An Arsenal in the Community sports centre will open in 2015 next to Emirates Stadium.
The Arsenal Sports Centre, which is currently under construction on Queensland Road, will provide over 50 hours of community access for 1,500 people each week.
Arsenal in the Community will deliver a range of programmes from the new centre that embrace the needs of the local community including sports activities, education, employment and training courses.
The facility will centre around a 50m by 18m 4G astroturf indoor pitch, which will be used for football, bowls and table tennis. There will be a café area, classrooms and office space to house the Arsenal in the Community team.
Inspired by the hugely popular ‘JVC’ sports centre that existed within Highbury Stadium, the centre represents the final phase of the Emirates Stadium regeneration project.
The club’s move to Emirates Stadium has also seen the construction of a £60 million state-of-the-art recycling centre and 2,500 new homes - of which 40 per cent are classed as affordable - improvements to the local transport network and the re-development of 13 pitches across Islington, Camden and Hackney.
Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez recently visited the under construction sports centre with members of the Arsenal in the Community team and was impressed with what he saw.
“It’s brilliant to have a centre like this so close to the stadium that local kids will be able to use after school and at the weekends,” the goalkeeper said. “It looks like it will be a fantastic centre with a great pitch. I am looking forward to seeing it complete.”
Arsenal in the Community manager Freddie Hudson added: “We’re delighted that Arsenal will once again have a community hub where local people can come to play sports, receive training and gain qualifications.
“The years since our move to Emirates Stadium have seen us reach out across Islington to establish a range of new initiatives and partners. To be able to combine the network we have built across the borough with a new permanent home for our community work will be a very powerful thing.”
The opening of the new sports centre will coincide with the 30th anniversary of Arsenal in the Community, who have been delivering meaningful community projects in Islington since 1985.
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