Why Are Modern Football Stadiums So Ugly?

[@Pletzmutz]

Turns out most people don't experience architecture as a drone operator.

[@elogic7796]

You couldn’t have said it any better

[@ninjalectualx]

Future generations of stadia will need to include Instagram-worthy drone angles 😭

[@Boredoutofmywits]

I'm so old that had a similar thought regarding an helicopter pilot.

[@Toro_Da_Corsa]

Yes but the outsides could have their own unique look.

[@jeffjones114]

Im an architect, yes, this is a problem with architects- many dont think about how the actual experience is... smh

What bugs me are stadia being named after corporate sponsors instead of actual locations (roads, streets).

[@peterpaul176]

It was awkward when in America when Miami heat arena was named ftx arena only then to have ftx be caught up in some scandals

[@rogerioceni2640]

Fans could still stick with the earlier proposed names like “Falmer”, “Filbert Way”, “Ashburton Grove” and “Eastlands” if they wanted to but most end up going with the sponsored names anyway.

[@shawklan27]

Camp nou being renamed to Spotify Camp nou is a egregious crime on it's own

[@RW-nr6bh]

​@@rogerioceni2640 In Stoke City's case that would be "The Stoke on Trent Community Stadium". A truly awful name. People still refer to it by the name of the defunct Building Society that sponsored it. The one club that has probably trodden the best middle ground is Shrewsbury. They made the name Meadow (a nod to their previous ground) a fixed part of the name, so whatever sponsor they have, it's always suffixed Meadow.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I agree unless it's a local sponsor that came from the town/city for example Reebok Stadium in Bolton

[@djalland1]

12:58 The Wikipedia article for the Ship of Theseus, somewhat ironically, has been revised so often that it doesn't have a single phrase left from the original article.

[@BOABModels]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@kieronparr3403]

Citation needed

[@jamesdrummond7684]

it just ain't how it used to be

[@EricPhail]

If true then it's a self demonstrating article... 😄

[@T.E.S.S.]

old joke

[@stevec6232]

Inkjet printers is the best description I've heard.

[@HarryWessex]

Tupperware boxes

[@1237barca]

New camp nou is going to be the only good looking new stadium, and by far the biggest….with the best team

[@T.E.S.S.]

for a fraction of them, yes

[@Boredoutofmywits]

@@1237barca is turning out a sweatshop,(Safety violations galore in it's construction) and a finalcial disaster.

[@Boredoutofmywits]

Old Englsh reformed stadiums, look in a way like 90's injet printers.

[@loganv33]

I work in stadium design and construction. Initial renderings are usually pretty interesting and unique. Then the contractor prices, it is over budget, and compromises are made. Sofi Stadium is an exception but it cost over $5 billion as the most expensive stadium in the world.

[@darthwiizius]

Ashburton Grove is also an exception, the Arsenal took a £200million design from Lisbon and spent over double fully fitting it out to required standards and redeveloping a lot of the area around it to both replace facilities and businesses that were already there and upgrading infrastructure in the area to make it accessible without grinding North London to a standstill for half a day every time a match is played. That said it's lucky we built when we did, at the time it cost about half a billion quid all in, now it would cost 3 times that to build the same stadium complex in the same place. The Armitage Shanks Arena in Tottenham cost over double and no fugger wants the land around there, it's a toilet bowl in the biggest sh*thole in Middlesex.

[@utvara1]

Sofi stadium is disgusting as all "MODERNISM" architecure is. Luzhniki Stadium is a pretty.

[@tourmaline07]

​@@darthwiiziusah yes , back when a small London team ran by a delusional owner managed to ruin the best season of European football (thanks Lucas Moura) and build a massive stadium to convince themselves they were a a bigger team then they were 😂

[@darthwiizius]

@@tourmaline07 Second biggest team in Middlesex... The Spuds ain't in London, they're only in Greater London and have only been since Greater London was formed and absorbed Middlesex.

[@OGCHuila]

The 5 billion includes the lake as well etc.

[@ifan_1234]

dear hitc sevens, my favourite KZbinr, please make a video about my favourite league, the Cymru premier. despite having one of the oldest football associations in the world, Wales have only had a domestic league for 32 years, please delve into its history and it's current situation.

[@ezraezra2928]

Welsh Football is now rising up. There will be the first club from Wales (Cymru Premier) to ever play in the European club competitions this season, which is TNS.

[@ifan_1234]

@@ezraezra2928 yes, it is exciting. hopefully now people will start to take the league seriously and start attending games

[@DJmdndn]

Maybe on Bangor?

[@ifan_1234]

@@DJmdndn that would be cool. even as a Caernarfon fan I admire that they've been able to rebuild their club. he mentioned them in a video I'm the past, I think it was either the one about fan owned clubs or phoenix clubs.

[@ifan_1234]

@@ezraezra2928 yes its exciting, hopefully now people will begin to take the league seriously and start coming to games

[@Halcryder]

SO what I got from this video is... people love complaining, whether it was a hundred years ago, or today, people just complain about stuff.

[@TouringCarsAndStuff]

Yeah but he isn’t wrong the stadiums are bad they look the exact same

[@lexezlao]

​@@TouringCarsAndStuffYeah they always have, one just kinda gets used to it

[@man4437]

I don't understand why it's even necessarily a problem if literally every stadium looks the same. It strikes me as one of those things people complan about just because it's easy to notice something being different rather than... staying the same.

