Resurrection of Arsenal Sports Centre

More about Resurrection of Arsenal Sports Centre

The project is providing opportunities for ordinary citizens to learn and play sports at an indoor facility under the banner of a Premiership football club. This project started in November 2007 when Highbury resident Ian Shacklock catalysed the public desire for a community sports centre at the new Arsenal stadium.

This led to a people’s petition and a series of written and verbal debates in the local press, the council chambers, schools and playing fields and various other community focal points. The project reached a major milestone in September 2008 when Arsenal FC announced plans to integrate such a facility into their redevelopment of Queensland Road (as reported in the Evening Standard, 25-sep-2008) and since then Arsenal FC has been working with the Council and the citizens to agree a schedule of community sports activities.

There are four phases of this project: feasibility, planning, implementation and roll-out. The feasibility phase was driven by the local community, and it reached a satisfactory conclusion when Islington Council granted planning permission for the indoor sports centre in March 2009. The planning and implementation phases are being carried out by the Arsenal in the Community Department at Arsenal FC, which is drawing up schedules of activity. The roll-out phase occurs when other big football clubs adopt this type of project, and there is no reason why this phase cannot overlap with the other phases.