Carlsberg don't make football stadiums, but if they did, they'd probably have built the Emirates (Emirates Stadium (Arsenal))

Member Name: djwhite1982

Product:	Emirates Stadium (Arsenal)
Date:	06/10/09 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Impressive architecture, very accesible

Disadvantages: slightly lacking atmosphere

The Emirates Stadium is Arsenal FC's new(ish) home replacing the previous Highbury one. The stadium came into use in the 2006-7 season and is situated just a short walk from where the Highbury stadium was.

The stadium is an impressive site and most of the outside is made of glass allowing you to see into the various hospitality lounges with in the stadium.

The stadium has an massive capacity of just over 60,000 and really is one of the most impressive stadiums in the country, if not the most. I have sat in a few positions within the stadium, and as far as I'm aware there are no pillars restricting views anywhere, so wherever you sit you should have an excellent view of the immaculate pitch.

The seating inside the stadium is all padded, which really makes a big difference watching 90 minutes of football. Not once did I get have to do the usual uncomfortable butt cheek shuffle. The chairs are also huge, I'm sure anyone under 5'6'' will have their legs dangling in the air. I've heard that there is not much of an atmosphere within the stadium and although it was nowhere near Highbury, it was still decent, and anywhere in the SW quadrant would appear to be near to where the main chorus of chanting lies - if that's what you want.

One of main complaints you can have of the stadium is in fact a compliment, in that it is very difficult to get tickets there. General sale tickets are very hard to get for any games other than the first champions league ties, and the Carling cup games. Premiership games tend to only be sold the Arsenal FC members, which means shelling out a few quid just to give yourself a chance of getting a ticket. If you're not an Arsenal fan but are keen to just get a look at the stadium, then I would recommend a Carling Cup tie. The tickets are significantly cheaper at around £20 each and can be bought on General Sale. Prices for other games will be around the £50, if you are lucky enough to get one.

If you are not a member of the Arsenal FC supporters club (and therefore probably more likely to be reading a review of the stadium) then tickets are posted out to you. If you're tickets don't arrive (which can be quite common), you will have to phone the ticketline to cancel them and get them re-issued to be picked up. I have had to do this twice and it took around 25 minutes so worth bearing in mind if you're tight on time. The current ticket collection point is opposite block S in what looks like a porto cabin. Given the excellent high quality stadium 20m away, I was a little surprised they had such a naff looking building to pick the tickets up from. Still, it made no difference to me.

The stadium is pretty well located in North London in terms of access, in that it is surrounded by 3 tube stops. Arsenal on the Piccadilly Line, and also Arsenal and Highbury & Islington on the Victoria Line, There is also overground services which stop at Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park all of which are within a 5 minute walk to the stadium. There is also Holloway Road very near on the Piccadilly line, and Drayton Park overground stop, however these are usually closed on match days so should be avoided.
When leaving the stadium all the tubes get very busy, but I have always found it is worth walking the extra distance to Finsbury Park (which is the furthest away of the above stops) as this is significantly less crowded.

As for inside the stadium, the services are excellent and the queuing seemed to be minimal even at busy times, so they must have a lot of staff on compared to other grounds. The food and drink was average, as you would expect for most stadiums, with the usual selection of hotdogs, burgers, pizza slices etc. Although the mark up on prices was evident, it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be. A hot dog was £4, and a bottle of lager £3.50 (unfortunately it was of course warm and in plastic - goes without saying for a football stadium!)

All in all, I really enjoyed my visit to the stadium even though I'm not an arsenal fan (although I was with one), and would say it was definitely worth a visit for any football fan. I would love to be able to tell you all about the hospitality suites and club area, however sadly I'm nowhere near important enough to get up there. I can confirm it looked very nice!!!!

Summary: I'm gooner go again