Next Emirates statue; our idea continues

By Tony Attwood

If you are a regular reader you will know that the Arsenal History Society has managed to influence Arsenal FC occasionally.  The two biggest such influences being the Arsenal Uncovered series that we provided for the club programme last season, to mark 125 years of Arsenal’s history, and the Arsenal statues.

The statues idea was presented at a meeting of three AISA committee members with Ivan Gazidis where I was invited to put forward some ideas about how Arsenal could commemorate its past, and make use of the space around the ground.

My idea was simple: statues – lots of them.  And I began with suggesting Chapman, since regular supporters could no longer see the bust of Chapman which was housed in the entrance to Highbury (it is now in the Directors’ entrance at the Emirates).

As you will know the club took the idea and in fact put up three statues at once – Chapman, Henry and Adams.

The news that there was to be another has been kept under wraps for some time but the story began to circulate on Twitter a couple of days ago, and it is now in the press too – it is Dennis Bergkamp.  Arsenal were looking to keep this quiet as before (you may recall that no one knew until the last moment who the statues were of).

So, our idea continues, and I must say I am really pleased it has done so.

And that is not all.  Arsenal History Society continues to pitch ideas to Arsenal, and I have to say I find Arsenal very accommodating.  Of course they don’t accept all our ideas, but they do take on some of them, and I am hopeful we might be able to announce another initiative that has been accepted quite soon.

But for today – even though it is some time before Dennis will be officially unveiled, let’s be happy that this idea for statues is continuing.