Arsenal owners Kroenke Sports and Entertainment have seen their popularity rise after years of disconnect with the fanbase, and Josh Kroenke is continuing to help his club improve.
Josh Kroenke took more control from Stan Kroenke in recent years, and this led to him hiring a strong executive, and backed an excellent manager in Mikel Arteta, who has helped make Arsenal title contenders again.
Arsenal have improved on and off the pitch, but the Emirates Stadium still needs a bit of work. The ground was built in 2006, but some aspects of it, as well as the ticketing processes at the club, certainly have room to improve.
Kroenke has now dropped an exciting hint at what the club have planned for the Emirates going forward, with it clear that they are now prepared to be proactive over fan satisfaction.
Josh Kroenke hints at Emirates Stadium expansion and Arsenal developments
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, Kroenke hinted that there have been discussions over a potential Emirates Stadium expansion.
“It would be premature to talk about any plans in depth, but the internal conversations are starting to occur about (the stadium). It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what’s there,” he stated.
“Our goal was always to compete for the Premier League title because if you look around the world, if you are competing for the title year-in, year-out, you are competing for everything else.
“What can our fans expect? Everything they’ve gotten in the last few years. We’re going to keep adding to the group. I know Mikel’s energy is through the roof in the best of ways.”
Does the Emirates Stadium actually need expanding?
The team challenging for the title in recent seasons has seen demand for tickets skyrocket. Season ticket waiting lists have been frozen for two years in a row, whilst the club controversially changed to a ballot system for red and silver members for home games.
Right now, the Emirates would sell out even if they significantly increased the capacity of the ground. However, this was not always the case.
In the latter days of both Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery’s reigns, fans showed their discontent in numbers as the stadium was well below capacity on some matchdays, and the club will certainly not rush into any decision over an expansion whilst the mood is good.
The Emirates certainly needs a bit of redevelopment within the ground. The club have installed new stadium wrappings around the ground, which have given it a fresh look, and a refresh inside would also have a positive impact.
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