Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Christmas is a wonderful time to watch live soccer in England. There are matches almost every 3 days currently, giving online betting fans hundreds of odds to look at each day. To many,this period of frequent games is just as good as Christmas Day itself.
For those who are new to betting on soccer, it can be quite confusing. Looking at things such as sports handicapping forums can be helpful to the new bettor, as they can explain in detail what some of the terms mean. This means you'll be able to head off to your local stadium with a much better knowledge of some of the odds and betting markets.
For those of you wishing you were visiting one of the top stadiums this Christmas, but instead will be stuck inside, why don't you catch up on some of the latest soccer stadium stories below instead.
For many fans in the 1980s and 1990s, Highbury, the then home of Arsenal football club, was one of the top stadiums in the country in terms of atmosphere, as well as quality on the pitch. Arsenal won the league in 1989, then were transformed under Arsene Wenger, winning it again in 1997, as well as the FA Cup to complete a famous double.
All while this was going on, plans were in motion for the club to leave Highbury, relocate to a new site, and build an entirely new stadium. Eventually, a plot was picked that was only a few hundreds of metres away from Highbury, which seemed to be the best option with all things considered.
The Emirates was formered opened in 2006, costing £390 million. While there is no denying it is an impressive stadium, many home fans still don't seem to like it. They claim it doesn't create the same sort of atmosphere that Highbury did, and doesn't intimidate away teams like their old ground did. Similarly, travelling fans also lament the Emirates, saying it is like watching matches in a library.
Either way, Arsenal will be hoping the crowd livens up for their EFL Quarter Final match against Sunderland on the 21st, with the Gunners the huge betting favourites at 1/6.
Another classic Premier League stadium that is sadly no longer with us is White Hart Lane, where Tottenham Hotspur were based since 1899. It had its final game played there at the end of the 2016/17 season, with demolition work beginning the very next day.
In its place now stands the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. At a cost of $1 billion, it certainly is an impressive structure, with both home and away fans commenting on how it is an enjoyable place to watch soccer. It can also be transformed into an NFL venue at short notice, and this year played host to the New York Jets vs the Atlanta Falcons, as well as the Miami Dolphins vs the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Many fans are left wondering why the ground is still known as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and not White Hart Lane? While many fans do refer to it as such (also calling it 'New White Hart Lane') there is a good reason it hasn't been given that title officially yet. The club and chairman Daniel Levy are waiting for an attractive offer from a company to purchase the naming rights of the stadium. It is something that many other big clubs have done recently (Bayern Munich with the Allianz Arena, Arsenal with the Emirates) and is a smart way to raise money for transfers.
Spurs next play at home on the 22nd of December against West Ham, and currently have betting odds of 11/8 to prevail.
For many years, Old Trafford where Manchester United play their home games has been known as the 'Theatre of Dreams'. Many great United teams have wowed the home fans in the past, and under the likes of Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson, you would always walk away from the Stadium thoroughly entertained.
These days, it couldn't be more different. Firstly, the results on the pitch have been poor for some time. But to make things worse, Old Trafford itself is slowly falling apart. There are huge holes in sections of the roof, the press facilities are outdated, and many of the seats are old and tired. It urgently needs some TLC.
Unfortunately for United fans, the owners of the club, the Glazer family, have little interest in the sport, let alone the stadium. Therefore, it seems unlikely these repairs will happen anytime soon. It is sad really, to see a once great ground slowly fall into such a state (some would say like the team itself).
United are next playing at Old Trafford on the 18th of December, where they are 1 / 2 favourites to beat Brighton and Hove Albion.
Taking my son to his first football match was one of the best experiences I've had as a father so far. I've written this article for Alex to read when he gets older.
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My daughter's first ever football match - Orlando City v Atlanta United, August 2019. Written for Izzy to read when she gets old enough. Vamos Orlando
