All stadiums in England. London stadiums

Everyone knows that football stadiums are large and spacious. Even small Premier League grounds can accommodate around 30,000 people. Now imagine how often in your life you have been in such a super-crowded place. For example, traveling by train or arriving in international Airport, you might think. A train can accommodate several hundred people, and an airport can accommodate several thousand. If you put all these people on a football field, it would still be empty.

Which football grounds, depending on their capacity, are considered the largest in the UK?

Obviously, some stadiums can be really big in the sense that they take up a lot of space, but still be quite small in terms of the number of people that can comfortably fit in them. So, we offer you our selection:

In first place is Wembley Stadium, the cost of which was £974,000,000.

This is probably one of the most famous stadiums in the world. Wembley today is a far cry from the stadium most of us remember from our youth. The stadium opened in 2007 on the site of the old Wembley Stadium, also known as Empire Stadium.

Wembley is essentially the home of the England national team, but it is much more than that. This is, in a way, a symbol of the nation, a stadium where the largest games in the country take place.

In addition to English Premier League matches, Wembley hosts the FA Cup semi-finals and finals, as well as the Football League Cup final and the play-off finals of most divisions. In some cases, the stadium is used for final matches of the Champions League and European Football Championships. It also serves as a venue for major music concerts. So, in 2007, a record for attendance was set at the concert of the group "Muse".

Not only has Wembley Stadium proven to host some of the best football matches, sporting events and concerts, but in 2013 people were amazed to see a poker tournament taking place at Wembley. This tournament, of course, was different from those in which you can take part on the Internet, although the rules of the game remained standard.

In second place is the Old Trafford stadium, which cost £90,000 to build in 1909.

Old Trafford has been the home of Manchester United Football Club since it opened in 1910. The stadium contains many reminders of the club's illustrious past, including statues of Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson, as well as a stand named after the latter. The stadium has been rebuilt several times, with significant changes occurring in the 1990s following the publication of the Taylor Report into the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough tragedy.

Old Trafford became a seated stadium in response to instructions from the Football League that all major stadiums must temporarily reduce their capacity to 44,000 during the redevelopment phase.

The stadium now boasts the largest capacity club stadium in the UK. In addition to Manchester United games, the field hosted FA Cup semi-finals, Rugby League and Rugby Union games, as well as musical concerts by famous artists.

Third place goes to the Millennium Stadium, built at a cost of £121,000,000.

The Millennium is the main venue for the Welsh national football and rugby teams. From 2001 to 2007, when Wembley Stadium was under renovation, it hosted the FA Cup and League Cup finals.

Nowadays it is predominantly used for rugby matches, and the most famous events held at the stadium are related to this sport. For example, 1999 Rugby World Cup Final, Heineken Cup Final, Rugby League Cup, etc.

Of course, like most large venues, the Millennium is used for more than just sporting events.

Since it opened in 1999, it has hosted music concerts. Welsh band Manic Street Preachers held a concert there on the eve of the new millennium. Bon Jovi, Madonna and The Rolling Stones have also used the stadium as a concert venue. He was even featured several times in episodes of Doctor Who and 28 Days Later.

Football fans quite often get carried away with collecting various items that are somehow related to football in general, or their favorite club in particular. These are autographs of football players, T-shirts, scarves, souvenirs, stamps, badges, photographs, posters, magazines... Anything. But there are hobbies that, at first glance, can be called at least strange. For example, in England there are people who are fond of collecting... Stadiums. Can you tell me how you can assemble stadiums? And how much money do you need to have to add at least a couple of exhibits to the collection?

But still, this is a truly unusual hobby, because the person who “collects” stadiums does not even try to buy them. All he needs to do is buy a train (or bus) ticket, a ticket for any match that takes place at the desired stadium and just visit it, feel the atmosphere of pain, “breathe” the stadium. In this case, it is not at all necessary to even take photographs. Such people get an incomparable “buzz” from the very fact of discovering a new unique structure for themselves, and from the entire aura of football fandom created over the years, which literally permeates the stands, the field and even the rooms below the stands.

