Are you a die-hard fan of your club and do you support your club every weekend – whether it’s a home or away game?
“We’ll follow you, no matter where it goes!” A sentence that probably all soccer fans among you know. Whether your club is playing just one place away or sometimes beyond the city limits – real fans will take on anything to accompany their club. This is also worthwhile because there are always new incredible stadiums to discover. Here are some of them worth a trip.
YOU HAVE TO SEE THESE UNIQUE SPORTING VENUES
Sandygate Road in Sheffield
Where better to start a journey through the world’s best stadiums than in the motherland of soccer? And we start our world tour not just with any stadium in England, but with the oldest soccer stadium in the world – Sandygate Road in Crosspool. The stadium is located – appropriately enough – in the heart of England in Crosspool, a district of Sheffield.
Place: Sheffield
Club: Hallam F.C.
Opening: 1804
Spectators: 700
This is the home of the Hallam F.C. soccer and cricket stadium. The gates were opened here for cricket matches as early as 1804, but Hallam F.C.’s first match took place later, on December 26, 1860, to be precise. Nevertheless, this means that Sandygate Road has made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest soccer venue in the world. There is a small grandstand with 210 seats, and 40 more are covered. In total, 700 fans can fit into Sandygate Road. Hallam F.C. plays in one of the lower English leagues, so it’s no problem for you to attend a game locally on the weekend. So if you’re in the area during an England trip, don’t miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Camp Nou in Barcelona
Let’s move from the oldest to the biggest soccer stadium in Europe: the legendary Camp Nou in Catalonia, where FC Barcelona has been playing its home games since 1957. There is room here for an incredible 99,354 spectators! In addition to the club museum, there is also a small chapel here where players can pray before a game. To get a season ticket here, you have to be a member and then join a waiting list with the other 170,000 members. Camp Nou has also hosted some famous games, of course, including the 1999 Champions League final, which Manchester United won 2-1 against FC Bayern Munich.
Camp Nou
Location: Barcelona
Club: FC Barcelona
Opening: 1957
Spectators: 99,354
Another special event in the stadium was the sermon that Pope John Paul II gave on November 17, 1982 in front of 120,000 faithful. The Camp Nou Experience stadium tour costs 25€, for 5€ you can also book an audio guide and explore the booths of Messi and Co. alone. What else there is to discover in your Barcelona vacation, you can learn in my Barcelona tips.
Old Trafford in Manchester
When I talk about the best stadiums, Old Trafford in Manchester is of course a must. As the home stadium of Manchester United, the stadium has seen a lot since 1908: from simple international matches to European and World Championships to the 2003 Champions League final, which AC Milan won 3:2 on penalties against Juventus Turin. The Theatre of Dreams, where you can dream of titles, holds 75,653 spectators, best explored on a stadium tour.
Old Trafford
Place: Manchester
Club: Manchester United
Opening: 1908
Spectators: 75,653
Standard tours with audio guide cost around £21.50 and allow you to step into the shoes of club greats like David Beckham and Ryan Giggs in the players’ tunnel. Or do as I did and snap a souvenir photo on the bench where the famous Sir Alex Ferguson sat for 27 years, winning an incredible 38 domestic and international titles with Manchester United.
Anfield in Liverpool
Liverpool FC’s stadium seats 54,074 spectators and was opened in September 1884. The stands behind the south-west goal, called The Kop, are home to the Reds’ most loyal fans, who raise goosebumps every matchday with what is probably the world’s most famous soccer anthem: You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Anfield
Place: Liverpool
Club: Liverpool FC
Opening: 1884
Spectators: 54,074
Today Anfield is a seat-only stadium. Again, you are offered a wide variety of stadium tours, the standard version costs £20 per person and includes admission to the club museum and the Steven Gerard exhibition in addition to the tour. If you are in Liverpool, a visit to Anfiel Road is a must! In all English stadiums you can expect pure goosebumps, just because of the incredible history.
