Study Reveals Best And Worst Grounds For Atmosphere

Midnite conducted a survey with 1,002 Premier League away match-attending fans who have voted on which stadiums have the best atmospheres.

According to the survey results, Old Trafford is the highest voted for best-home support in the Premier League, agreed by 20.46% of the fans.

With a capacity of 74,000, Erik ten Hag has changed the atmosphere in the stadium and around Manchester United with his impressive results, Old Trafford has become the fortress it once was again.

Some 39% of Newcastle United fans vote the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ as their favourite away day atmosphere when they travel down from the North East.

Anfield takes second place with 17.64% of the vote, which might be of little surprise from the ground famed for ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

The legendary Liverpool stadium surprisingly gets more plaudits from Chelsea fans than any other groups of supporters, with 28% of the Blues saying Anfield has the best away day atmosphere.

League leaders Arsenal have the third-best home atmosphere with 11.49%. Like Old Trafford, the Emirates has also become a fortress and Arsenal fans have to queue for hours for a chance to get a seat in the 60,000-seater stadium.

St James’ Park and Stamford Bridge both have just over 7% of the vote for a fourth and fifth place respectively. Chelsea and Newcastle’s stadiums were built in the 1880s and are still holding strong with incredible home-game atmospheres.

However, a quarter of Arsenal fans say the best away day atmosphere can be found at Stamford Bridge, but the rest of the Premier League fans rate St James’ Park (21%) to have a better ground buzz than the Blues.

AFC Bournemouth take the least-voted best home atmosphere in the survey, only gathering 0.6% of the total vote. With one of the smallest stadiums (11,000) in the top two English leagues, it’s of no surprise there is a lack of noise coming from the fans.

Fulham’s Craven Cottage also fails to make the 1% mark with 0.71%, but this may be due to the Riverside Stand being built on currently and fewer seats available for the home team.

Wolves’ Molineux, Southampton’s St Mary’s and Brentford’s GTech Community Stadium all tie on 1.31% of the total vote for a joint bottom-third place in the rankings, which is surprising as Brentford’s home crowd has been known for being passionate, away fans seem to disagree.

Wolves also hold the lowest ranked away day atmosphere out of all 20 Premier League clubs, which shows how quiet the Molineux can be on game day.

Best Ground For Home Atmosphere

Fans were asked: What is the best ground you have visited in the Premier League for home atmosphere?

Top Five

• Manchester United - 20.46%
• Liverpool - 17.64%
• Arsenal - 11.49%
• Newcastle United - 7.56%
• Chelsea - 7.06%

Bottom Five

• Brentford - 1.31%
• Southampton - 1.31%
• Wolverhampton Wanderers - 1.31%
• Fulham - 0.71%
• AFC Bournemouth - 0.60%

Best Ground For Away Atmosphere

Fans were asked: Which Premier League team(s) do you think have the best away ground for atmosphere?

Top Result:

• Liverpool - 34%

Lowest Result:

• Wolverhampton Wanderers - 4%

A Midnite spokesperson said: “Old Trafford is getting back to its known capabilities of being a fortress like it was back in the Sir Alex Ferguson days, as is the Emirates with Mikel Arteta’s title charge.

“It’s good to see Liverpool’s home crowd is not fading despite the relatively poor season they’re having, there’s a reason why teams collapse famously in Liverpool and the crowd have a huge factor in being the 12th man.

“Bournemouth’s tiny stadium is great for being up close to the pitch, but the lack of atmosphere struggles to boost their players in getting many points, which could be the defining factor in the relegation race this season.”

The survey was completed by Censuswide on behalf of Midnite between 6 March and 10 March 2023.