Emirates Stadium
Encyclopedia
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA
elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury
in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion. The stadium, the newest ground in the Premier League, has been noted for the quality of its playing surface.
The stadium is a four-tiered bowl with roofing over the stands but not over the pitch. The design team included architects HOK Sport (now known as Populous), construction consultants Arcadis, and engineering firm Buro Happold
. The stadium was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine
on the site of Ashburton Grove industrial estate, several hundred yards from Arsenal's former home at Highbury
.
The upper (26,646) and lower (24,425) parts of Emirates Stadium feature standard seating. For the 2006–07
season, ticket prices for an adult ranged between £32 and £66 for most matches, but were as low as £13 for juniors and Cannon Club members, in the family enclosure only (designated "Category B"), with the price rising for "Category A" matches against certain top sides to between £46 and £94, with around £20 for juniors in the family enclosure. Season ticket prices for 2006–07 ranged between £885 and £1,825.
The main middle tier, known as the "Club Level", is premium priced and also includes the director's box. There are 7,139 seats at this level, which are sold on licences lasting from one to four years. The cost of club tier seats for 2006–07 ranges from £2,500 to £4,750 per season and covers admission to all home league games and any home games Arsenal play in the UEFA Champions League
, FA Cup
and Carling Cup
. These were sold out by May 2006.
Immediately above the club tier there is a small tier consisting of 150 boxes of 10, 12 and 15 seats. The total number of spectators at this level is 2,222. Box prices start at £65,000 per annum plus VAT
, and covers admission to all home league games and any home games Arsenal play in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. The most exclusive area in the stadium is known as the "Diamond Club" which is invitation only and costs £25,000 up front plus £25,000 a year.
The high demand for tickets, as well as the relative wealth of their London fans, means revenue from premium seating and corporate boxes is nearly as high as the revenue from the entire stadium at Highbury.
The pitch is 105 × 68 metres in size, while at Highbury it was 100 x 66.7 metres. "The total grass area at Emirates is 113m x 76m". It runs north-south like at Highbury, with the players' tunnel and the dugouts on the west side of the pitch underneath the main TV camera. The away fans are found in the south-east corner of the lower tier. The away supporter configuration can be expanded from 1,500 seats to 4,500 seats behind the south goal in the lower tier, and a further 4,500 seats can be made available also in the upper tier, bringing the total to 9,000 supporters (the regulation 15% required for domestic cup competitions such as the FA Cup
and Carling Cup
).
The upper tier is contoured to leave open space in the corners of the ground, and the roof is significantly canted inwards. Both of these features are meant to provide as much airflow and sunlight to the pitch as possible. Arsenal have a reputation for having one of the best playing surfaces in the world, and the design of the new stadium took this into account. This does have the effect that supporters in the upper tier on one side of the ground are unable to see supporters in the upper tier opposite. In the north-west and south-east corners of the stadium are two giant screens suspended from the roof. The club are currently in the process of examining whether to add a third giant screen in the north-east corner of the stadium.
The new stadium pays tribute to Arsenal's former home, Highbury. The club's offices are officially called Highbury House, located north-east of Emirates Stadium, and house the bust of Herbert Chapman
that used to reside at Highbury. Three other busts that used to reside at Highbury of Claude Ferrier
(architect of Highbury's East stand), Denis Hill-Wood
(Former Arsenal chairman and father of current chairman Peter Hill-Wood
) and Arsène Wenger
(current Arsenal manager) have also been moved to Emirates Stadium and are currently in display in the entrance of the Diamond Club.
Additionally, the two bridges over the railway line to the east of the stadium, connecting the stadium to Drayton Park, are called the Clock End and North Bank bridges, after the stands at Highbury; the clock
that gave its name to the old Clock End has been resited on the new clock end which features a newer, larger replica of the clock.
The Arsenal club museum, which was formerly held in the North Bank Stand, opened in October 2006 and is located to the north of the stadium, within the Northern Triangle building. It houses the Marble statues that were held in the Marble Halls of Highbury
season.
The stadium name is often colloquially shortened from "Emirates Stadium" to "The Emirates", although some supporters continue to use the former name "Ashburton Grove" or even "The Grove" for the new stadium, especially those who object to the concept of corporate
sponsorship of stadium names. This discrepancy between official and unofficial names is similar to the manner in which Arsenal's former ground, Arsenal Stadium
, was almost universally referred to as "Highbury" by supporters, the media and the club itself.
Due to UEFA
regulations on stadium sponsors, during UEFA Champions League
matches the stadium is not officially referred to as Emirates Stadium, as Emirates are not an official sponsor of the Champions League competition; other stadia, such as the Allianz Arena
in Munich
, have fallen foul of this rule before. UEFA refer to the stadium as Arsenal Stadium, which was the official name of the stadium at Highbury.
had a capacity of 38,419 when it became all-seater in 1993, which was lower than the stadium capacities of almost every other European football club of comparable stature. There was little room for expansion as the East Stand backed directly onto the pavement of a public road and the other three backed onto housing; in addition the East Stand is a Grade II listed building. Local residents had objected to any expansion of the stadium and the local council was not sympathetic.
