10 Best Stadiums In England According To Atmosphere
6. Selhurst Park – Crystal Palace
Selhurst Park is the home of Crystal Palace. It is a mixture of the modern and the old, with two old side stands and two more modern looking end stands. The ground certainly has character and the Club have spent some money in recent years on sprucing up its appearance.
At one end is the imposing looking Holmesdale Road Stand. This stand which was opened in 1995, looks impressive and has a large cantilevered curved roof. Opposite is the Whitehorse Lane Stand. This box-like looking stand has a lower tier of seating. Above this seated area are a double row of executive boxes, giving it an unusual look.
One side is the large, covered, single tiered Arthur Wait stand, which was built in 1969, while on the other side the Main Stand, which dates back to when the ground opened in 1924.
The ground has good atmosphere, especially from the home fans in the Holmesdale Road End. They clearly were passionate about their Club, but in a non-intimidatory manner, towards away fans. It is definitely one of the best stadiums in England according to atmosphere.
5. Hillsborough – Sheffield Wednesday
Hillsborough has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since its opening in 1899. Although the ground has not had the level of new investment some other clubs have recently received, it is still a beautiful ground oozing character. It has four large separate stands, all of which are all covered and are roughly the same height, giving a uniform feel to the stadium.
On 15 April 1989, the ground was the scene of the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death at an FA Cup semi-final. Outside the ground near the main entrance is a memorial to those 96 fans.
The stadium’s capacity has currently been temporarily reduced to 34,854 on safety grounds, although work is continuing to restore its maximum capacity.
4. Anfield – Liverpool
Anfield has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. It was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1891, before they moved to Goodison Park after a dispute with the club president. The stadium has four stands: the Spion Kop, the Main Stand, the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand and the Anfield Road End.
The atmosphere generated inside the stadium is electric and very few clubs can rival this. You’ll Never Walk Alone sang by 50,000+ supporters is an experience you will never forget. The Kops are considered to be one among the loudest of all fans around the world. There are so many occasions where the Anfield crowd has won games for Liverpool being the 12th man. The stadium tours also give a great look back at the history of LFC.