Stefan Borson: This is how much extra Arsenal could earn after stadium plans revealed
Arsenal are the latest Premier League side looking to expand their stadium in a bid to boost their matchday revenue.
Speculation around Arsenal’s stadium plans has been ongoing for several months as they consider their options for the development.
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness previously told Football Insider Arsenal were looking to add a third tier at the Emirates Stadium in a similar design to Barcelona’s Nou Camp.
The Telegraph reported on 7 October Mikel Arteta’s side are planning a major expansion that could force them to temporarily play their home matches at Wembley.
The newspaper said detailed work has gone into a potential overhaul of the Emirates, taking its capacity from 60,700 to beyond 70,000, ensuring Arsenal once again have the largest club stadium in London.
Arsenal could get extra £10m+ after stadium update
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Arsenal could earn up to £13.5million extra a season from their stadium plans.
However, it is understood the Gunners would have to pay hundreds of millions to complete the development.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about how much Arsenal could earn, Borson said: “It could be significant. It depends very much on the type of seat that you’re bringing in and where they are. Clearly, if you’re putting in 10,000 new seats in some top tier corner without hospitality packages around it, then we know what those seats are going to be worth.
“I don’t know what the average price is at Arsenal these days for that seat, but let’s say it’s £50-70, 10,000 seats, 20 games a season.
“It’s not insignificant money, but it’s not straightforward to stick these additional tiers on the stadium.”
Man City are spending around £300m on their stadium development, where they are adding a new third tier on top of the Etihad’s North Stand to take the facility’s capacity to more than 60,000.
Arsenal want to match Premier League rivals
Arsenal are now working out the practicalities of their stadium project as Borson has speculated around how much money it could earn the club.
“I’m sure they’re trying to do it because this is what every club wants to do right now, as we know,” said Borson.
“But ultimately, £50 times 20 games for 10,000 seats is £10million. That’s your headline revenue from the 10,000 seats.
“Maybe 20 is unfair if you’ve got some Champions League, so let’s make it 27. That’s £13.5m gross from 10,000 seats at £50 each. These are not game-changing numbers. That’s £13m top line revenue.
“You’ve got some cost there as well because it’s not free to add 10,000 seats, not just to build it but also to handle the 10,000 additional fans, so I’m sceptical.”
Arsenal generated the third-highest revenue in the Premier League in their latest published accounts for 2023-24, with their turnover surging from £467m in 2022-23 to £617m.
Meanwhile, their matchday income at the Emirates increased from £103m to £132m across the same period.
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