Arsenal had a season ticket waiting list which had been closed for some time with over 20,000 members, and were missing out on a great deal of potential revenue. However, finding a site for a new stadium in London was extremely difficult.
The club were willing to consider a location close to the M25 motorway
if necessary, but had a strong preference for a location in the London Borough of Islington
close to Highbury. At one stage they had considered moving to Wembley Stadium
(Arsenal had played Champions League
games at the old Wembley Stadium during the 1998–99
and 1999–2000
seasons) but in the end pulled out of the plans. When the Wembley revamp was given the go-ahead in 2002, there was speculation that Arsenal and Tottenham
would move into the new stadium when it was finished, even though the club was pressing ahead with the Ashburton Grove project by this stage.
's recycling plant and the Royal Mail
Holloway
Delivery Office. In order to develop the site, it was necessary to buy out the existing occupants, and pay for their relocation (Arsenal purchased 10 acres (40,000 m²) of former railway land on Lough Road, off Caledonian Road, to house a new recycling plant, while the Royal Mail moved to Hamilton Park); this proved to be very expensive.
for over 80 years, there were local residents and business who opposed the new stadium. Some who were forced to move filed a legal action in July 2002, although they lost the case.
The stadium became a major issue in the local elections in May 2006. The Metropolitan Police
also demanded that supporters' coaches be parked in the nearby Sobel Sports Centre rather than in the underground car park, and restrictions on access to 14 streets be imposed on match days. The health and safety certificate would not be issued unless the stadium meets such conditions, without which the stadium could not open. The road closures were passed at a council meeting, but kept under review.
s over the Northern City
railway line connecting the stadium with Drayton Park were also built; these were completed in summer 2004. The stadium topped out in August 2005, and was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. The club announced that all of the hospitality boxes have been taken, and by February 2006 90% of the club tier seats had been sold, with the remainder sold by June 2006. The first seat in the new stadium was ceremonially installed on 13 March 2006 by Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby
. The stadium's floodlights
were successfully tested for the first time on 25 June, and a day later the goal
posts were erected.
The Emirates Stadium was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
on Thursday 26 October 2006; it had been intended that Queen Elizabeth II
would officially open the stadium as well, but she suffered a back injury and was unable to attend on the day. Prince Philip quipped with the crowd: "Well, you may not have my wife, but you've got the second most experienced plaque unveiler in the world.". The royal visit echoed the attendance of the Queen's uncle, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII
) at the official opening of Highbury's West Stand in 1932. As a result of the change of plan, Queen Elizabeth did the club the honour of inviting the chairman, manager and first team to join her at Buckingham Palace
for afternoon tea on 15 February 2007, the first club to be invited to the palace for such an event.
.
Among the changes made since the 2009 close season:
. On 27 March 2008, the stadium played host to a summit between British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
, in part because the stadium was regarded as "a shining example of Anglo-French co-operation
". Bruce Springsteen
and the E Street Band
became the first act to play a concert at Emirates Stadium, on 30 May 2008 and played a second gig on 31 May 2008. On 7 June 2009, Emirates Stadium held Capital FM's Summertime Ball with artists including Lionel Richie
, Leona Lewis
and Blue
. British band Coldplay
will play three concerts at the Emirates in the summer of 2012, on June 1,2 and 4th having sold out the first two dates within 30 minutes of going on sale. When the IRB
announced that England had won the race to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup
on 28 July 2009, The Emirates was named as one of the venues to host matches. It is not yet known how many games will be played at the stadium, but it is confirmed that the stadium will be used for pool games and the Bronze (3rd place playoff) final. Emirates Stadium had also been included in the English Football Association's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup
.
The stadium has also been used for a number of international friendly matches all of which have featured the Brazil national football team
who have unofficially used the stadium as their European home ground.
on 3 November 2007. The average attendance for competitive first-team fixtures in the stadium's first season, 2006–07
, was 59,837, with a Premier League average attendance of 60,045. The capacity is the 2nd highest in English club football behind Old Trafford
. The average league attendance increased slightly to 60,070 in 2007–08
, Arsenal's second season at the stadium. Arsenal came close to beating the attendance record on December 27, 2010 during a 3–1 home win against Chelsea, in which the attendance was 60,112 leaving it just 49 away from beating the record. Arsenal yet again came close to their highest attendance at the stadium, recording 60,107 against Manchester United on May 1, 2011, a match that Arsenal won 1-0. The lowest attendance for a match at Emirates Stadium to date is 46,539 against Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup third round on September 20, 2011 where Arsenal won 3-1.
. Arsenal had difficulty obtaining finance for the project, and work ceased just after it had begun, before restarting when a £260 million loan
package was obtained from a consortium of bank
s, led by the Royal Bank of Scotland
.
In August 2005 Arsenal announced plans to replace most of the bank debt with bond
s. The proposed bond issue went ahead on 13 July 2006. The club issued £210 million worth of 13.5 year bonds with a spread of 52 basis point
s over UK government bonds and £50 million of 7.1 year bonds with a spread of 22 basis points over LIBOR. It was the first publicly marketed, asset-backed bond issue by a European football club. The effective interest rate
on these bonds is 5.14% and 5.97% respectively, and they are due to be paid back over a 25-year period; the move to bonds has reduced the club's annual debt service cost to approximately £20 million a year. On 31 May 2007 the club's net debt stood at £262.1 million.
