Iris and Ben in the documentary with Gabriel Martinelli

THE special bond between a blind Arsenal fan and her carer falls under the spotlight in a new documentary shared by the club ahead of the new Premier League season kicking off tonight (Friday).

A Champion’s Story features Iris Gosling, who has been following the team home and away since she was “a little nipper”.

She went to her first match at Highbury when she was five years old and still follows the Gunners up and down the country, often listening to commentary on an earpiece.

Ms Gosling damaged her optic nerves in an accident when she fell down the steps of King’s Cross Station aged 28. Her sight was later lost forever when she developed optical cancer.

The Arsenal fans on their way to the Emirates

For a long time she stopped going to matches, but eventually was convinced to go back by a friend who told her she could now experience the games with blind commentary. Ms Gosling said: “For a while I didn’t go to the games because I thought ‘how am I going to deal with the crowds, how will I get there?’ I didn’t think I could cope. But after a period of time I felt at home again. I’ve always called Arsenal my home.”

The film focuses on the special relationship she has formed with her carer and fellow Arsenal devotee Ben Darlington over the course of Arsenal’s Premier League-winning season.

The pair were first introduced by a neighbour in 2022, and now attend every single game together.

Ms Gosling said: “When I met Ben we got on like a house on fire from day one. We’re still the best of friends. Come wind, rain or sun, we’ll always be here for the Gunners.”

During the filming of the documentary, Ms Gosling was invited to Arsenal’s training centre, where she got to meet her favourite player, Gabriel Martinelli.

A screening of the documentary was shared with 400 members of the Arsenal Disabled Supporters’ Association (ADSA) last Friday.

ADSA chair Daniel Bailey said: “The strong sense of belonging that every member of the disabled supporter community feels to our club is rooted in the actions Arsenal takes.

“Coming together at our home to celebrate a new era at the club – as Premier League champions – and elevating Iris’s supporter journey was a powerful way to express this, and we are excited to do even more to champion our disabled community together.”

The documentary was co-produced with Offcut Films, an independent women-led company that followed Ben and Iris’s story for two years.