10 facts about the new stadium

 Add your view

Arsenal's new stadium at Ashburton Grove should be opened for the start of the 2006-07 season, with the club having today announced they had secured funding for the entire project.

But here are 10 things that you may not have known about Arsenal's new stadium plans:

:: The new stadium is designed by HOK Sport, who are the architects of Stadium Australia in Sydney, the English National Stadium at Wembley, Royal Ascot Racecourse and Wimbledon Centre Court.
:: The site is 27 acres in size. This compares to the 100-acre Old Trafford site and the 130-acre Wembley site but, with 70 per cent of fans expected to arrive by public transport, there is not such a need for huge car parks.
:: The project is set to cost £357 million. This will be raised with £260million of loans from a group of banks, as well as a total of £97million from media partner Granada, a lucrative long-term agreement with Nike, the sale of surplus land at the new stadium site and residential development of Highbury.
:: Highbury will be converted into residential flats, with the pitch functioning as their communal garden in the middle. Some of this will be 'affordable housing'.
:: Arsenal say that the new scheme will create more than 1,900 jobs and 2,300 new homes.
:: The stadium will be built by Sir Robert McAlpine under a £220million fixed price contract, which includes construction of a £60million waste and recycling centre.
:: With the increased capacity, 1,140,000 supporters should attend Premiership matches there in one season, compared with the current average of 722,795 - an increase of 417,205.
:: There will be 150 executive boxes in the new stadium, compared to 48 boxes at Highbury. There will also be 215 seats for the media, as well as 41 TV camera positions.
:: The height of the new stadium will be 46 metres from ground level to its highest point, while the roof will be 30 metres from ground level.
:: Six other single-day events can be held at the stadium each year, with a maximum of three music concerts, and with none on Sundays or Public Holidays.

 

What's on today   What's on tomorrow

Receive our newsletter