Stan Kroenke and his son Josh carried Arsenal’s long‑coveted Premier League trophy across Selhurst Park to where coach Mikel Arteta, his staff and about 3,000 fans were waiting to celebrate, marking the end of a 22‑year wait for the title.
The club’s ownership endured years of protests and criticism, including fallout from Arsenal’s involvement in the failed 2021 European Super League project. “When they were hanging us from lampposts?” Josh Kroenke said, referencing that period of ill feeling toward the club’s American owners.
Kroenke Sports Enterprises first bought a minority stake in Arsenal in 2007 and assumed full control in 2018. Eight years after taking full ownership, Arsenal were crowned Premier League champions, a transformation few owners experience.
Josh Kroenke has been an increasingly visible figure around the club as co‑chair, though his responsibilities span a global portfolio. KSE owns six professional teams — the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth — and is valued at $21.17 billion, according to Forbes.
Josh was at Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s penultimate game of the season, a 1‑0 win over Burnley, then flew back to the United States planning to return for the Crystal Palace match. He said Bournemouth scored as he was landing and that he began following events on his way home. Erling Haaland equalized for Manchester City in stoppage time, but the resulting draw was not enough to prevent Arsenal being crowned champions.
In the immediate aftermath, Kroenke said his first call was to his father and his second to Arteta. He added that Arsenal’s chief communications officer, Kate Laurens, put him on a video call and he was passed around the room as staff and players celebrated late into the night.
