Sophie from the Highbury Squad explains how she became involved with The Kevin Campbell Foundation. 

“Super Kevin Campbell was my podcast brother from another mother. He called me his little sis. I called him my big bro.

I first met Kevin in Los Angeles around 2011. I was co-hosting a live show, World Football Daily. One summer day I walked into the studio and the producer said to me you are going to be thrilled with today’s guest. I had already interviewed some of the biggest names in the game via phone but always got excited when we welcomed someone in the studio. When I found out the guest was Super Kev, I could barely contain my excitement. Having watched him play at Highbury and the icon he became to so many Arsenal fans, it was truly one of those moments I will cherish forever. 

It was from that point we became really good friends. I started the Highbury Squad podcast in 2018, and during Covid, Kevin and I began broadcasting daily to help support people in the Arsenal community and the show took flight. 

Fans were beyond elated to connect with such a legend of the club. To be able to talk to him about football on a nightly basis. There’s no other player who has done that and certainly no other player who embraced the podcast community as much as Kevin did

Kevin’s profile as a sports commentator was associated with a tradition, he started over the years, ‘Dickie Bow Thursday’, where every Thursday, he would don a Dickie Bow in memory of a friend of his who had passed away. This caught on and he soon became known for this tradition in the footballing media world! 

In November 2024, we launched ‘The Dickie Bow Thursday Show’ on the Highbury Squad podcast, in honour of him. We regularly invite Kevin’s sons to co-host our podcasts, as well as having members of The Kevin Campbell Foundation on the show as guests, updating our squaddies on the fantastic work they are doing jointly with Arsenal and Everton FC for young people in the community. 

I am honoured to support his charity as an ambassador. I have so much gratitude and thanks to him for his time, not only as a special player but as an even greater human being.”

Sophie