Sport Arenas!

[Brown, Jon Brow]

What is your favourite sport arena?

As a Man Utd fan I have to say my favourite is Old Trafford. The last expansion gave it a capacity of 76,000 making it the biggest club stadium in Britain and could be potentially be expanded to 100,000!! :eek:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/481131848_15c4130251.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/476106401_e60bc62018.jpg?v=0

[Jaws]

I dont think that bigger is better when it comes to stadiums. I attended the Sydney Olympics and Wallaby's vs. All Blacks and the attendence at both was 110,000. Although you get a good atmosphere, you struggle to see anything.

My 2 favourites:

SCG for Cricket, a good mix of traditional seating (members) and modern facilities. You are always close to the action.

And my favourite venue - Newlands CapeTown Super 12's , fantasitic crowd, seating is very close to the action. Unforgettable!

[BTCC2]

St. James Park. http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcdownloads/wallpaper/sjp.jpg

[Rollo]

As a Man Utd fan I have to say my favourite is Old Trafford.

Why? Having been there as an away fan and to watch several England matches, I think that in all honesty it's a big soulless. The cricket ground on the other side of Warwick Rd has more atmosphere that the cauldron that the statue of Busby stands out the front of.
To get atmospehere you need reverb off of the back of the building. In England, Villa Park and Upton Park are the best for that.

My vote goes to Thomas Lord's bit of dirt. It has the Investec Media centre which presides over the ground like a giant spaceship, the South Stand which has a series of marquees for it's roof; the pavillion is a glorious old red brick building.

The most famous sights to be seen from sporting venues though are the Gasomters at The Oval and the most obvious is that brick walled hairpin out the front of the Grand Hotel de Monte Carlo or that sticky uppy scoreboard thing at Indianapolis.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Favourite Venues? Well, a North American perspective, and I will stick to great buildings I have been to and buildings I wish I have seen.

Ones I have seen? The "Big House", Michigan Stadium where the University of Michigan plays College NCAA football. 113,000 fans can go in there, and the atmosphere of US college Football is just outstanding. It is a giant bowl that was built in the 1930's, and updated several times since. Just a fabulous atmosphere.

My favourite baseball park that I have seen a game in is the now out of use Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Baseball is an American game, and stadiums like this one and Fenway in Boston, or Wrigley Field in Chicago, made it that way.

My favourite hockey arena? Well, it was Maple Leaf Gardens but now, I love watching hockey in GM Center in my hometown for junior hockey. It is the most Canadian atmosphere going watching Junior hockey....

Anyhow out of places I wish I could see, Fenway Park in Boston for baseball I want to see, MCG in Melbourne for "footy" and I would love to see a soccer game in any of the Premiership stadiums in the UK. I may know very little about soccer, but I know an event, and I would love to see that. Also a international Rugby match at Twickenham or the All Blacks playing in NZ would be a thrill also....

[Mark in Oshawa]

Favourite Venues? Well, a North American perspective, and I will stick to great buildings I have been to and buildings I wish I have seen.

Ones I have seen? The "Big House", Michigan Stadium where the University of Michigan plays College NCAA football. 113,000 fans can go in there, and the atmosphere of US college Football is just outstanding. It is a giant bowl that was built in the 1930's, and updated several times since. Just a fabulous atmosphere.

My favourite baseball park that I have seen a game in is the now out of use Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Baseball is an American game, and stadiums like this one and Fenway in Boston, or Wrigley Field in Chicago, made it that way.

My favourite hockey arena? Well, it was Maple Leaf Gardens but now, I love watching hockey in GM Center in my hometown for junior hockey. It is the most Canadian atmosphere going watching Junior hockey....

Anyhow out of places I wish I could see, Fenway Park in Boston for baseball I want to see, MCG in Melbourne for "footy" and I would love to see a soccer game in any of the Premiership stadiums in the UK. I may know very little about soccer, but I know an event, and I would love to see that. Also a international Rugby match at Twickenham or the All Blacks playing in NZ would be a thrill also....

