September 6, 1913: The Arsenal Stadium Opens In Highbury

The stadium's final configuration, 1993-2006.

Note the words "ARSENAL STADIUM" on the East Stand,

even though most people called it "Highbury."

September 6, 1913: The Arsenal Stadium opens, in the Highbury section of North London. In time, the stadium itself will come to be called "Highbury." Woolwich Arsenal, who had played in South-East London since their founding in 1886, had come to North London because it would be easier for fans, and for other teams, to get to. Woolwich Arsenal defeat Leicester Fosse, 2-1, on a penalty kick by Archie Devine, following a late Leicester handball in the box.

Highbury, in its 1913-1932 configuration

At the conclusion of this 1913-14 season, the team's owner, Henry Norris, dropped the locality from the name, and the club officially became "Arsenal Football Club" -- to this day, unofficially called "The Arsenal," capital T, capital A, by many.

Along with Port Vale in Staffordshire, Arsenal are 1 of only 2 clubs in the Football League to not have a locality as part of their name. (Well, technically, "Arsenal" could be, but the club had long since outgrown their "works side" status.) Leicester Fosse would later become Leicester City, and are still in business.

Tottenham Hotspur, or "Spurs," based 4.7 miles away at White Hart Lane, which was then in Middlesex but would be in North London once city boundaries were redrawn, objected to the move, as they did when Chelsea Football Club were established in 1905, all the way across the city in West London. 

, yet again, flip out about a club invading "their territory," even though the new stadium, to be named Arsenal Stadium, but nicknamed "Highbury" after the neighborhood, is 4 1/2 miles away -- roughly as far away from White Hart Lane as Clapton Orient already were.

It should be noted that neither Clapton Orient (also about 4 1/2 miles away from White Hart Lane), nor West Ham United (in East London), nor Chelsea, nor any other London or quasi-London club objected to the Arsenal move. Just Spurs, whose fans, even today, claim, "North London is ours."

It isn't. It took Arsenal until 1930 to win a trophy, but, starting then, in a span of 9 seasons, they won 5 Football League titles -- compared to 2 for Spurs in their entire history -- and 2 FA Cups. This success allowed Arsenal to build a West Stand and an East Stand in that decade, in the Art Deco style.

View from the Clock End, of the 1936-1988 configuration,

with the singled-decked, roofed, all-standing North Bank

They won the League and the Cup in 1971, for their 1st "Double." They did that again in 1998 and 2002. In 1989, which would end up as another title-winning season, they put luxury boxes over their south side, the Clock End. In 1993, to comply with the Taylor Report's demand for all-seater stadiums, they opened a new, double-decked North Bank stand. In 2004, they completed an unbeaten Premier League season.

By that point, realizing that they could not expand Highbury beyond its all-seater capacity of 38,000, they had to build a new stadium. The Emirates Stadium opened half a mile away, and Highbury was closed on May 7, 2006, with a 5-2 win over Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion. The North Bank and the Clock End were demolished, but the East and West Stands were converted into an apartment complex called Highbury Square. Some former Arsenal players bought apartments there.

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September 6, 1913 was a Saturday. In American football, the college season was 2 weeks away. But these baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Washington Senators, 9-1 at American League Park (later Griffith Stadium) in Washington. The Yankees only got 1 hit, by 1st baseman John Knight, off 3 Senator pitchers, none of whom was Walter Johnson.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 2-0 at the Polo Grounds. Ed Reulbach, a veteran of the Chicago Cubs' rivalry with the Giants, pitched a 3-hit shutout.

* The Boston Braves swept a doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1 and 7-2 at the South End Grounds in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-2 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Eddie Collins went 2-for-4.. Tris Speaker went 3-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Honus Wagner went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Cleveland Naps beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-1 at Navin Field in Detroit. Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, the Cleveland team's 2nd baseman, best hitter, manager and namesake, went 0-for-3 with a walk. "Shoeless" Joe Jackson went 1-for-4. Ty Cobb went 0-for-3, but had an RBI on a groundout. The Naps were renamed the Indians in 1915 and the Guardians in 2022. Navin Field was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938 and Tiger Stadium in 1961.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds, 5-3 at the West Side Grounds in Chicago.

* And the St. Louis Browns beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Roy Mitchell pitched a 5-hit shutout, to outpitch Christy Mathewson.