48 Fun Facts About Arsenal

Arsenal were founded in 1886 under what name, taken from a Royal Arsenal workshop in Woolwich?

Dial Square, named after a workshop in the Royal Arsenal, was founded in October 1886 by Scotsman David Danskin and fifteen fellow munitions workers; it became Royal Arsenal within weeks.

Arsenal's first ever match, in December 1886, was a 6-0 win over which side?

The newly formed club beat Eastern Wanderers 6-0 on a rough pitch on the Isle of Dogs on 11 December 1886, its first recorded match.

In 1893 Woolwich Arsenal became the first club from which region to join the Football League?

Woolwich Arsenal joined the Second Division in 1893 as the first Football League club from the south of England; they reached the First Division in 1904.

Which chairman moved Arsenal from Plumstead to Highbury in 1913?

Henry Norris, the Fulham chairman who took over Woolwich Arsenal in 1910, moved the club north of the Thames to Highbury in 1913; 'Woolwich' was dropped from the name in 1914.

Herbert Chapman was lured to Arsenal in 1925 from which club, where he had just won two league titles?

Chapman left Huddersfield Town, champions in 1924 and 1925, for Arsenal in 1925 and became the first manager to win the league with two different clubs.

Which formation did Herbert Chapman implement at Arsenal, one that underpins most modern systems?

Chapman's WM formation (3-2-2-3) pulled the centre-half back as a third defender and withdrew two inside-forwards; Arsenal won five titles with it in the 1930s.

Which London Underground station was renamed 'Arsenal' at Herbert Chapman's urging in 1932?

Gillespie Road on the Piccadilly line became 'Arsenal (Highbury Hill)' in October 1932 after Chapman lobbied London Underground; the suffix was later dropped.

What was Arsenal's first national trophy, won under Chapman in 1930?

The 1930 FA Cup, a 2-0 Wembley win over Chapman's old club, was Arsenal's first major trophy; the league title followed in 1930-31 and the club won three in a row from 1932-33 to 1934-35.

Which architect, designer of many British grounds of the era, originally laid out Arsenal's Highbury stadium?

Archibald Leitch, who also designed stands at Ibrox, Goodison and Craven Cottage, laid out Highbury in 1913 with a single grandstand; Claude Waterlow Ferrier and William Binnie added the Art Deco stands in the 1930s.

Highbury's record attendance of 73,295 was set in March 1935 against which club?

A crowd of 73,295 watched the First Division match against Sunderland on 9 March 1935; by Highbury's closure in 2006 safety rules had cut capacity to 38,419.

The famous 'Marble Halls' of Highbury's East Stand were, strictly speaking, made of what?

The Art Deco facades were listed and preserved when the ground became the Highbury Square flats.

Who scored a hat-trick in the final match at Highbury, against Wigan Athletic on 7 May 2006?

Thierry Henry scored three of Arsenal's four goals against Wigan in Highbury's farewell, a 4-2 win that secured fourth place and Champions League qualification on the last day.

Which physiotherapist became acting Arsenal manager in 1966 and won the 1971 double?

Bertie Mee, the club physiotherapist, was appointed acting manager in 1966 and went on to win the 1970 Fairs Cup and the 1971 League and FA Cup double.

Who scored the extra-time winner in the 1971 FA Cup final that sealed Arsenal's first double?

Charlie George, a local lad from Holloway, struck the extra-time winner in the 111th minute and lay flat on his back in celebration, sealing the 1971 double.

Whose last-minute winner secured a famous 3-2 FA Cup final victory in 1979 over Manchester United?

Alan Sunderland slid in Graham Rix's cross in the 89th minute, moments after United had scored twice in the 'five-minute final'; it was Arsenal's only trophy between 1971 and 1987.

Who scored the last-minute goal at Anfield in May 1989 that won Arsenal the title on the season's final night?

Michael Thomas burst through in injury time to make it 2-0 at Anfield, the two-goal margin Arsenal needed to snatch the title from the hosts on goals scored; Alan Smith had scored the first.

Which manager, a 1971 double winner as a player, returned to Arsenal in 1986 and built the 'famous Back Four'?

George Graham won two league titles as manager, in 1989 and 1991; his 1990-91 champions lost just one league match all season despite a two-point deduction.

In 1993 Arsenal became the first club to do what in a single season?

Both finals were against Sheffield Wednesday.

Alan Smith's left-foot volley won the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup final against which Italian side?

Alan Smith's volley beat Parma 1-0 in Copenhagen in May 1994; a year later Arsenal lost the final to Real Zaragoza to Nayim's last-second lob over David Seaman.

Ian Wright arrived from Crystal Palace in September 1991 for a then club-record fee of how much?

He was the club's top scorer for six seasons running and broke Cliff Bastin's record with a hat-trick against Bolton in 1997.

Which manager did Arsenal appoint from Nagoya Grampus Eight in October 1996?

Arsène Wenger, then little known in England, came from Nagoya Grampus Eight and stayed until 2018, winning three league titles and seven FA Cups.

The 1998 Premier League and FA Cup double had never before been achieved by whom?

The Frenchman in charge became the first foreign manager to win an English double, clinching the title with a 4-0 win over Everton before beating Newcastle 2-0 in the Cup final.

Arsenal's unbeaten league run of 2003-04 lasted how many matches?

The run reached 49 league games, from a 6-1 win over Southampton in May 2003 until a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on 24 October 2004.

How did Arsenal win the 2005 FA Cup final, the last match of Patrick Vieira's Arsenal career?

After a goalless 120 minutes in Cardiff, Arsenal beat Manchester United 5-4 on penalties, the first FA Cup final decided by a shootout; Vieira scored the winner with his last kick for the club.

