The Emirates Stadium (Ashburton Grove) is the home arena for the English football club Arsenal. The structure was built as a replacement for the former Highbury Arena.
Emirates Stadium: Address
The stadium is located at: Homsey Rd, London N7 7AJ, United Kingdom. Opening date - July 22, 2006. Capacity - 60 360 spectators. Height - 42 meters. The project cost is 400 million euros. The owner is Arsenal Club (London). The size of the football field is 105x68 meters. Architect Firm - Populous.
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Currently, the Emirates Stadium (capacity 60 thousand people) is the third largest arena (after Wembley and Old Trafford) in England. His second name ("Ashburton Grove") he received as a result of the eponymous name of an industrial building, which was the place for the construction of a new arena. According to the construction period, the object was to be built in 2003. Later, the construction dates in connection with the next financial crisis that swept Europe were significantly shifted.
History
In the 90s of the last century, the London club Arsenal showed impressive results in domestic and international competitions. The old Highbury Stadium, built back in 1913, had a capacity of 38 thousand spectators. He was no longer able to accommodate everyone who wanted to watch the game of his favorite team. As a result, the club treasury could not be fully filled (due to the insufficient number of tickets sold), and the team itself began to lose revenue. Initially, they tried to expand the stadium due to the territory located nearby. But the city authorities did not approve of this idea. The case ended in petty courts and spoiled nerves on both sides.
As a result, the club management decided to build a new arena. By the summer of 2004, the construction of the stadium bowl was completed. In addition, two bridges for the movement of vehicles were put into operation. At the end of summer 2005, the installation of the roof was completed, and a month later, individual chairs were installed. On July 22, 2006, the Emirates Stadium (photo in the article) was inaugurated.
The last match at the Highbury Arena took place on May 7, 2006. Later, an auction was held where the sale of parts of the stadium, football goalposts, corner flags, coaching table, etc. took place. Old chairs were not sold. They went to the scrap, because they contained environmentally dirty materials.
Stadium description
Structurally, the Emirates Stadium consists of four stands. Each includes four tiers:
- upper tier, designed for 26,600 people;
- lower tier with a capacity of 24,400 spectators;
- average (club) level, able to receive 7140 spectators;
- level equipped with lodges for guests of honor (2220 people).
The upper and lower tiers are equipped with ordinary individual seats. The middle tier is a zone of increased comfort. This is the place where the fans of the club are. Above this level are 150 lodges. They have a capacity of ten to fifteen people. The annual cost of a subscription of one lodge is about 70 thousand pounds.
Seasonal subscription for watching matches from the upper and lower tiers costs 1000-1500 pounds. Fans who occupy the seats of the middle level of the arena have the opportunity to acquire the right to attend fights for a period of one to four years. One seat of this type will cost 3,000 pounds per year.
The comfort of watching matches is provided by the roof of the structure, covering all spectator seats. Sub-tribune rooms are equipped with restaurants, shops, toilets, left-luggage offices. Under the roof of the stadium, two displays are installed, as well as a clock structurally similar to those on the Highbury.
Since in English football a significant time of a duel takes place in the fight within the penalty areas of the rival teams, then an intensive trampling of the lawn takes place in these places. Emirates Stadium has brilliantly dealt with this problem. It is possible to replace grass in these areas.
Arena Arsenalization
In 2009, a stadium equipment program was developed, and later introduced, in accordance with the spirit of Highbury. To maintain the club's former atmosphere, the same white chairs were installed, and various creative and artistic means were used. The facade of the arena itself was decorated with huge canvases, which depict the 32 best football players of Arsenal, who played in different years as part of the team. Among the most striking players who played for the club in recent years, were captured:
- Thierry Henry.
- Patrick Vieira.
- Dennis Bergkamp.
- Robert Pires
- David Simen.
And of course, it was impossible to do without a drawing of the famous "Arsenal" gun - the club’s emblem, first used in 1930 and restored in 2003.
Sponsor
Emirates Stadium bears a name associated with a name directly related to the main sponsor of the Arsenal club. It is the airline Emirates Airline. In 2004, a fifteen-year agreement (contract) was signed with her in the amount of £ 100 million. Part of the transaction was covered by an advertising campaign (image of the sponsor’s name on the team’s T-shirts) In 2012, a new agreement was signed, as a result, the name of the stadium will be so until 2028. The airline itself undertakes to sponsor the club until 2019. It is important to note that since Emirates Airline is an unofficial sponsor of UEFA, the arena is called Arsenal Stadium during the European Cup matches.
In conclusion, I want to say that since the transition of the Arsenal team to a new stadium, the club’s competitive performance has noticeably worsened. For almost 10 years, the “gunners” can not win the championship of the country or take at least second place. The results in European competitions were mediocre.