Out of Play

11 iconic football stadiums of yesteryear and what now lies in their place

Remember when football stadiums were bursting with character?

And by character, we mean wooden seats, corrugated roofing and restricted views.

Well, for this week’s Flashback Friday retro picture special, we’re remembering some of the most iconic ones.

Not only that, but we’re showing you what now lies in the place.

Some have been replaced with new homes, while other sites now house shops.

Here are 11 grounds of yesteryear, then and now, from Arsenal’s Highbury to West Ham’s Upton Park.

  1. Highbury, was Arsenal’s home, from 1913 to 2006 (Image: EMPICS Entertainment)
  2. The Highbury site in north London is now a residential development (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  3. Maine Road, which opened in 1923, was nicknamed the ‘Wembley of the North” (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  4. The Moss Side site, departed by City in 2003, now has homes and a school (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  5. West Ham’s old ground was Upton Park, aka The Boleyn Ground, opened in 1904 (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  6. Redevelopment has been ongoing since the Hammers left the site in 2016 (Image: i-Images Picture Agency)
  7. Opened in 1891, Leicester’s Filbert Street closed in 2002 (Image: EMPICS Sport)7 of 22
  8. These days, you’ll find university accommodation on the site of the Foxes’ old ground (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  9. The Dell, where Matt Le Tissier became a hero, was Southampton’s home from 1898 to 2001 (Image: PA Archive)
  10. A variety of homes have been built on the site of The Dell (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  11. The Goldstone Ground, Brighton’s former home, opened in 1901 (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  12. Since being demolished in 1997, the Goldstone Ground has been replaced by a retail park (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  13. From 1878 to 1997, the Victoria Ground was home to Stoke (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  14. The Victoria Ground site remained derelict for 20 years after the stadium was demolished. Builders started work on new homes on the site this year (Image: PA Archive)
  15. Middlesbrough’s old home ground was Ayresome Park, which opened in 1903 (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  16. Boro’s old ground was demolished in 1997, making way for new homes (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  17. Bolton Wanderers played their home games at Burnden Park between 1895 and 1997 (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  18. The Burnden Park site now houses a retail park including an Asda supermarket (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  19. Roker Park, home to Sunderland from 1898 to 1997, had great character (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  20. A residential development now sits on the Roker Park site (Image: EMPICS Sport)
  21. Opened in 1912, Wimbledon’s Plough Lane stadium was where the Crazy Gang ran riot (Image: EMPICS Entertainment)
  22. Homes were built on the Plough Lane site after the stadium was razed to the ground in 2002 (Image: EMPICS Sport)
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