Arsenal Football Club: A Case Study on Power Relations in Stadiums

This case study explores the power relations within Arsenal Football Club, focusing on the implications of stadium relocation and the emergence of new spaces. It examines how the club's activities are controlled through a process of "Arsenalisation" and how materials and virtual spaces are negotiated and resisted. The research employs a qualitative analysis, drawing on the case of Arsenal FC to understand the dynamics of power, space, and supporter relations in the context of new stadium development, while considering the health and safety requirements. The study uses a positivism research philosophy and deductive approach and mixed methods to evaluate the relations between powers and supporters. It also investigates the historical context of the club, including its contributions to the community and the challenges it has faced, such as the Hillsborough disaster, to understand the broader implications of stadium development on the club and its supporters. Desklib provides a platform for students to access this and other solved assignments.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
1

ABSTRACT
In the United Kingdom, the sports especially soccer is considered important while clubs have
experienced a global opportunity to meet the new health and safety requirement. This has
been processed with the stadium relocation which involves the emergence of the new spaces.
The implication of the power relation with respect to the existing studies has limited the change
in building the new stadium. This study reveals the modality of the power and resources in
relations to constant change occurring at new stadium spaces. A case of the Arsenal Football
club which is located in London has been configured in the study. The process of
“Arsenalisation” in the clubs has also taken control over their activities. This study will also
reveal about how the materials and virtual spaces at the Arsenal Football club have been
resisted, negotiated and confirmed with the resources and practices of the stadium.
2

Contents
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................2
RATIONALE.......................................................................................................................................4
AIM...................................................................................................................................................5
OBJECTIVES......................................................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................................................5
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................6
DATA COLLECTION...........................................................................................................................7
TIMESCALES.....................................................................................................................................8
3

RATIONALE
Arsenal Football Club (FC) is the well-renowned and biggest football clubs in the world. It has
been spotted that many people at Arsenal do not know where they all belong preferred to what
they did like to be and presently in what state they are. In short, Arsenal has faced many issues
which have marked them to such a position that they prefer their doing to be most effective
and transfigured their decisions as a powerful decision (Breitbart, 2010). There are other clubs
present in Europe but for Arsenal Football club the story of success is far better than they
eventually fold on with the guaranteed long-term success. The club was formed back in the
year 1886. One of the gestures the club has performed over the years is to provide a gift to one
thousand guineas in the Great Northern Hospital for which the endowment of a new bed was
possible.
The stadium is often considered as the part of the cultural and collective signage within the
landscapes. The club was the first one to push upward the prominence of hiring the people in
order to modernize the elements of the club. There has been ultimate opposition in the path of
the prosperity with two league title. However, this has resulted in the fall of the Arsenal into a
stoop of mediocrity. In the United Kingdom, it has been consequently observed many disasters
regarding the soccer ground. In the year 1989, the Hillsborough soccer ground has tailored the
death of 96 supporters of the place (Edensor and Millington, 2010).
Arsenal main motto is “Forward” which implies looking forward to believe in the growth and
prosperity of the community with comprehensive work. There are different programmes that
have been developed. It can be considered that with the increase in the number of the
organisation dedicated to the project of the Arsenal club, the proposed support have made the
work much possible. The tradition of giving rise to the contribution of the projects which can be
managed by the Arsenal was launched in the year 2012 (Church and Penny, 2013). The Arsenal
Foundation has focused on the giving the help to the young people in order to save the child
and fulfil their potential. This can also direct towards the number of the supporting incidences.
4

The significant new space has emerged that there are different cities which have been
contrasting to the stadium cultures and spaces.
Globalisation to the political and local cultural discourses has been associated with the new
stadium's development. There are chances of co-construction as the fundamental shape and
the characteristic of the new stadium can possibly develop the power perspective. The study
can provide the dynamic progression in the contestation and negotiation of the business
activities along with the distinctive and transformed way of all-seater stadiums to improving the
health and safety conditions. It has been observed that 26 of the 92 professional football league
sides relocated to a new stadium (Edensor and Millington, 2010).
AIM
The aim of the study is to understand the implications for Power relations among the managers
and sports supporters (Taylor, et al. 2015). The importance of the virtual spaces and materials
which can be used by the supporters can be resisted and negotiated with the resources and can
seek control of their activities.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the study are:
 To understand the condition of the all seaters by developing the health and safety of the
stadiums.
 To build new stadiums and increase the revenue with the support of the sport
supporters
 To control the partial response to the emergence of new stadiums
 To understand the power, space, supporters and the stadium implications among the
managers and sport supporters
LITERATURE REVIEW
5

