Tour of the Emirates Stadium

Yesterday I went on a tour of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in Islington, North London. The tour was tremendous value, taking you through parts of the stadium that would have been ordinarily off limits to the majority of fans. As an Arsenal fan it was a thrilling and very enjoyable experience, one I will not forget for a long time to come! Unfortunately in one respect the weather was very miserable, but I was determined not to let the strong winds and raging rain dampen my spirits, and indeed the Stadium still l00ked magnificently impressive despite the poor weather! (Note this explains why I look a little dishevelled and windswept in some of the pictures. Oh and the reason I have a moustache is because I am taking part in the man of movember charity event, raising money for prostrate cancer)


The Stadium dominates the landscape as you step out of Arsenal tube station. The Stadium is literally a stones throw away and immediately catches your eye as you walk out of the station. As you approach the stadium the first thing you are confronted with on the outside are the huge logos, the Arsenal badge proudly positioned in the centre with some of Arsenal's most legendary players either side of it, with the club's motto written in Latin underneath it: 'Victory through harmony'.

The stadium is a very imposing, grand and magnificent piece of architecture as evidenced from this photo.

Carrying on around the outside of the building, before you enter in, there are two cannons originally from the Woolich munitions factory where the club had its humble beginnings. One of the cannons is facing west, the other east. The directions of the cannons are very symbolic to the club. The cannon facing west represents remembering the club's past, its origins in Woolich, its time at Highbury and the ethos and spirit with which the club has always played with. The cannon facing east represents the future, and the club's continual pursuit of excellence and the hope of future successes.

The tour started in the Diamond club entrance; in the lobby there is a bronze bust of Arsene Wenger in front of a marble wall with the Arsenal badge etched into it. It is just a taster of what is to come later in the tour, as you progress around the stadium and instantly sends the message of excellence and pride the club takes in itself: its football and its successes. Indeed the entire stadium (and museum located opposite) is a celebration of the club's past, successes, and footballing philosophy.

The first place they take you on the tour is the directors' lounge, a wonderfully rich and lavish room with leather seats and marble bars either end of the room. At the front of the lounge are large windows with which you get a panoramic view of the pitch. As soon as you look out the windows you are awe struck by how spectacular the ground truly is (it was a real wow moment for me). Glass doors open out into the directors' box where they sit to watch the matches. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 60,000 people (roughly the size of my home town!). One of the things I was most impressed with was the layout and design of the grounds. Judging from where I was in the directors' box it looked to me that from where ever you are seated in the grounds you would get a good view of the pitch. The architects and designers of the stadium had obviously thought very thoroughly about this and it is a real credit to them. The entire building has been very intelligently designed.

After seeing the directors' area you are taken to the car park where the away teams would disembark and enter into the stadium before the match. At this player entrance the first thing you are confronted with is a huge red wall again with the Arsenal badge and underneath the slogan 'the deeper foundations the stronger the fortress'. The tour guide explained this has been very deliberately built there so that no away team could mistake where they have travelled to and no mistaking the calibre and pedigree of Arsenal. As I said the entire stadium is a celebration of the club.

Just in front of the entrance wall, in the floor, is a timecapsule buried with objects, former players shirts, socks etc from the old Highbury stadium/era. The club take real pride in its heritage, past and origins. As you walk around the entrance wall on your way to the locker rooms there are several pictures/photographs of legendary Arsenal players. Along this 'avenue of remembrance' is a montage of the 2003/4 season when the team went undefeated in all of their 49 matches! If I remember correctly the tour guide said this was the first time a team had gone unbeaten in 115 years and therefore no other premier league team had a montage like that one. Arsenal truly are a unique football club.

The next couple of locations were perhaps the most exciting of the entire tour: the players locker room and going through the tunnel onto pitch side where the manager, coaches and substitutes seats are. The locker room was designed by Arsene Wenger himself for optimal impact. The room is in a horseshoe shape so that Arsene can address the entire team from the front of the horseshoe. The ceiling is acoustically padded so that no sound escapes, meaning he never has to raise his voice unnecessarily. The players sit in the positions they play on the pitch: the goalkeeper sits closest to the shower room, at Wenger's right hand side, with the defenders next to him. In the centre is where the captain sits (a tradition started by Tierre Henry), and to Wenger's left the strikers. The locker room is apparently much larger than Highbury's at Wenger's insistance. It was one of the best moments of the tour when I got to sit in the captain's seat, in front of a replica Fabregas shirt.

It was then off through the tunnel onto the pitch. As I walked up with the tunnel I felt a tremendous sense of excitment, it was exhilerating to think this is where players from every premiership club, not just Arsenal, walk out onto the pitch. I was literally walking in the footsteps of these talented and very famous players. I decided to capture it on video rather than just photograph.

After walking out next to the pitch my imaginati0n and attention immediately was drawn to the manager's seat. Next to sitting at the captain's seat in the locker room this was the joint highlight of the tour for me. I indulged in a little fantasy of pretending I was the manager (as did every other Arsenal fan who took their photo sitting in the chair!). It was really fun just to think how it would feel sitting here during a match watching, observing the game and then getting up onto the side line and giving the players direction and advice. It was a very special moment in what was a very special day.

The last stop on the tour was the media conference room, where Arsene Wenger addresses the press after matches. It was interesting to see where these important post match conferences take place. The room feels like a cinema or a lecture theatre with tierred rows of chairs. If I remember correctly I believe the tour guide said it had the capacity to sit 150 people in. Again I made the most of the obvious photo opportunity and had my picture taken sitting behind the desk. It was a fun way to end the tour, which had been informative and awe-inspiring.

The whole experience left me feeling extremely proud to be an Arsenal supporter, I came away having learnt new things about this most excellent and beloved team as well as a re-invigorated imagination and appreciation for the club. It was a great day out and I hope one day to actually go again to the stadium to see a match and experience the atmosphere of thousands of fellow Arsenal fans.