For every club in England, a football stadium should be somewhere they’re proud to call home and that’s especially the case in the Premier League. Considered the biggest league in the world, it’s only fitting that the venues hosting the most watched games in football are worthy of doing so and look the part.
That’s not always the case and some stadiums are vastly different to others in the English top flight. The division boasts some of the best grounds in football, but there are also a number that could do with some work. Daily Mail journalist Oliver Holt has been to every stadium in the Premier League and he’s ranked them all from worst to best.
20-16
West Ham, Bournemouth, Southampton, Leicester & Arsenal
After the London Stadium was built for the Olympics in 2012, a number of teams wanted to move into the venue after and West Ham United were the lucky ones to do so. Well, maybe not so lucky. Despite being one of the most expensive stadiums ever, Holt has ranked the venue the worst in the Premier League. Describing the ground, he said: “It was a great athletics arena and home to a whole host of golden memories at London 2012 but it’s a dog’s dinner of a football ground.”
Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium was up next. The venue has the smallest capacity in the Premier League and Holt said: “It’s a League Two stadium that got overtaken by the success of its side. Its character comes from its small size and the atmosphere it generates because of it.”
Southampton are narrowly ahead of the Cherries, but they won’t be a Premier League club for much longer following their relegation this season. St Mary’s Stadium has been the Saints’ home for almost 25 years, but Holt isn’t too impressed. He said: “Squatting at the edge of a slightly murky industrial estate, it falls squarely into the category of new builds largely devoid of character.”
Sticking with clubs who won’t be playing Premier League football next season, next up is Leicester City. The King Power Stadium was built in 2002 and was home to the Foxes’ incredible title-winning campaign in 2015-16. Describing the ground, Holt said: “It is comfortable and it is functional and the Leicester fans can make plenty of noise but it’s a bland, featureless bowl that has little to distinguish it from many of the new generation of stadia.”
The last stadium in the bottom section of the list is, surprisingly, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The ground opened in 2006, but Holt isn’t as keen on it as he is others in the top flight. He said: “The stadium is not as bland as some of the new generation but it still lacks real character.”
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15-11
Ipswich, Wolves, Manchester City, Brighton & Brentford
It looks almost certain that Ipswich Town’s return to the Premier League will be over after one season, but at the time of writing, Portman Road is still a Premier League ground and is ranked 15th here. Holt described the ground as ‘wonderful’ and said: “It is still a wonderful ground, a ground at the centre of its community, a ground where you can breathe in the legends of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, great football men who did great things in their time in charge of the club.”
Ahead of the Tractor Boys is the team who will likely finish one spot ahead of them in the final table too with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Molineux. The venue is one of the oldest in football, opening in 1889. “It is an arena to be proud of again for Wolves fans,” said Holt.
Despite all the success, money spent and legacy forged in the last few years for Manchester City, their Etihad Stadium was ranked 13th by Holt. The journalist was a much bigger fan of the club’s earlier ground, Maine Road, and he stated: “I’d probably have Maine Road in the top three in this list if Manchester City still played there. I loved that ground. But the Etihad isn’t Maine Road. City have done their best to breathe personality into it but it’s hard to disguise the fact it’s a characterless, identikit modern stadium.”
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium ranks above the Etihad. The Seagulls’ rise through the football leagues recently has been a tremendous achievement for the club. It’s rather fitting that their new stadium opened just several years before their fortunes transformed and, when describing the Amex, Holt said: “Neat on the inside, bold on the outside, it is a fitting home for an exceptionally well-run club and a fanbase that never gave up on its team.”
The final stadium in the bottom half of the list is Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. The newest stadium in the Premier League, it opened in 2020 and Holt actually prefers it to the club’s former home. Speaking about the Gtech Community Stadium, he admitted: “It is the type of stadium, and club, that makes fans feel they belong.”
