Across the Premier League and throughout English football, stadium builds and expansions are taking place.
Chelsea and Arsenal, who earned £87m and £154m respectively through the turnstiles last season, are among the clubs who want to make more money on matchdays.
Arsenal are exploring the possibility of expanding the Emirates Stadium, potentially to accommodate as many as 80,000 fans. Chelsea’s ownership meanwhile is split between expanding Stamford Bridge or moving to a new site entirely.
Both clubs’ sporting departments want to generate sufficient revenues to outspend their rivals in the transfer and wage markets. And both teams have American owners who want their businesses to be consistently profitable, which is a remote prospect at present.
But stadium builds and rebuilds are monumentally expensive and complex. Often, government support is needed, as well as private finance.
And the latest update from Sadiq Khan’s office shows how seriously the London mayor is taking the economic opportunities created by huge capital expenditure projects like stadium development.
Premier League and Sadiq Khan partner for first-of-its-kind initiative
Today, the Premier League and Khan’s office announced a new £1.2m partnership to train and support London’s football stewards.
The aim, they say, is to “raise standards and create new career pathways.”
In total, the partnership is worth £1.2m and will see the two institutions launch a jointly-funded Stewarding Academy.
5,000 stewards currently work in London across sport and entertainment venues, with about 1,500 new stewards needed every year to keep up with demand.
Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Tottenham, will benefit from the programme.
With larger capacities on the horizon for the Gunners and the Blues, they in particular will need access to more staff, so the news will surely be welcomed by both clubs.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
