As well as looking forward to the campaign ahead at the Premier League Season Launch Arsene Wenger took time at the event to praise the work that Arsenal and the Premier League do for the club's local community, while also checking out some possible future talent.
The Launch took place at Market Road, a community sports facility in the heart of north London, down the road from Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.
Market Road was built with funds from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund. The site has two 3G full-size pitches and is used by Arsenal in the Community to reach out to local people with a variety of programmes.
Wenger watched an Arsenal team from the club's Premier League Kicks programme play a side from West Ham United’s PL Kicks scheme and stressed the importance of clubs having such facilities and programmes, especially in inner cities, adding that it demonstrated that the funds the clubs receive for TV rights are not just spent on players and stadiums.
Last year clubs agreed that a total of at least £1billion from the sale of UK live rights would be shared beyond the Premier League in the 2016/17-2018/19 period.
"I am very proud of [these facilities]," he said. "We did it in co-operation with the Premier League so it shows the money that comes in is well used. And the social work and work in the community we do is one of the club’s big assets."
One player at Arsenal, Kaylen Hinds came through PL Kicks and Wenger joked with some of the latest cohort of PL Kicks players that they might be able to make a more rapid rise.
"You see Arsenal take on West Ham here and I told the players if they play well they might face Liverpool on Sunday!" he said.
