Worst Football Seats

Seating Criteria

Fans in the rain during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal // Simon Dack / Telephoto Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Which leads us to our latest data-driven analysis and it is analysis that will be able to uncover the best and the worst seats in this season’s Premier League and we can do so by ranking the stadium seating experience in six separate criteria:

Obstructed Views

One of the most frustrating aspects for any football fan is having their view partially blocked. We assess how much of the pitch is obscured from certain seats, with older grounds like Goodison Park and Selhurst Park typically scoring lower due to pillars and other structural obstructions.

In contrast, modern stadiums like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Emirates Stadium boast clear sightlines, ensuring all fans have an unobstructed view of the action.

Proximity to Action

The distance between the seats and the pitch can greatly affect the atmosphere. Stadiums with athletics tracks, such as the London Stadium, or high upper tiers, like St James’ Park, tend to score lower in this category.

Meanwhile, intimate, smaller venues like the Gtech Community Stadium and the Vitality Stadium score higher, providing fans with a closer and more engaging view of the match.

Legroom

Comfort is key when watching a game, especially during those nerve-wracking moments. Tight rows in older stadiums like Selhurst Park and Goodison Park often leave fans cramped and uncomfortable- leading to a bad matchday experience.

On the other hand, newer stadiums like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Etihad Stadium offer more generous spacing, ensuring a more comfortable experience even during the longest of matches.

Sightlines

A good sightline allows fans to follow the action seamlessly from any part of the stadium. Tiered stands with steep angles, such as those at Anfield and St James' Park, can be advantageous or detrimental depending on the distance from the pitch.

Meanwhile, venues with flatter stands or shallow rakes, like Craven Cottage, may reduce visibility, leading to lower scores in this category.Exposure to Weather

The English weather can be notoriously unpredictable, making protection from the elements a crucial factor. Open stadiums such as the London Stadium and the City Ground score lower due to their exposure to wind and rain.

But there is also a positive to this and fully covered, modern designs like those of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Emirates Stadium provide better shelter, ensuring that fans remain dry and protected regardless of the weather.

Access & Convenience

A seamless journey to and from the stadium can significantly enhance the overall experience. Stadiums that are hard to reach or plagued by congestion, such as Selhurst Park and Kenilworth Road last season, rank lower in this category.

In contrast, well-planned grounds with multiple transport options, like the Emirates Stadium and the Etihad Stadium, score higher, offering fans easy access and a smoother matchday experience.

The Final Scores

With our six criteria revealed and the reasoning behind where high and low scores (out of 10) could be won, it is time to reveal the 2024/25 Premier League seating table:

The Top Four

Image: brentfordfc

1st – Brentford (Gtech Community Stadium) – 8.00/10

Sitting top of the table is Brentford’s GTech Community Stadium. With a compact, modern design it ensured relatively good experiences across all categories and it was this consistency that gave it league honours.

No major obstructions for home or away fans to contend with, good legroom, and proximity to the pitch keep it ahead of the pack but as a smaller venue, some upper-tier seats may lack the grandeur of bigger stadiums but the smaller capacity has kept the essence of previous ground Griffin Park.

2nd – Newcastle United (St James' Park) – 7.50/10

Sitting second in the table is Newcastle’s St James’ Park. With its steep upper tiers providing fantastic sightlines, the only drawback is that it can feel very distant from the pitch, especially in the upper sections of the Leazes and Milburn Stands.

However, it does manage to score well in the categories of obstructed views and legroom, but exposure to weather is a factor due to its height and open design and this is why it is pipped to the top by Brentford’s own offering.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium // Dignity100/shutterstock

3rd – Tottenham Hotspur (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) – 7.33/10

Sitting third in our table is one of the most modern stadiums in the league and this is where the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium starts to sparkle. Although it is a multi-purpose venue, with NFL matches and top music acts on show, Premier League football is its bread and butter.

Spurs’ ground is generally well-designed and was well worth the wait and a temporary stint at Wembley for the club. However, a few corner seats have awkward sightlines and although legroom and comfort is solid, fans in some upper sections might feel detached from the game below.

Image: Yurificacion/via Wikimedia Commons

4th – Liverpool (Anfield) – 7.17/10

Rounding out the Champions League places in our seat survey is Liverpool’s home ground Anfield. It may offer one of the most iconic atmospheres in football, but when it comes to seat quality, there are mixed experiences.

The new Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand expansion have improved legroom and sightlines, but some seats in the older sections, such as the Annie Road End, still suffer from restricted views. Add exposure to weather in uncovered areas and it also brings the overall score down.

The Relegation Zone

That’s the top four revealed and although the trio of Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal get honourable mentions by finishing fifth through to fifth and earning European football, it is now time to look at the three teams whose seats are worthy of relegation:

18th – Chelsea (Stamford Bridge) – 5.50/10

Although Chelsea are a club that has plenty of London prestige, their Stamford Bridge home does not reach the same calibre of capital glitz and glamour and the Blues’ ground has some of the worst obstructed views in the league due to pillars in the West and East Stands.

In addition to this, tight legroom and awkward seating angles hurt the experience for matchday supporters and although there has been talk of rebuilding the ground, plans have dragged on for quite a while and it may be easier for Chelsea to find a new home.

19th – Crystal Palace (Selhurst Park) – 5.33/10

Finishing second bottom and staying in the capital is Crystal Palace. Some might saw that Selhurst Park has a certain charm due to its traditional feeling but others would say it is one of most outdated stadiums in the league.

With tight legroom, obstructed views in older sections, and cramped facilities being the norm in South London, like Chelsea they are a club that has been foiled by rebuild plans going awry – something that is symptomatic of London club grounds that are sandwiched in residential areas.

20th – Everton (Goodison Park) – 5.00/10

While sitting bottom of the league as the worst-rated stadium for Premier League fans is Everton’s home ground Goodison Park. A ground that suffers from severe obstructed views due to supporting pillars, tight legroom, and old infrastructure.

However, it is not all bad news for the Toffees and with a move to Bramley-Moore Dock now just a few months away, the worst seats in the league could soon become the best – that is of course working on the assumption that they avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.

Best In Class

With our survey complete, it is Brentford that will take home the honours for their GTech Community Stadium, pipping Newcastle's St James' Park and Tottenham's own Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into second and third respectively. 

Two clubs from the capital in the top three but is the North West that fills out the rest of the top five and although Liverpool may be clear at the top of the Premier League table, they have to make do with finishing fourth - one place better off than local rivals Manchester City.

Methodology

Each stadium was scored from 1 to 10 for the following six categories:

• Obstructed Views
• Proximity to Action
• Legroom
• Sightlines
• Exposure to Weather
• Access & Convenience
  
  

A score of 1 being the worst and 10 the best. The final score per stadium is an average of the six scores.