In England, every stadium is a masterpiece. And each one, be it the stadium of a Premier League team or some unknown team from the bottom of amateur football, has its own history and its own elusive charm. Let's try to take a virtual tour of England's stadiums and be in the shoes of a "stadium collector" for a little while. Let's start, perhaps, with the most significant stadiums of the English Premier League.

Year the stadium opened: 1882

Capacity: 45362

Average attendance (2007/08): 43,532

Ticket price: £28-32 (min. – max.)

The stadium was built for Everton, who first played at Stanley Park. The further development of events is known - John Houlding raised the rent from 100 pounds a year to 250, the owners of Everton were indignant and moved the team to Goodison Park, and Houlding himself, so that the arena would not disappear, created the Liverpool club.

The iconic Kop Stand, which is the heart of Anfield, is named after the hill in South Africa (Spion Kop), in the vicinity of which the battle between British troops and the Dutch Boers took place. 8 thousand proud Boers defeated more than 30 thousand British units, and in honor of the soldiers who died at the Kop (more than 1,500 British and 300 Dutch), the stand was named "The Kop". This happened on January 23-24, 1900.

Near the Kop there is a bronze statue of the great Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. Reds fans enter the stadium through the gate named after him. The Shankly Gate was built in 1982 and was first opened by the widow of Liverpool manager Nessie on 26 August 1982. The inscription on them says “You"ll Never Walk Alone. I think there is no need to explain what this saying means, because now every person who cares about football knows it. Near these gates there is a memorial dedicated to the victims of Hillsborough, near which the flowers never fade .

In 1999-2000, the top of the stands was reinforced with additional supports after many fans began to complain about strange vibrations in the very top rows of the arena.

During Euro 96, the stadium hosted 4 matches - the group round and the quarter-finals. The Russian national team played two matches at this stadium - with Italy and the Czech Republic.

The stadium may soon cease to exist due to the fact that the team wants to move to a more modern and spacious arena in Stanley Park, which is promised to be built by 2011. So far, the start of construction has been postponed due to a number of reasons. And then the economic crisis crept up. In any case, Liverpool fans will never forget their famous Anfield.

GOODISON PARK

Year the stadium opened: 1892

Capacity: 40569

Average attendance (2007-08): 36,954

Ticket price: £26-34

Now we move to the other side of Stanley Park and find ourselves in the holy of holies of Liverpool's main enemies - Goodison Park, one of the most glorious arenas in England. The city's oldest club, Everton, has been playing here ever since John Houlding raised the rent at Anfield.

Goodison Park was the first stadium in England designed exclusively for football. And in general, in the whole world only Scotland at that time had better stadiums than Goodison. No wonder that in 1894, Everton Stadium hosted the FA Cup final between Notts County and Bolton. It was attended by 37 thousand spectators, which in those years was simply a crazy audience.

Interestingly, the stadium was built with donations from wealthy Everton fans who wanted to rid the club of Houlding's tyranny. Mr James Baxter donated £552, and the Kelly brothers built two unroofed stands for 4,000 each and one roofed stand for 3,000, spending a total of £1,460. Huge money at that time!

The stadium was built by the famous architect Archibald Laitch, whose trademark was the balconies on the façade of the stadium. He also placed these balconies at other stadiums he built - Roker Park in Sunderland and Ibrox in Glasgow, but they were preserved only at Goodison. All the stadiums built by Laich were distinguished by an amazing feature - watching matches was convenient from anywhere in the arena. He also carried out the reconstruction and completed the construction of the upper tier.

It was at Goodison that the Soviet Union team played the semi-final of the 1966 World Cup with the West German team. The famous match between the DPRK and Portugal took place here. Well, in the group round it was here that the famous Brazilians played all their matches. At that time, the stadium was one of the best in the world in all respects, and therefore it is not surprising that it became the venue for such significant matches.

For several years now there has been talk about Everton moving to a more spacious and modern arena, which the club wants to build in Kirkby, but the problems are the same as Liverpool - construction is delayed, the economic crisis... The Grand Old Lady a little more will serve the team.

OLD TRAFFORD

Year the stadium opened: 1909

Capacity: 76212

Average attendance (2007-08): 75,691

Ticket price: £21-36

The second largest stadium in England (after Wembley, naturally), once called the “Theater of Dreams” by Sir Bobby Charlton, is located in the Manchester area called Trafford. It was built according to the design of the same Archibald Laitch, who designed almost all the significant stadiums in Britain.