However at the same time there are multiple sources of income for the club; the remainder of the Lough Road site is being used for new housing, as are the surplus areas around the stadium at Ashburton Grove. Highbury is currently being converted into apartments, most of which have been sold. In total, more than 2,000 homes will be built at the three sites, and the club is counting on the profit from these developments to make a major contribution towards the costs of the new stadium. Other sources of revenue include the £100 million from Emirates for the naming rights, to be paid over the course of the deal and a £15m contribution towards the capital costs of the stadium's catering facilities from catering firm Delaware North, which has a 20-year exclusive contract to run the stadium's catering operation.
Finally, there is the increased revenue from the stadium itself. In 2005, Arsenal's then chief executive Keith Edelman
commented that the new stadium is expected to increase Arsenal's turnover from typically £115 million to around £170 million. Final accounts for the year ending May 2007, Arsenal's first season at the Emirates, show that Arsenal's turnover has increased to £200.8 million, compared to £137.2 million the previous year and that group operating profits increased to £51.2 million. Even once debt repayments are taken into account, the club's turnover has increased by at least £20 million a year, (in 2006–07 the club recorded a surplus of £37 million).
The Emirates Stadium is served by a number of London Underground
stations and bus routes. Arsenal tube station
is the closest for the northern portion of the stadium, with Highbury & Islington tube station servicing the southern end. While Holloway Road tube station
is the closest to the southern portion, it is entry-only before matches and exit-only afterwards to prevent overcrowding. Drayton Park station, adjacent to the Clock End Bridge is shut on matchdays as the rail services to this station do not operate at weekends nor after 10 pm.
£7.6 million had been set aside in the planning permission for upgrading Drayton Park and Holloway Road; however Transport for London
decided not to upgrade either station, in favour of improvement works at the interchanges at Highbury & Islington
and Finsbury Park
, both of which are served by Underground and First Capital Connect
services and are approximately a 10-minute walk away.
There are also numerous bus routes serving the area. Driving to the Emirates Stadium is strongly discouraged; there are strict match-day parking restrictions in operation around the stadium and for one hour before kick off to one hour after the final whistle there is a complete ban on vehicle movement on a number of the surrounding roads, with no exceptions.
Generally, the stadium opens to ticket holders two hours before kick off. The the stadium was originally divided in to four colour-coded quadrants to ease access – Orange and Blue at the North end of the stadium, and Yellow and Green to the South. As part of the 'Arsenalisation' process, these were changed before the 2010–11 season so that Orange became North Bank, Blue became East Stand, Yellow became West Stand and Green became Clock End.
The main club shop, named 'The Armoury', and ticket offices
are located near the West Stand, with other an additional store at the base of the North Bank Bridge, named 'All Arsenal' and the 'Arsenal Store' next to Finsbury Park
station.
The stadium operates an electronic ticketing system where members of 'The Arsenal' (the club's fan membership scheme) use their membership cards to enter the stadium, thus removing the need for turnstile operators. Non-members are issued with one-off paper tickets embedded with an RFID tag allowing them to enter the stadium.
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion. The stadium, the newest ground in the Premier League, has been noted for the quality of its playing surface.
Stadium
Buro Happold
Buro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment, with its head office in Bath, Somerset...
. The stadium was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. is a private British company headquartered in London. It carries out engineering and construction for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, nuclear, pharmaceutical, defence, chemical, water and mining industries.-History:...
on the site of Ashburton Grove industrial estate, several hundred yards from Arsenal's former home at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
.
The upper (26,646) and lower (24,425) parts of Emirates Stadium feature standard seating. For the 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season, ticket prices for an adult ranged between £32 and £66 for most matches, but were as low as £13 for juniors and Cannon Club members, in the family enclosure only (designated "Category B"), with the price rising for "Category A" matches against certain top sides to between £46 and £94, with around £20 for juniors in the family enclosure. Season ticket prices for 2006–07 ranged between £885 and £1,825.
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
. These were sold out by May 2006.
Immediately above the club tier there is a small tier consisting of 150 boxes of 10, 12 and 15 seats. The total number of spectators at this level is 2,222. Box prices start at £65,000 per annum plus VAT
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
, and covers admission to all home league games and any home games Arsenal play in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. The most exclusive area in the stadium is known as the "Diamond Club" which is invitation only and costs £25,000 up front plus £25,000 a year.
The high demand for tickets, as well as the relative wealth of their London fans, means revenue from premium seating and corporate boxes is nearly as high as the revenue from the entire stadium at Highbury.
The pitch is 105 × 68 metres in size, while at Highbury it was 100 x 66.7 metres. "The total grass area at Emirates is 113m x 76m". It runs north-south like at Highbury, with the players' tunnel and the dugouts on the west side of the pitch underneath the main TV camera. The away fans are found in the south-east corner of the lower tier. The away supporter configuration can be expanded from 1,500 seats to 4,500 seats behind the south goal in the lower tier, and a further 4,500 seats can be made available also in the upper tier, bringing the total to 9,000 supporters (the regulation 15% required for domestic cup competitions such as the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
).
