The wind is in Arsenal’s sails after a hard-fought win over a galvanised Man United side last night, with the Emirates crowd playing its part in the victory. Soon, could 80,000 get to witness games like this?
After a period of seven years without Champions League football and almost three times as long without a Premier League title, demand for tickets at the Emirates Stadium had plateaued in recent years.
Bedrock supporters always remained, of course, and the Gunners average attendance has barely dipped below 60,000 since the move away from Highbury.
General view inside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium on March 04, 2023 in L...
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
But on the whole, demand was lower. From the perspective of Stan Kroenke and his peers in boardroom, that meant Arsenal could not justify the ticket prices that they would have liked.
Unlike some of their peers in the co-called Big Six, their matchday income has stagnated as a result.
Chart showing the matchday incomes (2013-2023) of Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham
That was until the Mikel Arteta-inspired revolution of recent seasons.
While the North London club have narrowly missed out on ultimate prize in two successive seasons, the title race has energised the fanbase – and the Gunners’ matchday income has increased as a result.
Now, they are exploring plans to expand the Emirates.
Josh Kroenke, Stan’s son and his fellow co-chair in N5, confirmed in the summer that Arsenal were at the early stages of a redevelopment project.
And football finance expert Kieran Maguire told TBR Football earlier this year that Arsenal could pay £500m to increase capacity by around 20,000.
Infographic sowing the matchday incomes plus stadium capacities and planned upgrades in the Premier League, featuring Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton
That forecast, which reports from reliable sources have subsequently substantiated, would see the Emirates become the Premier League’s biggest stadium, although Man United are also planning a rebuild.
New developments this week have given supporters the first glimpses of what direction the owners will take with the stadium.
Arsenal enlist Tottenham stadium architects
Populous are the go-to firm when it comes to grand stadium plans.
The London-headquartered architecture firm designed the Emirates Stadium and, more recently, masterminded the blueprints for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
As reported by City AM, Arsenal have now returned to Populous as they consider their options to expand the Emirates.
A general view of Emirates stadium before the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Everton FC on May 19, 2024 in London, England.
Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
For now, Populous are concentrating on redesigning the kitchens at the 60,704-seater stadium.
That might sound trivial, but with Spurs now earning close to £1m per match from catering alone, this could potentially be a huge earner for Arsenal.
It could prove tricky given that the stadium was not designed with a potential expansion in mind, but Arsenal have also commissioned Populous to evaluate the feasibility of upping capacity at the Emirates.
How much could Arsenal earn after Emirates expansion?
It won’t come cheap and there are umpteen hurdles that Arsenal will need to jump before they can break ground on an expansion. Approval from the council, for one.
Towards that end, Arsenal released an economic impact report that detailed the £616m annual economic impact that they have on the local community.
Arsenal's revenue from 2012-13 to 2022-23
A crude pro-rata calculation based on their current matchday income and their planned capacity shows that Arsenal would be line to bank at least £139m per season at an 80,000-seater stadium
In reality, the true figure would be far higher. Why? Because the commercial orientation of a new stadium, as evidence by Populous’s brief to redevelop the kitchens, would be extraordinarily lucrative.
A general view of Arsenal Football Club's Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2011 in London, England. American businessman Stan Kroenke's company 'Kroen...
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images
Factor in the possibility of renegotiating the naming rights deal with Emirates and other brand association benefits, and Arsenal are looking at least £160m per season.
Given the self-funding approach that Kroenke has usually favoured, that would also supersize the budget available to Mikel Arteta.
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