[@Evemeister12]

Same reason why most modern buildings overall are ugly. They're built for functionality and to be cost efficient. Beautiful buildings need time and money to pay for architects, specialist equipment etc, on top of standard construction costs. Plus, beautiful buildings need even more maintenance and restoration associated time and costs. Even the archibald leitch old football grounds of the UK were designed/built on a functional and industrial basis, albeit on a more human scale conpared to today's spaceships. EDIT: I wrote this all before finishing the video, and now acknowledge that I've just totally parroted the points that alfie had made in the video itself. I'm too clever for my own good sometimes.

[@BOZ_11]

"Beautiful buildings need time and money to pay for architects" -- Somehow we had more money/resources in the 19th and 20th centuries than now. Even village train stations, churches, Victorian buildings built in the late 1800s are works of art compared to the drab shite doing the round now. Down to bus shelters, lamp posts, and radiators. Many items and buildings had a heft you would never see today

[@negsterarchive7911]

@@BOZ_11 exactly

[@emceedoctorb3022]

Nah. This is as a result of modern 'art' and the brutalism of the 1960s and the inherent orthodoxy of architects. There has been an inversion of beauty since the start of the 20th century.

[@ricaard6959]

@@BOZ_11 I completely agree, this is more a result of post modernism than any practical or cost related reason...

[@BOZ_11]

@@ricaard6959 it's even more nefarious than that; it's meant to be dispiriting. It's inconceivable that even Brutalist architects or their modern art contemporaries ever looked lovingly at their creations, unless they were sick. I remember watching a BBC documentary about one of the first residents of a 1960s council estate (pre-fab tripe), and she said that the buildings resembled an army barracks. If that sweet old dear saw it, so did the architects

[@TheBrainSpecialist]

Things have to get worse before they get better. The #1 sport I follow is baseball, and from the 1950s through the 90s this happened a lot, be it in the US or Japan. Classic stadiums got turned in for more soulless multi-use stadiums or domes. It wasn't until the Baltimore Orioles built Camden Yards that people woke up to the fact that "oh yeah, these classic ballparks actually did look good" and the "retro-classic" movement came about. Be it Comerica Park in Detroit, Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima, or Lions Park in Daegu, all (looks at Seoul's Gocheok Skydome), ok, *most* modern baseball stadiums look pretty damn good.

[@1237barca]

Fenway and yankee stadiums are built on old world cites back when baseball was a major tool of freemasonry control. Soldier field and the Los Angeles Coliseum are other examples. But this is over 99.9999999% of ppls heads.

[@SportsBuilding]

It’s all a matter of asymmetry. The reason modern MLB stadiums, or even the Tottenham stadium sticks out is because they intentionally made the design non-uniform. You just need a touch of something not quite perfect in the seat layout/shape to make it feel different.

[@johnpark4650]

"Looks at Gocheok Skydome" I'm dying As a Korean who's a fan of stadiums, I gotta admit that's not the most elegant of modern baseball venue XD

[@toskiemail1371]

Speaking of Korean baseball stadia, they're also beginning work to put a roof over Jamsil

[@IvanHavid]

Old good, new bad

[@retrorambles517]

You could argue a lot of the old ones are ugly But people like to defend them by saying they have character and history

[@1237barca]

You are making a strawman argument. The point isn’t that all old stadiums were good looking, but that all new stadiums are ugly. New camp nou will be the only exception. Visca Barca!

[@retrorambles517]

@@1237barca the new stadiums all look the same

[@1237barca]

@@retrorambles517 new camp nou will be very unique. All the other stadiums, the same banality.

[@SanTM]

@@1237barca You shouldn't even be allowed to compete with the state your finances are in

[@rishavmydarling]

Varca looks like poop​@@1237barca

[@aleblasco39]

As a perspective of being a fan from a club(Real Zaragoza) that had a 60+ years old stadium that not only was getting old but it was also starting to break up by itself, we're happy that we're getting a new stadium in the same place of the old one, and we can thank the 2030 World Cup in part since we're one of the host cities but the new owners were also helpful since it was one of the top priorities for them since we needed a new modern stadium for so long and the politicians were messing with it for 20+ years. Also, the new Stadium looks great in renders and it doesn't feel like the new badge of stadiums like the Bernabeu (I miss the old one tbh, the exterior was iconic). I hope that we can maintain the most iconic thing in the recent years in the new one which are the deep nets, we're one of the few stadiums that keeps the classic deep nets in Spain and they're iconic.

[@elizaya8191]

El estadio nuevo del Real Zaragoza es igual de "feo" que todos los demás estadios modernos, que a ti te parezca bonito lo único que hace es destapar toda esta moda absurda actual de decir que los estadios modernos son todos feos y/o iguales (basado en la absoluta nada), casualmente, suele coincidir además que el estadio propio es el único "único", valga la redundancia. Me parece muy gracioso que el antiguo exterior del Bernabeu te pareciera mejor, pues es brutalismo puro, el estilo arquitectónico con diferencia que menos gusta y del que se culpa paradójicamente de que la arquitectura moderna sea "fea", a mi personalmente el exterior del nuevo Bernabeu me parece infinitamente superior al anterior, fíjate que curioso. p.d. Yo también soy del Real Zaragoza.

[@soundscape26]

As a bit of a stadiums nerd I really enjoyed this one. You are absolutely on the money when it comes to your historical perspective and the perception of time.

