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Arsenal Stadium

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{{Football stadium | arenaname = Arsenal Stadium | image = Image:Arsenal Stadium interior North Bank.jpg 290px| fullname = Arsenal Stadium | nickname = Highbury | built = 1913 | opened = September 6, 1913 | capacity = 38,500 | homeof = Arsenal F.C. Arsenal | pitchsize = 110 x 73 yards | }} '''Arsenal Stadium''' has been the home ground of Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club since 1913. It is located in Highbury, London giving rise to its popular name '''Highbury'''. Arsenal Stadium is well known for its very small (110×73 yards / 101×67 metres) but immaculately-kept football pitch pitch, which also has under-soil heating. Arsenal's groundsman, Steve Braddock, has won the FA Premier League's Groundsman of the Year award several times for his work on the pitch. The stadium has a capacity of 38,500 (12,500 in the North Bank, 11,000 in the West Stand, 9,000 in the East Stand and 6,000 in the Clock End), all seated, and has two Jumbotron screens in the South-East and North-West corners. The stadium's main entrances are on Gillespie Road, Avenell Road and Highbury Hill. Before the all-seater era, Arsenal Stadium saw its largest attendance ever of 73,295 in 1935 when Arsenal played Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland. The 2005-06 in English football 2005-06 season will be Arsenal's last at Highbury. The club will relocate in the summer of 2006 to the new Emirates Stadium nearby.

History
Image:Arsenal Stadium Highbury east facade.jpg thumb|300px|The facade of the East Stand, which looms over Avenell Road Image:Arsenal Stadium interior Clock End.jpg thumb|300px|The Clock End, with executive boxes above Image:Arsenal Stadium interior West Stand.jpg thumb|300px|The West Stand The original Arsenal Stadium was built in 1913, when Woolwich Arsenal moved from their home in Plumstead, south-east London to Highbury, leasing the recreation fields of a local divinity college. Designed by renowned stadium architect Archibald Leitch, it featured a single stand on the eastern side, and the other three sides had banked wiktionary:terrace terracing. However, no significant portion of Leitch's original stadium remains today, following a series of bold redevelopments during the 1930s. The first of these was the West Stand, designed by Claude Waterlow Ferrier and William Binnie, with a distinctive Art Deco style, which opened in 1932; at the same time, the local London Underground Tube station was renamed from Gillespie Road to Arsenal tube station Arsenal. Leitch's main stand was demolished to make way for a new East Stand matching the west one in 1936, with its distinctive facade facing onto Avenell Road. The terraces at the north and south ends were both given roofs, and the southern terrace had a clock fitted to its front, giving it the name Clock End. The stadium stayed more or less the same for the next fifty years, although during World War II the North Bank terrace was bombed and had to be rebuilt. Floodlights were fitted in 1951 (having been advocated by Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman some twenty years earlier). However, in the early 1990s, the Taylor report on the Hillsborough disaster was published, which recommended that football stadiums become all-seater. The North Bank, which had become home of Arsenal's most passionate supporters, was demolished in 1992, and a new all-seater stand constructed in its place. During the work, a giant mural of cheering fans was placed behind the goal at that end, to give the illusion that the players were kicking towards a crowd rather than empty terraces and rubble. The Clock End was retained but redeveloped, and had seating and executive boxes fitted.

Trivia
As well as being home to Arsenal, in the past Highbury has occasionally functioned as a home stadium for England national football team England matches; in all 12 internationals were played at Highbury from 1920 to 1961, most of them being friendlies. These included the "Battle of Highbury", England's famous 1934 3-2 win over Football World Cup World Champions Italy national football team Italy, where seven Arsenal players started the match. Highbury has also been the venue for 12 FA Cup semi-finals as a neutral ground, the first in 1929 and the most recent in 1997. Arsenal have not always played their home matches at Highbury since moving there. During the Second World War the stadium was used as an Air Raid Precautions ARP station and was bombed; Arsenal played their matches at White Hart Lane, home of deadly rivals Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, until Highbury re-opened in 1946. More recently, Arsenal's home UEFA Champions League matches between 1999 and 2000 were played at Wembley Stadium, as Highbury's already limited capacity had to be reduced to accommodate advertising hoardings. Arsenal's record at Wembley (P6 W2 D1 L3) was none too impressive and the club switched back to playing at Highbury after two seasons. Highbury has also seen several cricket and baseball matches, and was the venue for the 1966 World Heavyweight boxing title bout between Henry Cooper (boxer) Henry Cooper and Muhammad Ali (which Ali won). Arsenal Stadium has also been shown on the silver screen, having featured as the backdrop to at least two movies: ''The Arsenal Stadium Mystery'', and ''Fever Pitch''.

Tours and Museum
Tours of the stadium are available daily, but advanced booking is required. The Arsenal Museum is located in the North Bank stand, and is included in the tour. It is also open to visitors who do not do a tour, but only on Fridays.

Emirates Stadium
Arsenal will leave the Arsenal Stadium when the new Emirates Stadium in nearby Ashburton Grove is opened, currently scheduled for summer 2006. Arsenal Stadium will then be redeveloped for housing; however, the exteriors of the East Stand, which is a Listed building Grade II listed building, and the matching West Stand, will be preserved. In June 2005 Arsenal received planning consent for a revised scheme which will see 750 properties built on the site. [http://www.arsenal.com/userincludes/docs/ofex2005.doc]

Address
:Arsenal Stadium
Avenell Road
LONDON
N5 1BU
United Kingdom

Travel
Nearby London Underground Tube stations (in order of proximity) *Arsenal tube station Arsenal *Finsbury Park station Finsbury Park *Holloway Road tube station Holloway Road

External links

- Keke's Stadia Mania — Arsenal Stadium
- The Stadium Guide — Highbury
- Arsenal.com — Highbury
- Satellite Photo of Highbury
- The Stadium - Highbury Square - official site of the redevelopment project {{Arsenal F.C.}} Category:Arsenal F.C. Category:Art Deco Category:Grade II listed buildings in London Category:Islington Category:Sports venues in London Category:Football venues in England Category:Premier League Stadia Highbury de:Arsenal Stadium ru:Стадион Хайбери fr:Highbury nl:Highbury no:Arsenal Stadium pl:Highbury (stadion) sv:Arsenal Stadium

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