Unusual Venues Every Football Player Would Like To Play At
Football is without a doubt, the most popular sport in the world (to watch and play). Anyone who has played football before would have played on some ordinary pitches, whether it be in a mud fest up to their ankles or on a patch of grass which resembles the asphalt on the freeway. We take a look at some of the most amazing soccer pitches across the globe which put the those ordinary venues to shame.
Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium
Location: Gspon, Switzerland
Capacity: 7,500
Sitting at approximately 2,000 metres above sea level, Ottmar Hitzfeld Gspon Arena is the home of FC Gspon and is the highest place to play football in Europe. Surrounded by the beautiful scenery provided by the alps, the venue sits on one of the few patches flat enough to hold it. A down side to the scenic alps is the nearby cliff, although a net is installed to stop balls from falling down the massive drop, this still happens regularly. Players are faced with a long walk to retrieve the ball.
There was not enough room to build a full-sized pitch, so teams play on a three-quarter sized pitch more suited for a five-a-side game. The surface is artificial because grass simply will not grow at this altitude and because the village is too high for roads, the only way to access the venue is by cable car.
Eidi Stadiums
Location: Eysturoy, Faroe Islands
Capacity: less than 1,000
Located in the north-western island of Eysturoy, just a few meters from the Atlantic Ocean, Eidi stadium was used for semi-professional football matches of the home team EB/Streymur. There is a hut for the changing rooms and only a small amount of room for standing, which is more than enough considering there is a population of less than 700 people in the town. As you would expect, balls regularly end up in the water with very few people volunteering to retrieve it (who can blame them?). The stadium has since been transformed into a campsite and is no longer used for football matches.
The new stadium is located a short distance in a much more accessible position within the local town. Some say, they have saved so much money on lost footballs, the the new stadium has already been paid off. Although it is hard to argue, both venues offer breathtaking views of mountain, cliff and ocean views.
Igraliste Batarija
Location: Trogir, Croatia
Capacity: 1,000
The home of HNK Trogir is located between two UNESCO World Heritage sites – 15th century fortresses, Kamerlengo Castle and tower of St. Marco. From time to time, you will hear a team call their home ground ‘their fortress’, it appears that HNK Trogir have taken that literally in this case.
Adidas Futsal Park
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Located next to the famous Shibuya station, sitting atop of of a department store, Adidas futsal park opened in 2001 in the lead up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. The venue has been going strong since hosting recreational and competitive participants with prices starting at ¥8,000 per hour for members and ¥10,000 per hour for non-member participants.
Hasteinsvollur Stadium
Location: Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
Capacity: 2,300
Located in the island of Heimaey, Hasteinsvollur stadium is the home of top tier football team, Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja (ÍBV) who many struggle to pronounce properly before the half-time whistle. It is easy to see why this venue was voted as one of the worlds most beautiful sports arenas.
Svangaskard Stadium
Location: Toftir, Faroe Islands
Capacity: 6,000
This 6,000 capacity stadium (the population is 1,000) offers some spectacular views. First opened in 1980, this venue had no change rooms and consisted of a field and an adjacent hut. In 1984, change rooms were built which was the same year tenants, B68 Toftir, won their first Faroese Championship.
From 1991 the venue has turned into a multi-purpose stadium with two football fields meeting UEFA regulations and a sports arena for athletics around the lower field in order to host international matches for the Faroe Islands national football team. The stadium’s most famous match was played between the Faroe Islands and Malta for a Wolrd Cup qualifier in 1998. The record 6,642 spectators saw a 2-1 victory for the home side. It is now used for occasional international football and B68 Toftir matches.
Tórsvøllur Stadium
Location: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Capacity: 6,040 (all-seater)
Opened in 1999 as an upgrade from the Svangaskard Stadium for the national team to play its home matches. Although it consists of improved amenities including floodlights (first used in 2011 for an international against Italy), it sadly does not offer the same breathtaking views.
Victoria Stadium
Location: Gibraltar
Capacity: 2,000
Victoria stadium is a multipurpose venue used primarily for football by all teams in the Gibraltar Football League and the national football team of Gibraltar. Along with athletics, it also hosts the annual Gibraltar Music Festival which has seen the likes of Fatboy Slim, Kings of Leon and Ricky Martin take the stage.
Constructed at the foot of Rock of Gibraltar and next to the Gibraltar airport, the venue was opened in 1926 and first used as a military sports ground. In 1971, the stadium was rebuilt and used by both military forces and the civilian population of Gibraltar. In 1991 the Government of Gibraltar finance the redevelopment of a pitch which included a surrounding athletics track.
The Henningsvær Idrettslag Stadion
Location: Henningsvær, Norway
Capacity: 1,000
Barely classified as a stadium because there are no grandstands, just a couple of meters of asphalt poured around the pitch which also acts as the car park. Located in the small fishing village of Henningsvær on two small islands, the venue doesn’t really need a large capacity since the village only has a population of approximately 500 people. The venue is used for low division local football matches and is surrounded by stunning views of mountains, cliffs, sheltered bays and open season.
Nuuk Stadium
Location: Nuuk (Godthåb), Greenland
Capacity: 2,000
Used mainly for football, FIFA 2-Star artificial turf was installed in 2016 because the previous surface was dormant due to the cold climate in Greenland. The 2-star rating is suitable for all Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) competitions and is the highest achievable rating for an artificial surface.
Gospin Dolac – Imotski, Croatia
Location: Imotski, Croatia
Capacity: 4,000
The home of NK Imotski F.C was built in 1989. Although the pitch looks like a normal playing surface, it is next to a 500 metre drop to a lagoon and is surrounded by amazing cliff faces. These surrounding could come in handy when trying to waste a few minutes on the clock. NK Imotski regularly play against one-another in the Croatian second division. Fair to say, they are rivals based on their extreme home grounds.
Although they are not the most conveniently location, most will agree that whether or not the features are internal or external, these stadiums offer some of the most breathtaking scenery and surroundings even if it does increase the danger or the likeliness of loosing a football.
Rheinpark Stadion
Location: Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Capacity: 7,584 (5,873 seated)
The national stadium of Lichtenstein is home of Liechtenstein national football team and football club FC Vaduz of the Swiss Football League. Located just meters from the Switzerland border, the stadium sits on the shores of the river Rhine and offers endless views of surrounding mountain ranges.
