Arsenal have ruled out a significant expansion of Emirates Stadium which would have potentially increased its capacity to 80,000.
The club have spent more than two years exploring ways to upgrade their stadium, which opened in 2006 and has a capacity of 60,704, but have been put off by costs and logistical difficulties. Any significant works may have also required a temporary move to an alternative home ground, leading the club to instead pursue a “continued evolution” of the stadium, rather than a grander revamp.
The Emirates was the biggest Premier League ground in London when Arsenal moved from Highbury 20 years ago but its size, facilities and earning potential have been surpassed by Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium, which opened in 2019, has a larger capacity of 62,850 and hosts other events such as NFL and rugby matches and music concerts.
Arsenal told a supporters’ meeting that they would make smaller changes to the stadium. “We shared a commitment to the continued evolution of Emirates Stadium, rather than a huge-scale masterplan, building on improvement we have made to date in partnership with our catering partner, Legends, the introduction of safe standing (this season in the Clock End, and next season in the North Bank), improving hospitality and retail experiences, and upgrading visitor experiences,” Arsenal said in a statement.
Arsenal added 780 seats in 2018 but there is a long waiting list for corporate seats and private boxes at the Emirates. Digging down to add more seats would have posed logistical issues around pipework, while the manager Mikel Arteta did not want to disrupt a winning team by conceding home advantage in moving to a temporary home such as Wembley — as Spurs had to between 2017 and 2019 while their new stadium was being constructed on the site of the old White Hart Lane.
Arsenal’s matchday income has doubled in five seasons to about £154million, in part a consequence of returning to the Champions League. The club have focused on boosting income through increasing their range of corporate offerings. This summer they launched a new tunnel club,with tickets costing up to nearly £6,500 for a single Premier League game, mirroring offerings at Tottenham and Manchester City.
Arsenal charged more than £130,000 for a corporate box against Burnley in May, a game that in effect sealed the Premier League title. The ground has about 150 executive boxes, which is twice as many as Tottenham, who recognised that corporate fans increasingly prefer hospitality lounges.
The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) said it had been assured the club would not reduce ordinary seating to increase corporate numbers. “No capacity changes at the Emirates,” AST said. “The focus will be facilities behind the scenes. Expect more hospitality offering.
“Once again we secured a commitment from the club that they have no current plans to move or reduce any general admission places. But all supporters must be vigilant to this and repeat the importance of custodianship.”