Who Owns Arsenal Football Club?

Arsenal Football Club was founded in 1886 as Dial Square by workers at the Royal Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich, London. The club was renamed Royal Arsenal shortly after and then Woolwich Arsenal before settling on Arsenal in 1914. This founding as a works team for munitions factory workers created a distinctive working-class heritage that would shape the club's identity and connection with its local community throughout its history, establishing a tradition of accessibility and community engagement that continues to define Arsenal's relationship with its supporters.

Throughout the early 20th century, Arsenal established itself as one of England's leading football clubs, winning major trophies and developing a reputation for attractive, attacking football. The club moved from Woolwich to Highbury in 1913 and later to its current home, the Emirates Stadium, in 2006. This geographical and physical evolution of the club's home grounds reflected Arsenal's growing ambition and success, moving from a local works team to a major football institution with world-class facilities capable of hosting the highest levels of international competition.

The most successful period in Arsenal's history came under manager Arsène Wenger from 1996 to 2018, when the club won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including the famous "Invincibles" season of 2003-04 when the team went unbeaten in the league. This unprecedented achievement demonstrated Arsenal's ability to combine technical excellence with tactical innovation, creating a team that would be remembered as one of the greatest in English football history while establishing new standards for consistency and quality in the Premier League era.

The ownership structure changed significantly in the 2000s and 2010s, moving from the traditional family ownership of the Bracewell-Smith and Hill-Wood families to the current structure under Stan Kroenke's control. This transition from traditional family ownership to modern sports business ownership reflected the broader commercialization and globalization of football, with Arsenal adapting to new financial realities while maintaining its distinctive identity and connection to its supporter base.