Disney or any production by Disney isn't usually my thing but went to see Disney Frozen on ice with…read morea friend who had a spare ticket so I thought why not. The Barclaycard arena was like any other venue for concerts or shows. It seemed very organised with the Stuards ushering people into lines to go through. Lots of little girls dressed as Elsa so I felt little left out! Once in there it was chaos with so many stands of Frozen merchandise, food and memorabilia. The seating area was quite a large arena. I'm not sure I would go again unless my favourite artist was playing and seemed like the place for kids shows.

I fulfilled a boyhood dream this year…read more Badminton is Malaysia's favourite sport and one of the sport's premier events, the All England Championships, has been held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham since 1994. I recall being allowed to stay up late to watch my badminton heroes play on live telecast when I was growing up in Malaysia. It all seemed so far away, so exotic, so out of reach. So, I was overjoyed this year to find out that my parents were visiting me from Malaysia exactly on the dates that the All England Badminton Championships would be taking place this year. Booking tickets for all of us on line proved quite painless. We were able to walk to the NIA from our city centre hotel in about 15 minutes. There is parking available at the arena though it does seem to be in the middle of a fairly residential area. The excitement built as we ran into more badminton fans and we kept passing posters advertising the All Englands with Malaysia's world number 1 Lee Chong Wei taking centre stage. The only delay was in collecting pre-booked tickets. It wasn't really clear which of the many windows to join and lots of people were kept outside in the rain as people shuffled forward slowly to get the tickets. Once in, we could hardly believe we were actually at the finals of this legendary event that we used to watch on TV for so many years. The venue seemed a little more friendly than the rather stark Wembley Arena which used to host this event before it moved to Birmingham. There were enough fast food stands serving the usual fare and the toilets were clean. There were a lot of stands selling badminton kit and memorabilia. They had laid on some pre-match entertainment in the form of a classical music trio playing live before the badminton began. The actual set up for the badminton was good with side lighting making it easy for the players to spot the shuttles when they were lifted high and sightlines were good for spectators. The full house of good-natured supporters from all over the globe created a wonderful atmosphere, chanting and cheering on their favourites. Unlike football, no crowd segregation was necessary to keep the peace. The final icing on the cake came for us when we watched Lee Chong Wei defeat his personal nemesis and close rival Lin Dan in the final match of the championship to successfully defend his All England title. One of the best live sporting events in my life

If you're a little AGGressive or if you tend to exAGGerate, then this is the stadium for you. Also…read moreif you have ADD then come here and be cured. You'll leave with AGG instead. AGG could stand for Acute Gorgeous Girl or Acute Gorgeous Guy even. I'll choose the girl over the guy. At least 5 nights a week anyway. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I've seen Kidderminster play just once, in 2007, and it was a fantastic time. It's an intense little stadium with passionate fans and they bring the best out of their little team. If they ever get to the league and renovate and start packing the place, I'll give it one more. I've rarely heard a crowd so loud outside of the league. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** This stadium can hold over 6k people and the team plays in the Conference Premier which is one tier below the football league. The ground has been around since 1890, amazingly, and is currently the home to Worcester City (temporarily) as well as the Harriers. It's a good stadium for lower league football for sure. And as a fan said on the team Yelp page, of the stadium: "It might not be the most glamorous or biggest stadium in the country but it the atmosphere makes up for that! The prices are a good price too, varying game to game. There is plenty of parking around the stadium, and you can park down streets nearby if they are full! If the football isn't good, don't worry! The half-time food will is guaranteed to be great! Definitely worth a trip out to support the local team once in a while."

The Alexander Stadium is a world class athletics venue and has hosted many big Athletics events…read moreincluding the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix as well as European Trials and UK Championships. It is also the home of the Birchfield Harriers. Ashia Hansen, Kelly Sotherton and Mark Lewis-Francis are some of the members at Birchfield Harriers. The Stadium itself is a great place to watch Athletics and this place really is worth a visit. Alexander Stadium has recently had a £12.5 million expansion and refurbishment. The money has gone towards building a new stand which has a capacity of 5,000. That means the overall capacity of the Stadium is 12,700. So many of the world's best Athletes have competed at the Alexander Stadium and if you are in Birmingham and fancy watching some Athletics, pop in and see why the Alexander Stadium has received so many positive reviews.

