60. Claggan Park
Fort William
Capacity 1,800
Opened 1985
Few, if any, British football grounds can boast such a dramatic backdrop. The local Highland Football League side play in the direct shadow of one of Ben Nevis’s foothills, with the peak itself – almost invariably snow-capped – visible beyond in all its cloud-scraping glory.
DID YOU KNOW? For several years, this was the home ground of future Premier League star John McGinlay, who scored 61 goals in 92 appearances for Fort William.
59. Pride Park
Derby County
Capacity 33,597
Opened 1997
One of the most stylish and classy of the modern stadia, aided by the black and white colours. The bust of Steve Bloomer, next to the dugouts, is a nice nod to Derby’s rich history.
DID YOU KNOW? The first goal and first competitive goal at Pride Park were both scored by Italians – Vincenzo Montella and Stefano Eranio.
58. Causeway Lane
Matlock Town
Capacity 2,400
With trees framing the appropriately named Twigg Stand, one of the most picturesque grounds in non-league is on the edge of the Peak District. The scenery extends to Matlock’s football club: even the Gladiators’ badge looks unique and appealing.
BEST FEATURE The views of Riber Castle, the 19th-century stately home, on a hill overlooking the town and ground.
57. Bellsea Park
Fraserburgh
Capacity 3,000
Opened 1909
In the far north-eastern corner of Aberdeenshire, Fraserburgh is one of the biggest shellfish ports in Europe. It also takes a great deal of pride in its local team, whose cracking ground is overlooked by Fraserburgh South Kirk.
DID YOU KNOW? In January 2018, The Broch became the first Highland League side to appear live on Sky Sports when hosting Rangers in the Scottish Cup.
56. Meadow Lane
Notts County
Capacity 19,841
Opened 1910
A wonderful location, near the city centre and just across the river Trent from Nottingham Forest, which serve as a reminder of County’s past. Meadow Lane’s size shows they really shouldn’t have been a non-league club.
DID YOU KNOW? County used to play at Trent Bridge – although they had to find other venues when Nottinghamshire were playing cricket there.
55. Home Park
Plymouth
Capacity 16,388
Opened 1893
The ‘Theatre of Greens’ – nicknames don’t get much better – was heavily bombed in the Second World War but still has its lovely 1930s art-deco façade to complement plenty of far more modern facilities.
DID YOU KNOW? Manchester United faced Saint-Etienne in the Cup Winners’ Cup at Home Park in 1977 – it had to be staged more than 200km from Old Trafford after rioting.
54. Glebe Park
Brechin City
Capacity 4,123
Opened 1919
Brechin have fallen on hard times with relegation to The Highland League, but their stadium remains one of the most distinctive in Scotland – largely due to the unmistakable (and well-tended) hedge that borders the length of one flank.
DID YOU KNOW? Glebe Park’s iconic topiary was under threat in 2009 because UEFA deemed Brechin’s pitch dimensions too small to meet their requirements.
53. The New Lawn
Forest Green Rovers
Capacity 5,147
Opened 2006
No other league ground is located at the top of such a lung-sappingly steep hill as the New Lawn is. Those with tickets for the main stand can enjoy the fine fare of the all-vegan restaurant, along with views of the local cattle on the hill opposite.
WEIRDEST FEATURE The dressing rooms are situated in what looks like a toilet block in the far corner of the pitch.
52. Recreation Park
Alloa Athletic
Capacity 3,100
Opened 1895
Alloa are widely regarded as one of the best-run part-time clubs in Scotland – extending to the maintenance of their tidy stadium. The 3G surface isn’t to everyone’s liking, but those glorious views of the Ochil Hills from the Railway End wash all concerns away.
BEST FEATURE You haven’t had the full Scottish football experience until you’ve tried Alloa’s famous pie in a roll.
51. Kenilworth Road
Luton Town
Capacity 11,500
Opened 1905
The row of ground-level executive boxes along one touchline was always a weird anomaly among stadiums, but there are few more flavoursome places to watch a midweek game than in this tight, distinctly old-school ground.
BEST FEATURE The decidedly quirky entrance to the Oak Stand, which takes away fans up and over neighbouring back gardens.
