Although many aged football fans may find it difficult to separate Arsenal’s old charismatic homeground of Highbury, the Emirates has become one the most iconic sites for football in the United Kingdom. Here are 7 facts on the ground that the Gunners call home:
Capacity
With a capacity of 60,260 it is the fourth-largest football stadium in England after Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Revenue
Arsenal’s match day revenue increased from £37.4m in their old Highbury stadium to over £90m in the Emirates Stadium. That’s the equivalent to an additional income of over £1m per match.
Sponsorship
When Arsenal FC gave the naming rights to their new stadium to the airline company Emirates, they signed the largest sponsorship deal in English football history, worth approximately £100 million. Starting from 2004, the stadium has been known as the Emirates since. The deal also included a shirt sponsorship for eight years, starting from the 2006/07 season. Renewed in 2012 and 2018, this is the longest running shirt partnership in the Premier League, and one of the longest relationships in world sport.
Not Just For Football
Aside from its sporting uses, the Emirates Stadium doubles as a conference center, events and music venue. In 2008, it even played host to a summit between former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. In terms of music, Green Day and Coldplay have performed there.
Design
The Emirates Stadium is a four-tiered bowl with translucent polycarbonate roofing over the stands, but not over the pitch. The glass and steel construction gives the impression that the stadium sparkles in sunlight and glows in the night. It has won several design awards, including Best use of Architectural Design and Best Major Project Award.
History
Although Arsenal originally wanted to expand Highbury stadium, they weren’t given permission because the stands were classed as historically listed buildings. Therefore, Arsenal had to build a new stadium in order to generate increased revenue through increased capacity. The site for Emirates Stadium is close to the former stadium, Highbury, which it pays tribute to. Consequently, the club’s offices are Highbury House, located north-east of Emirates Stadium. They house the bust of Herbert Chapman that used to reside at Highbury.
Visitors
The Emirates Stadium officially opened on the 23rd of July 2006. The first match was a testimonial match for Dennis Bergkamp featuring an Arsenal and Ajax side. Due to the competition of nearby Wembley Stadium, the Emirates Stadium has never hosted the English national team, however the Brazilian national team has regularly staged friendlies at the stadium.