10-6
Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Fulham & Aston Villa
Moving into the top half, Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge is ranked 10th. The ground has been home to the Blues since 1977, but has undergone significant transformation over the years. Discussing Stamford Bridge, the journalist said: “All stadiums change and modernise with the years, but there are few stadiums which have changed as dramatically as Stamford Bridge. For many, going to Chelsea, with its towering West Stand and opulent corporate boxes, is a boutique experience not out of place with the hugely affluent area in which it stands.”
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Ahead of Stamford Bridge is Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park. Last year marked the 100-year anniversary of the ground opening. Holt is a big fan of the ground too. He heaped plenty of praise on it and said: “A trip to Palace is one of the best experiences in the English game. The atmosphere generated by the Holmesdale Road stand, in particular, makes Selhurst Park one of the best grounds in England to watch football.”
Nottingham Forest’s City Ground is next up on Holt’s rankings. From the walk to the ground, to the history within the venue, he’s a big fan of Forest’s home and stated: “Sometimes, just the walk to a stadium is part of what makes it special. It’s the same with the City Ground. When you get closer, you see the majesty of Trent Bridge next to the City Ground, too, and you feel you’re right at the heart of British sport. There’s so much history at the City Ground, so much achievement, so much tradition and such a stunning location. It’s a wonderful place to watch a game.”
Fulham have called Craven Cottage home since 1896, almost their entire existence. The ground is next on Holt’s list and he described it as a ‘jewel’ in English football heritage. He said: “Craven Cottage is one of the jewels of English football heritage, and Fulham’s stadium on the banks of the Thames has achieved the difficult task of modernising the ground without losing its character. It is a joy to visit.”
The final stadium outside of the top five is Aston Villa’s Villa Park. The ground has played host to Champions League fixture’s this season and hasn’t looked out of place in the competition. “Villa Park remains one of the great arenas in the English game,” Holt said.
5-1
Manchester United, Everton, Newcastle, Tottenham & Liverpool
Moving into the top five, Holt ranks Old Trafford at fifth. Home to Manchester United, the ground has come under scrutiny lately for its poor conditions and the Red Devils announced plans to build a new stadium in the future, but the journalist is still a big fan. He said: “Yes, the roof leaks and, yes, Old Trafford could do with a bit of love and attention but there is a magic about this stadium that can never fade. It’s a wonderful place, one of the stadiums that can lay claim to nurturing a chunk of the heart of the English game.”
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Another team set to leave their current stadium is Everton. The Toffees will depart Goodison Park at the end of this campaign, but Holt thinks it’s the fourth-best ground in the Premier League. He described it as authentic and praised the ‘lovely’ Main Stand, saying: “I’ve always loved Goodison Park and its lovely Main Stand and its fierce, fierce intensity. It feels like just about the most authentic stadium and passionate crowd there is in the top flight.”
Entering the top three, Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park is up next. Opening in 1892, the ground has seen the club go through the joys and sorrows of football, but better times are finally on the cards for the Magpies again. The ground is so iconic, it gives Holt goosebumps. He said: “Every time I arrive in the city and see St James’ Park staring down from its vantage point above it, it sends shivers down my spine. Its position is a symbol of its importance to the city. Inside, it generates one of the best atmospheres in the country, its fans are amongst the most loyal and the Gallowgate End is one of the most revered sections in our football history.”
One of the newest stadiums in football, Tottenham Hotspur moved into the new stadium, named after the club itself, in 2019 and it’s quickly become one of the best grounds in the world. Holt has it second on his list of Premier League venues, saying: “The best of the new generation of English football stadiums. There is an ambition about it that so many other new-builds lack. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy gets plenty of criticism for the failures of the club on the pitch but the new stadium is still a stunning legacy.”
The best stadium in the Premier League, at least according to Holt, is Liverpool’s Anfield. Few grounds are quite as synonymous with a football club quite like the Reds’ iconic venue is. Speaking about Anfield, Holt simply said: “I have never been anywhere like it for the passion and the noise it has generated.”
