Experience the Emirates without stepping on a plane (Emirates Stadium (Arsenal))

Member Name: ld75454

Product:	Emirates Stadium (Arsenal)
Date:	16/02/09 (497 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Atmosphere, the structure

Disadvantages: Food prices and exit

*Introduction*

The Emirates stadium is truly amazing. I absolutely love going to watch the mighty Arsenal play in this magnificent stadium. My first visit to the stadium wasn't a successful one for Arsenal as despite winning against PSV 2-1, we were knocked out of the Champions League. I have since been several times and my next visit is on today for the FA Cup clash with Cardiff. I cannot wait! Come on you Gunners!

*The Need For A New Stadium*

In the late 1990's Arsenal began looking to expand Highbury. This was due to the fact that Arsenal's season ticket list was constantly growing. At the time it had the competence to hold 38,419 after becoming seating only. Due to the location of Highbury, there was not sufficient room to develop and the East Stand was a listed building.

Arsenal considered moving to near the M25 but wanted to stay in Islington as it had been the home of Arsenal since 1913. There were rumours at one point that Arsenal and Tottenham would share Wembley stadium however this did not happen. Ultimately, Ashburton Grove was chosen as the location. It was an industrial estate and very close to Highbury.

*About Emirates Stadium*

The Emirates stadium is often shortened to just the Emirates. It is the football stadium of Arsenal Football Club situated in Islington. With the capability to seat 60,355 people, the Emirates is the fifth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom. It is a bowl shaped stadium which means no bad views. It is split into four coloured quadrants: orange and blue at the North end and yellow and green at the south. They are then split into different zones (by letter) and then by gates. The gates usually open two hours before the kick off.

The Emirates functions using an electronic ticketing system. Members use their membership cards and the general public use a paper ticket to swipe their way into the stadium. This is extremely easy to use and to date I haven't had a problem with it.

The stadium consists of four levels:

The Upper Tier: This tier is curved in order to provide as much sunlight into the ground as possible. The upper section seats up to 26,646 people and prices range from £66 to £94. These are more expensive as you get a better view according to the majority of people you will talk to. I find that this tier is fairly quiet though.

The Lower Tier: This tier seats up to 24,425 people and prices range between £32 and £46. I like sitting in the lower tier as the atmosphere is slightly better (if you enjoy the chanting).

Club Level: This is the bigger of the middle tiers and seats 7,139 people. This level includes the director's box.

Executive Box Level: This is the level above the club tier. It consists of 150 boxes and can seat 2,222. It is on this level that the invite only Diamond Club are seated. This level includes the use of a private lounge, free restaurant and bar, valet parking and concierge service. I should think so at £50,000 per year!

What I like a lot about the stadium are the two huge screens that are hanging from the roof! I think that they are a fantastic addition and great to watch the replays on. Sometimes show just how close you were to scoring. I also like the spacious seats that you get! No more squashed fans. At the Emirates you can watch the game in luxury.

Tributes to Highbury: The clubs offices are named Highbury House and accommodate the Herbert Chapman bust. Also, the two bridges above the railway line have been named the Clock End and North Bank bridges after the Highbury stands.

The Pitch: The pitch is the joint biggest football pitch in the English Premier League at 105x68 metres and absolutely flawless. It has the tunnel and the dugouts on the west side of the pitch.

*How Do You Get To and From The Emirates?*

Emirates stadium is easily accessible from various London Underground stations. If travelling via the underground is your preferred method of transport, Arsenal and Finsbury Park are the nearest tube stations to the ground, although Holloway Road is also well within walking distance.

If you don't like travelling via the underground, there are numerous bus routes that go to the Emirates stadium.

I wouldn't recommend driving to the Emirates. There is only limited parking for the disabled fans. If you're fortunate enough to have somebody who is willing to give you a lift to and from the stadium without hanging around and parking, then you are sorted. But as there are very firm parking restrictions in place on match days, I wouldn't advise driving and parking near the ground as a fine is almost guaranteed.

One of the negatives about going to the Emirates (on matchday) is the queues and congestion that you come across when exiting the stadium. A lot of people leave 10 minutes from the end of the game in order to beat this blockage. The police are out in force and try to ease the flow but the filter system in place isn't quite perfected.

*The Opening*

Queen Elizabeth II was the intended open the stadium however due to unforeseen circumstances, she wasn't able to. Instead on Thursday 26th October 2006, the stadium was formally opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Due to this change of plan, Arsene Wenger and his first team were invited to afternoon tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on February 15th 2007.

*Where Did the Name Originate From?*

Throughout the development and construction phases, the stadium was acknowledged as Ashburton Grove, as this is the road that it is positioned on.

On October 5th 2004 it was declared that Arsenal's new stadium would be identified as the Emirates stadium. This is following Arsenal settling a 100 million pound sponsorship agreement with Emirates Airline, comprising of an eight-year shirt sponsorship deal. The only occasion in which the stadium is not officially referred to as the Emirates is during UEFA Champions League games due to sponsor regulations. On the occasions, it is simply referred to as Arsenal stadium.

*Catering at the Emirates*

This is probably one of the only negatives about the stadium. The food and drinks are massively overpriced. You pay approximately £4 for a burger or pie. And to top that off, a beer costs £3.20. And if you have an other half like mine, he'll moan about how much he has spent throughout the entire first half of the game. It really isn't worth it.

What is good is that you are able to take food in with you, although this must be within reason. Don't go with a picnic as you probably will have this taken away. We didn't know this until about the forth time we went there, but now we'll take our own sandwiches or snacks. If you don't want to take your own, or spent the ludicrous amounts they charge inside the stadium, on match-days there are numerous amounts of burger vans from the walk from the tube stations.

You may also take your own soft drinks in plastic bottles only. Cans aren't allowed in the stadium. Also, if you want a glass of tap water, you can get this from one of the food and drink concessions for free.

*Milestones*

First match: Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial
First competitive match: Arsenal v Aston Villa
First European match: Arsenal v Dynamo Zagreb
First international match: Argentina v Brazil
First defeat: Arsenal v West Ham

*Other Stadium Uses*

As the stadium is fairly new there haven't been a large amount of uses other than as a football arena. However two notable occasions when it has been used is in March 2008 when the Emirates hosted a meeting between Gordon Brown and the French President. The other notable instance was the Bruce Springsteen concert.

*Random Facts About The Stadium*

- The cost of this development cost £390 million. How much? Yes it really was that expensive. Although, in comparison to Wembley it seems like a bargain.
- Approximately 1,800 new jobs have been created and 2,000 new homes built.
- There are in the region of 250 catering serving points around the Emirates and 900 toilets.
- More than 2,500 legal papers have been authorised to give the project clearance. I think I would have given up at 100!
- There are 4,500 metres of metal hand railing. They sure are making sure everyone can get around safely.
- The stadium contains roughly 100 flights of stairs and 2,000 doors.

*Overall*

I would definitely recommend a visit to the remarkable Emirates stadium. If you find that league or cup games are slightly too expensive, try and get your hands on tickets to the Emirates Cup pre-season competition. You'll find these are sold for £25 for both games! If you don't fancy going there to watch a match, you can take a day tour during the week for approximately £18 each. Regardless of where you sit in the stadium, the view is always fantastic.


*Any facts sourced from Arsenal.com

Summary: Great atmosphere for a great team