For Athletic venues, you can't go wrong here. It is truly first class and famous for the Birchfield…read moreHarriers. With many different leisure activities available here, you are spolit for choice! The staff are all very helpful and so friendly. The only draw back with Alexander Stadium is the gym, its quite old and very small compared with a lot of other gyms out in Brum, I mean compared with Kingstanding gym, Kingstanding wins as it is larger and has more updated equipment, but it is still goodwhen it is quite like in the day. All in all, a great stadium with equally great staff.

I think if I had a baby, I would make sure my baby had the Bescot. But I don't, so I won't…read more This stadium opened in 1990 and was a really great idea for Walsall, 11k and with one huge scary dominant stand and then 3 smaller sides, all closed in to keep atmosphere within, and it's right next to the M6 motorway so it's really easy to access. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - Walsall is a special place to me because of my 2011 music tour in the UK. I loved being here and had a great experience here. I've been back to this stadium only once since the first visit and that was in 2014. Both times I was amazed at how loud and intense this crowd is. They really know how to party and get behind their team. It's a fantastic facility and even though it's now 25 years old, it feels brand new. Stewards are lovely. One of my fave Midlands venues to go to. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** Also they were going to put the largest illuminated billboard in Europe on the back of their stadium, to fund a rebuilding project, but that hasn't pressed forward yet because the club can't seem to get back into the second tier. Definitely a 4-star stadium though, opened in 1990 and one of the better places to watch footy in League One.

A traditional "old" English football stadium, Villa Park has been home to Aston Villa since 1897…read moreand in that time its seen a number of highs and lows for the club from trophy wins to multiple relegations. It has also hosted more FA Cup Semi-Finals than any other stadium and even hosted the Community Shield, where Manchester City defeated Chelsea in 2012 back when Wembley was unavailable due to the Olympic Games behind held in London. The stadium is easy to access with public transport, although unlike The Hawthornes it isn't served by the West Midlands Metro, West Midlands Railway does serve Aston station on trains from New Street and back nearly every ten minutes, this station is around a 10 minute walk away. Witton station also has similar services but Aston Station is a slightly larger station with lifts and more frequent services, the station is so close to the ground (even though it isn't the most-used) the Aston Villa badge is right next to the station name. Disabled access at the stadium is poor, but it is an old stadium which still shouldn't be an excuse. It is especially bad for away supporters with Aston Villa now complying with Premier League regulations by having only a small number of disabled seating for visiting supporters but those seats are with the home fans - I mean I thought Newcastle was bad! Villa Park is probably one of my favourite more traditional old-fashioned stadiums in terms of appearance and the iconic, distinguishable steps leading into the ground where you can see the claret blue seats which are unique in the country following West Ham's relocation to the London Stadium. It isn't in the nicest part of the city though, even compared to other stadiums within the Premier League but still for a club of Aston Villa's level who are likely to be playing in the Championship next season, it isn't bad at all. 3*

Filler Park is full of people that have been given free tickets just to fill up the stadium (known…read moreas Fillers). At least it's not called Feeler Park because then it would be hard to go here without getting molested. Oh wait, it already is. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I've been to Villa Park on about 10 occasions. 3 or 4 times watching a footy match, once or twice to sleep in front of it (yes I know that sounds weird, but I stay in my car when I'm on tour), and then as a tourist, showing people my fave stadiums and such. It's not one of my faves (it's a bit old), but it's a lot bigger on the inside than it looks in the outside. It's the most historic stadium in the Midlands in the sense of importance to the country. When Villa is doing well, there is a really intense atmosphere, but I didn't really experience that on my trips here. Most recently I came here in 2014 because the M6 was backed up so I got off to hang out at the stadium for a bit. The last time I was here for a game was 2011 and I remember telling my gf, the food lines are way too long and the bathrooms are run down and old. The whole place needs a big renovation at some point soon, if it wants to earn that extra star. I've been to every significant stadium in UK & US, due to a lifelong obsession with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later followed Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are based on first-hand personal experience, usually from multiple visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, visiting hundreds of stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to most of them yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at many of them, which I will post later. Also, when back in the UK I plan to take more pix, and add more stadia! So watch this space! *** return to regular review *** With 42,000 people in the stands, this is one of the biggest grounds in England, and the biggest in the second city of Birmingham. They are considering increasing the capacity to 50k. The last ever final of the Cup Winners Cup was here, in 1999, as well as many Cup Semi Finals played here as a neutral venue before Wembley took over. The Holte End has a lovely brick facade. If they can just properly close in the corners and increase that capacity I'll probably give it a 5. In Euro 96 4 matches were played here including the Quarter Final where the Czechs knocked out Figo's Portugal. By the way, when in Birmingham, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars and a Mixed Kebab from Lahore on Ladypool Rd.

