LONDON, May 4 - Stand at the top of Highbury hill in north London and,
at a glance, you can see how big money has transformed English soccer.
Down Avenell Road lies Highbury stadium, home of Arsenal for 93 years and one
of the temples of English soccer. Its art deco-style facade, still grand after
all those years, stands guard over rows of terraced houses.
Now look left and the future smacks you in the eye. The Emirates Stadium,
partly funded by a Middle Eastern airline, dominates the skyline -- a gleaming
architectural showpiece which will be home to the Gunners from next season.
For the first time, one of the giants of the English game is moving house,
forced to sacrifice tradition for the increased revenue that a new 60,000-seater
stadium provides.
Arsenal's game against Wigan on Sunday will be their 2,010th and last at
Highbury before it is developed into apartments.
A choir of 38,000 fans will attend the requiem, their emotional attachment to
the stadium almost as strong as their allegiance to the club itself.
"Highbury is a mini-world where all your experiences meld into one and you
can barely distinguish one game from another," says Marc Sands, a season ticket
holder for 19 years.
"It's an ever-present fixture in your life, a place to go which has no
relationship with the rest of your life and where the memories are tied to only
that place."
DIVINITY COLLEGE
Arsenal, formed in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, south
London, moved to Highbury in 1913, settling on the site of the playing fields of
St John's College of Divinity.
They arrived a relegated side with serious financial problems. Within 20
years they were the dominant force in the land, winning five titles in the
1930s.
These successes allowed the ground to be redeveloped. The West Stand was
opened in 1932 and the famous East Stand four years later.