Championship football grounds ranked: Adrian Durham’s definitive list after completing the 92 challenge
Every season, the Championship has an exciting blend of ex-Premier League sides and rising clubs competing against each other. As a result, there’s a serious variation in the stadiums on offer, and unlike most countries, some of England’s second tier matches are held at some of the most famous grounds in the world. The EFL boasts some of the best stadiums in the country – especially the ChampionshipGETTY IMAGES - GETTY From Leeds United‘s Elland Road to Luton Town’s wacky Kenilworth Road, fans relish doing away days in the Championship. But how do each of these stadiums rank? Well, luckily for us here at talkSPORT Towers, we have someone who has been to all 24 of them. talkSPORT host and lifelong Peterborough fan Adrian Durham recently completed the 92 challenge, meaning he’s now visited every single one of the 92 stadiums on offer in the Premier League and the English football league. So who better to tell us which of the Championship’s grounds are the best? And perhaps even more interestingly, which are the worst… If you’ve already read Durham’s top 10 grounds in the 92, you’ll know what surprise is waiting for those still living in peaceful ignorance when they scroll down to no. 1 in this piece… As seen in Durham’s other rankings, size of ground does not necessarily equal a higher place in the list. In fact, this list swerves right away from the narrative of large modern stadium being the best on offer. Durham visited plenty of these clubs’ old stadiums before their moves to more modern arenas, too, so he can compare them. So, how does Durham rank the Championship’s 24 grounds after his many years on the road? Let’s take a look… Read Adrian Durham’s League One and League Two rankings Durham watched Fleetwood draw 2-2 with Morecambe to tick off number 92X:@theadriandurham 24. Hillsborough (Sheffield Wednesday) A lot of it is very dated and badly needs upgrading. The low ranking may have something to do with a certain team bottling a 4-0 lead in the play-off semi-finals there… Hillsborough has been the Owls’ home since 1899Getty 23. Kassam Stadium (Oxford United) It’s three sides! No atmosphere, three-sided ground. They’re leaving it soon anyway, so… Truly one of the worst grounds in the 92. 22. Kenilworth Road (Luton Town) It’s a shambles, isn’t it? It’s just rubbish. You see, when they got into the Premier League and people said, oh yeah, isn’t it lovely, it’s all romantic and sentimental and all that. It’s a terrible ground, truly awful ground that they spend no money on whatsoever. I’m a bit of a traditionalist, so I should be saying, yeah, Luton, great, let them in and let their ground in, but, you know, this is a global product, the Premier League. You can’t have a ground like that in there. ‘The Kenny’ became an obsession for fans when they got promoted to the Premier LeagueGetty The Oak Stand made all the headlines when the Hatters got promotedGetty 21. bet365 Stadium (Stoke City) It’s freezing, always. I don’t like grounds where the corners are open. I like it all to be a bowl enclosed. Some grounds get away with it, it depends on the architecture of it, but this one doesn’t. It is just four stands put next to each other, and the old ground was really good. And it is, genuinely, always cold there. Even in the middle of August, it’s freezing. Stoke has a reputation for being a horrible place to go 20. MKM Stadium (Hull City) My rugby league team is Hull FC. They had a great ground. They then knocked it down and moved in the MKM. It’s just never been right. I don’t think it’s a great stadium anyway. But from my personal point of view, it just feels wrong that that’s where my rugby league team plays. The Tigers have hosted Premier League football at the MKMGetty 19. The Den (Millwall) I was in the away end at the Old Den for a midweek game once and I was so glad we lost. It was intimidating, but I appreciated the way they made the atmosphere so good at that ground. It was brilliant. And the new den is just too new. I know it’s not ‘new’ anymore, it’s been there ages, but it just doesn’t feel right. When you experience the old one, the new one is just… It’s just so weak by comparison. It’s so inferior. Millwall’s ‘New Den’ has a reputation for its intimidating atmosphere – but Durham doesn’t rate itGetty 18. CBS Arena (Coventry City) The old ground I really loved. But with the new one, at times you’ve wondered if it’s their home because they’ve had to move away from it and then go back into it. I think that’s the big thing. It doesn’t really feel like Coventry City’s home. That would be the big reason it’s so low. The CBS Arena was opened in 2005 17. Ewood Park (Blackburn Rovers) I struggled a bit with Blackburn because I’ve been there at least twice to my memory, but I can’t really remember anything about i
Every season, the Championship has an exciting blend of ex-Premier League sides and rising clubs competing against each other.
