Highbury or Emirates?

This story first appeared in the August edition of the Arsenal Magazine.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ARSENAL MAGAZINE

 ALUN FRANCIS

Disability Liaison Officer
Arsenal Football Club

Highbury was a very special place for all supporters –wheelchair users, ambulant disabled and blind and visually impaired fans included – but Emirates Stadium is in a different league to our old home in terms of how those supporters can enjoy watching the Gunners.

Now I don’t want to sound like I’m knocking Highbury, I worked for Arsenal back then and the Club did everything it could to make the experience as good as possible for the supporters I represent, but moving to a bespoke new stadium gave us the opportunity to create an experience which is one of the best in the world for supporters.

Looking at the numbers, at Highbury there were 100 places for wheelchair users and ambulant disabled. At Emirates there are 240 wheelchair spaces and around 120 places for the ambulant. Similarly we could cater for 25 blind and visually impaired fans at Highbury in terms of seating and dedicated match commentary. At Emirates we have 78 places – which we can actually increase if needs be.

 But it’s not just the numbers, at Highbury all the disabled supporters sat on a platform in their own dedicated section in front of the East Stand, but at Emirates we are able to integrate supporters across the whole stadium. We have platforms dotted around the upper and lower tiers and on Club Level, so supporters can really feel part of a certain area and sit close to able-bodied friends too.

There are other considerations too. Disabled, supporters need to be able to park close to venues and we have 102 parking bays in the stadium on matchday – there was only street parking at Highbury. And all the positions at Emirates are covered from the elements, which wasn’t the case at Highbury. It’s the same with the blind and VI fans, they were all in the North Bank at Highbury but at Emirates they too can sit where they like because of the higher quality of the commentary. In fact at Emirates, technology has moved on so much that they even get their own podcast of the matchday programme – for free!

We have continued to improve Emirates too. Shortly after the stadium was opened, we realised the wheelchair platforms needed to be higher as when fans celebrated in front of the platforms, our disabled supporters couldn’t see – so we elevated them further. We now have a specially designed Changing Places toilet too, which is for severely disabled supporters, and is a progression from a standard wheelchair accessible toilet, where those supporters can shower and change. And while we are on toilets, Emirates Stadium was the first football venue to have a guide dog toilet too!

Finally, though it wasn’t ideal to have all disabled fans in one dedicated area at Highbury, it did engender a real sense of community, and we lost a little of that when we moved. However, we now have our own disabled supporters’ lounge at Emiratesand regular social evenings too to help foster the good relations in the group.

TOM WATT
Arsenal-supporting journalist, actor and broadcaster

I don’t like to knock the Emirates really, because I think all that’s missing there is winning trophies.

But I grew up near Highbury, just off Caledonian Road, and I think I could still find Highbury with my eyes shut if I walked from my old house. My first visit was in the 1966 season. I don’t really remember the game as such but I do remember standing on the Clock End with my dad. Watching football on a standing terrace is something that still sticks with me now. I was about 10 or 11 and there were an awful lot of grown ups, an awful lot of old geezers smoking and drinking Bovril. I had never been in a crowd like that in any other situation and that’s what really hit me. It was a bit weird and scary for a bit but I liked it and soon got addicted to it.

 One of my strongest memories of going to Arsenal as a kid was standing at the top of the hill by the flats on Avenell Road, looking down and seeing the street packed with people. That view never failed to do it for me.

In one way or another, Highbury became my back garden. I went for about 40 years and when I was a kid, I’d watch the reserves play there too. I got involved with Arsenal in the Community, got to know people at the club and made friends with them - everybody from David Dein through to the players and people like Paddy Gilligan and Vic Akers. Highbury became somewhere that was really familiar to me and that’s why I say it was like a back garden. It was a place that was with me for 40 years.

I understood the reasons for moving to the Emirates but that ground is bound up with so many incredible memories for me - and they aren’t just football-related. I had some great times there with my dad and with friends too. It was a big part of my life.
I’ve got two standout memories of Highbury. The first one is the 1970 Fairs Cup final second leg against Anderlecht. I mentioned the view at the top of Avenell Road – the street was rammed that day. Even for European Cup finals, it was first come, first served. I was right in the middle of the Clock End when Eddie Kelly scored that first goal and on the pitch that night, it was unbelievable.

Then there was 2006. I was asked to MC the closing celebrations for Highbury after the Wigan game. It was a privilege that you just can’t really imagine. The fact that the one person asked to do that was me… I can’t tell you how proud that made me. It was another St Totteringham’s Day, the club organised it so well and we had another European Cup final to look forward to. It was just a brilliant place to watch football at.