The upper tier is contoured to leave open space in the corners of the ground, and the roof is significantly canted inwards. Both of these features are meant to provide as much airflow and sunlight to the pitch as possible. Arsenal have a reputation for having one of the best playing surfaces in the world, and the design of the new stadium took this into account. This does have the effect that supporters in the upper tier on one side of the ground are unable to see supporters in the upper tier opposite. In the north-west and south-east corners of the stadium are two giant screens suspended from the roof. The club are currently in the process of examining whether to add a third giant screen in the north-east corner of the stadium.
The new stadium pays tribute to Arsenal's former home, Highbury. The club's offices are officially called Highbury House, located north-east of Emirates Stadium, and house the bust of Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
that used to reside at Highbury. Three other busts that used to reside at Highbury of Claude Ferrier
Claude Ferrier
Claude Waterlow Ferrier FRIBA was a Scottish architect, who specialised in the Art Deco style. He was the only son of the physician and neurologist Sir David Ferrier, and a nephew of the painter Ernest Albert Waterlow....
(architect of Highbury's East stand), Denis Hill-Wood
Denis Hill-Wood
Denis John Charles Hill Hill-Wood was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Oxford University and MCC in 1928 and for Derbyshire in 1928 and 1929...
(Former Arsenal chairman and father of current chairman Peter Hill-Wood
Peter Hill-Wood
Peter Denis Hill-Wood is a British businessman and the current chairman of Arsenal Football Club.-Biography:Hill-Wood was born in Kensington, London. His father, three uncles and grandfather all played first-class cricket for Derbyshire CCC. He attended Eton College where he was a classmate of...
) and Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
(current Arsenal manager) have also been moved to Emirates Stadium and are currently in display in the entrance of the Diamond Club.
Additionally, the two bridges over the railway line to the east of the stadium, connecting the stadium to Drayton Park, are called the Clock End and North Bank bridges, after the stands at Highbury; the clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
that gave its name to the old Clock End has been resited on the new clock end which features a newer, larger replica of the clock.
The Arsenal club museum, which was formerly held in the North Bank Stand, opened in October 2006 and is located to the north of the stadium, within the Northern Triangle building. It houses the Marble statues that were held in the Marble Halls of Highbury
Name
It was announced on 5 October 2004 that Emirates Airline had signed a 15-year deal for naming right of the stadium, worth £100 million. This sum also includes payments for an eight-year shirt sponsorship by Emirates, starting in the 2006–072006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
season.
The stadium name is often colloquially shortened from "Emirates Stadium" to "The Emirates", although some supporters continue to use the former name "Ashburton Grove" or even "The Grove" for the new stadium, especially those who object to the concept of corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
sponsorship of stadium names. This discrepancy between official and unofficial names is similar to the manner in which Arsenal's former ground, Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, was almost universally referred to as "Highbury" by supporters, the media and the club itself.
Due to UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
regulations on stadium sponsors, during UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
matches the stadium is not officially referred to as Emirates Stadium, as Emirates are not an official sponsor of the Champions League competition; other stadia, such as the Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, have fallen foul of this rule before. UEFA refer to the stadium as Arsenal Stadium, which was the official name of the stadium at Highbury.
The need for a new stadium
Arsenal started looking to develop a larger stadium during the later part of the 1990s, as their existing ground at HighburyArsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
had a capacity of 38,419 when it became all-seater in 1993, which was lower than the stadium capacities of almost every other European football club of comparable stature. There was little room for expansion as the East Stand backed directly onto the pavement of a public road and the other three backed onto housing; in addition the East Stand is a Grade II listed building. Local residents had objected to any expansion of the stadium and the local council was not sympathetic.
Arsenal had a season ticket waiting list which had been closed for some time with over 20,000 members, and were missing out on a great deal of potential revenue. However, finding a site for a new stadium in London was extremely difficult.
The club were willing to consider a location close to the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
if necessary, but had a strong preference for a location in the London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
close to Highbury. At one stage they had considered moving to Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
(Arsenal had played Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
games at the old Wembley Stadium during the 1998–99
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
and 1999–2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
seasons) but in the end pulled out of the plans. When the Wembley revamp was given the go-ahead in 2002, there was speculation that Arsenal and Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
would move into the new stadium when it was finished, even though the club was pressing ahead with the Ashburton Grove project by this stage.
Ashburton Grove chosen
Eventually the club selected a site, an industrial estate at Ashburton Grove, which was just five hundred yards from Highbury. The plan was announced in November 1999, with a scheduled opening date of August 2003; this later slipped back to summer 2006 due to planning and financial difficulties. The Ashburton Grove site had many occupants, the most significant being Islington London Borough CouncilIslington London Borough Council
Islington London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Islington is divided into 16 wards, each electing three councillors...
's recycling plant and the Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
Holloway
Holloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
Delivery Office. In order to develop the site, it was necessary to buy out the existing occupants, and pay for their relocation (Arsenal purchased 10 acres (40,000 m²) of former railway land on Lough Road, off Caledonian Road, to house a new recycling plant, while the Royal Mail moved to Hamilton Park); this proved to be very expensive.
