Most football fans don’t live near the grounds of their teams. Many of them have moved well away from the area because of work or relationships or because they have become more prosperous.
Who would want to live near a football ground anyway? There is a lot of matchday hassle with traffic restrictions and congestion and minor vandalism. Local pubs are taken over by supporters.
Most football fans don’t live near the grounds of their teams. Many of them have moved well away from the area because of work or relationships or because they have become more prosperous.
Who would want to live near a football ground anyway? There is a lot of matchday hassle with traffic restrictions and congestion and minor vandalism. Local pubs are taken over by supporters.
However, there is some evidence that the value of your house can go up more quickly if you live near a ground. Since 2001, the average price for all homes in England and Wales has increased by 113 per cent. According to a study by mortgage lender Halifax the average rise over the period for properties close to the stadiums of Football Legue clubs is 168 per cent, moving from £132,405 in June 2001 to £353,408 in June 2011.
This is an indirect rather a direct result of the presence of the stadium. Grounds can be surrounded by amenities such as shops and better transport links. A stadium can also bring regeneration in its wake, an example being Manchester City’s Etihad stadium.
Properties in the neighbourhood of the stadium have seen the biggest increase related to any club, 330 per cent over the last decade. Admittedly, they started from a low base of £20,376 and even now are only £91,703 compared with an average of £767,753 near Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge in fashionable West London.
A stadium can bring regeneraton in its wake. The area around what was Eastlands used to be semi-industral and rundown. The stadium, new roads, landscaping and housing have brought about a revival. But it is still ‘up and coming’ rather than what estate agents like to call ‘sought after’.
But one could produce counter examples. Middlesbrough’s Riverside stadium still stands in relative isolation and has not really triggered regeneration in the surrounding area.