Emirates Stadium

The Emirates Stadium stands in Holloway, a district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a large football stadium built on the site of an old industrial estate and waste disposal area. Arsenal Football Club moved here from Highbury in 2006 after the old ground could no longer meet modern requirements. The stadium holds over 60,000 seated spectators, making it one of England’s biggest club grounds. Arsenal’s women’s team now also plays here, sharing the pitch since 2024. The move followed years of planning and legal challenges over where to build. The stadium’s construction cost £390 million and took four years to complete. It replaced Highbury, which had been Arsenal’s home since the early 20th century but could not expand due to local opposition and listed status. Manager Arsène Wenger called the decision to relocate the biggest in the club’s history since Herbert Chapman’s appointment in the 1920s. The project included new homes, jobs, and transport upgrades for the area. Despite early resistance from local groups, the stadium won planning approval in 2002 after mayoral and government backing. Visitors find a modern bowl-shaped stadium with excellent sightlines and a carefully tended playing surface. Fans often call the pitch ‘the Carpet’ for its smooth, high-quality grass. The stadium hosts not only Arsenal matches but international games and major concerts. Since 2009, it has been gradually decorated with Arsenal memorabilia in a programme called ‘Arsenalisation’. The area around the ground has been regenerated, with new homes built on the site of the old stadium.