[@rogerioceni2640]

I still think the new Wembley is meh and uniconic despite seeing my club and national team having some great moments there. Emirates and Etihad are still characterless new builds to me with none of the charm of their predecessors too.

[@BabsW]

Maybe I'm neophillic, but I think they're beautiful. I hate old, decrepit stadiums.

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

Mind you, there's a bit of survivorship bias in architecture, where the more poorly built or less beloved old buildings are replaced and only the best survive. All of the Soviet era stadiums, especially in East Germany look the same to me, as they're all just a bowl in the earth with a running track, and therefore weren't as sentimentalised as say the San Siro

[@pereirafernando7413]

Yeah, I remember the old Ernst Thalmann Stadium of East Germany. Nowadays, it’s just treated like an old rag nobody cares about except the home team.

[@yannick245]

​@@pereirafernando7413 The old Zentralstadion in Leipzig, on the ground where the current Red-Bull-Stadion of RB Leipzig was actually built for the 2006 World Cup, has been the longest stadium in Germany for a long time. It had a capacity of over 100,000! You can still spot the "bowl" in which it was built from an aerial view point!

[@Toro_Da_Corsa]

The Luzhniki stadium is still used today. And it is one of the few modern stadiums that has character.

[@yannick245]

@@Toro_Da_Corsa True. But they also installed lights on the facade. So it kinda looks like the Allianz Arena at night. Alfie kinda leaves out how the Olympiastadion in Berlin is a Nazi building.

[@justsamoo3480]

@@yannick245 he literally talked about how it is a classic example of nazi classicism

[@michaelcollins5819]

My local MLS team, Minnesota United, literally plays in a bed pan shaped stadium

[@G3rmanhenry]

Ironically it has the same light panels outside as on the Allianz Arena in Munich (FC Bayern)

[@michaelcollins5819]

@@G3rmanhenry well it is sponsored by allianz (allianz field I think) but I’m not sure if the outside panels light up ? Idk either way the shape is ridiculous and I laugh out loud every time I drive past it

[@bnb6868]

Hertha wants to leave the Olympia stadium for years now due to all the points you already mentioned (comfort, seats, commodities, service) but also the size. It's simply too big for the club and it's supporters, usually failing to create an intimate atmosphere favouring Hertha as the home team. It usually feels empty and is often taken over by the away team fans. It's like Wembley amazing for finals especially the DFB pokal one but it's not suitable as a home for a club wanting to express itself and see its identity be reflected in the stadium.

[@mikexstad1121]

I think ticket prices have the greatest effect on whether a stadium is "soulless". Arsenal vs Eintracht Frankfurt, with Arsenal being awful in atmosphere, but nobody would say Frankfurt's stadium is soulless. Ticket prices, ultras, fan culture, etc. it's ultimately the people next you that determine whether a place has a soul.

[@dinohermann1887]

@StephenC-k5oAlso due to the fact, that ticket prices for top flight English clubs on average are extremely expensive for the average passionate fan of said club.

[@shawklan27]

Absolutely

[@matheusmilane8305]

The Emirates ranks on the top 5 ugliest I've been to. Back in the day Upton Park was still around. Even been to a match in Craven Cottage and "mate is it even the same sport?"

[@ninjalectualx]

Ultras ruin the atmosphere. I don't understand why those nazis are allowed in football culture at all

[@johnphelan4215]

We had a similar issue in the United States for a long time. It was determined that the only rational, economic model for a stadium was a round bowl with in many cases moveable lower stands so that the shape of the field could be shifted between diamond shaped for baseball and rectangular for (American) football. Most had artificial turf, so you could play 100 games a year on it, plus cover it up and have people stand on it for rock concerts. Stadia like Shea Stadium in New York, the Vet in Philadelphia, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, etc. were basically the only kind built in the 1960s and 1970s. They were universally and somewhat derisively known as "cookie cutter" stadia. This changed when Camden Yards in Baltimore and Jacobs field in Cleveland were build in the 1980s as the first "retro" ballparks and it was discovered that the stadium could be an attraction in itself, and people would flock there even if the teams were lousy or the people were tourists who didn't even care about the teams. Now no city develops a single new stadium for both their MLB and NFL teams, even if that means putting two facilities right next to each other, with a common parking lot. It's amazing how thinking can change from "this is the only way to do it" to "no one does that anymore" so quickly.

[@eumemo4814]

00:00 this shot is in very bad taste. The photo was taken after the worst floods that ever hit the south of Brazil.

[@Alexandroaparecido4954]

Achei uma falta de respeito com as pessoas que perderam a vida. Foi o pior desastre climático que houve no Brasil e inclusivel superor o furacão Catrina em nova Orleans.

[@Yuuki-ee2dy]

@@Alexandroaparecido4954 Furacão Catarina ou Furacão Katrina? Um brasileiro, e outro é americano

[@Alexandroaparecido4954]

@@Yuuki-ee2dy o que eu quis dizer é que o desastre climático teve o mesmo nível de destruição do furacão Katrina.

[@pierrelindqvist7726]

Only thing epic about Camp Nou was that it reaked of piss and shit when I last was there. Was a derelict piece of shit concrete nightmare with shit views and then the smellavision from the broken toilets............ Now I haven't even started ranting about the crap playing in the stadium but I don't want to be physically ill so I'll refrain this time.

