From Goodison to the San Siro: Discover the Stories Behind the World’s Most Iconic Football Stadiums

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Home Ground: The Architecture of Football, the new exhibition at RIBA North + Tate Liverpool, highlights the history of football stadium design from the 1890s to the present day

Transcript

00:00Football isn't just a game, it's a global passion that inspires millions.

00:05And according to Reba, the world's most iconic stadiums can be just as memorable as the players themselves.

00:12Football stadiums are some of our best-loved buildings in society.

00:16There are so many people that use them every Saturday or every Wednesday.

00:19They're big parts of the community. They're the kind of place people have been going to for so many years.

00:24Going with their families, you see people of all ages using them.

00:28So they're really important bits of architecture within our cities, and we wanted to celebrate that.

00:33Homeground, the architecture of football, looks at the stadia from the 1890s up until the present day,

00:40exploring some of the game's most iconic grounds.

00:44We've tried to be really historical with the show, so we're going back around 125 years, really.

00:50So it's a show about architecture, it's a show about football, but it's a show about British society as well

00:56and thinking about the role that the game has played in how we develop certain parts of the city,

01:02how important football is, and the role that the stadium has played.

01:06So there's lots of lovely archival material.

01:08We've got some black and white films, old photographs,

01:11which are really great insight into what the game used to look like,

01:14and what British cities used to look like as well.

01:16An exhibition here at Reba North and Tate Liverpool's temporary home highlights the history of football stadium design.

01:23Inspired by Everton FC's new Hill Dickinson Stadium right here in the city,

01:27the exhibition that features more than 50 stadiums from around the world.

01:32It's a big decision for a club because to move to a new stadium is a huge investment,

01:36but increasingly the success of the stadium will help the team on the pitch.

01:42The bigger the stadium, the bigger the capacity, you might have new commercial uses,

01:47you can put concerts on and so on.

01:48So the more revenue that's coming in, in theory, that can be reinvested on the pitch,

01:53help the team to be more successful.

01:56So for clubs to move, really it's sort of investing in the future success, hopefully, of the club.

02:01Through architectural models, photographs and archive material,

02:06visitors can gain insight into how architecture plays a pivotal role in the stadium experience,

02:12not only serving as a venue for sport,

02:15but as a cultural landmark and focal point for the local community and fans alike.

02:19So we really hope that people come and enjoy it as a historical look through British football

02:24and British stadium architecture for the last 125 years.

02:27But they also look, perhaps give stadiums a second look

02:30and think about the complexity, the detail, the investment that goes in,

02:34the very technical buildings,

02:36how you cram 60,000 people into a relatively small piece of land is very difficult.

02:41You have to think about the logistics of transforming a derelict piece of wasteland

02:46into a brand new state-of-the-art stadium.

02:48It's a really difficult thing and takes years and years of planning.

02:53Homeground Architecture of Football runs at the Man Island venue until Sunday 25th of January.

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