[Jaws]

Favourite Venues? Well, a North American perspective, and I will stick to great buildings I have been to and buildings I wish I have seen.

Ones I have seen? The "Big House", Michigan Stadium where the University of Michigan plays College NCAA football. 113,000 fans can go in there, and the atmosphere of US college Football is just outstanding. It is a giant bowl that was built in the 1930's, and updated several times since. Just a fabulous atmosphere.

My favourite baseball park that I have seen a game in is the now out of use Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Baseball is an American game, and stadiums like this one and Fenway in Boston, or Wrigley Field in Chicago, made it that way.

My favourite hockey arena? Well, it was Maple Leaf Gardens but now, I love watching hockey in GM Center in my hometown for junior hockey. It is the most Canadian atmosphere going watching Junior hockey....

Anyhow out of places I wish I could see, Fenway Park in Boston for baseball I want to see, MCG in Melbourne for "footy" and I would love to see a soccer game in any of the Premiership stadiums in the UK. I may know very little about soccer, but I know an event, and I would love to see that. Also a international Rugby match at Twickenham or the All Blacks playing in NZ would be a thrill also....

Rugby at N.Z. would be awesome. There is a park in Dunedin they call the "House of Pain" which is kind if ominous for visiting teams.

I'd love to see a baseball game at Wrigley Park, to me that would be a real taste of American life. :up:

Foget the MCG and Aussie Rules, they are all crazy down there (aren't they Valve) ;) , you wouldn't come out alive.

[Mark in Oshawa]

I would go native and do just fine Jaws trust me.....

AS for Rugby in NZ, a buddy of mine saw the All Blacks in Christchurch and he said he was converted to rugby instantly, and he knew nothing about the sport before that day....

[pino]

San Siro in Milan, it's unique...wish my beloved Juventus had such a Stadium :up:

[Storm]

SCG for Cricket, a good mix of traditional seating (members) and modern facilities. You are always close to the action.

:up: I would like to go to the SCG for a test someday....
Also the Newlands in Capetown with the table mountain behind it.


I have not been to any of the venues I list but would like to see them up close and enjoy the game there.

Camp Nou in Barcelona
Anfield for a Liverpool home game.

[Jaws]

:up: I would like to go to the SCG for a test someday....
Also the Newlands in Capetown with the table mountain behind it.


I have not been to any of the venues I list but would like to see them up close and enjoy the game there.

Camp Nou in Barcelona
Anfield for a Liverpool home game.

Storm,

Although I much prefer Test Cricket, there is something special about watching the sunset over the members stand at the SCG in the middle of summer for a Day/Night match. When the lights start to take effect, the ground is electric. A couple of cold beers :beer: and some nice looking girls - Great times.

I have had many great memories at the SCG, Clive Lloyds last innnings, Courtney Walsh and Glenn McGrath Shane Warne. Gilchrist demolishing Pakistan a couple of years ago. But none would ever beat Brian Lara's 270 against us. What an innings.

[millencolin]

no doubt about it... Lang Park (knwon as Suncorp Stadium) in brisbane is my favourite sporting venue. known also as the 'cauldron' and was originally built on a graveyard

52000 seat stadium, not a bad seat in the house. Going to a sold out State of Origin Rugby League match is electric! its nuts!!! public transport for both trains and buses, and its located right near town. plus its located right near another iconic Queensland Icon, the XXXX Brewery. The two most important things in qld (lang park and XXXX Brewery) locatied within the same suburb :P

next year it will be the host of the final for the Rugby League World Cup. And its the home of my team, Brisbane Broncos

i firmly believe that Lang Park is the best rectangular stadium in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lang_Park

[Erki]

Bristol Motor Speedway?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Why? Having been there as an away fan and to watch several England matches, I think that in all honesty it's a big soulless. The cricket ground on the other side of Warwick Rd has more atmosphere that the cauldron that the statue of Busby stands out the front of.
To get atmospehere you need reverb off of the back of the building. In England, Villa Park and Upton Park are the best for that.

