I grew up in a small town of less than 20,000 people in country NSW.
Growing up, a stadium to me was a grass oval with a scaffold stand usually holding about 100 people.
The action was still great but the atmosphere wasn’t the best.
At around 10 years old, I was taken to the AFL at the MCG, it was the ANZAC Day match between Collingwood and Essendon. Never had I experienced something like this. 100,000 fans packed into a single venue to watch and incredible spectacle. From that moment, I was hooked.
Since that day, I have been fascinated at the incredible engineering/designing/planning feat it takes to put a stadium together, let alone pack 100,000 into the venue and feed them.
I’ve seen many a stadium in my time on this earth. Right here at home, in the UK, Europe and the USA. Some incredible venues and atmospheres.
Socceroos qualifying for the World Cup over Uruguay in 2005 at Olympic Park, Sydney. Seeing my team go down to Manchester United at Old Trafford 5-0. The KOP singing “we will never walk alone” at Anfield, Liverpool. Even the odd Sunday arvo on the hill in the sun at Shark Park, Cronulla. All of these things have shaped my love of sport over many years.
I am a big believer in the fact that it’s the fans that make the game great. Without fans, these stadiums wouldn’t be filled or the player wouldn’t be on half the money they are on today.
But in this day and age, the stadiums are playing a bigger and bigger part in the enjoyment of the action.
The Dallas Cowboys created, at the time, one of the most state of the art stadiums the world had ever seen. $1.15B can but you almost whatever you want.
The spectacle that is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas is a site to be seen. It has the largest HD TV screen in the world, running a massive 60 yards above the field. They set the benchmark in what players and fans alike wanted to see.
Now, this is bettered nearly every year.
With the opening of Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta, Georgia to start this NFL season, I am reminded of the glory of such wonders. This new offering in the world of stadiums is incredible. Firstly, it has a 100-yard bar, running the length of the field – who wouldn’t enjoy that. There is also an all-new interactive app, which helps you order food and drink to your seat.
But the best part is an elaborate eight-panel pinwheel retractable roof, that has a 360-degree halo board (TV screen) around the opening of the roof.
Every time you turn on the TV there is a new stadium planned to open soon. Everyone is trying to outdo everyone else. The latest cab off the rank is a new stadium in North London for Tottenham Hotspur. This stadium will house Premier League matches and NFL games with a special pitch that can be interchanged according to the event being played.
They are planning to open this state of the art venue in early 2021.
The coverage we receive these days on TV is incredible, but I highly recommend getting out and experiencing one of these stadiums for yourself.
| Stadium | City/State | Country | Capacity | Home team | Sport | |
| 1 | Michgan Stadium | Ann Abor, Michigan | USA | 107,601 | Michigan Wolverines | College Football |
| 2 | Beaver Stadium | State College, Pennsylvania | USA | 106,572 | Penn State | College Football |
| 3 | Ohio Stadium | Columbus, Ohio | USA | 104,944 | Ohio State | College Football |
| 4 | Kyle Field | College Station, Texas | USA | 102,733 | Texas A&M | College Football |
| 5 | Neyland Stadium | Knoxville, Tennessee | USA | 102,455 | Tennessee Volunteers | College Football |
| 6 | Tiger Stadium | Baton Rogue, Louisiana | USA | 102,321 | LSU Tigers | College Football |
| 7 | Bryant-Denny Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | USA | 101,821 | Alabama Crimson Tide | College Football |
| 8 | Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Texas | USA | 100,119 | Texas Longhorns | College Football |
| 9 | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne | AUS | 100,024 | Various | Various Sports |
| 10 | Camp Nou | Barcelona | SPAIN | 99,354 | Barcelona FC | Football/Soccer |
Note: There is a stadium in North Korea that holds 114,000. But if the rest of the world can’t play there you don’t make this list.
| Stadium | City/State | Opened | Cost to build | Home Team/s | Sport | |
| 1 | LA Stadium | Los Angeles | 2020 | $2.66B | LA Rams/Chargers | NFL |
| 2 | Las Vegas Stadium | Las Vegas | 2020 | $2.44B | Las Vegas Raiders | NFL |
| 3 | Mercedes Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia | 2017 | $1.6B | Atlanta Falcons | NFL |
| 4 | MetLife Stadium | New York | 2010 | $1.6B | NY Jets/Giants | NFL |
| 5 | Yankee Stadium | New York | 2009 | $1.5B | NY Yankees | MLB |
| 6 | Levi’s Stadium | San Francisco | 2014 | $1.2B | San Francisco 49ers | NFL |
| 7 | AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas | 2009 | $1.15B | Dallas Cowboys | NFL |
| 8 | Madison Square Garden* | New York | 2012 | $1.1B | Various NY teams | NBA/NHL |
| 9 | US Bank Stadium | Minnesota | 2016 | $1.1B | Minnesota Vikings | NFL |
| 10 | Barclays Center | Brooklyn, New York | 2012 | $1B | Brooklyn Nets | NBA |
*Madison Square Garden underwent renovations in 2012 and is home to NY Islanders, NY Knicks, and NY Liberty
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