Why the Football Stadium Bowl is Here to Stay

For over a century, spectators around the UK have been accustomed to watching their beloved teams play from disconnected stands positioned on the four sides of the playing area. The design, which was originally developed by the Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, was considered functional, often featuring two tiers, and allowed spectators to enjoy an unobstructed view of the game.

It worked. And for many years, it was the standard. But over the last 20 years, the shape of many modern stadiums has evolved from the recognisable rectangle to a bowl-like design. This is due to both innovative engineering science and commercial ambition.

Developers learned how the enclosed, curved design trapped and amplified sound. In other words, these stadiums help to enhance the atmosphere by containing the chants of spectators. Indeed, when Tottenham Hotspur's new home was designed, the asymmetric bowl was conceived with a tight roof to enhance its acoustics. Decibel levels have proven to be higher at the ground compared to older, larger stadiums.

The other key aspect is known as the "C Value". This is a metric that calculates an unobstructed view of the playing area over the person directly in front. Furthermore, by the nature of their design, space is maximised by creating a seamless internal concourse running along the entire circumference. A football stadium is now a multi-use events space. Therefore, these grand sporting amphitheatres don't lie dormant during the off-season and can generate revenue 365 days a year.

The Continuous Ring is Redefining the Matchday Experience

Examples in the Premier League include Arsenal's fully-enclosed, three-tier Emirates Stadium, and West Ham's London Stadium, which was originally constructed for the Olympic Games. Elsewhere in England, Wembley Stadium also boasts a bowl shape and features a retractable roof. Underlining its commercial potential, alongside football, big-name music events have been held here, with Coldplay playing a record number of concerts, and others like Take That, Oasis and Taylor Swift playing multi-night runs.

Looking ahead, the continuous ring design is clearly here to stay. Indeed, the Champions League intro for 2025-2026, played on television screens across Europe, featured a huge animated bowl-shaped stadium. From virtual esports arenas to Nike's "Rip the Script" World Cup advert and live casino games like Sports Roulette, with its floodlight-lit enclosed stadium featured as the backdrop for the presenter and the roulette wheel, the cauldron-like approach is becoming the modern standard.

The amphitheatre is certainly dominating the wave of new world football stages. Morocco, which will co-host the 2030 World Cup, is developing the Grand Stade Hassan II. This will be one of the largest stadiums in the world, and its design features a continuous bowl sheltered under a dramatic, tent-like canopy. Similarly, Saudi Arabia, the 2034 host, is set to complete the build of King Salman Stadium in 2029. It'll accommodate up to 92,000 seats.

Additionally, in early concept drawings by Foster + Partners, Manchester United's new Old Trafford is another to follow this trend, with the club's owners hoping to maximise the venue's commercial potential by hosting other events like music concerts.

A New Era

What this stadium-design trend underlines is that the traditional, often fractured grounds of the past are giving way to a new era of architecture. These modern amphitheatres, with their all-year commerciality, are redefining the matchday experience.

Football Grounds To Visit While You Still Can

All good things have to come to an end, and the same unfortunately has to be said for football stadiums too. This article looks at the grounds which are soon to host their last match, the stadiums whose days are numbered and where fans will be watching their football from next.