The 10 Largest English Football Stadiums

This hub takes a quick look at the largest football stadiums in England and follows on from my review of The 10 Largest Football Stadiums, which looked at the largest stadiums in World football. Perhaps surprisingly, only Wembley - the largest English football stadium - features on that list. It should perhaps be noted however that the vast majority of the largest stadiums globally are, like Wembley, used as a primary stadium for International games. Once you have finished with this hubpage, check out the articles The 10 Biggest Nascar Stadiums and The Worlds 10 Largest Stadiums.

Wembley Stadium, which is located in London and was completed in 2007, and replaced the is primarily a football stadium and is owned by The Football Association (FA). The stadium hosts England's home international matches and the main English domestic cup finals. It is also used for various other sporting events and concerts. Its capacity of 90,000 makes it the second largest in Europe and is the largest stadium in the world to have every seat covered. In 2011 Wembley will host the UEFA Champions League Final. It will also be used to host many of the events at the forthcoming 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Old Trafford is the home of English 'superclub' Manchester United and is the second biggest stadium in England, although the largest stadium used for club football. It is one of just two stadiums in England to have been given a five star rating by UEFA and is also the eleventh largest stadium in Europe. Old Trafford has been the home of Manchester United, albeit with complete redevelopment, since 1910 and gained the nickname 'The Theatre of Dreams' after a comment by club legend Sir Bobby Charlton. The ground has been expanded several times in the last two decades, but a further extension of the South Stand is likely to see the capacity increased from 76,212 to over 90,000; in this case it would become the largest stadium in the country. The ground has hosted FA Cup semi-finals, games at the World Cup 1966, and the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final.

The Emirates stadium is the home of Arsenal and is located in the London Borough of Islington. The stadium was opened in July 2006 and is the third largest football stadium in England, as well as the third largest stadium of any kind in London after Wembley and the Rugby ground Twickenham. The cost of construction is estimated at around £430million, although this was partially funded by the airline Emirates who agreed naming rights with the club. The stadium features four tiers, the lower and upper tiers being the largest and cheapest; one of the middle tiers features premium priced tickets whilst the other holds the executive boxes. The Emirates has not yet hosted and noteworthy games.

St. James Park in Newcastle is not only the 4th largest stadium in England with a capacity of 52,387 but also holds some architectural importance, as its cantilever roof - which is visible across the whole of the city - is the largest of its kind in Europe. St. James Park has been the home of Newcastle United since 1892. The stadium has been used for a number of international matches, mainly involving the England national team but also for three Euro 1996 matches, and will be used in 2012 as a football venue for the Olympics.

The Stadium of Light is the home of Newcastle's biggest rivals Sunderland A.F.C. and has a capacity of 49,000. Like St. James, the stadium has been used for England international games and is considered to be one of seven English stadiums capable of holding World Cup matches by FIFA. The stadium was built in 1997 after years of planning and proposals and is designed to be capable of expansion to 64,000 seats; this is likely to be put into fruition should Sunderland become a stable Premiership club over the next few years.

The City of Manchester Stadium is home to newly rich Premiership club Manchester City and seats 47,726 people. It was originally designed as part of a bid by Manchester to host the 2000 summer Olympics, but subsequently built in order to host events at the 2002 Commonwealth Games; the stadium cost a total of £110million before subsequently being converted into a football ground after the games. Manchester City moved to the stadium from their old ground Maine Road in 2003, signing a 250 year lease in the process. The most significant game to be hosted at the stadium so far is the 2008 UEFA Cup Final.

The original Anfield was built in 1884 and at the time was the home of Liverpool's biggest rivals Everton, before Liverpool were formed in 1892 and subsequently took occupancy. Anfield currently has a capacity of 45,276 but this was previously over 60,000 before legislation came in to change all English stadiums to all seater. Anfield is consider a 'UEFA elite stadium' and has therefore hosted many senior international matches, including those of the England national team; and including many games at Euro 96. There are currently plans afoot to move Liverpool to a new stadium called simply 'New Anfield' however the current financial situation and fighting between the clubs directors has put this move into jeopardy.

Villa Park is another very heritage rich stadium having hosted the matches of Aston Villa since 1897. Villa Park is a 'UEFA elite stadium' and has as a result hosted 16 England Internationals at senior level, the most recent of which was in 2005. The ground has also hosted more FA Cup Semi-Finals than any other English stadium with 55 matches in total having been played there. The club currently has plans to extend the ground by filling in its corners, a move which would see the capacity exceed 50,000 and place it fourth on this list. Villa Park was also used for World Cup 1966 matches as well as for a few Euro 96 matches.

Stamford Bridge is located on the border of two of London's wealthiest areas, Fulham and Chelsea, and falls within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It has been home to Chelsea FC since it opened its doors in 1877, although it has been renovated several times since. Although it is currently the seventh biggest stadium in the Premier League, and the ninth biggest football stadium in England, it is the smallest out of the stadiums for the so called 'Big Four' of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. It has hosted international matches in the past however is not considered amongst the elite stadiums so is no longer considered for these games.

Goodison Park is another history rich site having been built in 1892, the same year that Liverpool FC were founded and moved into their old ground 'Anfield'. The stadium has of course been redeveloped several times since 1892 but is currently dated and the club has flirted with the idea of moving to a new stadium in recent years; Goodison Park has however historically been considered as one of the countries greatest stadiums and was amongst the grounds that hosted games in the 1966 World Cup.