The 5 Oldest Football Stadiums in England
The 5 Oldest Football Stadiums in England
Newcastle United play at St. James’ Park, Sheffield United play at Bramall Lane and Liverpool play at Anfield - but what are the oldest stadiums in the country?
Crippy Cooke puts together his Top 5 for The Sporting Blog.
St. James’ Park stadium, home of Newcastle United
Everton are expected to move into their new stadium in 2024, leaving Goodison Park after 131 years - and they are just one of many Premier League clubs to abandon their old ground for a larger venue.
Clubs that left famous stadiums in the Premier League:
Arsenal left Highbury for the Emirates Stadium in 2006
Brentford left Griffin Park for the Brentford Community Stadium in 2021
Brighton & Hove Albion left Goldstone Ground for Falmer Stadium in 2011
Leicester City left Filbert Street for the King Power Stadium in 2002
Manchester City left Maine Road in 2003
Southampton left the Old Dell for St Mary’s Stadium in 2001
Tottenham Hotspur left White Hart Lane in 2019
West Ham United left Upton Park for the Olympic Stadium in 2016
Old Trafford is the biggest football stadium in England after Wembley - and Manchester United still reside at Sir Matt Busby Way - but they’re in the minority.
It’s not just the Premier League either:
Cardiff City left Ninian Park for Cardiff City Stadium in 2009
Coventry City left Highfield Road in 2005
Hull City left Boothferry Park for the KC Stadium in 2002
Middlesbrough left Ayresome Park for the Riverside Stadium in 1995
Reading left Elm Park for the Madejski Stadium in 1998
Stoke City left Victoria Ground for the Bet365 Stadium in 1997
Rotherham United left Millmoor for the ASSEAL New York Stadium in 2012
Swansea City left Vetch Field for the Liberty Stadium in 2005
Sunderland left Roker Park for the Stadium of Light in 1997
That’s in the top-two divisions alone! But which active stadiums are the oldest? The Sporting Blog lists the Top 5 oldest football stadiums in England.
Honourable Mentions
Sandygate in Crosspool, Sheffield is officially recognised as the oldest football ground in the world, opening in 1804.
Hallam FC have used the ground since 1860, but the stadium is dual-purpose for Hallam Cricket Club and non-professional football.
The Racecourse Ground is the oldest stadium for a professional English football club, opening in 1807 and being used by Wrexham AFC since 1864, but the stadium is in Wales, not England.
The 5 Oldest Football Stadiums in England
St James' Park
The home of Newcastle United from 1892
One of the largest stadiums in England
A 52,000-capacity stadium
St James’ Park stadium has been the home of Newcastle United since 1892, but it was used for football from 1880.
The ground’s origins actually go all the way back to 1830, when the local council initially owned a patch of land between Gallowgate and Leazes Terrace.
Newcastle Rangers FC (1880-1882) (1884) were the first tenants, followed by Newcastle West End FC (1886-1892) and Newcastle East End FC (1892) before United made it their home from ’92 onwards.
St James’ Park expanded numerous times in the 20th century and it’s now a 52,000-capacity stadium.
It’s one of the oldest grounds in England and one of the largest stadiums in the country, so fans wouldn’t take kindly to Newcastle attempting to move for expansion.
Head to our football blog for more
Stamford Bridge
The first tenants of Stamford Bridge were London Athletic Club
Chelsea have played at Stamford Bridge since 1905
A capacity of 40,000
Although Chelsea have little legacy in English football before their takeover in 2003, the Blues’ stadium is historic!
Stamford Bridge has been their home for 118 years and it may be the fourth oldest ground for a professional team in the country.
Built in 1877, the first tenants of the Bridge were London Athletic Club (1877-1904).
Gus and Joseph Mears then leased the ground and sought to house Fulham Football Club, who were local to the stadium, but the Cottagers turned them down.
The pair started up Chelsea and placed them in Stamford Bridge in 1905. The Bridge has a capacity of 40,000 people but had a record attendance of 82,905 in an iconic 1930s clash with London rivals Arsenal.
Deepdale
Preston North End started playing at Deepdale in 1878
Before the 1960s, Preston were a First Division club
A 23,000-capacity stadium
Deepdale has been the home of Preston North End for 145 years, situated at Sir Tom Finney Way, Lancashire. It's often called the oldest continuously used football ground, but that claim is disputed.
The original land was Deepdale Farm, leased in 1875 by North End’s sports club to be used for cricket and rugby. Deepdale’s first association football match was three years later and Preston have been the tenants ever since.
Before the 1960s, the Lilywhites were mostly a First Division club, playing against the best sides in England, so support grew quickly. Deepdale was forced to expand multiple times throughout the years and now holds 23,000 fans.
Their record attendance was from a 1938 fixture against Arsenal which had 42,684 spectators.
These days, Preston play their football in the Championship and they haven’t been in the top flight for 62 years, so they’ve somewhat stagnated.
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane hosted its first football game in 1862
It was a regular stage for international games before London opened its national stadium
A 31,884-capacity stadium
Bramall Lane is the home of Sheffield United and was recognised as the oldest professional English ground by BBC Sport in 2013, but the Blades don’t make this claim.
Sheffield United say that Bramall Lane opened in 1855 for cricket and athletics but didn’t host its first football game until 1862 – a charity match between the world’s oldest clubs (Sheffield FC and Hallam FC).
Bramall Lane, home of the Blades in Sheffield
Bramall Lane was the home of Yorkshire Cricket Club (1855-1893), Sheffield FC (1873-1884) and Sheffield Wednesday (1880-1887) before United became permanent tenants in 1889.
The stadium currently holds 31,884 supporters but once had 68,287 fans for an FA Cup fifth-round clash against Leeds United in 1936.
It’s a ground with a rich history, having hosted England football and England Test Cricket while being a regular stage for international games before London had a national stadium.
Field Mill
The stadium was used for football from 1861
Mansfield Town became permanent tenants in 1919
This stadium is also known as ‘One Call Stadium’
Although this stadium has a new name due to sponsorship reasons, the home of Mansfield Town hasn’t changed for 104 years.
Field Mill reportedly goes back way further than that, too. It’s believed the ground was used for football in 1861 but hosted cricket years before.
Mansfield believe Field Mill is the oldest professional football ground, starting out when the newly founded Greenhalgh’s XI sought land to play football on in 1861, opting for a field between Quarry Lane and a mill that the cricket team used in the summer.
The land would be named Greenhalgh’s Ground before changing to Mill Field and then Field Mill by 1885. Mansfield would become permanent tenants in 1919.
The name for business purposes is ‘One Call Stadium’, but it’s the same Field Mill on Quarry Lane from more than a century ago.
Did your home stadium make our list? Where is your favourite English football stadium? Tell us in the comments!
