what is the oldest football stadium in England? England has been the home of world-class football for ages. Since the 19th century, football has entertained and brought people together. Since then people have cherished football, going to the stadiums and enjoying their favorite clubs on the pitch. Here are a few of England’s oldest football stadiums:
The oldest football stadium in England
Below is a list of the oldest stadiums in the UK. Check how many of them you know.
Bramall Lane
The 32,000-seater Bramall Lane stadium (Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England), which serves as Sheffield United’s home, is thought to be not only the oldest football stadium in England but also the oldest stadium in the entire globe.
Here, football was first played in 1862, and it has been played regularly ever since, featuring one of the first floodlit matches in England. The ground, which has been Sheffield United’s home since 1899, was given the Bramall family’s name in honor of the illustrious local landowners.
Field Mill
Field Mill, the home of the Mansfield Town Football Club in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, is a football stadium that is presently known as One Call Stadium due to sponsorship.
The stadium can house 10,000 people when it is completely open. However, there are now only 9,186 people inside due to safety concerns. Mansfield Town is thought to have staged the inaugural football game at One Call Stadium in 1861. Mansfield Town has called The Stadium its official home since 1919, and the team has competed in the English Football League since 1931.
St James’ Park
St James’ Park (Newcastle upon Tyne), England has been The Toon’s home since 1892 and is both a literal and metaphorical castle perched over Newcastle. It is simply the center of a whole city and the site of some of the most passionate support in the nation, with a capacity of 52305.
Since it has held England internationals, Olympic football, and even Rugby World Cup games, St James’ Park has earned a reputation on a global scale over the years.
Anfield
Liverpool FC has called Anfield (Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England) home for some time since they were founded in 1892.
On December 8, 2014, construction on the main stand’s extension started. This addition, one of the biggest single all-seater seats in European football, was completed on September 9, 2016, bringing the stadium’s capacity to 53,394.
Stamford Bridge
The Stamford Bridge football stadium is situated near Chelsea in Fulham, a West London suburb. It is the eighth largest venue for the 2022–23 Premier League season with a capacity of 40,341.
Chelsea has called Stamford Bridge home since 1905; it is situated in one of London’s fanciest neighborhoods. But since 1877, it has hosted football games. The stadium, which has a capacity of slightly over 41,000, is well-known now across the world.
Deepdale
Preston North End’s stadium, Deepdale, is located in Preston, England’s Deepdale neighborhood. The North End Sports Club of the town first used it for rugby and cricket on January 21, 1875. Deepdale is currently a 23,404-capacity all-seater stadium.
It first hosted football in 1878, and since then, the city’s cricket and rugby clubs have also called it home.
Valley Parade
Valley Parade (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) is a stadium with a full seating capacity that is also known as the University of Bradford Stadium due to sponsorship.
It was constructed in 1886 and served as the Manningham Rugby Football Club’s residence until 1903, when they switched from rugby to association football and became Bradford City.
In December 1986, it reopened after a £2.6 million renovation. The stadium now has a capacity of 25,136 after undergoing extensive modifications in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Gigg Lane
Built in 1885 for Bury F.C., Gigg Lane is a stadium in Bury, Greater Manchester, England. On September 12, 1885, a game was played between a team from Bury and one from Wigan. Gigg Lane was continuously used by Bury until the team was kicked out of the English Football League in August 2019.
Its capacity was 11,840 when it was last used in 2019. The highest attendance ever was 35,000 for an FA Cup match in 1960, when nearly all of the stands were terraced. Gigg Lane’s reopening will cost up to £450,000. Bury MBC agreed to contribute up to that amount.
Portman Road
Ipswich Town F.C. has called Portman Road their home field since 1884. It is located in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Numerous England youth international games as well as one senior England friendly international match against Croatia in 2003 were played at the stadium.
The stadium underwent substantial renovations in the early 2000s, resulting in an increase in capacity from 22,600 to 30,311 today, making it the largest stadium in East Anglia.
Turf Moor
Burnley F.C. has called Turf Moor, an association stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, home since 1883.
The stadium, which has a 21,944-person capacity, is located on Harry Potts Way and is named for the club’s manager who led them to First Division victory in 1959–1960. The stand set the club back £5,000 (or, as of 2022, £542,000). The Cricket Field Stand was constructed in 1969 for a cost of £180,000 (about $3.15 million in 2022 dollars).
Conclusion
Above is our list of the oldest football stadiums in England. Football was initially believed to have started in England in the 18th century and with the formation of the English Football League in 1888, it was officially introduced as a professional sport in Britain. Many of the old stadiums that had stood in England are no longer there due to the passage of time.