Travellers on the East Coast Main Line out of London (and commuters too ” the Editor is normally Potters Bar bound) will have noticed three major construction sites as they begin their journey. The re-building of the Kings Cross-St Pancras complex; Eurostar as it crosses the rail tracks, and just a little further on the Emirates Stadium, the new home of Arsenal. All will be competed well in time for the 2012 Olympics if they come to London, and indeed the Emirates Stadium is due to be open for the kick-off of the 2006 soccer season.
That the new Arsenal stadium exists at all is an astonishing feat. For decades Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur fought it out as London”s top team. Both had the same size grounds and heritage. Same revenue and similar success. And then it all went wrong for Spurs. You might blame it on management at executive level. No success on the field and seemingly nowhere to go with the ground. The opposite with the Gunners. Over the last ten years, on gates that are far less than Manchester United (67,000 v 38,000) and now behind Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City, not only has Arsenal put together an outstanding team, built one of the finest training complexes in the country, but somehow contrived to develop an amazing new ”300m arena on a complex site less than a quarter mile from its existing home. By attracting Emirates, a major international airline, as a sponsor, it has put down a marker as a world-class team, to be followed and supported all around the globe. Gaining the Dubai national airline made good financial sense and has no doubt introduced welcome money. But the gains are far greater for both parties. In the real commercial world Arsenal could easily jump ahead of the one time Busby Babes as the most prosperous soccer team of all time, whilst for Emirates the Gulf-based airline can now hope to reach out to areas that were far beyond its most outlandish dreams.
The new Emirates Stadium in Ashburton Grove, London N7 covers a 17 acre brown field triangular site just to the east of the Holloway Road, with Finsbury Park Station at the apex and bordered by two railway lines. First announced in 1999 it gained the support of both the local council and the London Executive. Over 2,500 legal documents had to be signed in order to give the project full clearance. The finance was raised and the Arsenal board selected HOK, the world”s largest sports architecture practice, designers of the Telstra Olympic Stadium in Sydney, the new Wembley, and the Royal Ascot redevelopment, as lead architects. Sir Robert McAlpine won the construction contract. Work actually commenced in February 2004 and is on time and budget. The plan is to seed the playing surface on or about 1 April next year in time for the August kick-off. Historians may note that the club played its first match at Highbury on 6 September 1913, beating Leicester Fosse 2-1.
The new stadium will hold nearly 60% more fans than Highbury (and generate in the region of twice the revenue per game if it fills up). Fortunately the locality has good surface and Underground railway access although the popular Finsbury Park interchange station will now be too far away for most people. Perhaps the railway company WAGN might consider opening the adjoining Drayton Park on match days. Presently the Moorgate branch line is closed on Saturday afternoons and in the evening.
The pitch itself will be one of the largest in the Premier League rather than the smallest (113m x 76m v 105m x 70m). There will be four tiers of seating, 13 lifts and five escalators. 250 wheelchair access points plus 900 wcs and 370m of urinals are provided. The elliptical roof is only 41.9m high, vastly lower than even the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. There are 150 high spec executive boxes (most of which have gone ” so we are told) and room for 250 press. 41 camera positions will only put more pressure on referees with just two eyes. With an advanced computerised admission system the stadium is very 21st century. The catering concession has not yet been confirmed and the club is reticent to detail the restaurant and eating facilities but vast areas have been set aside for all grades of dining, much with fine views over north London. Conference and presentation services are also being provided, whilst the plan is for the stadium to be available for up to six events per year, rock concerts being an obvious choice. The editor, seen here on a very cold and snowy early March day 2005, looks forward to visiting the finished project.
The Emirates Stadium has ruffled some feathers in the airline world. Emirates Group President Maurice Flanagan is a devoted Chelsea fan. Lord Marshall, formerly chairman of British Airways, and most knowledgeable of the game, is an Arsenal season ticket holder going back years. Fans who are already paying ”900 for a not particularly good season ticket at Highbury fear a fee of ”1,200 will be asked for the 2006/7 season. ”75 could be the going price for a less than top grade one-off ticket. And suppose Arsenal get relegated. What then? After all Wigan could be visitors next season.
Forget the doom merchants. The new stadium looks like being a great success and a real credit to London. What a small caucus has achieved is astonishing. Tottenham I”m afraid you are a long way behind.
http://www.arsenal.com