Highbury

Ground Profile

In 1913 'Woolwich Arsenal' leased a 21 acre site which was named 'Highbury'. As the ground development was funded by proceeds from gate receipts, the transition of the ground was a long and time-consuming matter. In 1925 the club were able to buy the ground outright. A new west was opened which increased the capacity and enabled a record gate of 73,295 to witness the visit of Sunderland in 1935.

Both the North Bank and the Clock Stand's were re-developed in the late 1990's but today's capacity is limited to just 38,500. Originally there were plans to make Highbury a 45,000 stadium but that was decided still to be too small. Demand for tickets heavily outweighs supply, and with this in mind, the club decided to look for an alternative site to develop. In November of 2002 Arsenal received planning permission for a new 60,000 all seater stadium just half a mile down the road at Ashburton, presently an industrial site. The move to Ashburton will achieved with the support of Islington Council and it is hoped that this will bring Arsenal the financial muscle to match any club in the world. Completion of the new stadium is scheduled for some stage during 2005.