Today, Arsenal’s connection with North London feels almost inseparable from the club itself. Highbury, the Emirates Stadium, Islington and the rivalry with Tottenham have all become fundamental parts of Arsenal’s identity. But none of them were part of the club’s original story.
For more than two decades, Arsenal belonged to Woolwich in south-east London. So why did the club leave? The answer was not tradition, ambition or rivalry. It was survival.
The problem with Woolwich
By the beginning of the 20th century, Woolwich Arsenal had already achieved something remarkable. The club formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal armaments complex had entered the Football League and reached the First Division. But its location was becoming a serious problem.
Woolwich was relatively isolated from the main population centres of London. Transport links were less convenient than those enjoyed by many of the capital’s other clubs, while a large proportion of Arsenal’s traditional support came from workers connected with the local armaments industry. Attendances suffered. And fewer spectators meant less money. By 1910, the financial situation had become serious enough to threaten the club’s future.
Enter Henry Norris
One of the key figures in what happened next was Henry Norris. Norris was already deeply involved in London football through Fulham when he became involved with Woolwich Arsenal during the club’s financial difficulties. Initially, one possibility was particularly radical: combining Arsenal with Fulham. That idea did not happen. Instead, Norris began looking for another way to transform Arsenal’s finances. His conclusion was simple. If supporters were not coming to Arsenal, Arsenal would move closer to the supporters. The club needed a new home.
Looking north
Several possible locations were considered before Arsenal eventually settled on a site at Highbury, in the London Borough of Islington. The location offered something Woolwich could not. It was surrounded by a much larger population and had significantly better transport connections, giving Arsenal access to potentially thousands of new supporters. But there was one major problem. Highbury was in North London. Arsenal were moving into territory already occupied by other clubs. Unsurprisingly, not everyone welcomed the idea. Tottenham Hotspur and other London clubs objected to the relocation, concerned about a new competitor arriving in their area. Their objections failed. Arsenal were going north.
Read: How Arsenal and Tottenham Became North London Rivals
The last season in Woolwich
The timing made the move even more dramatic. At the end of the 1912/13 season, Woolwich Arsenal were relegated from the First Division. They therefore left their original home not as one of England’s leading clubs, but as a struggling Second Division side facing an uncertain future. Then, during the summer of 1913, preparations were made for the new ground at Highbury. The transformation happened remarkably quickly.
September 6, 1913
On 6 September 1913, Arsenal played their first competitive match at their new home. The opponents were Leicester Fosse, the club now known as Leicester City. Arsenal won 2–1. The stadium was still unfinished, but the most important part of Henry Norris’ gamble had worked. Arsenal were now a North London club.
From Woolwich Arsenal to Arsenal
Interestingly, the club did not immediately erase its old identity. At the beginning of the Highbury era, the team was still officially known as Woolwich Arsenal. But the geographical reference increasingly made little sense. The club had left Woolwich behind. The name was eventually shortened, first to The Arsenal, and later simply to Arsenal. The move had changed much more than an address. It changed the club’s identity.
A decision that changed English football
Looking back, moving from Woolwich to Highbury was arguably one of the most important decisions in Arsenal’s history. Without it, the club we know today might have developed very differently or perhaps never developed into one of England’s biggest clubs at all.
Highbury would remain Arsenal’s home for 93 years, from 1913 until the move to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. And the move produced another consequence that nobody in Woolwich could have fully predicted. Arsenal had arrived in North London. The move had secured the club’s future, but the early years at Highbury were far from spectacular. Arsenal were still searching for stability, success and a new identity. The foundations were there.
What Arsenal needed next was someone capable of turning potential into something much bigger. And that man would arrive in 1925. His name was Herbert Chapman. The difficult beginnings were behind them. The best was still to come.
Read next: The Chapman Revolution - The Birth of a Football Power