Championship

A quick overview of Championship Stadiums

The 24 stadiums in the Championship vary in size, stature and tradition, but each one brings something to the table. There is now an acceptance that second-tier stadiums must adhere to Premier League standards as each season, all 24 teams have a legitimate shot of being promoted, such is the unpredictable nature of the Championship.

Of course, these grounds are located all over England, and given the diversity, there’s a fair chance that you won’t be all that far away from some of the stadiums mentioned here. Naturally, the stadiums vary quite substantially both in terms of their aesthetics and their overall quality, which is why we’ve narrowed things down and covered the top stadiums for teams currently in this division.

Championship football grounds map

The beauty of the UK, being a relatively small nation, is that some of the top football stadiums are never too far away. This is particularly evident in England’s second-highest division, The Championship. This division currently consists of 24 teams, which equate to 24 different football grounds that you can find information about right here. Just like stadiums in some of the other divisions, many of the Championship stadiums have been built more than 100 years ago, which already means that many of them are shrouded in history.

And to add to this, given that the Championship is home to many teams that have enjoyed some brief spells in the Premier League, some of the stadiums are seriously impressive. However, this is no surprise given that some of the stadiums have been completely refurbished to support Premier League football. As you can see on the map, the Championship has a decent balance of stadiums in the country’s North and South regions, but in our opinion, a few stadiums truly stand out from the rest.

St Mary’s Stadium – Southampton

For more than 20 years now, St Mary’s Stadium has been the home of Southampton, and it’s seen the team drop from the top flight a few times.

The ground itself became open for business in 2001, and compared to some of the other construction figures for similar grounds, this one was pretty cheap. The whole thing was built for £32 million, and it’s one of the more open stadium designs that you can find today.

The Racecourse Ground – Wrexham

The home of Wrexham AFC, The Racecourse Ground, has certainly seen its fair share of highs and lows. It opened its doors in 1807, but football was first played at this historic old ground in 1864.

Between 2001 and 2008, Wrexham went into administration and also suffered relegation to the Conference Premier in the 2007-2008 season, which in turn ended their 87-year stay in the Football League.

In November 2022, Wrexham’s prayers were answered when Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny purchased the club. Since then, Wrexham achieved multiple promotions and went from the National League to the Championship in four years.

King Power Stadium – Leicester City

The King Power Stadium was established in 2002, almost 20 years ago. Of course, Leicester City weren’t exactly high flyers back then, but ever since the unlikely Premier League victory in 2016, this stadium has seen an explosion of club fans wanting to watch the guys in action.

With that said, the club can only support just over 32,000 per game, although if the figures are anything to go by, they could do with expanding to accommodate the increased following!

Pride Park – Derby County

Pride Park is not only one of the newest stadiums in the Championship, having opened in 1997, but also one of the biggest, with a capacity of 33,597.

Derby County played at The Baseball Ground before moving to Pride Park, which was built when the team was still competing in the Premier League.

Hillsborough – Sheffield Wednesday

The next stadium we’d like to cover here is one that most people have likely heard about, and not for the best reasons. Of course, this is the stadium where the tragic ‘Hillsborough Disaster’ occurred, and the impact of this event changed the scope of spectators at football games forever.

But looking beyond the horrific events of that day, Hillsborough is still one of the best Championship stadiums. Having been established in 1899, Hillsborough has remained in place and received plenty of investment behind the improvements we see today.

These days, Hillsborough has a capacity of almost 40,000. It has a fantastic drainage system for the pitch, as well as under-pitch heating (perfect for the English winters!), and there are still more plans to improve the stadium to host World Cup games in the future.

The Valley – Charlton Athletic

Being located in London, The Valley is competing among a skyline of some of the best football grounds in England. With that said, it is holding its own, especially for a stadium in the Championship.

Having been opened after World War One, The Valley has remained in place to this very day, and each of the stands has been restructured throughout the years to maintain its quality.

On that note, the ‘Covered End’ is where all the magic typically happens, with loyal fans all chanting and screaming for their team during home games, with up to 9,000 fans piling into this part of the ground alone.

Vicarage Road – Watford

With a capacity of slightly above 22,000, Vicarage Road is a mid-tier stadium for a Championship club, at least in terms of size. However, this stadium was improved in 2014 with the opening of the Sir Elton John Stand, who was once the chairman of Watford, as well as various cosmetic changes.

Vicarage Road first opened in 1921 and Watford have been playing here since 1922, when they moved from their previous ground Cassio Road.

Riverside Stadium – Middlesbrough

We believe this to be one of the top Championship grounds, mainly because of how modern the stadium is. Then again, it was first built back in 1995, so you would expect it to have a more contemporary design, as well as other leading features.

As you may recall, Middlesbrough actually gained promotion to the Premier League just a few years ago, and as a direct result of this achievement, £5 million was ploughed into stadium development.

At the time of writing, Middlesbrough is fighting to get back up to the top flight of English football. On a good day, more than 34,000 Middlesbrough fans can support their team, making The Riverside Stadium an iconic staple of the Northeast.

MKM Stadium – Hull City

We believe that Hull City’s MKM Stadium is one of the best stadiums in the Championship, having been built relatively recently. The ground has a very modern look, but it has a low roof that keeps the atmosphere locked inside. There is also a large two-tiered stand where the dugouts are located.

The MKM Stadium is a striking stadium with its unusual black seats. The MKM Stadium was built at a cost of £44m, which began in December 2001 and was completed in October 2002.