[@MB-42]

The best a club can do with modern stadium design is to make it as unique as possible. I think Tottenham accomplished this with its single-tier stand rather than the copy + paste of Bayern’s Allianz with a lower bowl, a mezzanine/suites, and an upper bowl that so many other clubs have gone with. Arsenal and Bilbao come to mind. Tottenham stadium however is still within that category due to its exterior shape. The Bernabeu is incredibly ugly. Feels like a lazy move to simply take an old building and warp steel around it. On the other hand though, you have Liverpool’s dilemma, which is the challenge of remodeling/extending capacity of an old stadium while running into architectural issues, design issues, and issues with the tight space of the surrounding city. My question is, why are we not able to have neo-classic designs in new stadiums in Europe? Are red bricks really that expensive? I feel like you can still accomplish Tottenham’s interior without making the exterior a glass and steel toilet seat.

[@esamThaRed]

Most architects are from the school of modernism that's why all stadiums and normal buildings today is just glass, steal and concrete. They are not schooled to make classic or neo-classic buildings.

[@frisbeetarian34]

Liverpool did a great job renovating Anfield. They modernised it while keeping its charm.

[@AuraHero]

It helps that the owners did the same thing with Fenway Park in the United States, so they had an idea what would go into renovating an older stadium like Anfield.

[@parishsirius]

original anfield is nothing like what it is now.

[@BabsW]

Anfield is assymetrical, uneven, and subsequently hideous.

[@indiekid19872]

"The house is a machine for living in" Le Corbusier "A Stadium is a machine for watching football in" Potts-Harmer

[@od9694]

The Aviva stadium in Ireland is beautiful

[@robs9237]

San Mames in Bilbao is beautiful

[@leemcdonald1342]

You don't know how temepted I am to make this comment about Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Alfie.

[@70X1N]

or PNC Park in Pittsburgh, retro-classic supremacy

[@mets137781]

heck spots like Ford field, Lucas oil stadium, and M&T stadium are all examples of neo classic design for NFL teams

[@johnappleseed3800]

A lot of the stadiums being build in the US are way better looking than the European ones. Good luck getting Europeans to admit that lol

[@ThreeRunHomer]

Are there no retro-style football stadiums in Europe? It’s odd that at least one didn’t take inspiration from the greatness of Camden Yards.

[@aidanmanning5873]

or fenway

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

If anything, I'd like more brutalist stadiums, it'd be easier to make a place intimidating with a low roof or concrete pillars than if it had a skylight or wrap around luxury suites

[@Tris2000]

16:42 wow the Neo Química Arena really is the king of the inkjet printer comparison in that photo!

[@liam8664]

The London Stadium is a good illustration of this point, as I used to think it was really shit and the seats need to be closer to the stands, but after a few years of having a season ticket, I now think it’s only quite shit, the seats need to be closer, but I have memories of when we beat Sevilla at home

[@habeebakintoye4404]

It is that way because it was built to be a track and field stadium for the Olympics. The seats used to be farther, but they made some renovations to bring it closer to the field.

[@BOABModels]

I went to two England games at the old Wembley in the '90s and have since been to many games at the new Wembley - say what you will about Portsmouth, but they have got to a fair few finals this century. The new Wembley is so much better for fans - no track, closer to the action, even in the top tier. It's such an improvement. The view in the old stadium could have done with opera glasses. My favourite stadium is still Fratton Park though and that still has a stand from that man, Archibald Leitch.

[@schliatzke6712]

It's clearly the better stadium but it lacks the character of the old one and I personally don't like the architecture at all

[@esamThaRed]

New wembley is the most sterile stadium i have ever been to, the whole area around the stadium is also sterile.

[@EricPhail]

Older stadiums seem more unique becauseunlike the new ones they tend to have been upgraded piecemeal (usually one stand at a time) thus they have a mix of styles as which stands were upgraded/extended when is vastly different between otherwise initially similar stadia. I am of the opinion that this will be lost with newer designs as they are a singular piece (incl the roof) an thus no longe capapble of the modular extension of one stand or section and will remain the same until the are replaced or rebuilt

[@ja1295]

Alfie could you do a video on the rise of Larne Fc in the north or ireland, going from never winning a league title in theit over 100 year history to back to back league titles and being the 1st irish prem side to qualify for european competition

[@lkrnpk]

Also on Latvian champions RFS who beat Larne 7:0 in 2 games and qualified for Europa League for the first time later :))

[@ja1295]

@lkrnpk massive for Latvian football to that and rfs have had fhe number on a few teams from our wee league 😅

[@ezraezra2928]

@@lkrnpk Actually, RFS wasn't the first Latvian side to ever reach the European stage. In 2009/10, Ventspils played in Europa League group stage and even grabbed 3 draws at that time.

[@lkrnpk]

@@ezraezra2928 Yes, but I meant RFS reached it for the first time. I was there when Ventspils played vs Hertha Berlin 😄

[@SoAaron_]

Northern Ireland lol

[@runningforasthma_]

Braga's stadium by Eduardo Souto de Moura is absolutely stunning.

[@soundscape26]

A ton of Braga fans heavily dislike it though. Form over function.

[@samelmudir]

looks nice but not for fans inside. its missing a lot of first tier seating. these boring stadiums do offer the best unobstructed views

[@Boredoutofmywits]

Doesn't look comfy.

