I love football stadia. There is something about them that is just, well, magical. I can't really explain why, other than the simple fact that when you see one you know you are going to see a live game of football, but walking up the stairs and getting that first glimpse of the green of the pitch still makes me giddy like a child.
I thought we'd have a go and see how many of the 92 league grounds, in total, our readership has visited, and then see what are the best other grounds (Scottish, non-league, foreign) we can list. I reckon we can get quite a way through the 92, and quite exotic with the others as well.
This is my favourite stadium I think. OK, so it is new, and some have the view that new stadia are soulless but I just love the design and the colours of this.
This is the Jose Arvelade Stadium - home of Sporting Lisbon.
OK, so let's have a crack and see how we get on, eh? I'll kick us off.
- Old Trafford
- Goodison Park
- Ewood Park
- Villa Park
- St Andrews
- Vicarage Road
- Turf Moor
- Kenilworth Road
- Ninian Park
- Loftus Road
- Gresty Road
- City Ground
- Ashton Gate
- Brunton Park
- Sixfields Stadium
- Gigg Lane
- Sincil Bank
and no longer with us
- Roker Park (Sunderland)
- Goldstone Ground (Brighton)
- Springfield Park (Wigan)
- Highfield Road (Coventry)
- Filbert Street (Leicester)
- Eastville Stadium (Bristol Rovers)
and abroad
- de Kuip (Feyenoord)
- Estadio de Luz (Benfica) - the new one
- Gelredome (Vitesse Arnhem)
- Sclessin Stadium (Standard Liege)
- Jose Arvelade (Sporting Lisbon)
- Amsterdam Arena (Ajax)
- Philips Stadion (PSV Eindhoven)
- Nou Camp (Barcelona)
and other UK
- Shielfield Park (Berwick Rangers)
- Millennium Stadium
- Wembley
Come on then, folks - what can you add?
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Arsenal.
Aston Villa.
Bolton.
Charlton.
Chelsea.
Fulham.
Man U.
Portsmouth
Derby
Leicester (both Filbert Street and The Walkers ground)
Norwich.
Sheff U.
Sheff Wednesday.
Chesterfield.
Doncaster.
Gillingham.
Notts Forest - Where I fell in the Trent in front of a bunch of Forest supporters and was soaking wet for the whole game!
Port Vale.
Rotherham.
Grimsby.
Stockport.
Plus, Wembley, Cardiff's Millennium stadium, and non-league Welling and York City.
Oh I forgot the nou camp too!
I've been to a few you've been to, but I think I can add a couple:
Molineux
Kassam Stadium
Meadow Lane
Upton Park
Bernabeu
And grounds no longer with us:
The County Ground (Northampton)
The Manor Ground (Oxford)
There's probably a couple of others, but I'll have a think about it.
We need to get Statue John over here - he's watched football in the Maracana.
ST
To be honest, I've never forgotten The Hawthorns, it's always been deliberate.....
Oh, I've watched a game at Venezia.
What game?
Why, the Anglo-Italian cup game between Venezia and Wolves, of course. The wind blew off the lagoon and through the open-backed stand, and I was as cold as I think I have ever been. We were held at rifle-point by the Italian police, and a fan with a megaphone kept shouting out:
"Hey Eeeengleesh! I sleep weeeth your mother!"
I spite of an early Mark Venus goal, Wolves lost 3-1. Steve Bull put in a couple of meaty challenges though.
I also saw Venezia vs Udinese there to, in Serie B. It was much warmer with the home support.
ST
In addition to some of those previously mentioned, I can add:
Newcastle Utd (naturally)
Notts County
West Brom (I've been to the Hawthorns - it's away end is better than the Valley's and miles ahead of Fratton "It's only got 3 roofs" Park)
Tottenham
Reading (although I watched a rugby match there - does that count?)
Whitley Bay
and if Gateshead still play games at the Athletics Stadium, I've been there (although, again, not for football watching purposes)
I can add a couple that you haven't already got:
Watford - Vicarage Road
Barnet - Underhill Stadium
You can add Walsall, Woking, Stafford Rangers and Burton Albion to that list too.
Been to them on my travels.
ALSO, overseas:
Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium - Sevilla - Spain
Stadio San Nicola - Bari - Italy
AND CHARBY - Its NottM Forest!!!!
Oh and now since gone and forgotten...D*rby's Baseball Ground and whatsitcalled - Stoke's old shit-hole of a ground too.
And Wembley - but not for football.
Er, take a look at the sidebar of Hobo Tread: http://hobotread.blogspot.com/. Not sure whether my old mucker Skif's a CUAS reader, but by Christ has he been to a few grounds...
I think it was the Victoria Ground, Stoke, if memory serves.
And Adem, I've been to Watford you plank, it's near the top of the list...
By my reckoning, of the current 92 we are on 45, so not bad thus far...
City of Manchester Stadium (going there again this Saturday to watch the might Reds...)
La Mosson, Montpellier, France
Coming a bit late to this, I figured all the grounds I'd been to would have been covered. They were with one very notable exception: Elland Road!
City Ground obv.(Forest)
Meadow Lane(Notts Co.)
Wembley
Hillsborough(Shef Wed.)
Highfield Road(Coventry)
Ashton Gate(Bristol City)
White Hart Lane(Spurs)
Highbury(Arsenal)
St James Park(Newcastle)
St James Park(Exeter)
Bescott Stadium(Walsall)
County Ground(Swindon)
Villa Park(Villa)
Ellend Road(Leeds)
Saltergate(Chesterfield)
London Road(Peterborough)
Portman Road(Ipswich)
Olympic Stadion(Bayern Munich)
& rather randomly Swanage!
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