According to Church and Penny (2013), the stadium has collectively and considerably witnessed
contemporary and historical urban landscapes. This can often be linked with the mega sports
events. The significance of the new spaces have emerged and argued with the aspects of the
culture and spaces which can be spotted as the part of giving rise to the stadium in different
cities and development of the sports. The new stadiums are linked with the new institution and
financial arrangements as they involve new and wealthy club owners, increased television
revenues, complex debts arrangements and signifies the spaces for the management and
commodification of the process and post fandom. This can give rise to the construction sector
by building the new stadiums (Church and Penny, 2013). The changes are also a part of the
individualised process which is referred to as post fandom. This can collectively identify with
the activities which are increasing the television coverage and higher tickets prices. The leads to
the new spaces can help in developing new experiences. It can examine that the new Emirates
stadium home to Arsenal football club has highlighted the power relations between the
stadium institutions and supporters of the football. It has been experienced that the
importance of the social theory defining the power and plurality with the numerous approach
to the study (Edensor and Millington, 2010). This can also reveal that hidden and erased facts
about the conceptual and lexical clarity of the discussions of power, buildings and spaces.
The theoretical perspectives of understanding power involve discussions of power and
stadiums. Bale (1993) has enhanced the argument about non-places to argue with a
standardised, concrete bowl stadium and homogenized way of the urban landscapes. It has
been faced by the Arsenal FC that the power and stadium can help in driving profit with the
young working class males in the region. This can also influence to the regulation and
management in the UK.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The research is purely based on the qualitative analysis of the case study of Arsenal Football
club. The significance of the Power, space and the new stadium has been proposed in order to
meet the building the new stadiums in the different locations of the UK (Saunders, 2011).
6

The research onion by Saunders et al (2009) has provided a theoretical way to understand the
study. The research philosophy of the Positivism can be applied to the study. Positivism
generates hypotheses that can help in measuring the widely accepted knowledge of the world
we live in. Arsenal Football club FC creates the body of the research which can be replicated an
emphasis on the quantifiable results (Saunders, 2011).
The deductive approach is applicable it can start with the statement and research can seek the
answer which can be concluded to satisfy aim. The research is based on the case of the Arsenal
Football club and is extensive of the data which can be collected watching the aspects of the
behaviour of setting and participant’s involvement or the cases that have been taken place
(Scheurich, 2014). Mixed methods are applied in order to evaluate the relations between
powers and supporters. The list of the strategies and decision and interview which have been
taken place in the building a new stadium has to be recorded in the study.
DATA COLLECTION
The list of the observation structured and participative action of the people has been recorded
in order to analyse the concepts and argument of the new building of the Arsenal Football Club
(FC). The secondary data collection method is carried out in order to manage development and
examine the role of resources and practice in the stadium in relation to the power (Taylor, et al.
2015). The power modalities emerge the understanding of the authority, negotiation,
manipulation and persuasion to be understood as practices alone.
7

TIMESCALES
ACTIVITIES/
MONTHS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
GENERATION OF
IDEA
INITIATION OF THE
DATA GATHERING
DEFINING OF AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES
LITERATURE
REVIEW
SECONDARY
METHOD
DATA COLLECTION
PRIMARY METHOD
DATA COLLECTION
ETHICAL AND
OTHER ISSUES
LIMITATIONS OF
THE RESEARCH
CONSTRAINTS OF
RESEARCH
PROJECT REVISED
FINAL SUBMISSION
OF THE PROJECT
8

REFERENCES
Bernard, H.R., 2017. Research methods in anthropology: Qualitative and quantitative
approaches. Rowman & Littlefield.
Breitbart, M.M., 2010. Participatory Research Methods 11. Key methods in geography, p.141.
Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015. Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA.
Church, A. and Penny, S., 2013. Power, space and the new stadium: the example of Arsenal
Football Club. Sport in Society, 16(6), pp.819-834.
Edensor, T. and Millington, S., 2010. Going to the match: The transformation of the match-day
routine at Manchester City FC. Stadium worlds: Football, space and the built environment,
pp.146-162.
Saunders, M.N., 2011. Research methods for business students, 5/e. Pearson Education India
Scheurich, J., 2014. Research method in the postmodern. Routledge.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
John Wiley & Sons.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
9