Arsenal have decided against a "huge scale masterplan" to expand the Emirates Stadium. The club has explored redevelopment options for their home ground over the past couple of years to increase its capacity.
The Emirates currently holds 60,704 supporters, placing Arsenal behind Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool in terms of stadium size. Demand for matchday tickets is substantial, and Arsenal's season-ticket waiting list is believed to stretch over decades.
Continued evolution over significant expansion
However, the club has now opted to pursue a "continued evolution" of the Emirates, rather than a significant expansion. A large rebuilding project would likely have required Arsenal to find a temporary home elsewhere, and that has been ruled out, particularly with Mikel Arteta's side eyeing a dominant era of success.
Instead of a dramatic overhaul of the Emirates, the focus will be on improving the matchday experience. Safe standing has been introduced to the Clock End and will be expanded next season to include sections of the North Bank. Arsenal are also committed to improving 5G mobile connectivity inside the stadium, with progress expected before the end of the season.
Advisory board meeting and corporate focus
The first Arsenal Advisory Board meeting of the season took place last month between senior club leaders and supporter representatives, where that vision for the stadium was shared. Co-chair Josh Kroenke joined the meeting virtually, while chief communications officer Richard Garlick attended in person.
In a statement reflecting on the meeting, Arsenal said the club's clear priority was to "win major trophies in a financially sustainable way, with supporters at the heart of everything we do". The club are set to continue adding to the corporate options available to further boost matchday income, including launching The Touchline package, which includes watching the warm-up from the side of the pitch and then walking across the playing surface to seats behind the Arsenal bench. Tickets for that package for the match against Manchester City in November are £5,799 per person.
Supporters' trust response
Despite the increased corporate focus, that is not expected to impact the number of general admission seats available. "No capacity changes at the Emirates," the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) said. "Focus will be on facilities behind the scenes. Expect more hospitality offering. Once again we secured a commitment from 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."
