Welcome to Goal! In this series, there is one geocache hidden at the stadiums of the Top 20 football clubs in the history of the Premier League (as of the end of 2020). To find the eventual bonus cache, you will have to take note of the bonus numbers on the logbook. Good luck!
Once you found the cache at the posted co-ordinates you have the chance to have a look at Arsenal’s old and new stadiums.
Head north along Highbury Hill and you will soon come to Highbury, the club's home from September 1913 until May 2006. The original stadium was designed by the renowned football architect Archibald Leitch, and had a design common to many football grounds in the UK at the time, with a single covered stand and three open-air banks of terracing. The entire stadium was given a massive overhaul in the 1930s: new Art Deco West and East stands were constructed, opening in 1932 and 1936 respectively, and a roof was added to the North Bank terrace, which was bombed during the Second World War and not restored until 1954.
Expansion of Highbury was restricted because the East Stand had been designated as a Grade II listed building and the other three stands were close to residential properties. These limitations prevented the club from maximising matchday revenue during the 1990s and first decade of the 21st century, putting them in danger of being left behind in the football boom of that time so the decision was made to build a new stadium nearby.
The stadium was converted to housing with gardens where the pitch once was. You can still see the old East Stand and if you’re lucky the access point to the gardens might be open.
Look down the hill from the posted co-ordinates and you will see Arsenal’s new 60,000 capacity stadium at Ashburton Grove, about 500 metres south-west of Highbury. The project was initially delayed by red tape and rising costs, but construction was completed in July 2006, in time for the start of the 2006–07 season. Some fans referred to the ground as Ashburton Grove, or the Grove, as they did not agree with corporate sponsorship of stadium names.