As a result, there’s a serious variation in the stadiums on offer, and unlike most countries, some of England’s second tier matches are held at some of the most famous grounds in the world.
From Leeds United‘s Elland Road to Luton Town’s wacky Kenilworth Road, fans relish doing away days in the Championship.
But how do each of these stadiums rank? Well, luckily for us here at talkSPORT Towers, we have someone who has been to all 24 of them.
talkSPORT host and lifelong Peterborough fan Adrian Durham recently completed the 92 challenge, meaning he’s now visited every single one of the 92 stadiums on offer in the Premier League and the English football league.
So who better to tell us which of the Championship’s grounds are the best? And perhaps even more interestingly, which are the worst…
If you’ve already read Durham’s top 10 grounds in the 92, you’ll know what surprise is waiting for those still living in peaceful ignorance when they scroll down to no. 1 in this piece…
As seen in Durham’s other rankings, size of ground does not necessarily equal a higher place in the list.
In fact, this list swerves right away from the narrative of large modern stadium being the best on offer.
Durham visited plenty of these clubs’ old stadiums before their moves to more modern arenas, too, so he can compare them.
So, how does Durham rank the Championship’s 24 grounds after his many years on the road?
Let’s take a look…
Read Adrian Durham’s League One and League Two rankings
24. Hillsborough (Sheffield Wednesday)
A lot of it is very dated and badly needs upgrading.
The low ranking may have something to do with a certain team bottling a 4-0 lead in the play-off semi-finals there…
23. Kassam Stadium (Oxford United)
It’s three sides! No atmosphere, three-sided ground. They’re leaving it soon anyway, so…
Truly one of the worst grounds in the 92.
22. Kenilworth Road (Luton Town)
It’s a shambles, isn’t it? It’s just rubbish. You see, when they got into the Premier League and people said, oh yeah, isn’t it lovely, it’s all romantic and sentimental and all that. It’s a terrible ground, truly awful ground that they spend no money on whatsoever.
I’m a bit of a traditionalist, so I should be saying, yeah, Luton, great, let them in and let their ground in, but, you know, this is a global product, the Premier League. You can’t have a ground like that in there.
21. bet365 Stadium (Stoke City)
It’s freezing, always. I don’t like grounds where the corners are open. I like it all to be a bowl enclosed. Some grounds get away with it, it depends on the architecture of it, but this one doesn’t.
It is just four stands put next to each other, and the old ground was really good. And it is, genuinely, always cold there. Even in the middle of August, it’s freezing.
20. MKM Stadium (Hull City)
My rugby league team is Hull FC. They had a great ground. They then knocked it down and moved in the MKM. It’s just never been right.
I don’t think it’s a great stadium anyway. But from my personal point of view, it just feels wrong that that’s where my rugby league team plays.
19. The Den (Millwall)
I was in the away end at the Old Den for a midweek game once and I was so glad we lost. It was intimidating, but I appreciated the way they made the atmosphere so good at that ground. It was brilliant. And the new den is just too new.
I know it’s not ‘new’ anymore, it’s been there ages, but it just doesn’t feel right. When you experience the old one, the new one is just… It’s just so weak by comparison. It’s so inferior.
18. CBS Arena (Coventry City)
The old ground I really loved. But with the new one, at times you’ve wondered if it’s their home because they’ve had to move away from it and then go back into it. I think that’s the big thing.
It doesn’t really feel like Coventry City’s home. That would be the big reason it’s so low.
17. Ewood Park (Blackburn Rovers)
I struggled a bit with Blackburn because I’ve been there at least twice to my memory, but I can’t really remember anything about it. If that’s the case, then it’s made no impression on me.
I can’t rate it that highly, but I don’t think it’s that bad.
16. Riverside Stadium (Middlesbrough)
Riverside’s not bad, but their old ground was brilliant, Ayresome Park. I did a couple of games there. I was in the home end for one cup tie they had with Everton years and years ago.
It’d be in my top ten atmospheres ever. It was so good. The old ground was so good that it makes the Riverside look far inferior by comparison.
15. Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff City)
Cardiff, Derby and Swansea are all exactly the same. They’re all new-ish grounds. They’re decent grounds, but they could be anywhere.