Local opposition
Despite Arsenal's presence in IslingtonLondon Borough of Islington
The London Borough of Islington is a London borough in Inner London. It was formed in 1965 by merging the former metropolitan boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. The borough contains two Westminster parliamentary constituencies, Islington North and Islington South & Finsbury...
for over 80 years, there were local residents and business who opposed the new stadium. Some who were forced to move filed a legal action in July 2002, although they lost the case.
The stadium became a major issue in the local elections in May 2006. The Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
also demanded that supporters' coaches be parked in the nearby Sobel Sports Centre rather than in the underground car park, and restrictions on access to 14 streets be imposed on match days. The health and safety certificate would not be issued unless the stadium meets such conditions, without which the stadium could not open. The road closures were passed at a council meeting, but kept under review.
Construction
Actual construction of the stadium began in February 2004. And the stadium itself, two bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s over the Northern City
Northern City Line
The Northern City Line is a railway line from Moorgate to Finsbury Park in London, once part of the Great Northern Electrics line. It should not be confused with the City branch of the Northern line, nor with the North London Line...
railway line connecting the stadium with Drayton Park were also built; these were completed in summer 2004. The stadium topped out in August 2005, and was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. The club announced that all of the hospitality boxes have been taken, and by February 2006 90% of the club tier seats had been sold, with the remainder sold by June 2006. The first seat in the new stadium was ceremonially installed on 13 March 2006 by Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby
Abou Diaby
Vassiriki Abou Diaby , commonly known as Abou Diaby, is a French footballer who plays for English club Arsenal in the Premier League and the France national team...
. The stadium's floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
were successfully tested for the first time on 25 June, and a day later the goal
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
posts were erected.
Official opening
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
on Thursday 26 October 2006; it had been intended that Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
would officially open the stadium as well, but she suffered a back injury and was unable to attend on the day. Prince Philip quipped with the crowd: "Well, you may not have my wife, but you've got the second most experienced plaque unveiler in the world.". The royal visit echoed the attendance of the Queen's uncle, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
) at the official opening of Highbury's West Stand in 1932. As a result of the change of plan, Queen Elizabeth did the club the honour of inviting the chairman, manager and first team to join her at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
for afternoon tea on 15 February 2007, the first club to be invited to the palace for such an event.
Milestones
In order to obtain the licences the stadium needed to open, it first hosted three non-full capacity events. The first non full-capacity event was a shareholder open day on July 18, 2006, the second an open training session for 20,000 selected club members held on July 20. The third event on July 22 was the first match, as detailed below.- The first match to be played at the stadium was a testimonialTestimonial matchA testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
for Dennis BergkampDennis BergkampDennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
against his former club, AjaxAjax AmsterdamAmsterdamsche Football Club Ajax , also referred to as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam or simply Ajax , is a professional football club from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
. The match featured four teams; the first half saw the current Arsenal and Ajax sides play each other, while after the break each club fielded "Legends" sides. Arsenal won 2–1; Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar became the first player to score a goal at the stadium, while Thierry HenryThierry HenryThierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
scored the first ever Arsenal goal there to equalise. Arsenal striker KanuNwankwo KanuNwankwo Kanu, OON , or simply Kanu, is a Nigerian footballer who plays for Portsmouth. He was also a member of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 until 2010...
then won the game for Arsenal in the 81st minute with a deflected shot going in from 23 yards out. - Arsenal's first competitive match at the stadium was an FA Premier LeagueFA Premier LeagueThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
game against Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
on 19 August 2006, which ended 1–1. Aston Villa player Olof MellbergOlof MellbergErik Olof Mellberg is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.-Early years:...
scored the first goal of the game and thus the first Premier League goal at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal had to wait until 23 September 2006 for their first Premier League win at the stadium, defeating Sheffield UnitedSheffield United F.C.Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
3–0. - The first European match there was Arsenal's UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
third qualifying round second leg match on 23 August 2006 against Dinamo ZagrebDinamo ZagrebGNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...
. - The first international match there was a friendly between ArgentinaArgentina national football teamThe Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and BrazilBrazil national football teamThe Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, on 3 September 2006; Brazil won 3–0 with two goals from ElanoElano BlumerElano Ralph Blumer , commonly known as Elano, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Santos and the Brazil national team.Elano has been noted for his accurate passing and precise set pieces.- Early career :...
and one from KakáKakáRicardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
. - Arsenal's first defeat at the Emirates Stadium was a 1–0 loss to West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
on 7 April 2007, in Arsenal's 23rd home game at the ground. Coincidentally, West Ham United were also the last team to beat Arsenal at their old home, Highbury, on 1 February 2006. - The highest ever attendance recorded at the stadium (60,161) is on November 3, 2007, during a league match against rivals Manchester United, ending in a 2–2 draw
- Before the 2010/2011 season, the historic original "Highbury Clock" from Arsenal's last stadium was installed in the south end at the Emirates, with the sections being renamed to the East Stand, West Stand, North Bank, and Clock End as they were at Highbury. The new names as well as the clock were officially unveiled at Arsenal's first home game of the season on August 21, 2010, in a 6–0 win over BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. - On the 8th January 2011, The Emirates got their highest away attendance in an FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
third-round tie against Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. - On the 23rd of October 2011, Arsenal played 150th their competitive match at the Emirates Stadium against Stoke City F.C.Stoke City F.C.Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
. The fixture was also the stadium's 100th Arsenal Premier League game. Robin Van PersieRobin van PersieRobin van Persie is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord. Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011...
