Arsenal have confirmed the passing of former board member and club secretary Ken Friar, at the age of 92.
Arsenal confirmed early on Tuesday afternoon that their former managing director Ken Friar has died.
Friar began working for Arsenal on a part-time basis all the way back in 1946, steadily rising through the ranks to take on that managing director role in 1983.
Friar held that role until the year 2000, before serving on the board up until his retirement in 2020. He was awarded an OBE for services to association football in 2000, and Arsenal named the bridge from the Arsenal tube station to the Emirates the ‘Ken Friar Bridge’.
The Islington-born man remained popular at Arsenal throughout his life, even during the period when many on the club’s board would not have been received so warmly by supporters.
As Arsenal point out in their statement, there was a time when Friar was effectively running the club, and it was a period of some success for the Gunners.
Later, when he was working on the board, Friar was the director responsible for the club’s move to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. Many fans have expressed their gratitude on Tuesday at the fact Friar lived long enough to see the new ground’s first Premier League title success.
On a sad day for the Arsenal community, our thoughts are with Friar’s family and friends, and hopefully the team can put on a show in his honour in Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Lille.
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