Smallest Premier League Stadiums of All-Time

about 1 year ago

What are the smallest Premier League stadiums of all time? After Luton Town earned promotion to the Premier League in 2023, is Kenilworth Road the smallest stadium ever? Let's take a look.

7. Gtech Community Stadium (Brentford) - 17,250

Brentford played out of Griffin Park since 1904 and was the only stadium in the English football league to have a pub on each corner of the ground. The club attempted to move grounds as far back as 1973 and finally moved to the modern and brand new Brentford Community Stadium in 2020.

Under the ambitious Matthew Benham the club has transformed itself into a Premier League team earning promotion in 2021. The club was playing in League Two as recent as 2008 and were on the cusp of bankruptcy. Benham transformed the club using analytics to buy undervalued player and selling some on for more than 10-times their value.

Brentford Community Stadium is small by Premier League standards but much larger than the 12,300 Griffin Park. It's been designed with the potential to expand the stadium to 25,000 in the future, but it doesn't have a pub in each corner.

6. Bloomfield Road (Blackpool) - 16,900

Blackpool played in the Premier League for the first time in their history in the 2010-11 season but would only last one season in the top flight. Bloomfield Road was the only Premier League stadium not to have undersoil heating which led to the postponement of matches.

Bloomfield Road had a party atmosphere in the Premier League thanks to Blackpool's popularity as a seaside hesitation. In it's heyday the stadium hosted crowds of almost 40,000 in the 1950's. In fact the Spion Kop stand had a capacity of about 16,000 itself which is practically the entire capacity of the stadium today.

The 1985 Bradford City stadium fire resulted in the outlawing of wooden grandstands and that meant two of Bloomfield Road's stands had to be closed. The club attempting to sell off the stadium which never eventuated but over the years it's capacity has declined. The temporary East Stand that was erected for their one and only Premier League season remains in place till this day.

5. The Dell (Southampton) - 15,200

Before Southampton's move to Saint Mary's Stadium in 2001, the club called The Dell home for 103 years. The stadium made history as it became the first in England to have permanent floodlighting installed. The ground underwent four expansions; the one in 1929 needed after a fire which destroyed the East Stand as a result of a dropped cigarette.

In 1940 a German bomb fell on the stadium during World War 2 which created an 18-foot crater in one of the penalty areas. In 1941 an explosion at the ground also cause a major fire which was sparked from stored munitions.

Prior to the Taylor Report the stadium had held crowds of over 30,000. By the 1993-94 Premier League season The Dell would have the lowest capacity stadium in top flight football. Five apartment blocks now occupy the grounds The Dell once sat on, ground that was unsuitable for major expansion works and the reason for the move to Saint Mary's.

The Dell, Southampton. pic.twitter.com/Rr0FPURmE7
— When Football Was Better (@FootballInT80s) January 14, 2023

4. County Ground (Swindon) - 14,700

Swindon is one of the smallest towns to ever host a Premier League team. They played top flight football in the 1993-94 season and got absolutely belted, winning only five games and conceding a record 100 goals.

With a population of only 186,000 the minnows can be proud that they played in the Premier League for starters. The County Ground reflects the size of the town, but it's the only stadium in the world to have a Rolex clock installed. It's also hosted Elton John and Bryan Adams concerts.

There's been plans in the past to expand the capacity but a lack of success on the field has halted those. The County Grounds sits on land owned by the council which Swindon pays rent for. Because of this the club has been exploring a move away from here to generate more revenue.

3. Boundary Park (Oldham) - 13,512

Once upon a time Oldham were a founding member of the Premier League in 1992. The Greater Manchester club would appear in two FA Cup semi-finals in the early 90's but would soon drop into the third tier and have had financial struggles ever since.

The post-Taylor Report era meant all stadiums were compulsorily required to be all-seated from the 1994-95 season onward. Boundary Park was now limited to 13,512 seats and was the smallest ground in Premier League history up until 2015.

Boundary Park is also considered one of the coldest grounds in the football league and is also one of the highest above sea level sitting at 526 feet (155m). Uniquely there's also disused terracing visible at the end of the Main Stand which is legacy to the pre-Taylor Report days.

2. Kenilworth Road (Luton Town FC) - 11,500

Luton Town FC earned promotion to the Premier League for the first time ever in 2013. It was an impressive rise considering the club was playing non-League football in 2010.

Built in 1905, Kenilworth Road was the venue for one of the most notorious riots in English football during an FA Cup sixth-round tie against Millwall in 1985. The club forked out £10 million on works needed to bring it up to Premier League standards.

Premier League away fans will now get to visit the unique Kenilworth Road, which was built in 1905. The Oak Stand entrance is in the middle of residential housing! 🏠 pic.twitter.com/tPYXYBxWw7
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) May 27, 2023

1. Vitality Stadium (Bournemouth) - 11,364

Founded in 1899, Bournemouth have been playing out of Dean Court since 1910. The club started the 2008-09 season in League Two and were on the brink of bankruptcy. It's almost beyond belief the club rose to the Premier League by 2015 and lasted five seasons in the top flight.

Dean Court to this day remains the smallest Premier League stadium in history with a capacity of 11,700. The ground had capacity of 9,600 back in 2001 when it was completely rebuilt, the pitch rotated 90 degrees to move it away from nearby houses.

In 2005 the stadium was sold with a leaseback agreement in place but the club has been unsuccessful in trying to buy it back. Bournemouth halted plans to expand Dean Court and they've been exploring options to build a new stadium nearby which would take the club away from the place they've called home since 1910.

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