[@Pugnare-et-vincere]

I'm so glad that out Stadium, the Fritz Walter Stadion, is one of the last grounds which still has it's original flair. Yes it got modernized for the Worldcup 2006, but it's still unique. Also its 104 years old. The good thing is, that the DNA of our club is in good parts to our Stadium, so we luckily can not just move grounds. Ask any football fan about the "Myth Betzenberg". Chances are they will know......ask any Real Madrid fan over the age of 35. It's such a unique ground. If you ever get the chance to watch a game there, do it, you won't regret it.

[@fionanatalieholden5965]

Alfie. It's not just stadia, all modern architecture is shit and boring. It comes down to everything about modern life and football...money, make things cheaply and get more money from it. We will never get great art deco buildings or decent signs etc.

[@caioaugusto2213]

00:00 You could have chosen a better photo of Arena do Gremio. The one you chose takes place during the worst flood that the state of Rio Grande do Sul has ever faced in its entire history at the beginning of the year, leaving hundreds of dead and homeless.

[@n0body550]

I did think that was a disgusting thing to chose to do.

[@Evemeister12]

I just thought it was a cool stadium with a moat.

[@matheusmilane8305]

Apart from Engenhão and Curintia's giant printer all of our "new" stadia are at least fine. Never been to one down South, but who knows? Next year the Salgado Filho will be working fine and maybe I'll be to a GRE X PAL.

[@ninjalectualx]

Why would you assume Alfie is being malicious? What about him would make you think that

[@D187S]

Some of those buildings are works of art. The Madrid rebuild is stunning.

[@logisticstep5212]

Lmao

[@petersansgaming8783]

15:14 very happy that you call it by it's proper name and not the amalgamation that is Signal Iduna Park

[@maciejbala477]

yeah, it definitely sounds way worse with the sponsorship name

[@gaffer2602]

I don't think amalgamation is the right word

[@theov527]

Wake up HITC sevens, babe just dropped a new vid

[@yannick245]

I love every clip by him too. But why is every British person/KZbinr pronouncing it Camp "Now", without anyone correcting it? It's stupid that modern stadiums are built in a way that they can't be extended, without gigantic costs. Or else Bayern would've had a fourth tier for a long time. But it's almost impossible. The stadium was built together with 1860 München back then. 50/50. Hard to imagine today. Bayern used the financial struggles of 1860 to buy their shares back step-by-step. That's why the seats originally were all grey and the capacity was only 66,000 seats. Every match at any tournament is always sold out, with the possibility to sell 100,000 tickets more. Bayern would probably be the only football club in the world able to have a +150,000 seater stadium, that would be sold out every match!

[@Alex-cw3rz]

For me the most unqiue and interesting, and for me quite beautiful looking modern stadium is *Pancho Aréna* . It would be nice if more architects weren't a little more experimental with the design like that although with less corruption going on in the background

[@BoqPrecision]

0:20 You have a gf? Ok Alfie, and Im the pope

[@christopherreynolds9254]

She been seen in several videos when he has travelled to games - so I’m guessing you’re the Pope?

[@soundscape26]

She's been featured often so that's not exactly that great of a surprise

[@BadselS]

Your Popeness

[@tomekkaminski2677]

Habemus Papam

[@Ramtamtama]

I didn't know you were an HITC Sevens fan, Your Holiness. Do others in the Vatican also watch Mr Potts-Harmer's content?

[@shodiqlathifi.4510]

Last month, I visited the Bernabeu and Metropolitano. And yeah.. The Metropolitano is greatl from the outside and inside. Bur just that. And when visiting Bernabu, from the outside it was very boring or ugly if I may say so. But when I entered it , the aura is on a different level because you remember the great players who have played there and what the club has achieved. So I got your point 😂😂

[@sdm_za]

I can understand "ugly" because that's subjective. But boring? It looks like glass plates from outside

[@Paufranne]

Alfie: plural of stadium is stadia Alfie's gf: singular of couple is single

[@fairphoneuser9009]

Well, as a season ticket holder for over 20 years whose stadium is being rebuilt at the moment I can say: I'd prefer going to our old ruin, that was special to visiting our future modern stadium. Maybe I'm getting old and grumpy at the age of 40, but I'm quite sure my thoughts would have been similar in my first season as a season ticket holder!

[@geroffmilan3328]

Function over form for me, every time. A pretty thing which can't do its job is a useless thing. But a useful thing which is also pretty? Can be done, usually for more cost, and in the case of stadia YOU'LL be the one paying that extra bill.

[@marineboy1964]

I still love my clubs traditional ground It has a great atmosphere Lots of history Some of the facility's are crap But Villa park is my church and I'm proud of it

[@Darwinek]

Beauty or ugliness is a matter of personal preference. Nostalgia is all fine but modern stadia are better in all respects. Once you go modern, you don't wanna go back. Take EPL managers/footballers for example, who complain about the pitch every single time they play an away game in EL or ECL.

[@francislancedavid629]

@@Darwinekand it reminds of that video he made about Italian stadiums

[@schliatzke6712]

It's like with many other things. They're definitely better today at what they're meant to serve as, but have lost the peculiarities that gave them their character. Take cars and trains for example.

[@ninjalectualx]

"but have lost the inefficiencies and annoyances that gave them their character." Fixed it for you

[@elizaya8191]

@@schliatzke6712 People like you will say the same thing in 50 years about the current stadiums.

