Emirates Stadium

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Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium logo.svg
Emirates Stadium - East side - Composite.jpg
Emirates Stadium
Location Islington, Holloway
London, N5 1BU
Coordinates 51°33′18″N 0°6′31″W / 51.555°N 0.10861°W / 51.555; -0.10861Coordinates: 51°33′18″N 0°6′31″W / 51.555°N 0.10861°W / 51.555; -0.10861
Broke ground July 2003
Opened 22 July 2006
Owner Arsenal F.C.
Surface Desso GrassMaster
Construction cost

£ 390 million

£ 470 million (entire project to date)
Architect Populous (formerly HOK Sport)[1]
Structural engineer Buro Happold
Services engineer Buro Happold
Main contractors Sir Robert McAlpine
Capacity 60,355[2]
Executive Suites 152
Field dimensions 105 × 68 metres
Tenants
Arsenal Football Club (2006–)

Ashburton Grove (known for sponsorship reasons as the Emirates Stadium or simply The Emirates) is an association football stadium located in Islington, North London, England. It is the current home of Arsenal Football Club. At a capacity of 60,355, the Emirates is the third-largest football stadium in England after Wembley and Old Trafford and fourth-largest in the United Kingdom.

Arsenal as early as in 1997 explored the possibility of relocating to a new stadium having being denied planning permission by Islington Council to expand its then home ground of Highbury. After considering various options the club settled on purchasing an industrial and waste disposal estate in Ashburton Grove and submitted their planning brief to the public in 2000. In spite of opposition to the move by local residents and club shareholders, Arsenal succeeded in winning the council's approval to which manager Arsène Wenger later described as being the "biggest decision in Arsenal's history since the board opted to bring Herbert Chapman to the club in 1925."[3] Estate relocation work began in August 2002 and commenced four months later. Financing for the stadium proved difficult which resulted in the club delaying work until February 2004. Emirates Airline was later announced as the main sponsor for the stadium in October 2004 and work reached completion in July 2006 at a cost of £390m.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Origin

A white tower facing parallel to an identical tower.
Wembley Stadium was one of the sites Arsenal considered relocating to.

In response to the Hillsborough disaster of April 1989, an inquiry led by Lord Taylor of Gosforth was launched into crowd safety at sports grounds. Finalised in January 1990, the Taylor Report recommended the capacity restriction of grounds by 15% with all terraces replaced by seating.[4] Many football clubs – now faced with the requirement of making their grounds all-seater by the start of the 1994–95 season sought ways of raising income for converting terraced areas to new seated stands.[5] Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein at the end of the 1990–91 season introduced a 'bond scheme', giving supporters a right to buy a season ticket in the newly built stand replacing the North Bank terrace at Highbury.[5] At a price of between £1,000 to £1,500, the 150-year bond was criticised by supporters, who felt this potentially blocked the participation of those less well-off from supporting their club.[6] A campaign directed by the Independent Arsenal Supporters' Association in retaliation brought relative success as only a third of all bonds were sold.[7]

The North Bank Stand, the last area of Highbury to be refurbished was opened in August 1993 at a cost of £20 million.[8] The stadium's capacity however was reduced significantly from 57,000 at the beginning of the decade to under 40,000.[9] With high ticket prices to server the club's existing debts and low attendance figures, Arsenal explored the possibility of building a larger stadium to attract an ever growing fanbase and compete financially with the biggest clubs in England.[9] By comparison Manchester United enjoyed a rise in gate receipts from £43.9 million in 1994 to £87.9 million in 1997 helped by the expansion of Old Trafford.[10]

Arsenal's initial plan was to expand Highbury by 48,000 through rebuilding the West Stand and Clock End.[11] The idea, met with outcry from local residents became problematic as the East Stand of the stadium was granted Grade II listing in July 1997.[12] After much consultation, the club eventually abandoned the plan having decided the capacity would not be big enough and looked for other sites.[13] In January 1998, Arsenal investigated the opportunity of relocating to Wembley Stadium and made an official bid two months later.[14][15] By the end of the 1997–98 season the bid was withdrawn and Wembley was purchased by the Football Association in July 1998.[13] The stadium however played host to all of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League home ties during the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons. Although the club faired poorly in the competition – eliminated twice from the group stages in successive seasons, Arsenal's record home attendance (73,707 against RC Lens in November 1998) was set and earned up to £1 million for each Wembley matchday, highlighting potential profitability.[16]

[edit] Site chosen and conflict

A board displaying the acquisition of the Ashburton Grove site for the stadium development.