also scored Arsenal's 200th premier league goal at the stadium
Possible expansion
Current demand for tickets still greatly outweighs the number of seats available, with some 47,000 members on the season-ticket waiting list. Arsenal have not spoken publicly on the topic, but it has been reported that the club is looking into expanding the capacity of the stadium from its current 60,355 capacity.'Arsenalisation'
In response to criticism from fans that the stadium was too corporate and lacked any nods to the team's heritage, the club began a programme of 'Arsenalisation' of the Emirates, spearheaded by CEO Ivan GazidisIvan Gazidis
Ivan Gazidis is a sports business executive, currently the chief executive of English Premier League club Arsenal FC...
.
Among the changes made since the 2009 close season:
- White seats installed in the pattern of the club's trademark cannon in the lower level stands opposite the entrance tunnel
- "The Spirit of Highbury" shrine depicting every player to have played for Arsenal during its 93 year residence at Highbury
- The installation of eight large murals on the exterior of the stadium, each depicting four Arsenal legends linking arms, such that the effect of the completed design is 32 legends in a huddle embracing the stadium:
- Ian WrightIan WrightIan Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
, George ArmstrongGeorge Armstrong (footballer)George "Geordie" Armstrong was an English football player and coach, primarily associated with Arsenal.Born in Hebburn, County Durham, Armstrong had trained as an electrician while playing in youth football, and was rejected by both Newcastle United and Grimsby Town. Nevertheless, he succeeded in...
, David JackDavid JackDavid Bone Nightingale Jack was an English footballer, the first player ever to score at Wembley, and the first footballer in the world to be transferred for more than £10,000...
, Martin KeownMartin KeownMartin Raymond Keown is a former English footballer. Widely regarded as one of the best man-markers of his generation, Keown played for six different football clubs during his career but it was with Arsenal that he will be best remembered. Keown made over three hundred appearances for Arsenal... - Cliff BastinCliff BastinClifford Sydney Bastin was an English football player.Born in Heavitree near Exeter, Bastin started his career at Exeter City, making his debut for the club in 1928, at the age of 16...
, Tony AdamsTony Adams (footballer)Tony Alexander Adams, MBE is an English football manager and former player.Adams spent his entire playing career of 22 years as a defender at Arsenal. He is considered one of the greatest Arsenal players of all time by the club's own fans and was included in the Football League 100 Legends...
, Liam BradyLiam BradyLiam Brady is a former Irish association football player, and former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team....
, Thierry HenryThierry HenryThierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and... - David SeamanDavid SeamanDavid Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
, Ted DrakeTed DrakeEdward Joseph "Ted" Drake was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well as five caps for England. He was also a cricketer, but only ever played sparingly...
, David RocastleDavid RocastleDavid Carlyle Rocastle, nicknamed Rocky, was an English football player, who spent the majority of his career at Arsenal...
, Alex JamesAlex James (footballer)Alexander Wilson James was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for his success with Arsenal, where he is regarded as one of the club's greatest players of all time. James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers... - Patrick VieiraPatrick VieiraPatrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, Reg LewisReg LewisReginald "Reg" Lewis was an English footballer.Born in Bilston, Staffordshire, Lewis spent his entire career at Arsenal. He joined the club as a schoolboy in 1935, and scored on his debut against Everton on January 1, 1938. He made only four appearances in 1937-38, however, and as a result missed...
, Lee DixonLee DixonLee Michael Dixon is a former English professional footballer born in Manchester.He formed part of the Arsenal defence from the late 1980s, through till 2002. He was capped 22 times for England, scoring once....
, Joe MercerJoe MercerJoseph 'Joe' Mercer, OBE was an English football player and manager.-Playing career:Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer, also named Joe. Joe Mercer senior died, following health problems resulting from a gas attack... - Dennis BergkampDennis BergkampDennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
, Bob Wilson, Eddie HapgoodEddie HapgoodEdris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood was an English footballer, who captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s....
, Charlie GeorgeCharlie GeorgeCharles Frederick "Charlie" George is an English former footballer. He played as a forward in the Football League and he was also capped by England.-Arsenal:... - Nigel WinterburnNigel WinterburnNigel Winterburn is a retired English footballer who played at left-back for Arsenal. He is best known for his role alongside Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon, forming a celebrated defensive line in the Premier League and European football during the 1990s.-Early career:Winterburn was born...
, David DanskinDavid DanskinDavid Danskin was a Scottish mechanical engineer and footballer. He was a principal founding member of Dial Square FC, later renamed Royal Arsenal, the team that are today known as Arsenal....
, Kenny SansomKenny SansomKenneth Graham Sansom is an English former footballer. Until overtaken by Ashley Cole in February 2011, he held the record for the number of caps for an England national football team full back, having appeared 86 times for his country between 1979 and 1988.- Crystal Palace :Sansom started out...
