Born in Kennington, to a working-class family but educated privately,[2] Norris left school at 14 to join a solicitor's firm, leaving 18 years later to pursue a career in property development trade, partnering W.G.

With Arsenal's low attendances and poor financial performance, Norris tried to create a London superclub by merging the two clubs, but this was blocked by the Football League.

[8] Undeterred, he turned his attention to moving Arsenal to a new stadium; he eventually settled on a site in Highbury, north London, on the site of the recreation ground of St John's College of Divinity; his close relationship with Randall Davidson helped, and the archbishop personally signed the ground's title deed.

Arsenal were elected to the top flight in spite of only finishing sixth[10] the previous season (1914–15, as competition had been suspended for most of World War I).

An investigation by the Football Association found that Norris had made illegal payments to three players (Clem Voysey, Bert White and Jock Rutherford), had used Arsenal's expense accounts for personal use to pay for his chauffeur, and had pocketed the proceeds of £125 from the sale of the reserve team bus.

The results of the investigation saw Norris, Hall and two other Arsenal directors - Jack Humble and George Peachey - banned from football for life.