.

I think it looks spectacular, and you do get a lot of noise if you sit at the Stretford End. I bet that it is very intimitading for an away player when you have those three giant stands towering over you. I like the way the roof on the stands slope downwards. If they were horizontal then it would stupid like this staduim ;)
http://www.fussballtempel.net/uefa/ENG/St_James_Park_A.jpg

It may be a bit dirty saying this, but I would love to experience the Kop (Anfield not Deepdale) on a match day. The home end of Liverpool's new stadium must be unique and be a single tier.

My favourite foreign stadium is probably the San Siro because it is beautiful and unique.

[Rollo]

As a kid I stood on both the Kops at Blackpool and Anfield. At Anfield, it was a pretty scary place because although the place was made of concrete, in the days of the terraces, the crowd would bounce and move as though the whole thing were this breathing creature.
The Kop at Blackpool on the other hand stood perilously in a wooden stand that creaked and I'm sure if it hadn't been for the sale of Brett Omerod to Southampton would have fallen over burnt down and then sank into the swamp.

I was surprised to see Deepdale on the telly last night. How is it that a city where they don't even turn out for the Queen's train gets moving video adboards down the side of their pitch? The mind boggles :eek:

[Hazell B]

For a smallish football club, Hull's KC Stadium is brilliant. Far better than anyone expected, it is just superb for the team and fans.

My personal favourite is Hickstead though. It won't appeal to many here, but for show jumping out of doors it's far and away the best in the world.

[BDunnell]

Two sporting venues have given me the tingles when I first saw them. One was the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, pre-redevelopment for last year's World Cup. The other was the old Grand Prix circuit at Reims, or rather the surviving grandstands, which make a really evocative sight.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Here is the "Big House", which looks ancient and rustic compared to the palaces you guys have described.

http://www.mgoblue.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=3052

Another one close to home to me.... :
Roger's Centre/Skydome in Toronto, Home of the Blue Jays Baseball Club, and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. The stands can be moved in the lower bowl to give the rectangular shaped field for football, soccer and on one occasion, an Aussie Rules Football game between Hawthorn and Essendon.

With the roof open, it is a great place to watch baseball in the city, even if it isn't as classic as the old ball parks

http://www.rogerscentre.com/about/facts/index.html

I am jealous of you Ben, Rheims always looks haunting and I can imagine the sight of the great racers of the 50's howling past those stands and pits in tow of each other....

[BDunnell]

I am jealous of you Ben, Rheims always looks haunting and I can imagine the sight of the great racers of the 50's howling past those stands and pits in tow of each other....

Faded adverts always do it for me. The old pits at Brno in the Czech Republic are another great example of that.

[Hayden Fan]

Favourite Venues? Well, a North American perspective, and I will stick to great buildings I have been to and buildings I wish I have seen.

Ones I have seen? The "Big House", Michigan Stadium where the University of Michigan plays College NCAA football. 113,000 fans can go in there, and the atmosphere of US college Football is just outstanding. It is a giant bowl that was built in the 1930's, and updated several times since. Just a fabulous atmosphere.

My favourite baseball park that I have seen a game in is the now out of use Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Baseball is an American game, and stadiums like this one and Fenway in Boston, or Wrigley Field in Chicago, made it that way.

My favourite hockey arena? Well, it was Maple Leaf Gardens but now, I love watching hockey in GM Center in my hometown for junior hockey. It is the most Canadian atmosphere going watching Junior hockey....

Anyhow out of places I wish I could see, Fenway Park in Boston for baseball I want to see, MCG in Melbourne for "footy" and I would love to see a soccer game in any of the Premiership stadiums in the UK. I may know very little about soccer, but I know an event, and I would love to see that. Also a international Rugby match at Twickenham or the All Blacks playing in NZ would be a thrill also....


