Seems that the Old Dart and it's surrounding Isles countries (Ireland, Scotland & Wales) are getting quite a collection of high quality stadiums popping up lately or in the future. One wonders where the money for all this comes from.

Some of the re-developed, re-built or completely new stadiums that have popped up or will be built in the near future are :-

Wembley Stadium - Being completely re-built. Increase capacity of 90,000. Up from 78,000. Will be the best stadium this side of the MCG (as a Croweater I HATE admitting that).

Twickenham - Re-developments over the past 15 years increased capacity from 62,000 to 75,000. Last phase to be completed in 2006 will increase it to 82,000.

Millenuim Stadium - Completely re-built in 1999. The old Cardiff Arms Park was demolished & replaced by the Millenium Stadium. Increase from 65,000 to 75,000. New one has a roof as well.

Croke Park - Completely rebuilt by the GAA. Went from a mediocre large stadium to a massive all-seater stadium of 82,000. Unfortunately they refuse to allow any sport apart from GAA sports to be played there.

Murrayfield - Re-built in 1992 to have an all seater replace terracing due to safety laws. Capacity dropped from near on 100,000 to it's current 67,000.

Old Trafford - Re-developed more times than Cher has had plastic surgery. The "Theatre of Dreams" currently holds 67,000. More re-developments will increase that to 75,000. If they can do it, that will then increase to 90,000. England's "Wembley of the North".

Lansdowne Road - Not much re-developemnt at all except for seats placed on the terracing. Current capacity of 49,500. They want to re-build it to a 55,000 all seater stadium costing $415m. The only national stadium I know of that has a reilway track running underneath 1 of the grandstands.

Hampden Park - Once able to hold 150,000 people, Scotlands national football stadium now holds 55,000 all seated. Looks ok I guess but for a national stadium, I think it's kinda small.

Ashburne Grove - New stadium in London to replace Arsenal's old, and much developed, but very restricted, Highbury. Capacity to jump from 38,000 to 60,000.

City of Manchester Stadium - Built for 2 purposes. For the 2002 Commonwealth games and then re-developed to replace Manchester City's old Main Road ground. Extremely modern 48,000 seat stadium.

New Anfield - Will replace Liverpool's current Anfield. Will it ever replace "The Kop". Time will tell. Liverpool players will never walk alone so long as 60,000 fans walk beside them.

Not a bad collection of grounds if you ask me.

A fine assembly there.

Would have loved to have experienced the old Wembley just once before it was torn down.......

Emirates Stadium is looking great...saw some highlights of the construction on Sky News UK this morning...this artists impression inside...shows its going to be one fine stadium

Bleh. Not much more than a slightly smaller Estádio da Luz IMO.

The bottom tier is too small. I don't like stadia that have small bottom tiers (Millenium Stadium is another).

I agree. Funny thing, its why I'm not that into the Telstra Dome. There is something soft or unintimidating about them, can't put my finger on it but I love Twickenham which is the opposite (large, medium to small 3rd tier). It seems more colossal / fortress like with the chanding prespective. They do a simliar thing at the Disney theme Parks by building the higher stories on a shrinking scale to emphasise its story book character and unnaturally grand dimensions.

Too European, not English enough. Look at Stamford Bridge, Highbury...that is what they should be copying.

PS, whose stadium is Emirates Stadium?

Arsenal's new ground.

[quote Holden V8 - Croke Park - Completely rebuilt by the GAA. Went from a mediocre large stadium to a massive all-seater stadium of 82,000. Unfortunately they refuse to allow any sport apart from GAA sports to be played there.

Actually, that makes this stadium unique in Europe. I think its great that such a great stadium does not offer the globalised/homongenised professional sports of soccer/rugby, but is completely dedicated to 'native' sports that are so much a part of the heritage of that nation (and hurling is a great game, Gaelic Football also good to watch). This sets Croke Park apart from all other European stadiums for a true genuine sporting cultural experience.

Why be "culturally unique" if it means being arrongantly exclusive. I love watching GAA sports but I think they go to far.

Let them play other sports there. They'll subsidise the GAA.

if you look at pics of croke park you'll notices it not really finished.
now, the GAA have missed a trick here,they can hold the irish government and the irish FA to ransom...pay for the rest of the stadium and you can play here., it'll be cheaper than building a new lansdown road.imagine what 100,000 drunken irishmen sound like

Brilliant idea.

[quote="Jeffles"]Why be "culturally unique" if it means being arrongantly exclusive.

Arrogance Jeffles???? Its HISTORY, and lots of it that led to the GAA doing what's its done. If they want to change it in the future and allow soccer/rugby then fine - its up to them. But coz I know way too much of the history on this subject like how the English did their level best to eradicate all Irish native sports, along with the language (and not a few of the actual natives themselves) and also how the rugby union in particular tried to stop any revival of the Gaelic sports in the late 19th century thru govt influence on denial of grounds and schools) then I will never blame the Irish for their decisions. Damn, I could write 20 more pages on this but I won't - you get the gist. Absolutely not built on arrogance (and I suspect you know at least some of this anyway!) That is why rugby union in the Irish Republic is now followed solely by the middle/upper classes in Dublin (and only in Dublin) and is generally despised in the rest of the country (witness the fights between Irish gaelic and rugby supporters after MCG Int Rules Match 2003)

For any out there who doubt me on this, and/or want to know more, I recommend -

"The GAA - A History" (publisher Cunmann Lutchless Gael, Dublin 1980)

"Irish Culture and Popular Nationalism 1750 - 1950" (Macmillan London 1983)

"The Dynamics of Cultural Nationalism" (Allen and Unwin, London, 1987) Page 290 notes its 'antagonism to British sports and those who played them' - but gives the very very understandable reasons behind it all.


(From late 19th to mid 20th century Rugby Union have also led the way in sometimes effective campaigns against rival sports in other countries eg France and South Africa).

BTW If you think I'm some sort of smartarse know it all on this subject, it just so happens that this is very very closely related to a thesis I've been attempting, hence my passion.
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The conflict between England and Ireland is over now mate

Its time to bury the hatchett..if the EU can forgive Germany, Australia can forgive Japan...then Ireland can bloody well get over its grudges.

Support your case mate...with a lack of land and the expense, they still want exclusive stadiums, even though the Gaelic Association has a great stadium that more people should know about.

Oh well its part of their tradition