Arsenal is set for some early Christmas cheer as the Emirates Stadium opens its doors to fans today.
As the second national lockdown ends and London enters Tier 2, the 60,000 seater stadium will see 2,000 supporters flock to watch Arsenal play Rapid Vienna under social distancing restrictions.
Fans and local businesses welcomed the club’s re-opening. Samir Singh, from the club’s young people’s group Arsenal In The Community, called it a strange but exciting moment. The club is a “big part of Islington” and gives people a “sense of belonging”, he said.
Akhil Vyas, a board member on the Arsenal Supporters Trust, called it a “good start” as Arsenal are “desperate to get fans back”. However, Vyas said, the club will make a loss from the game as the stadium will be at only 3% capacity. He predicts large crowds won’t descend on the Emirates until February at the earliest.
Local business owner Andrew Nightingale, from the Highbury Library, said this was “light at the end of the tunnel”, but also recognised a full return to normal was a long way off.
To ensure fans’ safety, the stadium will open two hours before kickoff. Temperature checks, one-way systems and mask-wearing will be required, apart from when seated. Even if supporters are from the same household, they must sit two seats apart.
It’s going to be a “dead game,” said Vyas. Arsenal has already qualified for the Europa League and, with little chanting, the atmosphere will be like smaller youth fixtures. Greater anticipation is being placed on the North London derby with Spurs on Sunday, hosted at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
