On Friday Liverpool submitted their plans for a new stadium to the cityÂ’s council. The proposed arena, situated at Stanley Park will become the second largest club ground in the country in terms of capacity, behind Old Trafford, seating just over 60,000 fans. In light of this, Goal.com takes a look at the top ten of the largest grounds in the Premiership and gives a brief history behind the homes of some of the most famous clubs in the world.10. White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur. Capacity: 36, 214
Spurs first played at White Hart Lane in 1899, when 5,000 fans witnessed a 4-1 win against Notts County. By 1923, the capacity was increased to accommodate 50,000 fans in total, both standing and seated. The highest attendance ever seen at The Lane was 75, 038 when spurs took on Sunderland in the FA Cup in 1938.
9. Goodison Park, Everton. Capacity: 40, 569
Built in 1892, and costing £3000, the Grand Old Lady is a stadium steeped in history. It was the first British sports ground to have two-tier stands on all four sides, and was the first stadium in the league to have under-soil heating. Due to the confined area in which the ground is situated, expansion is almost impossible. There had been talks with Liverpool City Council to share the proposed Stanley Park ground with their Red neighbours, however unsurprisingly, this was rejected by both clubs.
8. Stamford Bridge, Chelsea. Capacity: 42, 449
The first incarnation of Stamford Bridge opened in 1877 and was used initially as an athletics stadium. The lease was acquired in 1904 by two brothers who wanted to stage high-profile football matches. They offered the ground to Fulham, who turned it down, so the brothers decided to form their own team, Chelsea. Redevelopments in the last thirty years have seen the running track disappear and the Bridge be transformed into a perfectly adequate stadium for modern football. However, with AmbramovichÂ’s millions, Chelsea have expressed a desire to redevelop further, but with space at a premium, the club might look elsewhere.
7. Villa Park, Aston Villa. Capacity: 42, 573
Villa Park opened in 1897 under the name Aston Lower Grounds. The record attendance is 76, 588, which was set in 1952 when Derby County made the trip across the Midlands to for an FA Cup sixth round tie. Villa Park has hosted many international matches, including three during the 1966 World Cup and four during Euro 1996. It is also a traditional venue for FA Cup semi-finals. The club have planning permission to extend the ground in time for the 2012 Olympics, when the ground will host several matches. By then, the capacity should have climbed to 51,000.
6. Anfield, Liverpool. Capacity: 45, 362
Constructed in 1884, Anfield is synonymous with the English game, in particular the single tier Kop, that is famed the world over for creating a tremendous atmosphere. When capacity in the stand was at its highest, 30,000 would watch the game from the Kop, with folklore saying that home fans could “suck the ball into the net”. Although the stadium has seen extensive redevelopment over the past few decades, plans have been submitted for a move to a new 60,000 stadium at Stanley Park, with the facility of expansion to 80,000 in the coming years.
5. City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City. Capacity: 48, 500
The host stadium of the UEFA cup final in 2008 is one of the Premiership’s newest grounds. Initially designed as part of the failed bid to host the 2000 Olympics, the stadium housed the 2002 Commonwealth games, before being handed over to Manchester City in 2003 after their move from Maine Road. The ground is commonly known as Eastlands, the name of the disused land that it was built on. The overall cost of the project was £110million.
4. Stadium of Light, Sunderland. Capacity: 49, 000
Another relative newcomer to the list is the home of Sunderland, and was opened in 1997. Due to its practical design, there are possibilities to increase the capacity to 78,000. The Stadium of Light was built by the same company that built AjaxÂ’s ground, the Amsterdam Arena.
3. St JamesÂ’ Park, Newcastle United. Capacity: 52, 387
The ground was first used for football in 1880, however Newcastle United did not play there until 1892. The club are yet to submit plans for a £200million development, which would increases the capacity to at least 60,000. St James’ Park is the only ground in the Premier League not to feature a scoreboard and it is also the only stadium outside London to be built in the centre of a city.
2. Emirates Stadium, Arsenal. Capacity: 60, 432
The Emirates Stadium is the newest in the Premier League, having just finished its inaugural season. The final cost of the project was a massive £390million. The bowl-shaped stadium features four tiers on all sides and an extensive amount of executive space. Fans have voiced their displeasure at the name of the ground, which throughout development was called Ashburton Grove, until Emirates airline secured the naming rights. Current Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had an involvement in the design of the dressing rooms
1. Old Trafford, Manchester United. Capacity: 76, 212
Nicknamed The Theatre Of Dreams by United idol Bobby Charlton, Old Trafford is the largest league football stadium in England. Opened in 1910, the ground has become a traditional venue for FA Cup semi-finals, which are held on neutral turf. It has been awarded a 5* rating by UEFA and was the host of the 2003 Champions League final. The most recent developments saw the ground increase in capacity from 68,000 to its current size, however there is the possibility of increasing this to an imperious 96,000 in the future.