Arsenal FC: Sir Keir Starmer's football team- but how often does he go to watch them?

Keir Starmer’s new-look Labour Party are looking strong ahead of the UK general election on July 4 - before then, let’s take a look at Starmer’s self-professed love of football.

We have already examined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s connections to Southampton - how does Starmer’s footballing experience rack up against the incumbent leader?

Who does Keir Starmer support?

Keir Starmer, like the previous leader of the Labour Party (Jeremy Corbyn), is a fan of Arsenal. He has been described as a ‘fanatical’ fan of the club - not only is he a season ticket holder at the Emirates Stadium, he is also reported to be a regular attendee at away fixtures.

Getting an away ticket for a club such as Arsenal is never easy - to get your hands on one, you will need to accumulate a large number of points within its ticketing system. Due to this, it can be assumed that Starmer’s love of the Gunners is genuine.

Did Keir Starmer play football as a youngster?

As a child, Keir Starmer grew up in North London and played for Homerton Academicals when he was younger. He played for them for a considerable amount of time - it is unclear when he stopped, but he stated in an interview by The Guardian in 2009 that he ‘intend[s] to do it for as long as I possibly can’.

He also divulged that, as his political career advanced, he had a personal driver who took him to games - leading to ‘ribbing’ from opposition teams on the pitch.

Why has Keir Starmer been showing up at non-league football matches?

Recently, Starmer has been spotted showing up at non-league football grounds - and not just as part of his election campaign trail. While some audiences believe it is little more than a canny publicity stunt, others think he is doing it out of an earnest love of grassroots football.

As we have previously mentioned, Starmer has played non-league football in the past, which indicates that it may have a place in his heart. Furthermore, the leader of the opposition has also pledged to make ‘our game thrive’ should he assume the position of Prime Minister after July 4.