A History of London’s Famous Football Grounds

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There is no city in the UK that can match London for the sheer number of football teams it has. From the lower leagues to the top of the Premier Division, London has enough footballing history to satisfy the most avid fan.

And the collective home of all this history are the grounds where London’s football teams strut their stuff every weekend – or sometimes during the week as well, much to the annoyance of managers. With this in mind, let’s look at the history of some of London’s most famous football grounds. The grounds featured are only a half-an-hour journey from your Montcalm Hotel London, so you can enjoy the best luxury accommodation in London and easily take in a healthy dose of footballing history during your stay.

Stamford Bridge

Home to Chelsea, Stamford Bridge has seen it’s fair share of glory, especially since the purchase of the club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in the early 2000s.

In it’s entire history, Chelsea has won 28 major trophies, including six titles, eight FA Cups and one Champions League. The club has played home games at Stamford Bridge since 1905, when it was formed by Gus Mears. Mears took over the already existing stadium, and needed a team to fill it, so he founded Chelsea F.C.

The stadium has changed since then, of course. The 1990s was a period of major regeneration, bringing Stamford Bridge into the modern era. Chelsea were looking to improve their ground further, planning a renovation to take them past 65,000 in capacity. However, this work has recently come to a standstill and you still have the chance to see Stamford Bridge in its current glory before anything changes. Stamford Bridge is a 30-minute Tube ride from your Montcalm London hotel, so check it out.

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The Emirates

Arsenal’s historic home ground was Highbury. But in 1997, after their plan to expand was nixed, the club sought another option. The result was the 60,000 capacity Emirates. The Emirates is just under 30-minutes from our luxury accommodation in London, so you don’t have far to go to see one of the most impressive stadiums in Europe, let alone the UK.

Work began in 2004 and, after some financial difficulties, was completed in 2006. Coming in at a cost of nearly £400 million, then- manager Arsene Wenger called the move the “biggest decision in Arsenal’s history”. The relocation has reaped enormous dividends for the club, as it has allowed them a firm measure of financial security and a top-tier stadium to match those of Manchester United and the other super clubs of British football.

Selhurst Park

Designed and built in 1924, Selhurst Park has hosted Crystal Palace’s home games since 1924 and truly is a classic British football stadium.

Famed for its atmosphere, the stadium puts fans close to the pitch and is one of the key reasons for Crystal Palace’s recent success in the Premier League. Selhurst Park was built on the site of a former brickfield and cost £30,000 to build in the early 1920s.

Recent history has seen some tense standoffs between fans and the club, with the Palace hierarchy wanting to redevelop the club’s original home at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre and fans pushing against this. For the immediate future, it seems that the fans have won out.