Arsenal F.C.

This article is about the men's football club based in England. For the women's team, see Arsenal W.F.C. For other uses, see Arsenal (disambiguation).

Arsenal
Full nameThe Arsenal Football Club[1]
Nickname(s)The Gunners
Gooners (supporters)
Founded1 December 1886; 137 years ago (1886-12-01), as Dial Square
GroundEmirates Stadium
Capacity60,704
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
Co-chairmenStan and Josh Kroenke
ManagerMikel Arteta
LeaguePremier League
2023–24Premier League, 2nd of 20
Websitearsenal.com
Current season
Departments of Arsenal
Men's Football Women's Football
Men's Academy Women's Academy

The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Holloway, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal have won 13 league titles (including one unbeaten title), a record 14 FA Cups, two League Cups, 17 FA Community Shields, and a Football League Centenary Trophy. In European football, they have one European Cup Winners' Cup and one Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In terms of trophies won, it is the third-most successful club in English football.[2]

Arsenal were the first club from southern England to join the Football League in 1893, and it reached the First Division in 1904. Relegated only once, in 1913, it continues the longest streak in the top division,[3] and has won the second-most top-flight matches in English football history.[4] In the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, it won its first League and FA Cup double. Between 1989 and 2005, they won five league titles and five FA Cups, including two more doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position.[5] Between 1998 and 2017, Arsenal qualified for the UEFA Champions League for an English football record nineteen consecutive seasons.[6] The streak ended in 2017, when Arsenal finished in fifth place, one point away from the fourth spot occupied by Liverpool.[6]

In 1886, munitions workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich founded the club as Dial Square. In 1913, the club crossed the city to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, becoming close neighbours of Tottenham Hotspur, and creating the North London derby. Herbert Chapman won the club its first silverware, and his legacy enabled a trophy-laden period in the 1930s. He helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights, and shirt numbers;[7] he also added the white sleeves and brighter red to the club's jersey.[8] Arsène Wenger is the club's longest-serving manager and has won the most trophies. He won a record seven FA Cups, and his third and final title-winning team set an English record for the longest top-flight unbeaten league run at 49 games between 2003 and 2004, receiving the nickname The Invincibles.

In 2006, the club moved to the nearby Emirates Stadium. With an annual revenue of £367.1m in the 2021–22 season,[9] Arsenal was estimated to be worth US$2.26 billion by Forbes, making it the world's tenth-most valuable football club,[10] while it is one of the most followed on social media.[11] The motto of the club is Victoria Concordia Crescit, Latin for "Victory Through Harmony".

  1. ^ "The Arsenal Football Club". Companies House. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Arsenal FC – history, facts and records". footballhistory.org. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  3. ^ Ross, James; Heneghan, Michael; Orford, Stuart; Culliton, Eoin (25 August 2016). "English Clubs Divisional Movements 1888–2016". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ^ Pietarinen, Heikki (24 August 2017). "England – First Level All-Time Tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  5. ^ Hodgson, Guy (17 December 1999). "Football: How consistency and caution made Arsenal England's greatest". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b Dawson, Alan. "Here's how much money Arsenal has lost after failing to qualify for the Champions League". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Herbert Chapman". National Football Museum. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Arsenal". Historical Football Kits. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Deloitte Football Money League 2023". Deloitte. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  10. ^ "World's most valuable soccer teams". Forbes. 31 May 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Top 10: Europe's Most Popular Football Clubs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok". ISPO. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.