History
When Scunthorpe United moved to Glanford Park in 1988, it was the first time a Football League club had moved to a new purpose-built home since 1955. Up to this point, most sides were playing in grounds that were more-or-less structurally unchanged for a century.
Ground improvements were seldom, most clubs rarely reached their capacity on a regular basis, and poor facilities were commonplace. The main source of income came from gate receipts, and most additional money was spent on transfers. It was not until the growing concern in the 1980s about the safety of existing stadiums, that clubs began to examine the possibilities offered by redeveloping their grounds.
The Taylor Report recommended the conversion of all top-level football stadiums to all-seater arenas although this was subsequently applied to the top two levels. This was given governmental financial assistance, and while unpopular with many fans, attendances began to rise again having fallen heavily during the previous decade. The new all-seater arrangement tended to be more popular with both the clubs and football authorities, as they had the combined benefits of being safer and more profitable.
The boom in television rights following the creation of the Premier League in 1992 allowed a number of clubs to further expand their stadiums, or even move to new ones. Realising the commercial possibilities of new stadiums, many ambitious outfits constructed purpose-built stadiums often on the outskirts of cities or in urban regeneration areas. It has become common for clubs to tie these new stadiums in with residential or leisure complexes.
A number of lower-league clubs had plans for ground improvements halted following the collapse of ITV Digital and the lucrative broadcasting contract they had agreed. Following the re-sale of rights, a number of these programmes have been re-activated in recent years, and some of the heaviest stadium redevelopment has been in the lower divisions. Most teams with ambitions of eventual promotion to the Premier League have plans for continued work on their grounds to bring them up to an appropriate standard. Even the biggest clubs have been affected, Manchester United have totally rebuilt Old Trafford while Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006.
Under the bullet Current stadium status below, "New" means built after 1988 and replacing a former venue, while "Reconstructed" means the club has merely made improvements to their stadium.
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Read more about this topic: Ground Developments To Football Stadiums In The English Football League System
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