In brief
Oliver Holt, a journalist, ranked every stadium in the Football League after visiting each one.
Five venues from the Premier League made the top ten.
Despite their clubs’ relocation plans, Old Trafford and Goodison Park made the best of the best list.
There are so many amazing stadiums and arenas in English football that many of them don’t receive the appreciation or credit they merit. The truth is that it will probably continue to be a hidden treasure that frequently has empty stands only because of its size if it isn’t hosting Premier League games.
Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail, however, chose to test this idea by going to all 92 English Football League stadiums (from the Premier League to League Two), and he listed his top ten, with only five of them being from the top division.
10Old Trafford, Manchester United
Capacity: 74,197
Even if Old Trafford is now dilapidated and dilapidated, it nevertheless has its soul and roots in Manchester United’s amazing past. Holt has ranked the Theatre of Dreams in the top 10 because of this.
“Yes, the roof leaks and, yes, Old Trafford could do with a bit of love and attention, but there is a magic about this stadium that can never fade,” the reporter explained. It’s a fantastic location, one of the stadiums that can claim to have fostered a portion of the English game’s core. To be deserving of it once more, they simply need a team.
If the construction of a brand-new, 100,000-seat stadium for United is formally started, it will be interesting to see if the atmosphere that Old Trafford currently exudes can be replaced by something more contemporary.
9 Everton, Goodison Park
39,414 is the capacity.
Goodison Park will no longer be Everton’s home field come the 2025–2026 season when the Toffees move into their new home on Bramley-Moore Dock, but it will be difficult to recreate the mystique of their old stadium. Goodison has stood for more than 130 years, which adds to its charm, and while it could use some TLC, Holt says it is “just about the most authentic stadium and passionate crowd there is in the top flight.” The return of perhaps the club’s most influential manager in the last 20 year
8Elland Road, Leeds United
Capacity: 37,608
Although most people believe that the stadium and the team it hosts are deserving of Premier League status, this stadium is the first in the top ten to be outside of the top division. One of the teams with the most illustrious histories in English football is Leeds United, and despite all of the difficulties, the supporters have supported the team to keep their home a flaming temple.
Additionally, the stadium serves as a true cathedral for our game. That kind of enthusiasm can occasionally be generated in one-club cities, and it’s clear at Elland Road,” Holt said. “At Elland Road, you can sense the intensity and significance of English football. That feeling has been lost at many large clubs. However, it is alive here.
7St James’ Park, Newcastle United
Capacity: 52,258
The Newcastle United supporters’ fervour has always been evident. Recent years have demonstrated that there is an entirely different level of passion when the club is providing them with something to rejoice about. It is a difficult task for any visiting team because away fans are positioned directly at the top of the stadium, allowing the Magpies supporters to speak without being interrupted.
“Every time I arrive in the city and see St James’ Park staring down from its vantage point above it, it sends shivers down my spine,” Holt recalled. Its location serves as a testament to its significance to the city. The Gallowgate End is one of the most revered sections in our football history, its supporters are among the most devoted, and it creates one of the greatest atmospheres in the nation inside.
6 Holker Street, Barrow, has a 6,500-person capacity
Barrow’s Holker Street is the smallest stadium on the list in terms of capacity, but its voices and passion more than make up for its lack of crowds. Although the Bluebirds are currently in 15th place in League 2, Holt is confident that the team’s off-field performance more than makes up for their lacklustre on-field performance.
“Barrow and its Holker Street ground have a frontier vibe that makes them unique places to explore. Out of the 92 grounds, Holker Street was my 90th, and I enjoyed every aspect of it, including the steak pie I purchased from the Farm Shop inside the stadium and the warmth of the club’s employees and supporters.
“It was loud, unpolished, authentic, and honest. It was all the more enjoyable since it felt like a return to football before the influx of corporates and tourists.
5Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur
Capacity: 62,850
It is now the standard by which all other stadiums in Britain are evaluated. You know, a standard-bearer. Even if Tottenham hasn’t had much success on the pitch since moving into their new stadium in 2019, Daniel Levy won’t care as he sits in his executive suite and looks out at one of the greatest stadiums in the world today, knowing that it is his.
“There is an ambition about it that so many other new-builds lack, particularly the steepling end behind one of the goals that is said to be modelled on the Yellow Wall at the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund,” Holt stated. “Spurs chairman Daniel Levy gets plenty of criticism for the failures of the club on the pitch but the new stadium is still a stunning legacy.”
4Cherry Red Records Stadium, AFC Wimbledon
Capacity: 9,150
A fan base that wasn’t ready to see it go was responsible for creating a club out of the ashes of a fallen great. One of the most infamous teams in English football history was Wimbledon. The ‘Crazy Gang’, led by Vinnie Jones, were one of the game’s most feared opponents, but supporters rebelled when the team moved to Milton Keynes and changed their name to MK Dons. This led to the formation of a team that embodies far more of the old club’s history and enthusiasm.
“Just setting foot in this stadium is to feel what it is like to support a team that is at the heart of its community and to be among a fanbase whose team means more to it than just wins and losses,” Holt said. “The stadium buildings don’t have the most beautiful architecture here. The understanding that something was created by fans is what it is.
Exeter City’s St. James’ Park, third
8,714 is the capacity.
Perhaps some people thought St. James’ Park would be in the top three. Perhaps they were simply unaware that it would not be the person they had in mind. With a history dating back to 1904, Exeter City is the home of the Premier League’s namesake.
“It was impossible not to be moved by the profound emotional connection between a city and its club and as the years have passed, St James Park has come to embody for me everything that a football ground should be,” Holt stated. “Full of character and care and camaraderie and community and passion and pride in what it stands for.”
Another extra benefit was the coupon for a complimentary cup of tea Holt received upon his next visit to the stadium; considering the recent increase in ticket costs, more teams ought to take this into account.
2 Anfield, Liverpool, has 61,726 seats
Anfield just loses out on the top place, so anyone who wagered for Liverpool to be number one will be very unhappy. At the very least, though, it is the top-ranked Premier League venue.
Is there anything more that has been stated regarding Anfield? It is a cauldron, particularly on European evenings, and teams may be overtaken by the fervour when the Kop is singing. As the chants reverberate around the 61,000-seat arena, players have compared it to feeling confined in a small space with the walls closing in on them. If you are playing for your home team, there is nowhere better to be. If you’re an opposition member, you want to leave as soon as possible.
1Edgeley Park, Stockport County
Capacity: 10,800
Therefore, Stockport County is the only team to win the title of greatest stadium in the Football League. With just over 10,000 spectators every game, Edgeley Park, which has been County’s home since 1891, is currently vying for a berth in the League One play-offs. Holt explained why it’s at the top:
Since he was never a big football fan, my dad was more likely to ask me how United performed. He was from Heaton Chapel, though, and his grandparents made and lost a fortune in the town’s late 19th-century hatting industry. He was extremely proud of Stockport Viaduct and its past, and on Monday, April 9, 1979, he took me to my first game at Edgeley Park.
“I haven’t been yet this season because I tried to finish my 92 during my free weekends. I can’t wait to return. That sense of coming home will be familiar to all fans.
As Holt points out, it may have been nostalgic factors that gave County the top spot, but that’s what football is all about. a feeling of direction and inclusion that will last throughout your lifetime.
