Woolwich had now been dropped from the name, as The Arsenal had made the step over The Thames to North London after the relegation to Division 2, looking for a larger supporter base to upturn the fortunes of the club. A plot of land in The Highbury area of Islington had been found, and the birth of The Highbury Stadium was upon the public. It is fair to say that the rivalry with Tottenham began here, however worse was to follow for our new neighbours, and the rivalry would be intensified.
The First World War had all but decimated professional football, however in 1919 the league reformed. The Arsenal had finished fifth in the closing season before The War, however managed to get a place in the newly reformed Division 1, a place they have never since been removed from. The actual reasons for The Arsenal being elected are somewhat sketchy to say the least, but Chelsea and Tottenham finished in the bottom two places of Division 1 before The War, and there was to be an election to see which of the clubs would remain, or be relegated, and who would replace them. The final vote was between The Arsenal and Tottenham, and Arsenal won by 18 votes to 8, thus The Arsenal were promoted at the expense of Tottenham. We had taken a huge slice of fan base in North London, and now their top flight status. This, I believe, would be where the real rivalry began, and has continued until now, and will continue long after I have left this Earth.
The Arsenal struggled somewhat in Division 1, but kept top flight status. Meantime, Huddersfield Town were crowned Champions, under the management of Herbert Chapman. In 1925 The Arsenal finished just above the relegation places, and Huddersfield were again crowned Champions, again with Herbert Chapman at the helm. Chapman was too good to miss, and in May 1925, The Arsenal appointed him as manager.
Here begins the story of Arsenal. "The" was dropped from the name, and history evolved further