Ten of the current Premier League stadia were constructed following the beginning of the Premier League, with seven of those introduced since the dawn of the 21st century. But football did not begin with the Premier League, and some of this country's most iconic grounds have existed since the 19th century. Here is a celebration of the Premier League's three oldest grounds still in use.
Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley's current success this season is predicated on imperious home form, with Turf Moor a fortress for Sean Dyche's side. It is perhaps fitting that for such an old stadium it is fortunate enough to host a style of football that is a throwback to earlier days. This is absolutely not to call Dyche's brand of football archaic, but rather his tactical stoicism and his encouragement of a high work-rate and teamwork is a pleasant reminder of when football was a simpler game. Well, I say reminder; not many of us can remember football from the early 20th century. If Turf Moor's walls could speak, however, then they could tell us all sorts of stories.
Burnley Football Club was one of the founder members of the Football League, and their stadium bears an equally grand heritage. Burnley moved to Turf Moor in 1883, and the ground has witnessed two championship-winning seasons for the club in 1921 and 1960. The capacity is a modest 21,800, making it one of the babies in terms of size within the Premier League.
Anfield, Liverpool
Anfield has hosted a number of great players and great sides across the years, with the Liverpool side of the 1970s and 1980s something that current fans can only dream of. But its history began almost a century before that when Everton first moved into Anfield in 1884. No, that is not a typing error. Anfield originally hosted the other Mersey side, until a dispute over land saw Everton migrate elsewhere. In 1892, Liverpool FC moved in and have called it home ever since. Anfield is indisputably one of the most recognisable grounds in world football, with the Kop and its anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' synonymous with Liverpool to football fans everywhere.
Jurgen Klopp is slowly restoring the Reds to a side capable of challenging for a title, so perhaps it will not be long until Anfield is lighting up for evenings in the Champions League. The famous 'This is Anfield' sign in the tunnel was introduced by legendary manager Bill Shankly, not because his players were extremely forgetful and did not know where they were but because he wanted to provoke fear in the opposition. Perhaps it may not be long until Barcelona and Bayern Munich are visiting this ground full of rich history.
Goodison Park, Everton
This ground has the impressive honour of being the stadium to host the most top-flight matches in English football history, a testament to Everton's consistency across many years. When Everton stormed out of Anfield, they needed a place of their own. Everton moved to Goodison Park in 1892, a ground built with the primary purpose of hosting football. This was incredibly unusual at the time, as most football clubs tended to play at multi-purpose grounds to share with other sports such as cricket and athletics.
Goodison Park boasts a capacity of approximately 40,000 and has hosted both FA Cup finals and fixtures in the 1966 World Cup. Ronald Koeman will look to deliver European football once again to this famous ground which has witnessed several league titles, most recently in 1987.
Everton welcome Burnley to Goodison Park on Saturday 15th April in a clash of two of England's oldest clubs. Those looking to bet on Burnley continuing their dismal away form can use Footy Accumulators betting tips to find the best prices across several bookmakers.
Chelsea's Stamford Bridge has been open since 1877, but its primary purpose until 1905 was athletics so it has not been included in this list on that technicality. For those curious, the oldest ground ever to be featured in the Premier League is Sheffield United's Bramall Lane, which remarkably hosted its first football match in 1862. The sad reality is that many of these old grounds will eventually make way to be replaced by bigger and shinier stadiums, but fans will be hoping that these grounds still have many more successes to host.