During the war, the stadium was almost completely destroyed, because the city of Manchester, as an industrial giant, was one of the main targets of German aviation. Old Trafford was restored only in 1949, and the team spent the entire reconstruction period at Maine Road, the Manchester City stadium.

The most famous stand of the stadium, by analogy with Anfield and its Kop, is the Stretford End. This is where the team's most ardent fans are located during Manchester United matches, and they are the ones who get the whole stadium going. This stand has a personal signature on the seats. It appeared thanks to a new sponsor - AIG, which, unlike Vodafone, refused to sign its name at the stadium. Until recently, this stand was a terrace (standing stand) because there was no need for seats - all the fans located at the Stretford End spent the entire match standing, singing songs. But still, with the advent of the Premier League, Stretford was equipped with seats and changed official name at the West Stand, but for the fans the stand remained the same good old Stretford End. Only two people in Manchester United bore the proud name “King of Stretford” - Denis Law and Eric Cantona.

Old Trafford hosted group stage matches of the 66 World Cup, Euro 96 matches (up to the semi-finals) and the 2003 Champions League final (Milan - Juventus).

In the future, the stadium may undergo reconstruction, and its capacity will increase to 96 thousand spectators. There are such plans, and the design of the stadium allows them to be implemented. To do this, you need to complete the third tier on the southern stand. Most likely, this will be the case, because now Old Trafford is one of the most desirable places for Manchester United fans of all nationalities. Its occupancy rate will likely remain the same even with increased capacity.

CITY OF MANCHESTER STADIUM

Year of opening of the stadium: 2002 (in general), 2003 (for football purposes)

Capacity: 47726

Average attendance (2007-08): 42,126

Ticket price: £27-32

In the same Manchester there is another magnificent stadium - the City of Manchester. It was built in 2002 as a replacement for the old Maine Road, after which the legendary Manchester City arena was dismantled.

Initially, the stadium was conceived as the central arena for the Olympic Games in Manchester in 2000, but since the city lost the fight for the right to host such a grand tournament to Sydney, the stadium was made the center of games held between states that were previously under the influence of the Queen of England (72 countries , all former British colonies) in 2002. That is, the stadium was originally equipped with running tracks, but then it was rebuilt as a purely football arena for Manchester City.

The first match at the new stadium took place between MS and Barcelona, ​​and the first goal at the new arena was scored by Nicolas Anelka. Officially, the first match was a meeting between the Welsh TNS and Manchester City in the UEFA Cup. The new building has already hosted the final of a European tournament. It was at this stadium that St. Petersburg's Zenit beat the Scottish Rangers and won the UEFA Cup in 2008.

You can get to the stadium thanks to the wide Joe Mercer Road, which was laid so that fans could freely wander in front of the stadium before the match and take their seats in the stands without interference. In front of the stadium there is a sculpture called "B of the Bang", named after the famous sprinter Linford Christie, who said that the secret of his success is that he starts with the first sound of the starting pistol (called the "Bang" by the British). . It represents, as it were, the initial phase of some kind of explosion, when fragments (in this case, rays emanating from a point) begin to fly apart.

The stadium is segmented, that is, there is a special stand for fans with children (Family Stand), for visiting fans (South Stand) and the most ardent fans of Man City (The Kippax).

ST JAMES PARK

Year the stadium opened: 1892

Capacity: 52387

Average attendance (2007-08): 51,320

Ticket price: £22-37

If we have already started the story - a journey through the stadiums with the Liverpool and Manchester “sweet couples”, then it would be appropriate to continue with the arenas of the two most irreconcilable rivals in the north of England. Let's start with St James' Park.

The third largest stadium in the Premier League is currently an asymmetrical structure due to the fact that not all the stands have been reconstructed yet. But I am sure that in the near future the stands of the stadium will be brought to a common denominator, because the popularity of Newcastle is so great that the city could easily accommodate a stadium for 70 thousand spectators. Especially if the team at least sometimes delighted its loyal fans with new trophies.

