What actually happened to Britain’s forgotten stadiums? 🏟️ | Lost Grounds | Episode 1
► Subscribe to Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWFootballYT In the first episode of Lost Grounds Ben Ransom travels around the north of England visiting old football stadiums to see what they have become. football footballstadiums footballground Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:18 - Hill Dickinson Stadium 05:56 - Goodison Park 08:41 - National Football Museum 09:52 - Old Trafford 10:22 - Bank Street 11:00 - Maine Road 14:10 - Springfield Park 14:40 - Burnden Park 18:30 - Leeds Road 19:46 - Park Avenue 21:30 - Roker Park 25:21 - Coming up ► EFL highlights: https://bit.ly/EFLHighlights2627 ► EFL Cup highlights: https://bit.ly/CarabaoCupHL ► SPFL highlights: https://bit.ly/SPFLHighlights2627 ► Bundesliga highlights: https://bit.ly/BundesligaHighlights2627 ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball / https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportswsl ► X: https://x.com/SkyFootball / https://x.com/SkySportsWSL ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage
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What makes a football ground so special? >> I love tradition. The history of the ground, the grass, [music] the energy before kickoff, the people. That's the soul of a footballer stadium, the atmosphere, hostile and tough [music] places to play. Best ones to play. >> The noise. [music] [cheering] >> You see it, you hear it, you feel it. >> Football grounds. [music] Not just where the game is played, but where it's remembered. Some are crumbling, paint peeling, seats worn smooth by the years. Others rise in steel and glass, perfect, pristine. But step inside and they all feel the same, like home. [music] The Hill Dickinson Stadium, home to Everton Football Club and the newest stadium in English football. It's the 240th ground [music] to host a league match in this country. that goes all the way back to 1888 with Everton among the founding members of the football league. But just 2 miles away stands Everton's former home, Goodison Park. For 132 years, it sat at the heart of the community. [music] Stadiums like these are more than bricks and seats. A gathering place for generations. memories etched into the turf forever. [music] So, what happens when the doors close? [music] [cheering] [music] Well, on my trusty motorbike, I'm on a journey to find out. [music] >> [music] >> Where's the first clue then? So this is a national monument in North Korea in the heart of a housing estate on Tissa. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> The fool will end. Magic. >> Oh no. Road closed. >> Welcome to the It was Veetchfield. [music] Now I think we can call it Vegfield. Wow. This is literally in your back garden. >> First half, we always go up the hill. >> Both my children had their [music] school sports days there. >> Here we go into the old fell lane. >> An Armenian church. >> I shouldn't do shut. I believe it's a icon stadium. >> The twin towers now used for landscaping. >> I do glance across and say there they are. Fish of football from the river. Life is but a dream. [music] [music] Goodison's been such a home for us and a bit of comfort to be honest and we know that it's not comfortable for the opposition. going to Hill Dickinson Stadium was a brilliant move, but still worried me a little bit just where how we were going to be. But I think it's for Evertonians how much it it meant so much that we've been in Goodison [music] for all those years and we've now moved to something which is obviously [music] nice and shiny, nice and new, and I've loved it. It's something fantastic. >> Good's always going to have that history. You'll never get rid of that history. It's like a new chapter now, and we're part of that in the new stadium. For everyone at Everton, [music] the new era has already begun. Life inside the new stadium is underway, but it's been a hard hard road to get here. We want to gradually build on what I hope we're achieving now. And amongst many things, move to the new stadium and all that that will [music] bring to the football club. This piece of land could be Everton's next home. It's just 4 miles away in Kirby. >> Any move has got to be done [music] properly, sensitively, and everyone's got to be involved. It's embionic, [music] but it is moving forward. We are a long way away from that digging. >> In August 2021, work began on a project so ambitious that part of an historic dock had to be filled in before construction could even start. 