Stadium

History of the stadium

Welcome to the home of Arsenal Football Club, Emirates Stadium. The Gunners moved into the ground in 2006 after 93 years at Highbury following a two-year construction project. The stadia is also the brainchild of the north Londoners’ iconic former manager, Arsene Wenger.

Arsenal began exploring a move to a new stadium in 1997 after Islington Council refused the club’s request to develop Highbury. They later secured land in Ashburton Grove in 2000 and received planning permission from the local council a year later to build their new stadium.

Financial difficulties delayed the construction of the ground until 2004 when Emirates struck a naming rights deal. Yet Arsenal completed its construction ahead of the 2006/07 season at a total cost of £390m. The Gunners have given Emirates Stadium a number of facelifts since.

Banks demanded Arsenal kept Arsene Wenger to finance Emirates Stadium

Arsenal’s financial difficulties to fund building Emirates Stadium saw the club finance part of their project. But Wenger later explained in April 2016 that the banks had told the Gunners to give their legendary former manager a new contract at the time to ensure they could pay.

“When we built the stadium, the banks demanded that I signed for five years,” Wenger said, via BBC Sport. He added: “The banks wanted the technical consistency to guarantee that we have a chance to pay them back.”

Wenger’s influence on Emirates Stadium did not stop at ensuring Arsenal could finance their project, either. The Frenchman also designed the home dressing room and he ensured it did not have corners. It also has acoustically-sprung ceilings so the coach’s voice travels evenly.

His touch on the Emirates Stadium blueprints also extended to the stands. Wenger ensured that each stand did not need any supports that could restrict any fan’s sightlines in any seat.

How to get to Emirates Stadium

Fans can get to Emirates Stadium with ease using public transport as two tube stations serve Arsenal’s home ground. Using the Piccadilly Line, fans can pick Holloway Road or Arsenal for their journey to the stadia. But Holloway Road is exit-only and also closes ahead of full-time.

Both stops are a short walk from the ground and demand for Arsenal after a game will cause long queues. Alternatively, fans can get to and from Emirates Stadium using Finsbury Park. It is a 10-minute walk but serves the Victoria and Piccadilly tube lines plus Great Northern rail.

Highbury & is also a 10-minute walk to and from Emirates Stadium. But it serves the Victoria Line, North London Line and Great Northern rail. It is generally the less crowded station than Arsenal or Finsbury Park after a game. There is a queue management system at the stations.

Transport for London also run buses with stops near Emirates Stadium. These are located on Holloway Road, Nag’s Head, Seven Sisters Road, Blackstock Road and Highbury Corner. The stops are a five-to-10-minute walk from the stadia, located in a resident’s only-parking area.

Stadium tour info

Arsenal run a number of stadium tour options for fans wishing to see Emirates Stadium from behind the scenes. These include a general tour, a legends tour and a matchday tour. While the club also run a select number of VIP Legend Experiences throughout each calendar year.

A general stadium tour at Emirates Stadium includes access to the home and away dressing rooms along with the directors’ box, Diamond Club, players’ entrance and tunnel, the press conference room and interview areas. Fans can also get pitchside and see the home dugout.

Meanwhile, Arsenal legends Charlie George, Nigel Winterburn and Perry Groves run a Q&A as part of the current legends tour option. It also offers access to the manager’s office with all of the features of a standard tour. Both tour types include free access to the club’s museum.

A matchday tour, on the other hand, only offers access to the directors’ entrance and box, Diamond Club, players’ entrance, pitchside, home dugout and the press conference room. The tour also lasts 60 minutes, while a legends tour of Emirates Stadium lasts 90 minutes.

Address

Address: Hornsey Rd, London, N7 7AJ