Top of the league in every sense - Gunners rake in £3.1m every home game

Arsenal today revealed their status as Britain's richest football club following figures released this morning which show their move to Emirates Stadium helped increase turnover to more than £200million.

The report - for the year ending May 31, 2007 - also revealed group operating profits up by an astonishing 274 per cent, to £51.2 million.

These well exceed the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea - whose respective turnover for the same period was £167.8m and £152.8m.

Today's announcement also rockets Arsenal into the same financial league as Real Madrid, whose turnover was £202m for the 2005-06 season.

Arsenal's move to their new 60,000-seater home at Ashburton Grove from Highbury has proved more than a financially sound decision, with the long-term debt related to the move having also been refinanced into bonds which provide "a significant reduction" in annual service costs.

The club generated match day revenues of £90.6m in their first season, representing some £3.1m-per-game - which was more than double that of Highbury.

Meanwhile, some 91 per cent of the units at "The Stadium - Highbury Square" redevelopment are already pre-sold, with final completion sales expected to comfortably exceed £300m.

Arsenal - currently top of the Barclays Premier League - saw their cash balances up to £73.9m, from £35.6m in 2006.

The figures are "before player trading and depreciation", and as such do not take into account the £16million sale of Thierry Henry to Barcelona during the summer or other recent transfer dealings as manager Arsene Wenger reshaped his squad.

They would also more than back-up the stance of the current board that the club does not need a wealthy backer to compete with the best.

Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov increased his shareholding in the club last week via Red and White Holdings Limited to around 21%, which makes the investment company Arsenal's second-largest shareholder behind director Danny Fiszman. Meanwhile, American billionaire Stan Kroenke remains another significant investor, with a stake of just over 12 per cent.

Commenting on the figures, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said: "The best way that Arsenal can continue to deliver success is by maintaining a business that pays its own way.

"This philosophy helped establish our objectives for the club's move away from Highbury and Emirates Stadium now provides Arsenal with the increased income, profitability, cash generation and firm financial foundations from which we will continue to build trophy winning Arsenal teams for many years to come."

Hill-Wood added: "We have always pursued, and intend to continue with, a policy of re-investing profits and surplus cash into team development.

"Emirates Stadium now provides the club with the firm financial foundations from which we will continue to build trophy winning Arsenal teams for many years to come."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=483524&in_page_id=1779

ME I HAVE NO COMMENTS

we gon' kil em dis season

Na who una go kill?

For starters we go kill Chelsea, then Man U n who else,

@lakeside
replace chelsea wiv liverpool,theyre already DEAD

@ritchboi
You can say that again

CHELSEA is dead and buried by UNITED though am a GUNNER TILL I DIE

Richest club. Bravo. Real Madrid,Manchester, Barcelona et al have plenty trophies to show for being rich. I hope you guyz will translate the richies to trophies. Of what use is money in futbol if trophies cannot be won? food for thought.

@ tkb u r askin for trophies?


Check out this feats,


http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=the+club&article=344299&lid=History&Title=Club+Honours

we have won in europe b4 and likewise in the league, what we have equally won the league and all other cups in the league too. its just left to us to win more. THIS is our history

League Champions (13)
2004, 2002, 1998, 1991, 1989, 1971, 1953, 1948, 1938, 1935, 1934, 1933, 1931

European Fairs Cup Winners
1970 Beat Anderlecht 4-3 on aggregate

European Cup Winners Cup Winners
1994 Beat Parma 1-0

FA Cup Winners (10)
2005 Beat Manchester Utd 5-4 on penalties (after 0-0 draw)
2003 Beat Southampton 1-0
2002 Beat Chelsea 2-0
1998 Beat Newcastle United 2-0
1993 Beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1
1979 Beat Manchester United 3-2
1971 Beat Liverpool 2-1
1950 Beat Liverpool 2-0
1936 Beat Sheffield United 1-0
1930 Beat Huddersfield Town 2-0

League Cup Winners (2)
1993 Beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1
1987 Beat Liverpool 2-1

Charity/Community Shield Winners (11+1 shared)
2004 Beat Manchester United 3-1
2002 Beat Liverpool 1-0
1999 Beat Manchester United 2-1
1998 Beat Manchester United 3-0
1991 Drew with Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 (shared)
1953 Beat Blackpool 3-1
1948 Beat Manchester United 4-3
1938 Beat Preston North End 2-1
1934 Beat Manchester City 4-0
1933 Beat Everton 3-0
1931 Beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0
1930 Beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1

We have history lol.The Champions league is coming soon

We have history lol.The Champions league is coming soon

u sef dey laugh.
Ill copy and paste Villa and Nottigham forests achievements very soon.
Watch out. 

League Champions (13)
2004, 2002, 1998, 1991, 1989, 1971, 1953, 1948, 1938, 1935, 1934, 1933, 1931

8 out of these trophies were in the Noah days. Na wa oooo.
I'm sure you don't want me to put ours here.

Just Kidding anyway. Arsenal is a big side anytime anyday. But, its just that we are your senior

@tkb
As we get senior una sef get senior you guys have won the league 17 times abi? no problem we are not that far away from yall

Just for some months.

it just comes to having a board of totally unselfish directors

arsenal is an evergreen team. how would you not support the best team in the world in all aspects of football: style, flair, young and good looking players, proffesor as a coach and a team with the great,

[center]breaking news[/center]

ARSENAL TOP GOALKEEPER LEHMANN IS BACK

think he'll find it difficult to take his place back,

Thats for sure

Are Gooners financial illiterates or what? When their result first came out,they failed to take into consideration,the fact that others haven't announced theirs!

What is it about Gooners and prematurely celebrating events?

[url]http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2236711,00.html[/url]
Manchester United are on the verge of announcing a significant increase in annual turnover, with the total figure believed to be close to £245m.

A season that saw United regain the Premier League title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League has contributed to the latest surge in revenue, which completes a £70m increase the last five years.

Four months ago Arsenal reported a turnover of £201m, in the process claiming to have become Britain's richest club. United's announcement reveals the depth of the club's irritation: for the first time its shirt sponsorship deal with Nike has been factored into the equation. As a result United are once again the unquestioned No1 in the Premier League rich list, and have hurdled back into second place behind Real Madrid in the global rankings.

I-man:

Are Gooners financial illiterates or what? When their result first came out,they failed to take into consideration,the fact that others haven't announced theirs!

What is it about Gooners and prematurely celebrating events?

Is that new to you?

I-man
Uve bin posting d same shitt all over d forum.U even had to revive a dead thread to spew ur gibberish.How pathetic.

I-man
Uve bin posting d same shitt all over d forum.U even had to revive a dead thread to spew ur gibberish.How pathetic.

@I-man
the thread should be deleted

how many times will u post this all over the forum? u r entitled to ur opinion

I-man:

Are Gooners financial illiterates or what? When their result first came out,they failed to take into consideration,the fact that others haven't announced theirs!

What is it about Gooners and prematurely celebrating events?

[url]http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2236711,00.html[/url]
Manchester United are on the verge of announcing a significant increase in annual turnover, with the total figure believed to be close to £245m.

A season that saw United regain the Premier League title and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League has contributed to the latest surge in revenue, which completes a £70m increase the last five years.

Four months ago Arsenal reported a turnover of £201m, in the process claiming to have become Britain's richest club. United's announcement reveals the depth of the club's irritation: for the first time its shirt sponsorship deal with Nike has been factored into the equation. As a result United are once again the unquestioned No1 in the Premier League rich list, and have hurdled back into second place behind Real Madrid in the global rankings.