Through the persuasion of estate agent and club property adviser Anthony Spencer, Arsenal examined the feasibility of building a new stadium in Ashburton Grove in November 1999.[13] The land, five hundred yards from Highbury comprised of a rubbish processing plant and industrial estate, 80% owned by the Islington London Borough Council, Railtrack and Sainsbury's.[17] The move therefore depended on the club buying out the existing occupants and financing for their relocation. After passing the first significant milestone at the council's planning committee, Arsenal submitted their planning application for a new 60,000 seater stadium in November 2000.[3][13] This included a redevelopment project at Drayton Park, converting the existing ground Highbury as flats and building a new waste station in Lough Road.[13] The scheme also involved the club creating 1,800 new jobs for the community and 2,300 new homes.[18][19] Improvements to three train stations: Holloway Road, Drayton Park and Finsbury Park were promised in order to cope with the matchday crowds.[19]

The move to Ashburton Grove was at first met with opposition by members of the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association, concerned about environmental issues.[3] The Islington Stadium Communities Alliance – an alliance of 16 groups representing local residents and businesses was set up in January 2000 to promote awareness against the redevelopment.[20] Alison Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the group said of the move: "It may look like Arsenal are doing great things for the area, but in its detail the plan is awful. We blame the council; the football club just wants to expand to make more money."[21] Seven months after the planning application was submitted in June 2001, a poll showed that 75% of respondents were against the scheme with 2,133 residents objecting and 712 in support.[21] By October 2001, the club asserted that 70% of poll of Islington residents were in favour.[22]

To push for more support locally, the club planted the slogan 'Let Arsenal support Islington' around Highbury during matches against Aston Villa and Juventus in December 2001 and as a backdrop for manager Arsène Wenger's press conference in the lead up to Christmas.[23][24][25] Islington Council approved Arsenal's plans on 10 December 2001 as 34 councillors voted in favour of the Ashburton Grove development with seven against and one abstention.[26] 31 voted for the transfer of a waste recycling plant in Lough Road and eight against.[26] The final vote was ratified by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport secretary Stephen Byers.[27] Arsenal was given the all clear to start work in July 2002 after a High Court judge rejected a challenge by local residents and ISCA.[28] The club succeeded in a further legal challenge by small firms in January 2005 as the High Court upheld a decision by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to grant a compulsory purchase order in support of the scheme.[29]

The stadium became a major issue in the local elections in May 2006. The Metropolitan Police 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.[30]

[edit] Finance and naming

Financing for the project proved difficult as Arsenal was not granted any public subsidy by the government. The club therefore sought other ways to generate income, namely by adopting a policy of buying football players for a low transfer fee and selling high as well as agreeing sponsorship deals. Arsenal recouped over £50 million from transfers involving Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid and Marc Overmars, in a joint deal with Emmanuel Petit to Barcelona.[31] The transfer of Anelka in particular helped fund for the club's new training ground, Shenley Training Centre in London Colney, which opened in October 1999.[32]

In September 2000, Granada Media Group purchased a five percent stake in Arsenal at a price of £47 million.[33] As part of the acquisition, Granada became the premier media agent for the football club, handling advertising, sponsorship, merchandising, publishing and licensing agreements.[33] The company furthermore invested £20 million in a joint venture, AFC Broadband to exploit the club's internet viewership.[34] Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said of the deal: "This partnership will assist us in meeting Arsenal's two strategic objectives. First, to build a world-class team and a new stadium with an increased capacity so that more of our fans can enjoy watching the team. Secondly, to develop the Arsenal brand on a global basis by extending our fanbase around the world."[35] Managing Director Keith Edelman added that the investment would be used directly to fund for the new stadium.[33] The collapse of ITV Digital – part owned by Granada in April 2002 coincided with company being tied in to pay £30 million once arrangements for the new stadium were finalised.[36][37]

After announcing pre-tax loss of £22.3m for the financial year 2001-02, the club formulated plans to reduce their wage bills in order to continue with the stadium work.[38] Investment bank NM Rothschild and Sons was appointed to examine the financial situation at the club and advise whether it was feasible for Arsenal to move on with construction at the end of March 2003.[39] Although Arsenal secured a £260 million loan from a group of banks led by the Royal Bank of Scotland in April 2003, the club suspended work on Ashburton Grove citing in a statement, "We have experienced a number of delays in arrangements for our new stadium project in recent months across a range of issues. The impact of these delays is that we will now be unable to deliver a stadium opening for the start of the 2005-06 season."[36][40] The cost of building the stadium, forcasted at £400 million had risen by a £100 million during that period.[41] To combat the financial difficulties Arsenal throughout the summer of 2003 gave fans the opportunity to register their interest in a relaunched bond scheme via the club website.[42] The club planned to issue 3,000 bonds for between £3,500 and £5,000 each for a season ticket at Highbury, then at Ashburton Grove.[36] Arsenal supporters reacted with surprise to the reintroduction of the bond scheme with AISA chairman Steven Powell adding: "We are disappointed that the club has not consulted supporters before announcing a new bond scheme."[43] Though they never stated how many bonds were sold, Arsenal did raise several million pounds through the scheme.[36]

Sportswear provider Nike signed a contract extension with Arsenal in August 2003 to remain as the club's official kit supplier.[44] This was presented as a solution to the stadium financing; in addition to paying £55 million over seven years, Nike paid a minimum of £1 million each year as a royalty fee, dependant on sales.[45] On 23 February 2004, Arsenal Holdings plc – the club's parent company announced that funding for the stadium was now secured with construction work being able to resume.[46] Wenger said of the announcement: "It has been a big target of mine to participate in pushing the club forward and relocating to a new stadium is a necessity as it will enable us to become of one the biggest clubs in the world."[47] Interest on the £260m debt was set at a commercial fixed rate over a 14-year period.[47] To refinance the cost, the club planned to convert the money into a 30-year bond financed by banks.[48] The proposed bond issue went ahead on 13 July 2006. Arsenal issued £210 million worth of 13.5 year bonds with a spread of 52 basis points over 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.[49] The effective interest rate on these bonds is 5.14% and 5.97% respectively and 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.[50]

