FA takes significant step towards honouring Arsenal legend Ted Drake

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·28 Juni 2026

FA takes significant step towards honouring Arsenal legend Ted Drake

Arsenal great Ted Drake has taken another significant step towards receiving further national recognition after the Football Association confirmed his name has been added to a shortlist for future area naming opportunities at its football facilities.

The breakthrough follows a campaign led by Drake’s great-grandson and regular Just Arsenal contributor Liam Harding, who has worked tirelessly over recent years to preserve the Arsenal and England legend’s remarkable legacy.

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In an email sent directly to Harding, the FA confirmed: “Thank you for your email, they will ensure this is added to the list of England legends to consider when we have an area to name.”

An Arsenal and England great whose records still stand

Drake remains one of the finest goalscorers in Arsenal’s illustrious history.

The striker scored an astonishing 139 goals in just 184 appearances for the Gunners between 1934 and 1939, while his seven-goal haul against Aston Villa remains the record for the most goals scored by an individual in a single English top-flight match.

His tally of 44 goals in one league season also remains an Arsenal club record, while he became the fastest Gunner to reach 100 goals, achieving the feat in just 108 appearances.

Drake also excelled on the international stage. Although fierce competition for places limited him to just five England caps, he scored six goals, including a memorable hat-trick against Hungary at Highbury in 1936.

His England debut came in the famous ‘Battle of Highbury’ against reigning world champions Italy in 1934, a match that featured a record seven Arsenal players in England’s starting XI.

Highbury 1935. (L-R): Wilf Copping, Cliff Bastin, Eddie Hapgood, Ted Drake, George Male. (Photo by J.A Hampton/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Liam Harding’s mission to preserve a family legacy

This latest acknowledgement is another milestone in Harding’s ongoing campaign to ensure his great-grandfather’s achievements are remembered by future generations.

Last year, he helped secure a memorial plaque at Highbury and successfully campaigned for Drake’s induction into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame.

Attention has now turned towards obtaining a London Blue Plaque at Drake’s former home in Raynes Park after an earlier application for a national Blue Plaque at his Southampton birthplace was unsuccessful.

Reflecting on the FA’s response, Harding admitted the recognition came as a complete surprise.

“I felt I’d exhausted almost every route to preserve Ted’s legacy. But one day, completely out of the blue while approaching Wembley on the train, I felt this sudden, unexplainable urge to contact England and ask if they could recognise his impact on the game.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect much. He only played five games for England, it was near-impossible to find a direct phone number online, and I thought my email would just get lost or ignored. This is incredible news that brings a deep sense of peace.”

While there is no guarantee that an area will ultimately bear Ted Drake’s name, the FA’s decision to formally place him under consideration represents another important acknowledgement of one of English football’s greatest goalscorers and one of Arsenal’s true legends.

Would you like to see the FA honour Ted Drake in this way, Gooners? Given everything he achieved for both Arsenal and England, many supporters would argue it would be a thoroughly deserved tribute. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Liam Harding

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