If at other stadiums there are separate stands for the most ardent fans, then at St. James Park it is more likely to allocate a place where the opponent’s fans are, because all the other stands will be exactly that “place of location of the most loyal fans.” "Toon Army" - an army of Magpies fans occupy all the stands - Milburn Stand, East Stand, Leazes End and Gallowgate End. The most famous is Gallowgate End. Where then are the opposing fans located? At first, the “welcoming” Newcastle residents wanted to put them in the north-eastern corner sector of the stadium, from which it is sometimes difficult to see what is happening near the opposite gate. All this is due to the asymmetrical nature of the stadium, the main stands of which have already been rebuilt in a new way, while the rest are still in their old place. As a result, Leazes End, which is at a much greater angle to the surface than the old stands, simply blocks the view. But then, under a barrage of criticism, the club’s management decided to allocate 3 thousand seats for visitors under the very ceiling of the northwestern corner sector.

By the way, the name of the stadium has a rather unusual spelling. In English - St James's Park. Can you tell me what the decisive apostrophe at the end of the word James has to do with it? The fact is that in pre-war times the name of the stadium was written as St James's Park (that’s how it was written in the program for the matches). And then, as often happens, the British simplified the word, but left the apostrophe. So officially the stadium is called St James' Park.

Unofficially, the stadium is called SJP, St James or Gallowgate. The latter name comes from the name of the Gallowgate End stand, where the most devoted fans have long gathered (now we can say that the entire stadium is a large Gallowgate End stand). Part of this stand is an entertainment establishment called Shearer's Bar, and the stand itself is often called Shearer's, in honor of the famous scorer, the god for the Toon Army. By the way, the entire St. James Park is dotted with numerous cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues, where fans warm up before the match and refresh their vocal cords during the break. At one time, the club even accepted an offer from the sharks of the British gaming business, MGM Mirage, to create a Super Casino with an area of ​​up to a thousand square meters near the stadium, but the tightening of gambling laws in Britain destroyed these grandiose plans.

The stadium hosted Euro 96 matches, in particular the matches of the Bulgarian and Romanian teams in the group round. Now it’s too early to talk about the future, because the uncertain situation with the club’s owner Mike Ashley, who cannot sell the club, does not allow making plans to reconstruct the stadium. In any case, we will have to bring all the stands to a common denominator, because now the stadium looks somewhat unnatural.

STADIUM OF LIGHT

Year the stadium opened: 1997

Capacity: 49000

Average attendance (2007-08): 42,728

Ticket price: 20-30 £

The Stadium of Light (or Stadium of Light) has no history, because the arena was built recently, but its predecessor is Roker Park, one of the most legendary stadiums in England. It is a pity that it had to be destroyed, because the capacity of 30 thousand spectators could not satisfy the demand for Sunderland matches, and reconstruction was impossible. But in the pre-war years, “Roker Park” accommodated more than 70 thousand spectators! It was designed by the same Archibald Laitch and the stadium was in some way related to Goodison, Ibrox and Plymouth's Home Park stadium, because they found a certain similarity in design and a certain charm inherent only in the work of Laich.

During the war, Roker Park was badly damaged due to a direct bomb hit in the very center of the lawn. But by the 1966 World Cup he was again one of England's best. It was in this arena that the teams of Group 4 – Chile, USSR, North Korea and Italy – played their matches. And if the Koreans became almost family to the residents of Middlesbrough, where they played most of their matches, then for the Sunderlanders, the Union national team became such a team.

But the years took their toll, and the arena slowly began to reduce its capacity (especially after Taylor’s report, which ordered all English stadiums to be rebuilt according to new safety requirements) and by the mid-90s the club’s management began to think about the need to build a new stadium. For a long time they could not choose a place for it, but in the end they chose the mining district of Wearmouth Colliery.

The story behind the name of the stadium is interesting. When they started building it, it was planned to be called New Roker Park or the banal Wearside Stadium, after the name of the area where it was located new stadium. But then it was decided to name the arena the Stadium of Light, implying the miners' lamps, because Sunderland had long been a miners' club. But in Newcastle it will still not be called anything other than Joker Park (park of jesters, clowns).