4 years later, at a [music] cost of 750 million, Everton's new waterfront ground stands complete. But how do you design a stadium that feels like home? This is an [music] incredible amphitheater you've created. It was a big message from the club from the very beginning that, you know, we're not like a lot of other clubs. It has to be a proper football stadium. I dove in pretty deep to the history of English football and making sure the stands were four different stands right on top of the pitch and all of that. I think you can really feel today. What are their essences of Goodison that you tried to replicate here? Capturing the noise and the intensity, keeping it as steep as we possibly can. All of that was the intimidation of Goodison, but it's hard to capture the magic in a bottle, you know, so I'm hoping everybody feels good about it. To the club's credit, you know, they could have built other places that were easier. I think they realized that this was going to make a big difference, not only to the fans, but to the city and the entire region. >> For most clubs, moving into a new stadium means saying goodbye to the old one forever. But Everton's story is different. The Grand Old Lady still stands and today it has a new purpose. Rather than turn this place into houses, Everton have kept Goodison Park intact and the women's team now call it home. So I've come along to find out exactly how that move came about. [music] [music] >> Hello. Maz, >> nice to meet you, >> Ben. Lovely to meet you, too. >> So, this is [music] it. The famous Good Park steps. [music] >> Very, very, very tight. For me, it was a full circle. This was the first ever stadium I've been at. Don't know how old it was. Maybe 10, 11. >> The first one ever. Yeah. Good. >> First, first ever stadium I've been to. And now, yeah, I play on a weekly basis, which is crazy. [music] Obviously, they've changed all these to, I'd say, the women's colors for Everton. So, it kind of looks cool when you walk in. This is our home, Jesse. >> The inner sanctum. Oh, you got Alan Ball. >> Yeah, they they haven't taken that down, which I quite like. >> I love that. >> So, from an Everton [music] fans point of view, this stand is sacred. This is the famous Gladis Street ends. We put your flag up for you there. Yeah, the more games we've played, the bigger the crowds are getting, and that's what we want [music] as a player. In terms of the fans, you can see obviously the chairs have been taken. >> Yep. >> Which is kind of cool cuz obviously if you had a season ticket, you could take your chair home. >> Yeah. >> It was apparent the club was going to move that final season. What was that period [music] like as a fan? >> We actually organized a lot all of the the flag displays and and helped to organize the coach welcomes and things like that. So, it was a very busy time for us, but we we knew we had to do Goodison Proud. We had to give [music] Goodison a good send off just before the end of last season. We all got the news that Everton women would be moving here from Walton Hall Park. And I'm an Everton women season ticket holder as well. And I was I was geared up and ready to say my final goodbyes to Goodison Park thinking [music] I'd never walk into this place again. And as soon as I heard that news, I was absolutely delighted. I knew I'd be coming back here and we can add our own bit of history to this amazing stadium. That's not just for the players, [music] but for the fans as well. So Everson have repurposed their stadium, but that's certainly not the case across the country. My hunt for lost football grounds starts here. [music] [music] My first [music] stop is here, the National Football Museum, right in the heart of Manchester. Neither City nor United ever [music] actually kicked a ball here, but it's a great place to set the scene as we delve into [music] the iconic history of our football stadiums. Of the 92 league clubs this season, 39 have moved to new grounds in the past 40 [music] years. Just 13 still play at their original home. And since 1888, league football has [music] been played at 240 grounds. That's a vast amount of stadiums that are now something else. From a lotments to hospitals, housing estates to [music] shops. Our journey has already begun at Goodison Park. But this is a pilgrimage that's going to take us to all four corners. From Sunderland to Swansea, from Brighton to Bradford, we're searching for the forgotten homes of our national game. Where else to end this journey then? Where this used to sit? the old Wembley Stadium, the heart of English football. I set off through Manchester [music] and quickly went past one of our country's most iconic grounds. There is Old Trafford, but that is soon to [music] be replaced as well. >> Today, they announced that they want to leave their current stadium, Old [music] Trafford, which has been their home for 115 years, and build an enormous new stadium right next [music] to it. We needed a stadium which befitted the statue of Manchester United. I think the UK needs a stadium of that presence [music] and the north of England I think is the best place to build it. >> Old Trafford hasn't [music] always been this club's ground. In the shadow of the Etiad, the National Cycling Center now produces Olympic champions. But long before that, this was the home of Newton Heath, the club that would become Manchester United. This is [music] Bank Street, once capable of holding 50,000 fans, and actually the [music] club's second home after North Road. High up on one of the terrace houses here is a plaque to commemorate the old site before the move to Old Trafford in 1910, [music] and the rest is history. [music] It was time to delve into the history of the blue half of the city next, and a much more recent ground move. Main road will be demolished by July. Nothing though will replace the memories for old and young of this famous old ground. >> Blue moon. You saw me [music] standing [singing] alone. >> In the heart of