50. Brentford Community Stadium
Brentford
Capacity 17,250
Opened 2020
Sadly gone are the pubs on every corner, but the buzz of the Bees’ new hive remains. Brentford’s new arena is fresh with an atmosphere of old – as fans proved when they practically took their new sloped roof off against Arsenal on their Premier League debut.
BEST FEATURE Just how impressively 17,000 seats have been squeezed into a tiny square of London land. The enclosed design means the sound stays in, too.
49. St Mary's
Southampton
Capacity 32,384
Opened 2001
An enclosed bowl gives it a complete feel, and the symmetry of it makes it the opposite of their cramped former home, The Dell. The front façade has plenty of glass and plenty of class.
WEIRDEST MOMENT The statue of club legend Ted Bates was removed after a few days in 2007 – because it looked more like former Pompey owner Milan Mandaric.
48. Toughsheet Community Stadium
Bolton Wanderers
Capacity 28,018
Opened 1997
To most, it’s still the Reebok. Supercharging Huddersfield’s template, its roomy two-tier stands offer excellent customer comfort below those yearning floodlights whose points pierce the often-glowering Lancastrian sky. Hard by the motorway, served by trains and surrounded by shopping, it’s arguably the country’s finest ‘new’ stadium for those who count most – the supporters.
BEST FEATURE The legroom, so often forgotten in the race to milk wallets.
47. Edgar Street
Hereford
Capacity 4,913
Opened 1924
Little has changed since Ronnie, Ricky & Co sparked parka-clad pitch invasions in the ’70s, but to many that remains part of the appeal of visiting an old classic with its towering floodlights – among the first to be installed in England.
BEST FEATURE The Bulls’ mascot – an actual one – is paraded around the ground before high-profile games.
46. Cae Clyd
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Capacity 550
Opened 1956
We’d imagine the locals were fairly chuffed when their former rubbish tip was transformed into one of Wales’ greatest-looking football grounds in the mid-50s. Set in the heart of Snowdonia, it’s now a gorgeous sprawl of hillsides, housing and greenery. Phwoar indeed.
DID YOU KNOW? Wales’ slate landscape – including Blaenau Ffestiniog – was named as the UK’s 33rd UNESCO World Heritage Site.
45. Bet365 Stadium
Stoke City
Capacity 30,089
Opened 1997
Yes, the former Britannia Stadium sits on top of a big hill and every third match seems to be played in some sort of hurricane, but it hasn’t stopped the atmosphere being one of Britain’s best over the years. Stoke fans have broken decibel records – they were officially as loud as a jumbo jet taking off.
DID YOU KNOW? When Stanley Matthews died in 2000, his ashes were buried beneath the centre circle.
44. Deepdale
Preston North End
Capacity 23,404
Opened 1875
Though drenched in history and brilliantly named, Deepdale desperately needed an update. It got one, superbly modelled on Sampdoria’s four-square Luigi Ferraris. The faces of Tom Finney, Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly (ask a local) gaze on from steep-raked single-tier stands affording excellent views, not least of the Invincibles Pavilion honouring those formative unconquerables.
BEST FEATURE The ‘Splash’ Tom Finney statue.
43. Dumbarton
Dumbarton
Capacity 2,020
Opened 2000
A scenic favourite, Dumbarton’s ground sits under Castle Rock. It’s a shame that the seats in their one stand face away from the landmark, but regardless, it makes for a pretty picture and is only a five-minute walk from the train station.
BEST FEATURE The dugouts – at least the coaching staff and subs get to enjoy one of the best views in Scottish football.
42. Stadium of Light
Sunderland
Capacity 49,000
Opened 1997
Spectacularly overlooking the River Wear, this hulking arena shouldn’t have been hosting League One football – it’s previously staged England matches, and the atmosphere for Sunderland games can be absolutely electric.
BEST FEATURE The deafening pre-match rendition of Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights, later nicked by the BBC as the theme tune for The Apprentice. Brief attempts to replace it with ’90s trance didn’t go down well.
41. Earls Orchard
Richmond Town
Capacity 500 (est.)
Voted England’s most scenic non-league ground in 2019... and it’s easy to see why. By the river Swale in the Yorkshire Dales, beneath the shadow of trees, it’s unique – even if Richmond are moving to get a 5G pitch elsewhere.
BEST FEATURE The imposing Richmond Castle, which dates back almost 1,000 years to Norman times, towers over the ground.
