But while all of this feels like the first, tentative steps into a new and unwelcome world, it is not new, not exactly. Twenty-eight years ago, Arsenal approached exactly the same problem, albeit from a substantially different angle. The answer the club found might provide some inspiration, nearly three decades on, but it also offers something of a warning. One end of the stadium, the North Bank, traditionally home to 15,000 of Arsenal’s most ardent fans, was hidden behind a vast mural, spanning almost the entire breadth of the field. Ibbison drew a pencil sketch, around a meter long, depicting what the new stand might look like: a bloc of 1,500 or so fans wearing Arsenal jerseys and holding scarves aloft.

Source: New York Times June 08, 2020 06:00 UTC