, Jack KelseyJack KelseyAlfred John "Jack" Kelsey was a Welsh international football goalkeeper, who also played for Arsenal. He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers to play for Wales.- Early career :... - Robert PirèsRobert PirèsRobert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
, John RadfordJohn RadfordFor the Canadian broadcaster see John Radford John Radford is a former English football player....
, David O'LearyDavid O'LearyDavid Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai...
, George MaleGeorge MaleCharles George Male was an English footballer.Born in West Ham, London, Male trialled with West Ham United before playing with non-league Clapton. He joined Arsenal as an amateur in November 1929, turning professional in May 1930 and made his debut in a 7-1 victory over Blackpool on December 27,... - Ray ParlourRay ParlourRaymond "Ray" Parlour , is a retired English footballer. He spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but...
, Frank McLintockFrank McLintockFrancis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
, Steve BouldSteve BouldStephen Andrew Bould is an English former football player and current coach. He played professionally for Stoke City, Torquay United, Arsenal and Sunderland.-Stoke City:...
, Pat RicePat RicePatrick James "Pat" Rice is a former Northern Irish football player and coach. As a player he made over 400 appearances for Arsenal, winning the Double, and later made a hundred more appearances for Watford. He also won 49 caps for Northern Ireland...
- Ian Wright
- Murals depicting 12 "Greatest Moments" in Arsenal history around the lower concourse
- The renaming of the coloured seating quadrants to East Stand, West Stand, North Bank, and Clock End, as they were named at Highbury
- The installation of a clock above the newly renamed Clock End in homage to the clock at Highbury
Pitch
As with its predecessor, the stadium is well known for its high quality playing surface, with the groundsmen continuing to win awards for their work.Other uses
As well as functioning as a football stadium, the Emirates Stadium also operates as a conference centre and music venueMusic venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
. On 27 March 2008, the stadium played host to a summit between British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, in part because the stadium was regarded as "a shining example of Anglo-French co-operation
Anglo-French relations
United Kingdom – French relations are the relations between the governments of France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . In recent years the two countries have experienced a very close relationship....
". Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and the E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
became the first act to play a concert at Emirates Stadium, on 30 May 2008 and played a second gig on 31 May 2008. On 7 June 2009, Emirates Stadium held Capital FM's Summertime Ball with artists including Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
and Blue
Blue (boy band)
Blue are an English pop vocal group, whose members are Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa. Blue originally formed in 2001 before splitting in 2005. In 2009, it was confirmed that the band would reform. In April 2009, the group reunited and a Best of Blue Tour was announced...
. British band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
will play three concerts at the Emirates in the summer of 2012, on June 1,2 and 4th having sold out the first two dates within 30 minutes of going on sale. When the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
announced that England had won the race to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup
2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by England from 4 September to 17 October 2015. In addition, Cardiff's 74,500-seater Millennium Stadium in Wales will also be used...
on 28 July 2009, The Emirates was named as one of the venues to host matches. It is not yet known how many games will be played at the stadium, but it is confirmed that the stadium will be used for pool games and the Bronze (3rd place playoff) final. Emirates Stadium had also been included in the English Football Association's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup
2018 FIFA World Cup
The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups was the process by which the locations for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups were selected. The process began officially in March 2009; eleven bids from thirteen countries were received, including one which was withdrawn and one that was...
.
The stadium has also been used for a number of international friendly matches all of which have featured the Brazil national football team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
who have unofficially used the stadium as their European home ground.
International football matches
Attendances
The stadium's capacity is currently 60,355, a slight reduction from the original capacity of 60,432 when it opened in 2006. The highest attendance for a match at Emirates Stadium to date is 60,161, for a 2–2 draw with Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on 3 November 2007. The average attendance for competitive first-team fixtures in the stadium's first season, 2006–07
2006-07 in English football
The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five...
, was 59,837, with a Premier League average attendance of 60,045. The capacity is the 2nd highest in English club football behind Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
. The average league attendance increased slightly to 60,070 in 2007–08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
, Arsenal's second season at the stadium. Arsenal came close to beating the attendance record on December 27, 2010 during a 3–1 home win against Chelsea, in which the attendance was 60,112 leaving it just 49 away from beating the record. Arsenal yet again came close to their highest attendance at the stadium, recording 60,107 against Manchester United on May 1, 2011, a match that Arsenal won 1-0. The lowest attendance for a match at Emirates Stadium to date is 46,539 against Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup third round on September 20, 2011 where Arsenal won 3-1.
Finance
The £470 million cost of the project, augmented by the extra costs the club had to meet besides building the stadium itself, was a formidable obstacle, especially as Arsenal were not granted any public subsidySubsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
. Arsenal had difficulty obtaining finance for the project, and work ceased just after it had begun, before restarting when a £260 million loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
package was obtained from a consortium of bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
s, led by the Royal Bank of Scotland
Royal Bank of Scotland
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...
.