When the stadium was designed, they expected 35 thousand seats, but then during the construction process the capacity increased due to the third tier on two stands: Kronenbourg Upper Stand, Premier Concourse. The first is located behind the goal and is intended for the most devoted fans of the “black cats”, and the second is for the luxury boxes. If necessary, the stadium can be expanded to 63 thousand seats if third tiers are built on two two-tier stands.

And just fans and connoisseurs of sports. I bring to your attention the ten largest stadiums in England. The list includes arenas with a capacity of over 40 thousand people. Most of these stadiums are designed to host football or rugby matches, but due to their large capacity, they often host concerts and various entertainment events.

The largest stadium in England and the second largest stadium in Europe - capable of accommodating 90 thousand people, located in London. The England national football team plays its matches there. Wembley Stadium has 2,618 toilets - a fact that puts it first in the world not only among all stadiums, but among all sports facilities in general.

In addition to football competitions, the stadium hosted concerts by George Michael, Muse, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Madonna, AC/DC, Take That, Oasis, U2, Coldplay, Green Day.

On July 1, 2007, a Concert was held at Wembley Stadium for Diana, who would have turned 46 that day. It was broadcast in 140 countries around the world and was watched by a total of about 500 million people. Tickets for this concert were sold out within 17 minutes.

Of the stadiums presented here, this is the youngest, it was built in 2007.

The only rugby stadium on the list is the second largest rugby stadium in England and the largest pure rugby stadium in the world, located in London. Capable of receiving in its stands 82 thousand viewers. The England rugby team holds its meetings there.

Twickenham Stadium hosted concerts by Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, Genesis, U2, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Eagles, R.E.M., Lady Gaga. In addition, Jehovah's Witnesses have held their meetings there annually for the past 50 years.

In terms of capacity, the stadium is the second among football stadiums in England and the first among stadiums in the English Premier League, located in Manchester. It can accommodate about 76 thousand viewers. It is the home arena of the Manchester United football club.

During the First World War, American soldiers played baseball at Old Trafford Stadium, and since 1958 it has hosted rugby matches. In addition, it hosted boxing matches and concerts of famous performers (Bon Jovi, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, Simply Red).

The third largest football stadium in England and the second in the English Premier League, is located in London. Capable of receiving in its stands a little more 60 thousand people. The Arsenal football club holds its matches at the stadium.

Emirates Stadium hosted concerts by Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay, and Green Day and Muse are scheduled to perform.

The stadium seats in its stands just over 52 thousand people, located in Newcastle - home of the Newcastle United football club. In 2011, it was decided to rename it Sports Direct Arena until a suitable sponsor could be found for the stadium to give it its name.

Concerts and performers who have performed at St James's Park: The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Queen, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart.

The stadium accommodates 49 thousand people, located in Sunderland. This is the home ground of Sunderland Football Club. Three times the stadium was recognized as the loudest in the country. This title is awarded to sports arenas for the vocal abilities of fans. The name of the stadium is associated with a coal mine, or more precisely with the light and an ancient miner's lamp, a monument to which is installed next to the stadium.

The following have performed or are planning to perform at the Stadium of Light: Oasis, Kasabian, Take That, Pink, Kings Of Leon, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bon Jovi, Rihanna.

The stadium is better known as the City of Manchester Stadium. Its capacity allows you to sit in the stands for almost 48 thousand people, located in Manchester. Its field hosts home matches of Manchester City football club, rugby matches, concerts and boxing matches.

In addition to English football championship games, the stadium has the right to host matches of international tournaments. For example, in 2008, the stadium hosted the anniversary 50th UEFA Cup final, in which the Russian football club Zenit won for the first time in its history.

Concerts of performers that have already taken place at the Etihad Stadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis, U2, Take That, Bon Jovi, George Michael, Rod Stewart, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen; planned performances: Muse, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams.

The most singing stadium in England is located in Liverpool. It holds a little more 45 thousand people and is the home ground of Liverpool Football Club. Interestingly, another English club, Everton, played there initially until 1894.

The Zutons, Kaiser Chiefs and Paul McCartney performed at Anfield Stadium.