Mosai, surrounded by narrow streets and terrace houses, used to sit one of English football's most memorable grounds. Love my own. [music] >> Main Road has been gone for more than 20 years, but it will always hold a special place in the hearts of Manchester City fans. [singing] [music] >> Hello, sir. >> Welcome back to Main Road. >> Yeah, it's good to be back. >> I guess it's changed a little bit since you were last. >> Yeah, just a bit. I think there used to be a stadium there once upon a time. I was a ball boy, so I got a chance to come to the stadium. [music] Being in the academy, they used to give you tickets. So, you start to see more and more and more. And for me, that's when I sort of fell in love with the football club. And I was lucky enough that the people that were looking after us as B boys, they chose some of [music] the old program. So then all of a sudden, I'm seeing City from the 80s, seeing City from the 70s. And you know, it's a match made in heaven for me. >> Any matches that stick out for you? Any great goals you saw? >> I remember being a ball boy for Sha Phillips when he was playing in the youth cup at City. The most important one realistically I think for most fans towards the end is like the time when Sean go steals well away from Gary Evan scored and City win that derby because I hadn't been used to seeing tons of derby wins because United were essentially the dominant force since City weren't in the same league. That's probably one of my favorite memories as such and one you know which I will continue to talk about for the rest of my life. >> Well, City's move to a new stadium has led to an unprecedented era of success. But before what was then known as the City of Manchester Stadium opened for football, they were competing for medals of a different kind. >> Within minutes of the last celebratory skyrocket, returning to Earth, contractors began dismantling the temporary stand and preparing to take up the running track at the 110 million pound stadium, soon to become home to Manchester City Football [music] Club. >> So 2002 was obviously huge for the city. Coworth Games. Did you go? Do you remember it? Yeah, I did go, but I also um ran in a 4x200 m exhibition race as a child as welladium. At the stadium. >> Did you win? >> Did I win my leg? Possibly. Did we win? >> Yes. Yes, [laughter] of course. Of course. But yeah, that's my first memory of actually being >> in the stadium as such getting the chance to run there. >> That feels like that growth of the stadium is very much alongside the growth of this club. >> Yeah, absolutely. It's it's at a scale which I never thought would happen. So many people around the world love the Premier League now. The globalization of it has been enormous and at that time city have been at their absolute best. So you see that fans city fans from every corner of the globe because City for long periods have been like the the flag bearers. They've been the standard you know and as a consequence it's a completely different football club to what it was and I'm very privileged to have supported that team [music] through that. >> Without a love [singing] of my own. [music] I headed out of Manchester, but in Wigan, Springfield Park has all but vanished. A housing estate now stands in its place with only a few street names, including one honoring club legend Harry Lion, hinting at its past. Beyond it stands the club's current ground, where a move in 1999 paved the way for a remarkable rise to the Premier League. But only might just get a shot away. [cheering] He does. one of the great Premier League upsets. >> I headed into Bolton next and even their current ground brings back a wave of nostalgia. Big Sam's unlikely team of global superstars. >> Any chance of a smile? [laughter] >> Not to mention his dancing on the pitch. And the man himself has fond memories of the old ground, too. >> And in comes Alice. WHAT A HAPPY BOY. When I get in the first team, 4T or so at the end of the pitch, there was a threeft drop into the shale. The manager used to tell me my job was to try and tackle somebody into the shale [music] and then I'd done me job. >> Here we are then. Burnon Park. >> This is the home where Bolton will be playing Premiership football next season. While at Burnden Park, the door [music] is closing on a long chapter in football's past. >> Well, I instantly know we're in the right place because as you walk into the supermarket, there is a sign straight away with a date, Burnham Park, and a photo. This also is a really nice touch because you'll see here the Burnham Park disaster, 9th of March, 1946. I remember actually as a reporter coming to cover the 70th anniversary. >> A special shirt to mark Bolton's [music] darkest day in postwar Britain. 85,000 supporters set out to watch [music] their FA Cup tie with Stoke. 