Arsenal have started to explore how they could upgrade and expand the Emirates Stadium to try to catch up with their rivals’ match-day income.
The ground’s capacity of about 60,000 was the biggest in
London when they moved from Highbury in 2006, but its size, catering and
corporate facilities have since been surpassed by those of Tottenham Hotspur,
who earn close to £6million from every match at their 62,850-capacity venue.
Without a renovation, Arsenal cannot significantly
increase their match-day income. They earned £102.6million from games in
2022-23, which is estimated by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust to increase to
more than £120million in the next accounts because of the team reaching the
knockout stage of the Champions League last season.
Arsenal’s matches regularly sell out and they realise that
they need to keep pace with the huge demand for tickets, as well as adapt to
supporters’ changing catering and corporate needs, for example by improving
internet access.
It is not clear how Arsenal could increase the capacity
beyond 60,704 in a cost-effective way, having added 780 seats in 2018. Experts
have suggested that they could consider changing the gently sloping elliptical
roof, which was shaped to help airflow and sunlight reach the grass, but have
also pointed out that lowering the pitch will almost certainly not be possible,
not least because it would affect sightlines.
Arsenal have 146 executive boxes, which is twice as many as
Tottenham, who recognised that corporate fans increasingly prefer using
hospitality lounges.
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