In August 2005 Arsenal announced plans to replace most of the bank debt with bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
s. The proposed bond issue went ahead on 13 July 2006. The club issued £210 million worth of 13.5 year bonds with a spread of 52 basis point
Basis point
A basis point is a unit equal to 1/100 of a percentage point or one part per ten thousand...
s over UK government bonds and £50 million of 7.1 year bonds with a spread of 22 basis points over LIBOR. It was the first publicly marketed, asset-backed bond issue by a European football club. The effective interest rate
Interest rate
An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender. For example, a small company borrows capital from a bank to buy new assets for their business, and in return the lender receives interest at a predetermined interest rate for...
on these bonds is 5.14% and 5.97% respectively, and they are due to be paid back over a 25-year period; the move to bonds has reduced the club's annual debt service cost to approximately £20 million a year. On 31 May 2007 the club's net debt stood at £262.1 million.
However at the same time there are multiple sources of income for the club; the remainder of the Lough Road site is being used for new housing, as are the surplus areas around the stadium at Ashburton Grove. Highbury is currently being converted into apartments, most of which have been sold. In total, more than 2,000 homes will be built at the three sites, and the club is counting on the profit from these developments to make a major contribution towards the costs of the new stadium. Other sources of revenue include the £100 million from Emirates for the naming rights, to be paid over the course of the deal and a £15m contribution towards the capital costs of the stadium's catering facilities from catering firm Delaware North, which has a 20-year exclusive contract to run the stadium's catering operation.
Finally, there is the increased revenue from the stadium itself. In 2005, Arsenal's then chief executive Keith Edelman
Keith Edelman
Keith Edelman is an English businessman. He was Managing Director of Arsenal Football Club between 2000 and 2008.-Business:Keith Edelman graduated from UMIST in 1971 with a BSc in Management Sciences. He then worked for Rank Xerox, IBM and Fiat before joining Bank of America in 1978...
commented that the new stadium is expected to increase Arsenal's turnover from typically £115 million to around £170 million. Final accounts for the year ending May 2007, Arsenal's first season at the Emirates, show that Arsenal's turnover has increased to £200.8 million, compared to £137.2 million the previous year and that group operating profits increased to £51.2 million. Even once debt repayments are taken into account, the club's turnover has increased by at least £20 million a year, (in 2006–07 the club recorded a surplus of £37 million).
Access
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
stations and bus routes. Arsenal tube station
Arsenal tube station
Arsenal tube station is a London Underground station located in Highbury, London. It is on the Piccadilly Line, in Travelcard Zone 2, between Holloway Road and Finsbury Park. Originally known as Gillespie Road, it was renamed in 1932 after Arsenal Football Club, who at the time played at the nearby...
is the closest for the northern portion of the stadium, with Highbury & Islington tube station servicing the southern end. While Holloway Road tube station
Holloway Road tube station
Holloway Road is a station on the London Underground. It is on the Piccadilly Line between Caledonian Road and Arsenal stations, and in Travelcard Zone 2. The station opened on 15 December 1906....
is the closest to the southern portion, it is entry-only before matches and exit-only afterwards to prevent overcrowding. Drayton Park station, adjacent to the Clock End Bridge is shut on matchdays as the rail services to this station do not operate at weekends nor after 10 pm.
£7.6 million had been set aside in the planning permission for upgrading Drayton Park and Holloway Road; however Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
decided not to upgrade either station, in favour of improvement works at the interchanges at Highbury & Islington
Highbury & Islington station
Highbury & Islington station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the London Borough of Islington in north London. It is served by the Victoria line, London Overground's East and North London Lines and First Capital Connect's Northern City Line....
and Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park station
Finsbury Park Station is a busy transport interchange in North London. The interchange consists of an interconnected National Rail station, London Underground station and two bus stations. The main entrances are by the eastern bus station on Station Place...
, both of which are served by Underground and First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
services and are approximately a 10-minute walk away.
There are also numerous bus routes serving the area. Driving to the Emirates Stadium is strongly discouraged; there are strict match-day parking restrictions in operation around the stadium and for one hour before kick off to one hour after the final whistle there is a complete ban on vehicle movement on a number of the surrounding roads, with no exceptions.
Generally, the stadium opens to ticket holders two hours before kick off. The the stadium was originally divided in to four colour-coded quadrants to ease access – Orange and Blue at the North end of the stadium, and Yellow and Green to the South. As part of the 'Arsenalisation' process, these were changed before the 2010–11 season so that Orange became North Bank, Blue became East Stand, Yellow became West Stand and Green became Clock End.
The main club shop, named 'The Armoury', and ticket offices
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
are located near the West Stand, with other an additional store at the base of the North Bank Bridge, named 'All Arsenal' and the 'Arsenal Store' next to Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a 46 hectare public park in the London Borough of Haringey. Officially part of the London area of Harringay, it is also adjacent to Stroud Green, the Finsbury Park district and Manor House. It was one of the first of the great London parks laid out in the Victorian...
station.
The stadium operates an electronic ticketing system where members of 'The Arsenal' (the club's fan membership scheme) use their membership cards to enter the stadium, thus removing the need for turnstile operators. Non-members are issued with one-off paper tickets embedded with an RFID tag allowing them to enter the stadium.
External links
- Emirates Stadium at Arsenal.com
- Article about design of stadium and surrounding area on designbuild-network.com
- Images of Emirates Stadium from FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...