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[51] 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.[52]

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.[53] 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.[50] Even once debt repayments are taken into account, the club's turnover has increased by at least £20 million a year,[54] (in 2006–07 the club recorded a surplus of £37 million).[50]

The Emirates Stadium sign

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 2006–07 season.[51]

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.[55] 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.[56]

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.[57] UEFA refer to the stadium as Arsenal Stadium,[58] which was the official name of the stadium at Highbury.

[edit] Construction and official opening

The Emirates Stadium under construction

Actual construction of the stadium began in February 2004. And the stadium itself, two bridges 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,[59] 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.[60] The stadium's floodlights were successfully tested for the first time on 25 June, and a day later the goalposts were erected.

The East face of the stadium at night
Detail of the roof and supports nearing completion in March 2006

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.[61] 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.".[62] 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.[63] 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.[64]

[edit] Milestones

In order to obtain the licences the stadium needed to open, it first hosted three non-full capacity events.[citation needed] 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 testimonial for Dennis Bergkamp against his former club, Ajax.[65] 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 Henry scored the first ever Arsenal goal there to equalise.[66] Arsenal striker Kanu 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 League game against Aston Villa on 19 August 2006, which ended 1–1. Aston Villa player Olof Mellberg 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 United 3–0.
  • The first European match there was Arsenal's UEFA Champions League third qualifying round second leg match on 23 August 2006 against Dinamo Zagreb.
  • The first international match there was a friendly between Argentina and Brazil, on 3 September 2006; Brazil won 3–0 with two goals from Elano and one from Kaká.[67]
  • The first hat-trick scored at the Emirates Stadium was on 19 February 2007 by Jay Simpson for Arsenal under-18's in an FA Youth Cup match against Cardiff City, in a 3–2 victory for Arsenal.
  • Arsenal's first defeat at the Emirates Stadium was a 1–0 loss to West Ham United 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, a larger replica of 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 Blackpool.
  • On the 8th January 2011, The Emirates got their highest away attendance in an FA Cup third-round tie against Leeds United.
  • On the 23rd of October 2011, Arsenal played 150th their competitive match at the Emirates Stadium against Stoke City F.C.. The fixture was also the stadium's 100th Arsenal Premier League game. Robin Van Persie also scored Arsenal's 200th premier league goal at the stadium [68]
  • On the 23rd of November 2011 Robin van Persie became the first player to score 50 goals at the Emirates Stadium scoring his 50th and 51st goals in a 2-1 UEFA Champions League victory for Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund.

[edit] Possible expansion

Current demand for tickets still greatly outweighs the number of seats available, with over 40,000 members on the season-ticket waiting list.[69] 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.[70]

[edit] Arsenalisation

One of the murals installed on the stadium as a result of the Arsenalisation project.

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 Gazidis.[71][72]

Among the changes made since the 2009 close season:

[edit] Structure and facilities

An aerial view of the Emirates Stadium and surrounding area including Arsenal's former stadium Highbury, which has since been redeveloped into Highbury Square

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[59] 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.[77] Season ticket prices for 2006–07 ranged between £885 and £1,825.[78]

Interior of the stadium.
View of the Clock End Bridge with the ARSENAL statue lettering in the foreground and the Emirates Stadium in the background

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.[79] 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.[80] 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.[81] 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.[82]

The pitch is 105 × 68 metres in size,[83] while at Highbury it was 100 x 66.7 metres. "The total grass area at Emirates is 113m x 76m".[84] 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).[85]

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.[86]

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.[87]

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[88]

A panorama of players warming up from the East side

[edit] Other uses

As well as functioning as a football stadium, the Emirates Stadium also operates as a conference centre[89] and music venue. 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".[90] 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.[91] 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 4 having sold out the first two dates within 30 minutes of going on sale.[92] 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.[93] 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.[94] Emirates Stadium had also been included in the English Football Association's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 World Cup.[95] 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.

[edit] International football matches

[edit] Records

The highest attendance for a match at Emirates Stadium to date is 60,161, for a 2–2 draw with Manchester United on 3 November 2007.[96] 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.[97] The lowest attendance for a match at Emirates Stadium to date is 46,539 against Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup third round on 20 September 2011 where Arsenal won 3-1.[98]

[edit] Transport

A map of the Emirates Stadium and surrounding connections

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.[99] 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.[100] £7.6 million was 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 ten minute walk away.[101]

Driving to the Emirates Stadium is strongly discouraged as there are strict matchday parking restrictions in operation around the stadium. An 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.

The stadium opens to ticket holders two hours before kick-off.[102] 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.[103] Arsenal 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.

[edit] References

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