18 May 1910: Arsenal allowed to continue despite debts

On this day, Woolwich Arsenal, on the edge of going out of business, met the Football League to indicate to the League if they were able to continue playing matches.

Henry Norris had offered first to buy Woolwich Arsenal and pay off the creditors creating a new club Fulham Arsenal, which could play at Craven Cottage.  The League indicated that it had no control over where a club played – it just wanted to be assured that the club would be able to fulfil its obligations.

But it also indicated that it was for the League to decide which division a club played in, and it was not a given that Fulham Arsenal would take Arsenal’s place in the first division.

In the light of this, Henry Norris then agreed to fund Woolwich Arsenal at Plumstead for one more season, the League accepted his assurances and so the club continued.

In fact Henry Norris paid for the club to continue at Plumstead for three more years and in that final year took the huge risk of guaranteeing the funds to develop Highbury making him the largest benefactor in the history of Arsenal.