I don’t go there and think, this is all about Swansea and their history or Derby and their history.
14. Pride Park (Derby County)
Just going to repeat what I said above but Derby is marginally better.
It doesn’t stick in the memory and just doesn’t feel unique to me.
13. Swansea.com Stadium (Swansea City)
Swansea is the better of the three, but it could still be anywhere.
The atmosphere can get going in the South Wales derby but it still doesn’t capture their history well.
12. Deepdale Stadium (Preston North End)
I’ve only ever been there once. There’s so much history with Preston, I thought I was going to really love it, but it just didn’t really make a huge impression on me.
There’s pictures of Sir Tom Finney, Bill Shankly, and Alan Kelly in the seats which are impressive. It’s not a terrible ground but I expected to love it more than I did.
11. Ashton Gate (Bristol City)
I’ve been a number of times. I don’t know if I like it or not.
It’s the same as Preston. It’s a nice ground, but there’s not really an atmosphere. There’s not really much about it.
10. Stadium of Light (Sunderland)
The old ground Roker Park was fantastic. The new one isn’t the same as the new. It’s been there since the 90s but it’s not as good.
However, they fill it regularly and when they do fill it, the Stadium of Light is actually pretty good. That’s why it’s quite high up the list.
9. Bramall Lane (Sheffield United)
I spent quite a bit of time in Sheffield so I went quite a few times.
I really enjoyed my visits there. The atmosphere was really good.
The home ends were always lively. I’ve got quite a bit of time for Bramall Lane, it’s a decent ground.
8. Home Park (Plymouth Argyle)
Plymouth has a surprisingly brilliant atmosphere. I was there for the game where they secured promotion from League One. They’d been good, but when the goal went in, wow! The decibel levels were amazing.
Surprisingly fantastic atmosphere. Surprisingly lively and noisy. I enjoy going there.
7. Carrow Road (Norwich City)
Whenever I’ve been, it’s always noisy. There’s always singing. It’s never quiet. I’ve been to the Norwich-Ipswich derby as well which was very, very good.
It’s a tidy ground. It’s their original ground. There’s nothing I dislike about it.
6. The Hawthorns (West Brom)
West Brom I really like. There’s big history going on with this ground and it’s very easy to get to. I’ve experienced it when they’ve been fighting Premier League relegation or going for promotion from the Championship.
It’s always full when they’re doing well or trying to stay up. The atmosphere is one of the best I’ve witnessed. I really like the Hawthorns.
5. Vicarage Road (Watford)
This isn’t far from where I live. It used to be an absolute mess. There were patches of terracing where you weren’t allowed to stand. It was just rundown. Now, they’ve done so well with it. It looks really good.
For a ground to be in the middle of town, right next to a hospital, I just think that they’ve done so well with that ground to avoid saying ‘we’ll take some money for the land and then bugger off out of town’.
My daughter was born in the hospital, so there’s a personal thing there as well.
4. Turf Moor (Burnley)
Burnley has one of the best views in the country. At the top of the main stand, when you look out, you can see across the hills and the rolling fields and tops of houses. It’s brilliant. I know a lot of people really dislike Turf Moor.
But I like the fact that not a lot about it has changed. It still, in some parts, looks like the old Burnley ground when there were champions in the 60s. This used to be a great football club and I love the old school nature.
3. Fratton Park (Portsmouth)
It’s the atmosphere init. It’s insane. It’s so crazy that the place genuinely shakes, it’s that old.
There’s little alleyways, it’s just a really weirdly located ground, but I love that. Quirky is the best way to describe it.
2. Elland Road (Leeds)
I lived and worked in Leeds so I went quite a lot and looking at parts of the outside of it, I would say you’re taken back to the 70s because it feels like nothing’s changed. So you’re back there with Don Revie and Billy Bremner and all that.
I think it’s got a wonderful nostalgic charm and there’s a history there and it’s a one-club city. In terms of match atmosphere, Leeds are no. 1.
1. Loftus Road (Queens Park Rangers)
I went to QPR v Crystal Palace in the League Cup and it reminded me how much I loved it. It’s in the middle of a housing estate in London. The corners are filled in, it’s tight to the pitch.
I just absolutely love it. It’s another one where the atmosphere, when they’re doing well, is fantastic. That’s how a ground should be, right in the middle of a residential area. I love it.
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