Top 5 Sport Venues
It was always up for debate, even before the Games took place, what would happen to the Olympic Stadium after the Olympics were over. Now that that time has come, we’ll see the stadium handed over to one of the London sporting clubs be it football, rugby, cricket, whoever wishes to be the tenant of the 80,000 seater stadium. Whatever happens, when fans come to watch a game here in future, they’ll forever be reminded of Jamaica’s Olympic relay team, Mo Farah’s ‘Mobot’, the lovely Jess Ennis, and Greg Rutherford’s monumental efforts.
English football has a home in the form of Europe’s second largest football stadium. With a capacity of 90,000, Wembley not only hosts massive footballing games like the FA Cup Final and Champions League Final, but also occasional top-flight rugby matches. London team, Saracens, have played here attracting record crowds for a premiership rugby match. Other than sport, Wembley hosts musical events, with one of its most memorable being Queen back in the 80s, before the stadium lost its iconic twin towers and gained its arch in a massive redesign.
Twickenham is the ultimate rugby stadium in terms of capacity. There isn’t a bigger one in the world. Once known as Fortress Twickenham in the run up to English World Cup victory, this behemoth holds 82,000 and is the home of English rugby. Several international matches are played here at each end of the year with the Six Nations in the springtime and the Autumn Internationals forming the opposing annual bookend. In the winter, the varsity match between Oxford and Cambridge University is played here, ensuring huge crowds and fierce competition. Special games between the army and navy’s rugby teams are also held here. Like Wembley, Twickenham has and continues to host massive musical gigs.
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For sports fans, Wimbledon makes up a large chunk of the British summer composition. Based in south London, Wimbledon is a pretty, leafy area whereupon thousands descend to watch the world’s best tennis players in action. To many, winning Wimbledon is the most prestigious cap in the world of tennis, so watching players do so on Centre Court is really quite something. Either take a seat in one of the many courts around the site, or set up camp on Henman Hill (Aorangi Terrace) just outside No.1 Court and catch all the excitement on the humungous screen.
Based in swanky Maida Vale, Lord’s has been dubbed as the home of the world’s cricket. The European Cricket Council, England and Wales Cricket Board, and Middlesex County Cricket Club all belong to Lord’s, and it provides access to the MCC Cricket Academy and the world-famous MCC Museum. Overall, it’s a big deal on the cricket scene. For fans of the sport, on sunny days, a seat here, a good match, and several beers is the perfect way to spend time. The atmosphere’s always friendly and lively and the stadium itself will always be a solid part on the face of London’s sport.
