Fans believe Emirates is among England's most iconic grounds

Opened just over seven years ago, it’s become one of the most recognisable grounds in European football. The Emirates Stadium, a 60,000-capacity arena which was built to take the Gunners to the next level, has certainly managed to captivate home and away fans with its beauty and sense of atmosphere, but could it be considered as an iconic venue?

The newer, the better?

Given the ground’s age, the Emirates might need a few years to pass by before it can be viewed by fans and people in the game as being one of the great grounds, but Wembley was revamped at the same time and it receives plenty of acclaim. As modern football grounds go, the Emirates is among the best in Europe, never mind England.



In many ways, the Emirates represents a big upgrade on Highbury. Although the old ground will have a big place in many fans’ hearts, the Emirates has better facilities, more comfortable seating, better transport links and crucially for the club’s moneymen, over 20,000 more seats which has helped to boost revenue.



Future-proof

Although not an iconic ground just yet, it’s one of the main reasons why the club are still able to count themselves as one of Europe’s biggest teams. The extra money generated will help to ensure that we have the means to keep hold of our better players, invest in youth development and make marquee signings such as Mesut Ozil.



With Financial Fair Play being introduced, the pressure on the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City to generate more revenue from smaller grounds may give Arsenal an advantage. Future expansion of the Emirates may be needed, but if it does happen, would it ruin the ground’s look? Time will tell.