A Gunners fan through and through the ages
Ashley, an Arsenal fan since the mid-90s, has every jersey since then
It was through a fickle internet dial-up connection in the mid-1990s that Singapore fan Ashley Adam, 41, fell in love with Arsenal.
Sitting hunched in front of a bulky computer at night with her headphones on, she would listen to online radio commentaries of Arsenal games.
It was then she came to admire legends like Dutch ace Dennis Bergkamp, as well as the English defensive quartet of Steve Bould, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon.
In a phone interview with The New Paper yesterday, the accountant at a public relations company said: "It was a little difficult as an Arsenal fan because back then most of the games they showed were Manchester United or Liverpool games.
"You have to try to imagine when the commentator describes what's going on."
As the years passed, her love for Arsenal grew, and neither radio nor television could satisfy her desire to see her heroes in the flesh.
In 2000, at the age of 23, she took some savings and flew solo to London to watch her heroes in person.
"It was actually my first solo trip and actually my first long-haul flight.
"It was a long 12-hour flight, and I didn't sleep too well the whole journey because I was so excited."
Since then, Ashley has returned to London a total of 10 times to watch Arsenal play, and also purchases merchandise and jerseys each season to show her support for the team.
She also became a founding member of the Arsenal Singapore fan club in 2007 after chancing upon Modesto's bar at The Elizabeth Hotel, which was then a popular hangout for a small cluster of local Arsenal fans.
Many of my closest friends now are from (the fan club), and we take trips to London together.Ashley Adam
It was in that bar that the small group, fewer than 20, decided to form Singapore's first Arsenal fan club.
Now, the club have become an official affiliate of Arsenal in Singapore, numbering close to 400 members.
Said Ashley: "I feel very proud of the fan club, that it's actually grown bigger.
"Many of my closest friends now are from there, and we take trips to London together."
Tomorrow, she will have another chance to see her favourite players, who will be playing Spanish side Atletico Madrid at the Singapore National Stadium in an International Champions Cup fixture.
The Gunners will also play Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday at the same venue.
"I felt really excited when I heard that they were coming," sdaid Ashley.
"Especially now with the new head coach and all the new additions, it's a new start and Thursday and Saturday will be a preview."
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