%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Arsenal explore Emirates Stadium expansion
- Ground's current capacity is 60,780
- Club want to keep up with rivals' income
- Not clear how it could be done
Arsenal have started to explore ways they could upgrade and expand the Emirates Stadium, according to a report by the Times.
The Gunners are said to be looking to keep up with the matchday income earned by their rivals and feel they can do so by expanding their home ground.
With a current capacity of 60,704, Emirates Stadium is the fifth highest in the Premier League capacity rankings but the club clearly feel there is still room for improvement.
Arsenal explore Emirates Stadium expansion
Upon the move from Highbury in 2006, the then near-60,000-capacity Emirates was the largest ground in London but has since been overtaken by West Ham's London Stadium and the new home of arch-rivals Tottenham.
Having gone from having the largest to now the third biggest ground in London, it is understandable to see why the club want to expand. Arsenal earned £102.6m from matchday income in the 2022-23 campaign with the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust estimating this to reach over £120m (via football.london) having reached the Champions League knockout stages last season.
Spurs currently rake in close to £6m every match and the Gunners will be eager to better that. However, not much more can be made without serious renovations being undertaken at the Emirates.
The club previously expanded in 2018, adding another 780 seats, but it is not exactly clear how the stadium could go beyond the current capacity. It can still be done however. Arsenal's owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) has great experience of stadium construction, having recently built the SoFi Stadium, currently occupied by NFL franchises Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.
If KSE can apply some of that know-how to an expansion of Emirates Stadium, something can almost certainly be done.
As a fan, it is hard to argue with the prospect of a stadium expansion. Tickets have been hard to come by in recent years due to increasing demand and the club's heavily criticised ballot system. A stadium expansion would ease this problem slightly. More seats would mean more tickets and this would increase the chances for some fans to attend Arsenal games.
If an Emirates Stadium expansion is truly happening, it is almost certainly in the very early stages but from a fan's point of view, it is hard not to be excited about this. Arsenal could potentially be putting themselves back among the likes of Manchester United in terms of stadium size and capacity.
READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS HERE!
feed