Emirates Stadium

• Location : Holloway, Islington, London
• Broke Ground :1909
• Opened : 22 July 2006
  
• Owner : Arsenal F.C.
  
• Operator : Arsenal F.C.
  
• Construction Cost : £ 430 Million
  
• Architect : HOK Sport (1909)
• Capacity : 60.355 Seated

The stadium is a four-tiered bowl with roofing over the stands but not over the pitch. The design team included architects HOK Sport (now known as Populous), construction consultants AYH, and engineering firm Buro Happold. The stadium was constructed by Sir Robert McAlpine on the site of Ashburton Grove industrial estate, several hundred yards from Arsenal's former stadium Highbury.

The upper (26,646) and lower (24,425) tiers of the stadium feature standard seating. For the 2006-07 season, ticket prices for an adult ranged between £32 and £66 for most matches, but were as low as £13 for juniors and Cannon Club members, in the family enclosure only (designated "Category B"), with the price rising for "Category A" matches against certain top sides to between £46 and £94, with around £20 for juniors in the family enclosure. Season ticket prices for 2006-07 ranged between £885 and £1,825.

The main middle tier, known as the "Club Level", is premium priced and also includes the director's box. There are 7,139 seats at this level, which are sold on licences lasting from one to four years. The cost of club tier seats for 2006–07 ranges from £2,500 to £4,750 per season and covers admission to all home league games and any home games Arsenal play in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. These were sold out by May 2006.

Immediately above the club tier there is a small tier consisting of 150 boxes of 10, 12 and 15 seats. The total number of spectators at this level is 2,222. Box prices start at £65,000 per annum plus VAT, and covers admission to all home league games and any home games Arsenal play in the UEFA Champions League, FA Cup and Carling Cup. The most exclusive area in the stadium is known as the "Diamond Club" which is invitation only and costs £25,000 up front plus £25,000 a year. Tickets here include use of a private lounge, a complimentary restaurant and bar, valet parking and concierge service. Members will also have the option of travelling to European away games on the players' aeroplane.

Because of the high demand for tickets, as well as the relative wealth of their London fans, Arsenal expect the revenue from their premium seating and corporate boxes to be nearly as high as the revenue from the entire stadium at Highbury.

The pitch is 105 × 68 metres in size, making it the joint-largest pitch in the Premier League, while the total grassed area is 113 × 76 metres. It runs north-south like at Highbury, with the players' tunnel and the dugouts on the west side of the pitch underneath the main TV camera. The away fans are found in the south-east corner of the lower tier. The away supporter configuration can be expanded from 1,500 seats to 4,500 seats behind the south goal in the lower tier, and a further 4,500 seats can be made available also in the upper tier, bringing the total to 9,000 supporters (the regulation 15% required for domestic cup competitions such as the FA Cup and Carling Cup).

The upper tier is contoured to leave open space in the corners of the ground, and the roof is significantly canted inwards. Both of these features are meant to provide as much airflow and sunlight to the pitch as possible. Arsenal have a reputation for having one of the best playing surfaces in the world, and the design of the new stadium took this into account. This does have the effect that supporters in the upper tier on one side of the ground are unable to see supporters in the upper tier opposite. In the north-west and south-east corners of the stadium are two giant screens suspended from the roof. The club are currently in the process of examining whether to add a third giant screen in the north-east corner of the stadium.

The new stadium pays tribute to Arsenal's former home, Highbury. The club's offices are officially called Highbury House, located north-east of Emirates Stadium, and house the bust of Herbert Chapman that used to reside at Highbury. Three other busts that used to reside at Highbury of Claude Ferrier (architect of Highbury's East stand), Denis Hill-Wood (Former Arsenal chairman and father of current chairman Peter Hill-Wood) and Arsène Wenger (current Arsenal manager) have also been moved to Emirates Stadium but they are currently in storage.

Additionally, the two bridges over the railway line to the east of the stadium, connecting the stadium to Drayton Park, are called the Clock End and North Bank bridges, after the stands at Highbury; the clock that gave its name to the old Clock End has been resited on the exterior of Emirates Stadium facing the bridge of the same name. The Arsenal FC club museum, which was formerly held in the North Bank Stand, opened in October 2006 and is located to the north of the stadium, within the Northern Triangle building.

History