Unai Emery’s side, who finished fifth in the Premier League this season, have swept to the final of the competition with little fuss. There was a scare when they lost 3-1 away against Rennes, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired them to a 3-0 victory at the Emirates, while they have won their subsequent four matches in the competition, beating both Napoli and Valencia home and away.
The Emirates side’s route to the final has not been easy and, as such, any silverware at the end would be worth celebrating.
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Islington Council has confirmed that there are plans to hold a victory parade for Arsenal on the evening of Thursday, May 30 should they overcome their London rivals in Azerbaijan in midweek.
It would give fans the opportunity to celebrate with the team, which is particularly pertinent as nearly half the club’s ticket allocation was reportedly sent back to UEFA, with travel difficulties and expense just too much of a barrier for most fans to overcome ahead of the trip east.
Indeed, the Daily Mail has reported that Arsenal started planning their victory parade as far back as March, prior to their loss in Rennes.
An email dated March 6 released under the Freedom of Information act was sent from Arsenal to Islington Council and read: “Whilst there is still a long way to go and much to plan, in principle, could you support an event?”
“Arsenal are doing some early planning and have asked whether we would be supportive of a parade IF they won...” an internal email from Islington Council reads.
It was confirmed on March 7 that the Council would support any plans for a parade in the event the Gunners win.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a Gunners spokesperson confirmed: “We are all excited to be in the UEFA Europa League final and obviously have to make all the necessary preparations to celebrate with our fans should we lift the trophy. This includes contingency planning with Islington Council around possible road closures and safety arrangements.”
Arsenal’s victory parade route
If the Gunners are victorious, they will travel around their local area on two open top buses, with the parade expected to start around 7pm at where Drayton Park meets Martineau Road. The buses will then travel along Martineau Road, Highbury Hill, Highbury Park, Blackstock Road, Gillespie Road, Avenell Road, Aubert Park, Drayton Park and back to Emirates Stadium.
It is expected that the buses will return to the Emirates around 7:45pm, with the players set to appear on the podium above The Armoury Megastore on Hornsey Road.
The celebrations will end around 8:45pm.
Parking restrictions will come into place in the local area from 10am, with all cars to have been cleared from the parade route. Bike hangars must also be cleared by that time.
Furthermore, match day parking restrictions will apply to roads outside of the parade route.