Which Arsenal goalkeeper was sent off early in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris?

Jens Lehmann was sent off in the 18th minute for bringing down Samuel Eto'o; ten-man Arsenal led through Sol Campbell's header before losing 2-1 at the Stade de France.

How many years had Arsenal spent at Highbury when they moved to the Emirates Stadium in July 2006?

Arsenal played at Highbury for 93 years, from September 1913 to May 2006, before moving to the new stadium at Ashburton Grove, built for about £390 million.

Whose testimonial against Ajax on 22 July 2006 was the first match played at the Emirates Stadium?

Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial, Arsenal 2-1 Ajax on 22 July 2006, opened the Emirates; a statue of the Dutchman was unveiled outside the ground in 2014.

Arsenal came from 2-0 down to beat which club 3-2 in the 2014 FA Cup final?

Hull City led 2-0 inside eight minutes through James Chester and Curtis Davies; Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey's extra-time winner turned it round, ending a nine-year trophy drought.

On which date did Arsenal appoint former captain Mikel Arteta as head coach?

Arsenal named Mikel Arteta head coach on 20 December 2019, days after he left his post as Manchester City's assistant; he won the FA Cup in August 2020, his first half-season.

Arsenal's record-extending 14th FA Cup came in 2020 with a 2-1 win over which club?

Aubameyang's penalty and a delicate chip beat Chelsea 2-1 at an empty Wembley on 1 August 2020, after Christian Pulisic had put Chelsea ahead.

Arsenal first wore white sleeves in a 1933 match against which club?

Chapman's red shirts with white sleeves debuted against Liverpool at Highbury on 4 March 1933; the club briefly went all-red in 1965-67.

What is the English translation of Arsenal's Latin motto 'Victoria Concordia Crescit'?

Victoria Concordia Crescit, 'Victory comes from harmony', was coined by programme editor Harry Homer in 1947 and added to the crest in 1949.

Arsenal's rivalry with which club, created by the 1913 move north, is known as the North London derby?

Tottenham Hotspur became the local enemy when Arsenal moved to Highbury, four miles from White Hart Lane, in 1913; the bad blood deepened with the disputed 1919 First Division election.

Arsenal won the 1919 First Division vote 18 to how many for their north London rivals?

The League voted Arsenal into the expanded First Division by 18 votes to 8 over the north London club that had finished bottom in 1915; Barnsley got 5 and Wolves 4.

Which Arsenal centre-forward scored all seven in a 7-1 win at Aston Villa in 1935?

Ted Drake, signed from Southampton in 1934, scored all seven goals at Villa Park on 14 December 1935 as Arsenal won 7-1 in the First Division.

Arsenal Ladies were formed in 1987 by Vic Akers, who held what job with the men's team?

Vic Akers, the men's team kit man, founded Arsenal Ladies in 1987 and managed them to the 2007 UEFA Women's Cup; the club rebranded as Arsenal Women in 2017.

Arsenal Women won their second UEFA Women's Champions League in May 2025 by beating which club 1-0?

Stina Blackstenius's second-half goal in Lisbon on 24 May 2025 beat holders Barcelona 1-0; Arsenal's first European title had come in 2007.

Arsenal's all-time record scorer joined in 1999 for around £11 million from which club?

The club's record scorer arrived from Juventus in August 1999 for about £11 million after an unhappy spell in Turin, was moved from the wing to centre-forward and won four Golden Boots.

Arsenal claimed a 'record-equalling third Double' in which season?

The 2001-02 double, Arsenal's third after 1971 and 1998, equalled Manchester United's record of three; the title was sealed with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Which former club trainer managed Arsenal to the league titles of 1948 and 1953?

Tom Whittaker, the former trainer who succeeded George Allison in 1947, won the league in 1947-48 and 1952-53 and the FA Cup in 1950.

By what nickname are Arsenal's supporters known?

Gooners is a play on the club's nickname, the Gunners, itself a nod to the Royal Arsenal munitions works in Woolwich where the club was founded in 1886.

Which American sports tycoon took full ownership of Arsenal in 2018?

Stan Kroenke, owner of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and LA Rams, first bought Arsenal shares in 2007, took majority control in 2011 and bought out Alisher Usmanov in 2018.

Who became Arsenal's first-ever 'head coach' when appointed in May 2018?

Unai Emery, previously at Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and Valencia, was appointed on 23 May 2018 with the new title of head coach, the first change of manager in 22 years.

Arsenal wear red in recognition of an 1886 charitable donation from which club?

Founders Fred Beardsley and Morris Bates had played for Nottingham Forest, who sent a set of dark red shirts and a ball; Chapman later lightened the red and added white sleeves.

In The Full Monty, the strippers co-ordinate by mimicking which Arsenal tactic?

In the 1997 film, Gaz's crew finally move in step by imagining the Arsenal offside trap, the club's late-1980s back four stepping up in unison with arms raised.

Who holds Arsenal's appearance record with 722 first-team matches between 1975 and 1993?

David O'Leary made 722 first-team appearances between 1975 and 1993, a club record; fellow centre-half Tony Adams is second with 669 and David Seaman's 564 is the goalkeeping record.

Which ex-player became Arsenal's youngest-ever manager, aged 34, in 1976?

Terry Neill, a former Arsenal captain, took over aged 34 in July 1976, signed Malcolm Macdonald and Pat Jennings, and reached three straight FA Cup finals from 1978 to 1980.

Arsenal's 1927 home game against which club was the first League match broadcast live on radio?

The BBC's first live League commentary came from Highbury on 22 January 1927, Arsenal 1-1 Sheffield United; in 1937 Highbury's nearness to the Alexandra Palace transmitter made an Arsenal practice match the first televised football.