St. James' Park voted England's second-favourite football ground Written by Dan King St. James' Park has been chosen as England's second-favourite football ground in a major survey of supporters. The Magpies' iconic stadium was voted into second place in the www.footballgroundguide.com Best of the 92 poll, behind Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Thousands of football fans voted, with United's cathedral on the hill winning praise for its city centre location, imposing structure and famous atmosphere. One voter summed up a matchday at St James' Park as: "Passionate fans generating a fantastic atmosphere in a great looking stadium." Another described the stadium as a "traditional ground but sensibly modernised with great views from the top of the stands." The country's biggest stadium, Manchester United's Old Trafford, was in third place. The top ten included three representatives from the Championship, including Fulham's unique Craven Cottage. Duncan Adams, founder of www.footballgroundguide.com, said: "It is great to see some great traditional grounds such as Hillsborough, Goodison Park and Craven Cottage feature in the top 10. It shows that not always 'modern is best' and that fans still look to grounds with character." The Best of the 92 top ten is as follows: 1 Emirates Stadium, Arsenal 2 St. James' Park, Newcastle United 3 Old Trafford, Manchester United 4 Craven Cottage, Fulham 5 Villa Park, Aston Villa 6 Anfield, Liverpool 7 Goodison Park, Everton 8 Amex Stadium, Brighton & Hove Albion 9 Etihad Stadium, Manchester City 10 Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday For an extended feature on the survey results and divisional winners visit www.footballgroundguide.com or see the December issue of Football Weekends magazine, on sale in newsagents now.
I would have put St James Park No 1. Not being biased but I think the location is unique. On a hill in the middle of town it stands out from a long way away. So accessible on foot from railway station as well. The Milburn Stand is also well designed for watching. Very open with design of roof meaning no obstructions even if you are way back. Apparently Stadium of Light got a special commendation in the category “Easiest to exit After an Away Goal”
I've been to the top 5 and not the others. What the hell Craven Cottage is doing in there I have no idea. It's a hotchpotch of crappy stands, full of quiet middle-class twats, miles from the tube stations, and the away end has the feel some sort of temporary stand type of thing.
