Arsenal has announced that the contents of Highbury will be sold at a spectacular auction when the Club moves to Emirates Stadium next summer.

The Gunners have hired auctioneers Bache Treharne to facilitate the ‘Highbury Auction’ and the London-based company has already started compiling an extensive inventory, which they estimate could include over 5,000 potential lots for the sale.

The auction is likely to take place over a three-day period at Highbury next summer, with the North Bank Stand earmarked to host thousands of potential buyers during the event.

Arsenal supporters and football memorabilia collectors from all around the world will have the opportunity to purchase bespoke items from the famous old stadium, the Gunners’ home since 1913, by either visiting the auction in person, or by logging on to a live webcast of the event.

As the East and West Stands are listed by English Heritage, some items will be retained at Highbury and some recreated in Emirates Stadium. However, although the specific lots for the auction sale have not been confirmed yet, the Highbury Auction will contain thousands of truly historic items from the stadium.

To mark the launch of the ‘Highbury Auction’, the Club has created a website devoted to this exciting project - www.highburyauction.com, which will be hosting an online auction of 35 limited edition Highbury Heritage Box-Sets between 17th October and 23rd October 2005. Details of these box-sets can be seen below.

Commenting on the announcement of the Highbury Auction, Arsenal Managing Director Keith Edelman said:

“The Highbury Auction promises to be a fantastic event next summer which will enable many supporters to own a piece of our grand old stadium as a keepsake.

The redevelopment of Highbury into residential apartments will commence shortly after we move to Emirates Stadium next August, but we felt it appropriate to give people the opportunity buy certain historic elements of the stadium before the start of demolition.

We expect demand to be huge for the auction and we strongly urge people interested in attending the event and other auction activities throughout the course of the year to visit www.highburyauction.com and register their details.

The auction will contain literally thousands of items and we will be donating a substantial amount of the proceeds to charities close to the Club, including our Charity of the Season – The David Rocastle Trust.”

Senior Partner of Bache Treharne, Peter Bache said:

“We are delighted to be organising the Highbury Auction with Arsenal Football Club. This auction will create huge worldwide interest not only from Arsenal supporters but football memorabilia collectors and various areas of industry, who will benefit from the sale of particular working parts of the stadium.

The opportunity to acquire a part of this fantastic old stadium is something which will definitely appeal to so many people and we are very excited about working on this project.” To raise funds and awareness for The David Rocastle Trust the Club will be embarking upon many initiatives including a dedicated matchday to the ex-Arsenal and England player, the matchday programme’s noticeboard donations will be channelled to the Trust and players will lend their personal support to the charity through fund and awareness raising exercises, vital to a new charity. Funds raised from other specific lots during the various Highbury Auctions will be donated to the Trust.

For information on The David Rocastle Trust, please visit www.davidrocastletrust.org