Woolwich Arsenal

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The club faced financial difficulties by 1910, leading businessmen Henry Norris and William Hall to become involved. In 1913, after relegation to the Second Division, the club moved to the Arsenal Stadium in Highbury and was later renamed Arsenal.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere at the Manor Ground was once electric with local pride, as fans gathered on Plumstead Common to watch a team composed entirely of men from the Royal Arsenal munitions complex. In December 1886, David Danskin added three shillings to the collective sixpence contributions to ensure the club's survival, fueling an early era of dominance in county cups like the London Charity Cup and London Senior Cup. Yet, as the years passed, the fog of financial ruin descended. The arrival of more accessible clubs elsewhere in the city drew crowds away from Woolwich, leaving the Manor Ground empty and the balance sheet red. By 1913, the club could no longer sustain its southern existence. In a move that severed decades of local identity, they crossed the river to Highbury, leaving the smokestacks of Woolwich behind forever.

Reader's Guide

Woolwich Arsenal was the first southern club to join the Football League in 1893, starting in the Second Division and reaching the First Division in 1904. The club's early trophies included the Kent Senior Cup and London Charity Cup in 1889–90 and the London Senior Cup in 1890–91.

Did You Know?

• The club was founded as Dial Square, named after a workshop at the Royal Arsenal complex.
• Each founding member contributed sixpence, and David Danskin added three shillings to form the club.
• Woolwich Arsenal's first home was Plumstead Common, though they mostly played at the Manor Ground.
• The club turned professional in 1891, becoming the first London club to do so.