Are you wondering about the oldest football stadiums in the world?
Football stadiums are undoubtedly one of the best locations that serve a lot of purposes. Moreover, we see these places as also beautiful due to their structures, designs, and other features.
Well, on the other hand, there are stadiums that are not up to the beauty standard you expect and this is because they are one of the oldest stadiums that were built back then although some of them have been innovated such as Anfield which serves as Liverpool FC’s home.
However, in this article, I will be walking you through the oldest football stadiums in the world that you may not have known.
So, without wasting time, let us proceed:
Top 10 Oldest Football Stadiums In The World
1. Sandygate (1804)
Sandygate Stadium is the oldest and the first stadium that the world had. The Sandygate stadium has been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the “Oldest Football Ground in the World” having been first opened and commissioned in 1804.
The Sandygate Stadium also serves as the ground and home of Hallam F.C.
It is furthermore recorded that the first inter-club football match played in the Hallam F.C. ground was on 26 December 1860, a game which Hallam took on Sheffield F.C.
Sandygate has a 1000 capacity, with just 250 seated and Hallam plays in the Northern Counties East League Premier division which is the 9th level of the English Football League system.
In 1867, Hallam won the world’s first-ever football tournament, the Youdan Cup, which has been written in the club’s history.
2. Bramall Lane (1855)
Bramall Lane stadium has been viewed by some soccer fans as the oldest major stadium in the world to continue hosting professional soccer matches instead of Hallam.
Well, that does not make the 32,750 all-seater Bramall Lane stadium the first-ever stadium but the second, coming behind Hallam.
As stadiums are meant to hold soccer matches, Bramall Lane hosted its first soccer game in 1862. Since then, the stadium has been used to host the final of the world’s first football tournament, Youdan Cup, and the first-ever floodlit game in 1878.
Bramall Lane has been the home ground of Sheffield United since 1899 and has recorded an attendance of 68,287 during an FA Cup fifth-round game between Sheffield United and Leeds United in February 1936.
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3. Field Mill (1861)
Other than hosting soccer matches, Field Mill also known as “One Call Stadium ” has been used as a ticket ground and also a venue for greyhound racing and rugby games.
The Stadium has been a home of Mansfield since 1919 while the club was founded in 1931. Its total capacity is 10,000 but due to security and safety reasons, only 9,186 is always allowed to be booked.
Moreover, Mansfield has not experienced glory unlike some England clubs and they are currently playing in the League, the 4th tier of the England football league system.
4. Stamford Bridge (1877)
On the list of the oldest stadiums in the world, Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home is the number 4 of oldest soccer stadiums since the club was founded in 1905. However, due to being ambitious, the Blues has made Stamford Bridge one of the most famous stadiums in the world.
Stamford Bridge has a capacity of 40,341 and it is currently the 9th largest stadium in the Premier League and the 11th in England.
Having been opened in 1877, the stadium was first owned by London Athletic Club until 1905.
Chelsea’s home, Stamford Bridge has also hosted other sports other than football and the notable ones are cricket, rugby, baseball, and American football.
The stadium recorded an attendance of 82,905 its highest attendance which was a league match between Chelsea and Arsenal on 12 October 1935.
5. Rodney Parade (1877)
One of the oldest stadiums which is not a football club’s ground is Rodney Parade which is in the city of Newport, South Wales that is managed and owned by the Welsh Rugby Union(WRU).
The Dragons regional rugby union team has it as their home as well as the Newport County football club.
Well, due to unforeseen circumstances, the stadium capacity was reduced from rugby levels to football some years after it was founded.
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6. Deepdale (1878)
For years now, Deepdale has been a home of Preston North End which hosted its first football match in 1878. Moreover, it also holds the home ground to the town’s cricket and rugby teams too.
Arguably, Preston North End is one of the founding members of the football league and the first time to lift the league and won the cup double although the club has not experienced glory days.
Notable names such as Bobby Moore and Nobby Stiles managed the club during the 1970s.
7. Tannadice Park (1882)
Tannadice Park is formerly known as Clepington Park and has been used by some local teams back in the 19th century.
The name of the football ground was changed from Clepington Park to Tannadice Park when Dundee United, formerly known as Dundee Hibernian took over the stadium in 1909.
The football ground has had a capacity of 14,223 since 1994 which is much more advanced than Sandygate Stadium which has a capacity of 10,000.
8. Ewood Park (1882)
Since 1890, Blackburn Rovers, one of the founding members of the football league and the Premier League has been playing in Ewood Park as their home.
The Ewood stadium has a capacity of 31,367 and was formerly known as Ewood Bridge.
Furthermore, Ewood Park has hosted many important football matches, including several FA Cup semis and the 2002 League Cup Final between Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur.
9. Turf Moor (1883)
Turf Moor has been in existence since 1883 and became Burnley FC’s home still in the year it was built 1883.
Turf Moor is located in Burnley, Lancashire, England, and faced an early innovation after it was built in the late 1800s.
The football ground has been used for sporting activities since 1843 when Burnley Cricket Club moved to the area.
The first Football League match at Turf Moor took place in October 1888 and the stadium recorded a highest attendance of 54,775 which was set in 1924, an FA Cup third-round game between Burnley and Huddersfield Town.
10. Anfield (1884)
Tied in ten is Anfield, a football stadium located in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The football ground is one of the famous stadiums to be listed as one of the oldest football stadiums in the World.
It has a seating capacity of 53,394 which makes it the 7th largest football stadium in England.
Anfield has been Liverpool’s home since its formation in 1892.
It belonged to Everton from 1884 to 1891 firstly before the Towers moved to Goodison Park following a dispute with the club president.
The highest record attendance at Anfield is 61,905, set at a league match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1952.
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Conclusion
It might be quite shocking that Anfield and Stamford Bridge are on the list of the oldest stadiums in the world despite these football grounds belonging to Liverpool and Chelsea which are very popular clubs.
Moreover, if you also noticed, most of the olden days’ stadiums are located in England, which also sums it up that England has been into football for years now.
However, I have already addressed everything that you needed to know about the oldest football stadiums in the World, hence, you can hit your questions using the comment section if you have any.