) 932-2929. They open at 6am CT!"
Group's favorite Arsenal moment: "The Invincibles. Arsène Wenger on top of the dugout vs Manchester United."
Group's favorite players: "Jack Wilshere, Robin van Persie, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Eduardo."
Why we are Gooners: "Omaha Gooners members Vince Odorisio and Nick Krueger formed a love for Arsenal in the mid 90′s when their football coach Alex Mason, who had moved to Omaha from London, basically, gave them no other choice. Growing up as a true “Gooner”, Alex shared his passion for the club and we followed suit very quickly."
Why Americans should be Arsenal fans: "Everyone enjoys the way Arsenal try to play the beautiful game, through intricate passing movements."
Contact information: "Reach us via email at omahagooners@gmail.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter."
Copyright 2013 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source 21 Sep 2011