33 never came home, killed when a crush barrier at Burnon Park collapsed. Phyllis was one of the lucky ones. >> We've seen that photograph of you [music] being carried across the crowd. >> Yeah. >> What was that like? I mean, my father were trapped in in in crowded. [music] >> But you were carried to safety. >> Yes. [laughter] >> It's a harrowing reminder of this ground's tragic past, but there are other elements to be celebrated, too. Now, it seems remiss while I'm in a supermarket not to grab a couple of snacks for the road and see what else I can find inside Burnham Park. I've got I've got to have that, haven't I? a momento of the trip. It's red as well, which is nice. So, I'll either keep that or give it to my nephew. It's for my nephew. [music] Fantastic. Shopping in a football [music] stadium. What could be better? >> Please take your change. >> Above the checkouts are memories galore. But how many of the shoppers here today are even aware of its past? >> Did you know that this was Bolton's Yeah, this was old Bolton's old ground here. Yeah. And you come here every week to do your shopping? Oh yeah. >> In a football stadium. >> Football stadium. >> I used to come regular when I was younger. >> Oh, really? To Bon Park? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> And now you work here. >> Yeah. Yeah. I know. I always said that. I said I used to enjoy going to Bon Park. Now not so much. [laughter] >> When you come in, do you still have a sense that this is the old Burnham Park or >> it's known as Burnon Park, isn't it? >> Yeah. One of the most famous aspects of Burnon Park as it was was the fact that behind one end of the goal, the railway end was literally a railway and trains used to run across the top of the stand. And when I was doing my research into the old Burnham Park, the thing that kept popping up was this film, The Love Match, from 1955. It's about a desperate train driver. And within this film is some footage of a steam train going across the back of a stand here at Bundon Park while a game is on. [music] Shopping done. Bolton done. Back to the bike. [music] Over the penines we went heading into Yorkshire. >> [music] >> And this is what used to be Leeds Road. I had no idea this was Huddersfield for ground. I must have been to this retail park countless times. I've definitely been to the coffee shop over there. I've bought a sandwich from that shop. I've been to the hardware store over there. The new stadium is what 500 meters in that direction. And yet right here we are in the center of what was the pitch at Leeds Road. The place where Huddersfield Town famously in the 20s won three consecutive championship titles. The first team to achieve [music] that feat. Legendary manager Herbert Chapman would have been out on the pitch parading the trophy. I'm sure >> distinct in history. The oldfashioned corridors going around and the pictures on the walls. And in [music] my office there was a picture of Shankley. Shankley was Woodersfield town manager. I had the last year at the old ground. All the ones I wanted to sign is take [music] him to the building the new ground and sit at the back looking down. Fabulous. Time to go deeper into Yorkshire for a real treasure of the lost grounds world. [music] It might seem hard to believe, but this place once hosted an England international. 1909 England played Ireland. Formerly it held 37,000 in its heyday. You can see where the old turn styles were. [music] This you can make out on the paint. Five shillings in old money. Obviously was the entrance fee to come in back when it was a football ground. There was even an archaeological dig here in 2015 in and around the pitch. They found things like coins, marbles which were apparently used to throw the opposition goalkeeper. They even found a nappy pit which would you believe it transpired. The goalkeeper used to use to repair his shorts. So everywhere you look here, it's a real treasure trove of living football history. Let's see if we can go inside and see what else we might be able to find. [music] Look at this. This is a bit of the old turn style. Look, doesn't move, but you can just see where the person collecting the tickets would have been. not been a league ground since 1970 when Bradford Park Avenue were voted out of the football league. They did play for a further four years in non-league before the club folded. They have since resurrected in the 80s, but they don't actually play football here. [music] This ground is still in use, but for cricket, not football. [music] Yorkshire even used it as an outground until 1996. And it's cricket that is celebrated here [music] today with a mural honoring one of England's greats. It was back on the bike with a big drive heading north up the coast to visit a club who swapped grounds in the '90s. There it is, the Stadium of Light. We're in Sunderland, a massive club finally in happier times. Look at [cheering] the faces. There is no win quite like this win. THE BLACK CATS HAVE POUNCED ON THE MAD PIES. with you. >> But before the Stadium of Light stood another great English football ground. >> The last queue at Roa Park with a brand new stadium open for business next season. Everything was up for grabs. This man paid £2,000 for the boardroom table. >> And where you going to put it? >> One piece on top of the television, the rest in the back garden. >> Broke a park. I've still got a vivid little memory of how it was and how it felt. Something quite authentic about it. The atmosphere that was really early. So that was when I was just probably starting to train with Sunland around six. That was the first time I was probably [music] a beat with Stadium. >> It might be hard to imagine, but a World Cup quarterfinal was play