Departures of note

Ken Friar was an English football executive whose association with Arsenal Football Club spanned more than seven decades. He began working at the club as a 12-year-old matchday messenger boy in 1946 after impressing manager George Allison, and rose through the ranks to become company secretary in 1973 and managing director in 1983, a role he held until 2000. He was widely credited as a driving force behind Arsenal's move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, and served on the club's board until his retirement in 2020, when he was appointed life president.

Friar was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000 for services to association football and received the freedom of the London Borough of Islington in 2004. In 2011 the North Bridge linking the Emirates Stadium to Arsenal tube station was renamed the Ken Friar Bridge in his honour, with a statue of him as a young footballer unveiled at its end. He was remembered by Arsenal as having an influence on the club that would never be matched.