There has been a lot of talk about Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium recently.
Arsene Wenger helped build their amazing home ground, which opened its doors all the way back in the summer of 2006.
The Emirates has mostly stayed the same since, but now, Arsenal owners Stan Kroenke and his son Josh are keen to expand it.
But how much will it cost?
Expert reveals how much Arsenal’s 70,000-seater Emirates Stadium expansion will cost
Arsenal are planning to increase the seating capacity at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners’ home ground was state-of-the-art when it opened nearly 20 years ago, but other stadiums have overtaken them in recent seasons.
The Kroenkes don’t want to get left behind, so their plan is to expand the Emirates to a 70,000-seater stadium as soon as they can.
Arsenal Insider spoke to Adam Williams, GRV Media’s Head of Football Finance and Governance Content, to get an insight into how much it would cost to expand the Emirates.
He said: “The figure that has come up several times when I’ve spoken to people in football finance and stadium design when discussing the plan to expand the Emirates is £500 million. However, that was based on a capacity of 80,000, which is what the club had initially been considering. The latest reporting suggests that 70,000 is more likely.
“Clearly, that’s going to reduce the costs somewhat, especially as the club want to build vertically. The seats that are highest up are simultaneously the most expensive to build and generate the lowest yield because of the distance from the pitch. From that perspective, 70,000 looks like it might be the most cost-efficient.
“The gold standard in stadium design is the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which is owned by Stan Kroenke. That’s 70,000 too, and it’s the most commercially lucrative arena in the world.
“Arsenal aren’t going to have the same freedom as the architects in charge of SoFi did – they are more limited in space and the existing layout of the stadium, whereas the Kroenkes had a blank canvas with the project in LA. But they will use the experience and contacts that they have gained from that build, as well as Ball Arena in Denver, and bring it to Arsenal.
“It’s not a great time to be looking at massive capital expenditure projects. Supply chain issues because of the war in Ukraine and attacks on shipping routes mean materials are expensive. Labour is expensive too. The good news is that interest rates are likely to decrease in the next year or so, which will make debt cheaper. And I’d be fairly confident that the costs will be almost entirely covered by debt.
“These projects almost always come in late and over budget. Given the complexity involved here, I think they will still be using that £500 million figure as a worst-case scenario. That’s probably going to be structured over 20 years or so, like the initial cost of building the Emirates has been.”
How much did it cost Arsenal to build the Emirates Stadium in 2006?
£500 million is a huge amount to expand the Emirates to include just 10,000 more people, but that’s how expensive everything is these days.
A lot has changed over the last two decades since Arsenal built their current home ground.
In fact, back in 2006, the total cost of the Emirates Stadium was estimated to be just £390 million, according to Sky Sports.
That figure was inclusive of the ‘construction of a new waste and recycling centre and relocation of local businesses and statutory services’.
On the other side of North London, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium cost an eye-watering £1 billion to construct.
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