[@michaelcort1763]

Glad you mentioned the King Power stadium. It's a pretty standard, okay looking stadium but fairly unremarkable. And yet, because of the history that we've written at the stadium since it opened, it has become iconic and well loved by us Leicester fans.

[@matheusmilane8305]

The Brasília one is fine. As a late mate said, "looks like a fancy shitter, the columns, like. A billion R$ shitter". And it's well built inside. And spot on - local clubs rarely have a national division to play, mostly just the "federative union" (Brasília is a mix between state and city, weird story and not for now) championship. Sometimes the big clubs play here, there are gigs and it was good as a COVID field hospital. But apart from that, it's ghastly.

[@patrickg1331]

Archibald Leiche made Selhurst park too, that one might be iconically bad but I don’t really care that stadium’s great

[@guessundheit6494]

Formula 1 hasn't had a mid-race death in 30 years, a 9 years since crash during a race later resulted in death. Compare that to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s when multiple drivers died every year. Those who long for "the good old days" usually weren't around for "the good old days" when safety was an afterthought. The same goes for stadiums: if boring sameness means there is never another disaster at a sporting event, it's a worthwhile tradeoff. Reminisce about the "good old days" all you want, but in those BAD old days, sometimes people didn't go home. Fans, or competitors (e.g. Bradford City).

[@abm5119]

It's a moot point. In 20 or so years when the new design trend comes along, those new stadiums will be ugly, soulless things, and these will be works of art. Assuming they last that long.

[@danycus]

I was thinking about this topic yesterday and in my mind I was the only one who believed modern stadium are ugly. Said so, this discorse is much bigger and should be connected to general modernist architecture which is also bland and uninspiring. What I don’t get is, yes of course over time people will start to like it and the stadium will get different part modified, but why not taking iconic designs from the building supporters love and that are attached to the club history into the new design? I think it is the architects ego mostly and a general idea that new building have to be build with modernist design. They don’t. No reason why modern standards of comfort cannot be used with let’s say traditional architecture for example.

[@alexandermeiering5216]

I think given that these new stadiums are very expensive and have to be made in a short time these things are just not taken into consideration because it would probably mean more money spent and more stress for the workers. Dont know for sure though

[@ninjalectualx]

You should consider watching the video before leaving dumb comments

[@troyarrington5492]

@@alexandermeiering5216you’re correct. New designs are more expensive. While you can save money with cookie cut ones

[@dcapitan7]

I ❤ your video! Rogers Centre, still called SkyDome by many in Toronto, is one of the few stadiums that was loved by many upon its opening in 1989 and is still generally liked today. It's a unique stadium with one of the first retractable roofs built in the world and has a hotel where a number of its rooms have a view of the field. The CN Tower unintentionally doubles as its "Wembley arch." It's pretty much become an iconic part of the Toronto skyline.

[@WillemOfMidnight]

haha I was lucky enough to view games in both arenas you mentioned first. Loved both stadiums. The Allianz was super modern and the pitch was very viewable. Although the vibe of the Olympiastadion was like none other. I saw Turkey there so it was louder than anything I've ever experienced. Just a phenomenal game and atmospheric experience.

[@derricktalbot8846]

Hey Boss..... take a look at the Baseball Parks that have the .... sidewalls? that open up... and the roof on rails things.... Some of those look pretty neat on the inside.

[@lewisroberts3912]

I think Everton are making a decent balance of it; while having a modern top half, the bottom resembles the old docks. If possible, I think all stadiums should try to incorporate their surroundings while also having slight touches that make them their own.

[@AuraHero]

They need to look at some of the baseball stadiums in the United States which came about in the 90s and early 2000s. A lot of them did a great job tying into the architecture of the surroundings.

[@pedrolourencofranco6046]

Nice video Bro. I like the fact that you called out the Modern Stadiums, who look like my Render Images in Lumion. But also adressing that the iconic or more historicall stadiums were once rejected, i never knew that. And i do believe that, there are Modern Stadiums who look good but they are... New, and lack history, nostalgia by the supporters but those feelings can be created with time, and those same stadiums are not free from Criticzisms, but if even the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre Museum who are iconic were once called ugly and other things, i think we shoud give them time.

[@thekitchenchikens]

As a Barcelona fan I d rather have a facade similar to the roof of santa Caterina market also in Barcelona but alas we are broke af and the old camp nou was falling🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Fomlefantastic]

"...from Barcelona to Brasilia, and everything in between." which is, and this is true, mostly just ocean.

[@poorwotan]

Would have been interesting to have included stadia from American Football or Rugby here since the pitch/playing surface is very similar in size thus determining a similar stand set-up which in turn drives a similar exterior one would think.

[@Kelsea-2002]

My absolute favorite stadium is the Fritz Walter Stadium in Kaiserslautern/Germany. It is small (49,300), and quite unique for a modern stadium. Not entirely unjustifiably, it is also called the hell of the league. By the way; the name of the stadium may not be sold to a sponsor/investor!

[@dashtoroya2838]

Well i have seen the potential design of the 2034 saudi world cup and it looks super ugly. Like even if it was made minecraft or something and its still bad for that standards. I would give props for atleast trying to design something and yes i know functionality or accessablity as i have seen things that looks beautiful but are terrible engineered. But the stadium design proposed by saudi looked soulless and alien. Edit:- i was swiping in insta and i saw the brisbane 2032 olympics stadium design and i know would resolved some issues but that one looked super bad.

