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1. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Capacity: 62,850
First used: 2019
The basics: London’s biggest club stadium was built on the spot of Spurs’ previous home for 118 years, White Hart Lane. A £1billion project to redevelop the north London site replaced one traditional football venue with a stunning, modern sibling. It was also built to become a London home for the
NFL and includes a retractable gridiron.
Best bits: The little details that point out the geographical relevance to White Hart Lane, such as a white circle on the floor that marks the previous centre spot. Then there is the 17,500-capacity South Stand. Despite being a bowl, the raking, double-tier stand draws attention, creates atmosphere and provides the perfect canvas for a supporter mosaic.
Where it falls short: Modern can mean clinical and, at times, walking through the concourses you would be forgiven for thinking you were in an airport. Expensive stadiums often lead to expensive experiences and most Spurs supporters would lead their gripes with the cost of their matchday. Transport links on matchday can get clogged.
What I love about the place: “Spurs’ on-pitch performances may not have been the envy of Europe over recent years, but nobody could fail to be impressed by their stadium. It increased the capacity from 36,000, gave fans more spacious concourses, incredible pitch views from every position and, famously, pints that magically fill from the bottom. It hasn’t been an entirely positive transition — there has been little improvement to transport infrastructure and ticket prices are ludicrous – but there can be little doubt Spurs’ new home is the best in the Premier League.” –
James Maw, editor and regular on The View from the Lanepodcast
Verdict: Perhaps this is a victory for modern, commercialised football over the more organic qualities of its past. Still, sit inside the stadium and you soon realise its draw: an experience comparable to any live stadium sport across the world.
Full stadium scoring and rankings
| Ranking | Stadium | Atmosphere score | Atmosphere ranking | Experience score | Experience ranking | Transport/location score | Transport/location ranking | Design/aesthetics score | Design/aesthetics ranking |
|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | 7 | 9 | 8.4 | 1 | 6.6 | 11 | 8.7 | 1 |
| 2 | St James' Park | 7.4 | 4 | 7.6 | 2 | 8.1 | 1 | 7.9 | 3 |
| 3 | Old Trafford | 7.3 | 5 | 7.3 | 3 | 7.1 | 3 | 7.4 | 6 |
| 4 | Emirates Stadium | 6.7 | 12 | 7.3 | 3 | 7.7 | 2 | 7.6 | 5 |
| 5 | Anfield | 7.7 | 1 | 7.1 | 5 | 5.7 | 13 | 8.1 | 2 |
| 6 | Molineux | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7.1 | 3 | 7.4 | 6 |
| 7 | Villa Park | 7.2 | 6 | 6.5 | 10 | 5.7 | 15 | 7.2 | 8 |
| 8 | Gtech Community Stadium | 5.9 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 6.7 | 9 | 6.3 | 13 |
| 9 | Stamford Bridge | 6.1 | 13 | 6.4 | 12 | 7.1 | 3 | 6.6 | 10 |
| 10 | London Stadium | 5.8 | 16 | 6.5 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 6.5 | 11 |
| 11 | Etihad | 6 | 14 | 6.6 | 8 | 6.7 | 9 | 6.3 | 13 |
| 12 | City Ground | 6.8 | 11 | 5.8 | 14 | 6.8 | 8 | 5.8 | 17 |
| 13 | Bramall Lane | 7.2 | 6 | 5.7 | 15 | 6.3 | 12 | 6.2 | 15 |
| 14 | Goodison Park | 7.7 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 5.7 | 13 | 6.9 | 9 |
| 15 | Craven Cottage | 4.7 | 18 | 5.9 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 7.9 | 3 |
| 16 | Amex Stadium | 4.6 | 19 | 6.6 | 8 | 5.1 | 19 | 6.4 | 12 |
| 17 | Turf Moor | 5.8 | 16 | 5.7 | 15 | 5.5 | 17 | 6.2 | 15 |
| 18 | Selhurst Park | 7.5 | 3 | 4.3 | 19 | 5 | 20 | 4.3 | 19 |
| 19 | Kenilworth Road | 7.1 | 8 | 3.8 | 20 | 5.7 | 15 | 5 | 18 |
| 20 | Vitality Stadium | 4 | 20 | 5.3 | 17 | 5.3 | | | |
Plastic Palm Trees
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