If you’re renting North East London and you want to go somewhere where you can experience traditional English culture, you have lots of options. There’s the pub of course. There are the fish and chips restaurants, although it’s hard to find a good one. You can always head to the countryside for English culture.But have you ever considered a football match?

In the 1970s and 1980s, English football had a reputation for hooliganism. Then in the 1990s, that changed. The Government brought in all-seater stadiums, installed CCTV, the police took action on the hooligans. Money came into football from Sky television. This led to better players joining from abroad. Football became fashionable.

Now, at least in the Premier League, hooliganism has disappeared, along with the flares, perms, and other 1970s/1980s fashion mistakes.

Tickets to watch a Premier League game are always very difficult to find. You can try eBay or Gumtree or even walk around the stadium on the day of the match and find people selling tickets. However you never know if the tickets are genuine, or where you will be sitting.

So what’s the best way to go and see a London team? At The Islington Company we reckon the best option is to follow Arsenal. Of the four London clubs (Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham, Chelsea) currently in the Premier League, they have the biggest stadium – capacity for 60,000 people. They play in the Champions League, as well as the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carling Cup. This means there are many matches to be played, some less important than others.

Tickets for the Carling Cup are easiest to find. Arsenal use the Carling Cup to play their younger players and many supporters don’t attend because they prefer to see the best, most experienced players.

Keep an eye on their website. Also look in the Evening Standard. Sometimes Arsenal and Chelsea advertise tickets, occasionally for Champions League games but more often for the Carling Cup. 

And don’t forget to learn some football songs before you go or we can rent you a one bedroom flat with a view an Arsenal fan would die for!