My friend Drew won't stand up. I'm like, stand drew, stand! But he won't. This stadium was named…read moreafter what I want him to do. Stand, drew! First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I was shocked when I came to St. Andrews for the first time in 2011. It's amazing! I was in the middle of a tour and had just played a really exciting concert in central Birmingham, and then I came here and it really put the cherry on a great day. What a fantastic, intense, perfectly situated stadium. Intense fans and a really great layout and nice updated facilities. A total palace for BCFC. I think it's a much more welcoming and homey place than Villa Park, and better even than Hawthorns. It's not far behind Molineux. The stewards here are really lovely too for that matter. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** It's one of the best stadiums in England actually, which is weird because I don't really like the team that plays here much but I gave them a good rating as well. There are so many glowing reviews of this stadium but they're incorrectly listed under the football club, hopefully Yelp will move them over here at some point soon. Opened in 1906, it hosts 30k rabid fans in England's second biggest city. By the way, go get a Chicken Madras at Akbar's and a Mixed Kebab at Lahore on Ladypool Rd. 2 best things in Brum imo. The old St Andrews was pretty typical (like Villa Park is), there's just one side of the stadium that needs to be properly modernized and made to look like the rest, and then I think it'll increase to a 5 star stadium, but I'm going to give it 5 anyway. It's steep and it's loud and it's awesome, and right in the heart of Birmingham, and gets full marks from me.

The Wh*rethorns is when you pay for an intimate encounter, and find that there are some prickly…read morethings on the inside. It can be very dangerous and leave permanent scarring, although you may be into that so it's up to you. Thankfully this stadium is nothing to do that. I've been humming and Haw-ing over writing this one but here it goes. First-Hand Experience: Yelp asked me to include more information about my personal experience at this stadium, so here it is. I've been to the Hawthorns on several occasions, which this review will talk about later on. I've been in both the away end and in with the home fans, but always behind one of the two goals. It's a fantastic and underrated stadium. I've been to virtually every significant stadium in the UK & US, due to a lifelong obsession with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born and raised in England, I followed Oxford United (my hometown team) to many stadiums all over the country at away games, and later followed Liverpool (my fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from personal experience at these stadiums from multiple visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited these stadiums then, also. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in the UK for 3 months, I visited all of the stadiums as I travelled around the country. I have pictures of many of them which I will post in future. Also, when I'm back in the UK I plan to take more pictures, and add more stadiums too! So watch this space! *** return to regular review *** The last time I was here was to see Liverpool win 2-0 at this stadium with Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam (penalty) scoring the goals. I was in the West Brom fans end (don't tell anyone), and I liked that they just sold me the tickets with no questions asked, without me having to convince a member of the club to buy them for me. Awesome. Stoke must have more hooligan issues than WBA. It's a good stadium although my view was somewhat obstructed. It has a good spirit and atmosphere. I wouldn't say it's one of the best in the league but it's not one of the worst either. It was built in 1900 and can hold about 27k fans. It's just next to the M6, a little bit to the west of Birmingham. The support is not quite as rabid as at the other three Midlands stadiums... Birmingham, Villa and Wolves. It's still good though. By the way, when in Birmingham, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars and a Mixed Kebab from Lahore on Ladypool Rd.

First off, I'm an American, if that matters to you. But I do love football, and I love attending…read moreany sport. I love the atmosphere of going to see a match live. It is always a great experience. What really struck me was the atmosphere was much more electric than most stadiums I've been to in America. There is always a buzz of excitement going on and the passion oozes from the fans. I sat on the front row between the goal and the center line, but I still had good view of the match from where I was sitting. Went to a match between West Brom and Leicester City in April of 2015, before the meteoric rise of Leicester to the top of the table. At this time Leicester was still fighting to stay in the Premier League. With only a month in a half left in season, it really added to excitement of the match. Will probably be returning to the Brum area for a job next year (2017), so I will definitely be returning here for another game when I come back.