The stands of this stadium accommodate freely 42.5 thousand viewers, it is located in the city of Birmingham. One of the oldest stadiums in England, it was the first stadium to host international matches for three centuries - in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Home matches at the stadium are played by the Aston Villa football club.

Performers at the stadium included Bruce Springsteen, Duran Duran, Belinda Carlisle, Rod Stewart and Robert Palmer.

And finally, the smallest among the largest stadiums in England is Stamford Bridge, located in London and hosting the guests of the London football club Chelsea. It holds about 42 thousand (41,841) people in their stands. This is the oldest of all the stadiums presented here, it was built in 1877.

The English capital is the leader in the number of sports arenas among the largest cities in the world. Sports are loved here, and football, rugby and cricket are even idolized. Not surprisingly, most stadiums in London are football or rugby stadiums. But there are also wonderful arenas for other sports, including Olympic Stadium, built for the London Olympics, and the O2 arena. Basketball and hockey are played at the O2, competitions for figure skaters, boxers, wrestlers, gymnasts and numerous concerts are held, and the presence of restaurants, cinemas and nightclubs further expands the versatility of this amazing structure.

It is simply impossible to talk about all the sports arenas in London; we will limit ourselves to a story about the most famous football arenas. In the homeland of football, it is fair to start the conversation with football.

Wembley Stadium

The most famous English stadium, its fame in the world can only be compared with the Brazilian Maracanã Stadium.

But this is no longer the same old Wembley, where the British won the world title for the only time in 1966. The old stadium was demolished and a new one was built in its place. It has become somewhat smaller in terms of the number of places, now there are 90 thousand. The old one, as we remember, contained 10 thousand more. Disappeared worthwhile places, a retractable roof appeared. It only takes a quarter of an hour for it to cover the audience from the weather. But not a football field with players. The match will take place in any weather. This is exactly what one of the old football rules says, and the founders of football do not plan to change the age-old traditions. The same traditions include the Royal Box at the country's main football stadium, and the continuing order for football players to climb the steps for the trophy.

Wembley Stadium is home to the England national team and English Premier League matches.

Emirates Stadium

Before starting the story about the Emirates Stadium, it is worth remembering with a kind word the old home stadium of the Arsenal team - the famous Highbury. It existed for almost a century and was closed in 2006. The stadium was demolished and residential buildings and offices were built in its place. But in order to emphasize the connection of times, the old clock, known to all fans of the Arsenal team, was moved to the new stadium.

The team's new stadium has two names, one for "domestic" use and the other for games in UEFA tournaments. But Ashburton Grove is still more familiar to many fans; fans of the sponsors from Amy-Rates do not like it.

In terms of capacity, the stadium is inferior not only to Wembley, but also to the stadium of sworn enemies Manchester United. Emirates seats just over 60 thousand people. Imagine a bowl with 4 tiers divided into 4 stands. This is the Emirates Stadium. There are standard seats on the upper tier and below. Above the lower tier is the so-called club level, above which there are VIP boxes.

This is the home stadium of Spurs, the Tottenham Hotspur team. It has a small capacity by English standards - only 36 thousand spectators. The stadium is shaped like a square, only the edges are slightly rounded. A distinctive feature is the team symbol adorning the western stand - the cockerel.

The team's management has long announced plans to build a modern stadium, but things have not yet gone beyond words.

Stamford Bridge Stadium

Home arena of the Chelsea team. Now it seats about 42 thousand spectators and is considered one of the most modern stadiums in London. But the club's management is not satisfied with the stadium's capacity. There are plans to increase it to 50 thousand spectators or even begin construction of a new arena.

Now the stadium has an almost square shape with stands as close as possible to the football field.

Fulham Stadium. One of the smallest stadiums of Premier League clubs. Its capacity, even after reconstruction, does not exceed 26 thousand people. And its old-fashionedness is emphasized by the appearance of wooden benches for spectators.

You can continue this list of London sports arenas football stadiums Selhurst Park and Boleyn Ground. The first belongs to the Crystal Palace team, the second to the West Ham United club. The Twickenham Stoop Stadium rugby stadium and the Kennington Oval cricket stadium.

Such a number of first-class arenas for various sports cannot but arouse respect.

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