Season tickets to the Big House. Super awesome. Favorite Sports Stadium, hmmmm, I love Solider Field, the home of NFL Chicago Bears and MLS Chicago Fire.

[CarlMetro]

I think a lot of it depends on the occasion, not just the venue. Places like Twickenham for England vs Scotland, Highbury or White Heart Lane for Arsenal vs Spurs (even if you are in the wrong stand :eek: ) and Lords for the start of a test match all have great atmosphere.

[millencolin]

White Heart Lane for Arsenal vs Spurs


i'll get there one day! GO SPURS!!!

[stevie_gerrard]

i tell you what, that Molineux is a fantastic fortress ;)

I once went to Twickenham, that is a brilliant stadium, and the atmosphere was fantastic because of it.

[MrJan]

St. James Park. http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcdownloads/wallpaper/sjp.jpg

That link seems a bit out, try this one instead, it shows the REAL St James Park, far better I think you'll agree ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_James_Park

I've been to a few football grounds this season including Old Trafford, The Emirates, St Mary's Stadium, Villa Park and whatever Birmingham's (can't remember for some reason) Forest Green's and Weymouth's stadiums are called. Would have to say that even though the Emirate's is undoubtedely impressive Old Trafford is better from the inside, especially now the corners hjave been built up. Plus I was there for the Roma game (as a neutral with freebie tickets :D ) and the atmosphere was quit good, far better than the Blackburn game the week before which, despite a record attendance, was quiet enought to hear the proverbial pin drop.

[tin-top fan]

i've got standing tickets for muse at Wembley stadium on 16th July. I'm sure that with 75,000 others being there the atmosphere is gonna be pretty good.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

i've got standing tickets for muse at Wembley stadium on 16th July. I'm sure that with 75,000 others being there the atmosphere is gonna be pretty good.

Can I borrow your ticket ? ;)

[Iain]

This is going to sound odd, but the best atmosphere I have experienced in a stadium was at the old Falkirk football ground called Brockville in the mid-1990s. It was a terrible old-fashioned ground, falling to bits, mostly terraced and nothing in the way of creature comforts. But what an atmosphere. I'm not a Falkirk fan, but it was closer and cheaper than going to Ibrox (where I have been, but to a Scotland friendly game) and the best time I can remember there was when the former Falkirk boss Jim Jefferies returned for the first game with his new team Hearts, after leaving Brockville in quite a controversial manner. He was subjected to dogs abuse for the whole 90 mins and when the two Falkirk winning goals went in, the terrace actually shook with the fans bouncing up and down. :D

In this age of all-seater stadiums, I'm glad I can say I experienced what it was like on the terraces. Not anything quite like the 125,000 people crammed into Hampden Park for the Scottish Cup Final midweek replay Old Firm game in 1966 that my dad often tells me about, but it's as good as I'll get. :) It's now a Morrisons supermarket, but such is life.

I've been to Hampden, Murrayfield and Ibrox, but never when they've been full. Impressive places nonetheless though.

[MrJan]

i've got standing tickets for muse at Wembley stadium on 16th July. I'm sure that with 75,000 others being there the atmosphere is gonna be pretty good.

I've got tickets for that too :D It's going to kick arse as long as they play a reasonable number of tracks from Absolution :bounce:

[Georgeboi999]

Nice.

Mine would be the Millennium Stadium.

[ian959]

All time would be the old Molineux - back in the days when it could really hold a big crowd. Never forget the atmosphere when I saw Liverpool wipe the floor with my beloved Wolves in September, 1968.

The current Molineux is pretty good too...

The old Boston Garden was something special - filthy dirty place but the atmosphere just blew me away. Same in the old Chicago Stadium back when MJ was playing in his heyday. Madison Square Garden when the Rangers play can be quite interesting.

One day I would really like to experience Lambeau Field.

[BM]

There is one which beats all of the aforementioned football stadia: Parkhead filled with 60,000 Celtic fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOyoixsRkQ4 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-q6cBjrS08

:)