Arsenal could be set to upgrade their stadium, with plans afoot to increase their matchday revenue.
The Gunners left the iconic Highbury in 2006 after 93 years, moving down the road to a new ground at Ashburton Grove. The Emirates Stadium has since become a staple of Premier League football, with FourFourTwo ranking it 11th in our list of the best stadiums in Britain.
But with tickets at the Emirates Stadium hard to acquire and the likes of Tottenham and West Ham United since moving into state-of-the-art venues of their own, there’s a fear that Arsenal could be left behind.
What are Arsenal planning at the Emirates Stadium?
According to The Times, Arsenal have begun exploring ways that they can expand and upgrade their 18-year-old stadium, in order to compete with more modern facilities in the Premier League.
When the Emirates Stadium opened at the start of the 2006/07 season, the venue was state-of-the-art – and has since hosted concerts and, intriguingly, a number of friendlies for the Brazil national team. But aside from Arsenal having a ceiling on their matchday revenue at current, there are simpler issues on which the Gunners are struggling to compete with the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
According to the report from The Times, Arsenal “need to keep pace with the huge demand for tickets, as well as adapt to supporters’ changing catering and corporate needs, for example by improving internet access.”
There is the elephant in the room when it comes to capacity, too. Arsenal’s 60,704-seater has since been surpassed by upgrades to Anfield, the London Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to become the sixth-biggest in the country.
Incredibly, the waiting list for season tickets at Arsenal stands at around 95,000. The Emirates needs to modernise and accommodate more fans.
Arsenal aren’t alone, either. Manchester United have explored leaving Old Trafford, too, while Chelsea have looked into plans as well.
How could Arsenal increase capacity at the Emirates Stadium?
It isn’t clear. Experts suggest altering the roof of the stadium, since the pitch cannot be touched – as it would alter the view from the top tiers.
Arsenal owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, however, have experience of having built the SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams NFL franchises. The club have have also looked to the firm that designed the Emirates Stadium, Populous, to help “improve the catering potential” of the ground.
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When the Emirates opened in 2006, the ground boasted superb views from anywhere in the ground and seats far more comfortable than anything of the time. FourFourTwo believes that the Gunners will not compromise such luxury in their quest to improve things in N5 – meaning that any serious upgrade could be very costly.
Arsenal don’t have a lot of room to extend outwards on the Emirates, like Barcelona are doing with Camp Nou, meaning any extension will have to be imaginative.
Could Arsenal leave Emirates Stadium?
Arsenal will not be leaving the Emirates any time soon – that’s for certain.
The Gunners’ ambitious project to move from Highbury to the Emirates saw them relocate to a prime location and build a renowned stadium at a considerable cost. It hampered Arsenal in the transfer market for years but after almost two decades, it’s just about beginning to feel like home.
The Emirates is yet to bring a Premier League title, with manager Mikel Arteta hoping this could be the season to end the drought.