[@DJYunkHank]

As much as I dislike FSG for their lack of transfer activity, i commend them for keeping the design philosophy of anfield with the expansions.

[@bengirard9401]

***STADIA.*** Never let a loved one stand between you and proper vestigial Latin.

[@ry_jayy]

Are they ugly? Compared to everything built in the last 50 years that all look identical and you wouldn't be able to tell apart except for the colour of the seats inside, most modern stadiums are pretty unique designs, and all look quite sleek

[@SirSayakaMikiThe3rd]

My local stadiums are the LA Memorial Coliseum, the Rose Bowl, and the So Fi. The former two are legendary. Over 100 years of history. The SoFi has a roof, a video board that makes it impossible to miss anything, and modern amenities befitting the most expensive stadium in the world. I absolutely adore the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum, but I would always rather watch games at the SoFi.

[@RankinMsP]

Well done Alfie. I had my doubts about clicking but new you would come through. Never doubt the grand Alfie!

[@ShaneMingard]

Alfie it's only like the Stadium( stadia) your team plays in,far too big to be ever be filled unless it's the Egg chaser's ULL versus HKR just love how the seats are Black and White to welcome the Mighty Mariners next time we get to play the Skip Rats

[@ShaneMingard]

Sorry Mud Rats my predictive text over and didn't read before sending,obviously it thought I was on about the Bin Dippers not 'ULL CITY 🤣🤣🤣

[@georgerubypoppy1063]

Cups aside you`ll probably have to wait a decade or three to see that fixture played.

[@ShaneMingard]

@@georgerubypoppy1063 possibly,they even think they are too big to play pre season against us tbh

[@stenic10]

When PNE started redeveloping Deepdale in the mid 90's the architect used Italia 90 as inspiration and evidently the Stadio Luigi Ferraris was his favourite stadium because that is what Deepdale is based on.

[@66meikou]

As a football fan and architect, I thoroughly enjoyed this video. It was interesting that you showed FLW's Guggenheim and Coop Himmelbau's wonky building. The new Spurs stadium is a masterpiece and is the new standard for stadia. I watched a video about the stadium and they have a roll out surface that covers the football pitch which they use for concerts and NFL games and then rolls back into the car park.

[@_mw]

Funny, that in your experience taking the tram to Merkur Spiel Arena was relatively efficient. I try avoiding it at all cost and ride my bike as often as possible when I go there.

[@garethelvin6451]

I really dont think they are

[@kingmonde]

Am I the only one who finds the new Santiago Bernabéu to be absolutly stunning and unique? He said most modern football stadiums look the same, but you definatly can't say that about the new Bernabéu.

[@paddyc592]

Never did I think I would hear a Trigger’s broom reference in an Alfie video! Bravo! 👏👏👏👏

[@Piairom]

Benfica stadium is one of the most beautiful in the world, the only downside is that the exterior is unfinished but Benfica have a project to gain more capacity (65000 to 100000 seats) without changing the stadium design/ layout and the exterior will simulate an huge eagle...will be something spectacular that we never saw before...but it costs a lot the renew and Benfica will need investors and the problem is that the club is runned by their members, their supporters and Benfica didn’t want investors to manage the club...so the only possibility is to sell the club stadium naming to a big company and they are willing to finance the renew...it’s the only option!

[@thedevonianfootiefan9871]

Would You Rather Visit: Craven Cottage Vs The Emirates Selhurst Park Vs The Eithad Goodison Park Vs Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Kenilworth Road Vs Madejski Stadium Blundell Park Vs Pride Park Plainmoor Vs Tigerturf Stadium Personally I’d Choose everything on the left

[@Rhubarb.and.Crustard]

Definitely agree tbh

[@spencercole23]

Goodison easily the atmosphere is amazing

[@toonistiny]

Everything on the left.

[@ricaard6959]

All left except for the first, the Emirates is just something else

[@evonne_o]

​@@toonistinyStop living in the past

[@OrlovKruskayev]

I feel a lot of nostalgia for old Parque Antártica, old Palmeiras home, but the new stadium is better in most every way and definitely helped the team improve. Tickets could be cheaper

[@RyuzakiTaiyou]

Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 672) Alternativly you could do "Best German players who played outside the Bundesliga" or something like that if you prefer. I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.

[@ninjalectualx]

Day 3 of asking why the hell anyone would want to watch such a boring video

[@maciejbala477]

@@ninjalectualx yep, it's why i don't think it'll ever be made, but hey, you gotta admire the guy's dedication

[@alfonsohr02]

10:00 Just a note, the Villamarin doesn't look like that right now, the stand closer to the camera is the same size as the others, the one that will be renovated is the one with the roof

[@ThatGuyHarvey]

I can 100% attest to New Wembley not just retaining it's place as the Heart of Football, but expanding now to be one of many epicenters and must-experience destinations for global entertainment. Having witnessed the Lionesses capture the European Championship to thunderous ovation, Harry Styles' stellar sell-out show on Night 4 under the arch, and All Elite Wrestling put on back-to-back spectacles, I've left every time fiending to go back to experience more and more.

[@someyorkguy1683]

One thing I'd add on the older stadiums built by Archibald Leitch, they were built in effectively the same era and designed by the same person but he was known for trying to make each a little unique which helped with the overall character for them I think which differs from many modern stadiums....stadia...whatever. Otherwise great video and I agree with the argument!!

