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A year ago, bosses at Arsenal Football Club hinted at behind-the-scenes conversations about a potential renovation of the Emirates Stadium. Now, we know that the club has indeed set up a working group to figure out the feasibility of an expansion.
The potential overhaul would aim to boost the Emirates capacity from 60,700 to over 70,000 – and potentially even increase seats to 80,000. That means that the Gunners would overtake arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur and take back the crown for having the largest club football ground in London. It would also help clear part of Arsenal’s season ticket waitlist, which currently has more than 100,000 fans in line.
The club is reportedly discussing several options, including changing the gradient of the stands to allow thousands more seats, or a smaller upgrade that would cause less disruption. Of course, a large-scale refurb would be an enormous logistical challenge and cost hundreds of millions of pounds. The stadium sits within a largely residential neighbourhood, with both the Piccadilly and Victoria lines running nearby. That would mean transport, crowd management and security will all need to be major considerations when it comes to increasing capacity.
Major work would also require the team to temporarily play its home matches elsewhere. The Telegraph said that Wembley Stadium ‘would be the most obvious local option if agreement could be reached with the Football Association’.
The move to expand the Emirates comes as football stadiums are increasingly hosting big non-football events such as the NFL and music concerts. Right now, the stadium is limited to three music concerts and three non-football, non-musical events per year.
In response to the reports, a spokesperson for the Arsenal Supporters Trust told the Telegraph: ‘It is great that Arsenal are reviewing all their options. Every week there is huge demand to watch the team play.
‘We would remind the club of its important role as a community institution and stress that any changes to the stadium layout must ensure no loss of space allocated for general admission ticket prices in exchange for hospitality areas. Adding more general admission along with hospitality seems a good option to explore. We, of course, welcome consultation, which we’re sure will come when the time is right.’
Discussions are still going on but if bosses agree to carry out a huge expansion, it will be a long time before the new and improved Emirates Stadium is unveiled. Arsenal are not yet at the stage of seeking planning permission and could face various legal hurdles along the way. Even once an application has been submitted, approval could take as long as five years and only then can the work actually begin.
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