Arsenal is considering options for renovating Emirates Stadium to take advantage of the high demand for tickets, which would allow them to match matchday revenues with other Premier League clubs. The stadium, which holds 60,000 fans, has been their home since leaving the iconic Highbury in 2006.

Modernization to increase revenue, but how?

Arsenal is currently exploring ways to expand Emirates to generate higher matchday revenues. According to The Times, Tottenham earns around £6 million from every home game. The expansions of West Ham’s and Liverpool’s stadiums have pushed Emirates down to fifth in Premier League stadium capacities. To regain an edge over these clubs, an upgrade will be necessary.

At present, there are no plans for a full overhaul of the stadium. This would be a costly and potentially lengthy process that could limit Emirates' capacity until the work is complete. However, Arsenal’s owner, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, has extensive experience in stadium construction, demonstrated by the building of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and could apply this knowledge when drafting plans for Emirates. The last significant change to The Gunners’ stadium occurred in 2018, when 780 seats were added. However, The Times notes that the club is uncertain how to further increase capacity in a cost-effective way. One suggestion was to consider altering the elliptical roof.

© Alex Pietzsch

Arsenal makes interim changes to improve fan comfort

Populous, the firm that designed Emirates Stadium, has been hired to enhance the catering potential and modernize some areas of the venue. Arsenal is also working on improving beer delivery, and stadium director Tom McCann informed fans of these plans during a fan forum meeting. The club is undertaking a project to spend around £2 million on improving our beer delivery, read the minutes of the meeting.

McCann also confirmed that Emirates Stadium will undergo further modernization by improving mobile signal within the venue. I can confirm that there are no plans for full Wi-Fi access at the stadium for now. Our primary connectivity strategy for the stadium and our fans is 5G. The new DAS (Digital Distributed Antenna System) for providing 5G is already being implemented, and the intention is for it to be ready by the end of 2024.

Arsenal earned £102.6 million from home matches during the 2022/2023 season, while rivals Manchester United made as much as £136.4 million in the same period. It is also worth mentioning that the Red Devils are already working on a new stadium capable of holding 100,000 fans.

© Hugh Rawson