[@stanyamish3996]

At first, I wanted to have an argument with you because the question looked stupid. But as I was listening to the video, it made sense. We always say football is a reflection to the society. Stadiums will never have the unanimity among fans. In France, a better example is Stade de France. While criticized for its structure, it has grown on me. It has hosted the football and rugby world cup finals, three UCL finals, Euro final and now, the Olympics. Over 26 years, it has had the time to build a soul and become an iconic stadium for sports fans. Besides, I live not too far from it. So, it plays a huge role.

[@JoeMercersWay]

20 years ago it was the same problem with the Wigan, Bolton, Huddersfield cookie cutty design. Then it switched to the Swansea, Southampton, MK Dons problem. Now at least there's variety in the ugliness.

[@omarhalabi1]

I actually like the modern look, i think you just like the old stadium history abd iconic nature .... in time these stadiums will become iconic

[@adamgladwin8067]

the thing i always wonder is why other sports create such awesome stadiums (especially in the US, look at SoFi Stadium for example). is it to do with their funding or the style of their games?

[@gustavoventura8536]

It's about money, american teams usually spend a lot of money when building their stadiums, take SoFi Stadium, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and U.S. Bank Stadium, they are all modern stadiums, with a huge cappacity, but they look very different to each other, because who built them wanted the stadiums to stand out even if that makes the stadium cost more to build, they want their stadiums to be iconic in some way. Most football teams don't think about that when building their new stadiums.

[@billybanter4330]

Can't help but agree that the Merkur Spiel arena looks awful from outside, but having visited many times it's one of the best stadiums for matchday experience I've ever been to. Best time to go is if there is ever a Rhein derby match with Cologne, absolutely unforgettable.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Alfie, I’d reason that one of the reasons older stadiums are viewed as iconic and unique is because almost by definition, only the iconic stadiums remain standing after decades. It’s a logical fallacy. For example, if the Qatar stadium falls into disuse (likely), the Brasilia one falls into disrepair, etc. then eventually Bayern’s stadium will be seen as “unique” because it’s one of the last ones standing from this era.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Great introspective well thought through video. Also glad to see Triggers broom getting the love it deserves.

[@NJTRAF]

The answer, as always, is cost. It’s really that simple. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium cost £390m in 2004, Brentford’s Community Stadium cost £71m in 2017, Brighton’s AMEX Stadium cost £93m in 2011, Everton’s new stadium is slated to cost £750m by the time it opens, Leicester’s King Power Stadium cost around £36m in 2002, Man City’s Etihad cost £154m to build and convert to football in 2003 and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium cost £1bn in 2019. And none of them are exactly beautiful or unique, like the tweet said, they’re boring or “printers”. If they tried to do anything unique or special, the price would spiral - remember the proposal for Chelsea that had the brick pillars on the facade that they reckoned would cost £1bn+ when Roman was in charge?! It was fuck ugly! The Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta is quite unique, but it cost $1.6bn! The financial cost of designing and building a unique stadium is the number one drawback. Stadiums have become, essentially, the same as most modern housing estates in England - you go from town to town and all of the new developments of the last 20 years look the same, same with the stadiums, it’s cheaper to recycle the same style over and over and slap some different paint on it

[@soumnag7388]

Great perspective and research dude

[@StevenFrost-g8r]

It’s the same at derby the fact that derby suffered going into administration at pride park and last Season getting promotion and storming on to the pitch. These pictures of them moments at pride park could be put up against the baseball ground and they would all feel special. Pride park is almost 40 years old and is already establishing it shelf as a part of the city and club’s history

[@GardinerAlan]

Not as famous as the Sagrada Familia, Eiffel Tower and Guggenheim but what about the Orbit outside the London stadium? Absolutely disgusting looking monstrosity that only 'won' the spot because the funders of the design were best mates with Boris Johnson, the notoriously corrupt and money-grubbing London mayor, who forced it through against better options. The white elephant is now turning beige grey due to rust and dust, is barely used (for viewing, the slide, abseiling or events) because it's super expensive and is completely unloved by locals and tourists alike. I managed some events there when it first opened and it was an absolute joke for those - no back of house, kitchen or cloakroom, just one small-ish circular room opening to the surrounding viewing balcony. Yet they claimed it would make a large proportion of income from private hire.

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

Have to disagree i find them quite fascinating bits of architecture.

[@darth-gerry6659]

My favorite will always be the Flavian Amphitheater in Rome

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

I love Tomas Taveira's work on the 2004 Euro stadiums, even tho they're white elephants they have a very distinct design and unique features compared to, say, France 2016's

[@ezraezra2928]

Please don't upload the Gremio Stadium during the rainstorm. I know that the picture you posted here was when Brazil had the worst flood in history earlier this year, which feels as if you're disrespecting the national pride for Brazil and the victims of such a disaster.

[@forgetit__]

Camp nou is indeed iconic but tbf it's just pleasant from architecture perspective not functionally, that stadium is indeed falling apart major and the renovation is needed so bad. The olympiastadion is still going strong in this modern era.

[@artapples8417]

Anfield actually looks really beautiful. The new Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand have such a unique charm to them

[@OscarOSullivan]

Thomond Park must be one of the nicest looking new stadiums and one of the best to be in, especially the west and east terraces.

[@bluecally]

Not even a mention of the new Everton stadium, that has a unique look compared to as you mentioned many modern stadiums.