The worst experience I've ever had going to an organised event…read more Unfortunately I have to carry epi pens and other such items in a back pack for my health which I was told to ditch or throw away by the head of security after my bag was checked three times by other security and a drug/bomb dog. Had life saving medication on and the guy didn't care, I either threw my bag away (£70) as he wasn't letting me in with it. It could have been rolled up and put into the black bag I was given by one of his subordinates after he stormed off like a child. He also said that women were allowed in with theirs as their bags are "fashionable" accessories. I'm sorry but mine saves my life!!! I went to see a comedy show, this wasn't the start I wanted and hated my experience/night that I paid good money for. I lost my £70 bag as it wasn't there when I came out. Head of security needs some more training

No more trekking over to Manchester to see anyone remotely decent is the hope…read more I'd had my reservations going in, from the outside I think it looks somewhat like a little bit of a monstrosity, but once inside that's forgotten - the First Direct Leeds Arena has arrived, and it's goooood. So very very goooood. The build quality and the finish on the place is fantastic and when you couple that with the really helpful staff they've managed to find somewhere, my feeling is that the Arena is brilliant. I was lucky enough to be the guest (albeit paid) of Gaucho and in their box, and again much like the whole of the Arena, the finish quality is fantastic, kitted out with fridges, sofas, comfy chairs and then a bank of arena seating for when the acts come on. The Cadbury chocolate which was branded for the act was a nice touch too. Holding only 13,000 people it's apparently a 'small' arena, and that's a good thing for me because as someone who loves going to gigs but really cant abide standing 800 metres away from who you're watching, the idea of the arena held thoughts of being too far away to see the act. This isn't the case, and with 13,000 people it still almost feels intimate. I can honestly say that I'm really looking forward to seeing who it attracts, because it really is top notch, it really should bring Leeds some great, really big acts. And yes, I'm really looking forward to not having to trek over to Manchester too. Also, Elton John totally rocked on the official opening night.

All stadiums are at odds with someone, which is why this stadium is named Oddsall, but Odd is…read moredefinitely right, it's an unusual stadium for sure. It's in Bradford, a wonderful city in Yorks. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I came here because it's a part of history. It's where Bradford moved after their horrible fire. It's build into the mountain (although not really a mountain) and it's both odd and impressive. It's a little small and run down though, so I can't possibly give it more than a 3 star rating. I was last here in 2011, although I've been to Bradford since then but it wasn't a place I needed to come and see again. I haven't ever seen a sports game here, but I've toured the facilities of course. 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 *** Bradford City once played here during their dark days after the fire. It can fit 27k into it and opened in 1933. Since no soccer is actually played here though I'll reduce it to an average 3.

As a big fan of Rugby League I've spent a fair bit of time here as it is the home of the Bradford…read moreBulls, who are my team, so I can't offer you an entirely un-biased review but here goes. Odsal stadium (or the Grattan Stadium as I think it is currently named ) is a really unusual ground. It is build in to the hillside in a big bowl shape, there is one main grandstand offering seating and the coral stand which is for executive seating and which offers conference/banquetting facilities, the rest of the ground is open to the elements which is the stadiums down side when it's raining, or cold. I've spent many a saturday in pouring/driving rain watching my team and can't say it was comfortable but the ground has real atmosphere. It's much better for fans now that the Bulls play summer rugby as you can imagine. On a sunny afternoon the terraces are the place to be! As for facilities, there are adequate bars scattered round, plenty of snack stops (burgers, icecream and the usual game day food), toilet facilities and of course a gift shop! But of course the Rugby or other sporting event is the main attraction. They also do speedway meets here for any fans of motor sport. For those of you who are season ticket holders or executive seat holders the Coral Stadium offer an excellent 3 course meal pre-match, and you can watch the game from the outside seating or from the bar in the warm through the glass fronted bars. I've had the pleasure of this experience recently as I'm a classical singer and have sang there as part of the pre-match entertainment several times. The staff are very welcoming/helpful and friendly. The entertainments team make sure that there is a full programme to keep people entertained before, during and after the matches. It's a really great family day out!

I attended the John Smith's Stadium for Manchester City's 0-0 draw with Huddersfield in the FA Cup…read more5th round, it has a record-breaking capacity of 24,139 on my visit, out of a full capacity of 25,000 which as I recall included over 3,000 City fans, with it just being a short trip down the M62 or half an hour on the train from Manchester. The stadium for sponsorship reasons is called the John Smith's Stadium, but when built in 1994 it was known as the Kirklees stadium, a reference to the stadium being in the Kirklees Council area, although owned by Huddersfield Town, Huddersfield Giants in a 40:40 share, with Kirklees Council owning 20%. The stadium is quite small and in a way it feels new, such as the cool arch shaped roof, but in other ways it feels so old, such as going into the ground from the outside and all the concourses being outside, which even older stadiums such as Anfield don't have, instead there are more inside concourses, which obviously makes the ground seem a little colder and it certainly doesn't make you feel like getting chips, pies and co when it is raining etc. The atmosphere at the stadium was average, there wasn't much to shout about from both sides, there were only 3 shots on target for Huddersfield and 5 for Manchester City with no goals from either side. The stewards around the stadium seemed helpful enough, although I was confused and annoyed to have the lid taken off my bottle which I frankly couldn't understand, they didn't search my bag but they found it more important to take the lid of my Iced tea bottle and even come over me and take it off me myself, hence I felt like a child in a school having their phone taken off them, annoyed, confused and untrusted. The stadium seats seemed quite old, and the wheelchair bays were unmarked and it did feel quite squashed at times, most areas of the stadium felt old, which is frustrating considering this stadium is from 1994, albeit it isn't the most modern and new of stadiums, there are much older ones that do a better job, as much as it pains me to say it, for some facilities Anfield, Old Trafford seem to do it better. There were often people standing and getting in the way, which was difficult and although the stewards did move them, when fans were coming in for the second half it did really obstruct the view of the goal, which was hard to see at most times anyway due to the location of my seat and the overall setup of the stadium The view is also quite poor with no raised platforms, which even Hull manage to do. Huddersfield as a Championship team, can't be expected to compete with the Premier League teams, but with the club standing third in the Championship, they still are fighting for promotion and as one of the Championships larger teams this year, they should be doing better but still this is cushioned by the fact they haven't been in the topflight since around the 1970's (Correct me if I'm wrong) The food situation here is alright, the chips were a huge portion, albeit I was angry that they didn't have any pepper which was also confusing and frustrating that they would run out with pepper. The stadium is also quite unusual, on one side it feels like you're in a hill, a forest and on another side, you can see houses and it feels like a town. Overall, this stadium just doesn't impress me and it is a good stadium for a lower division side, which Huddersfield were when it was built, but now with the features mentioned including the open corners, this just isn't a stadium suited to a Premier League team elect?, or even a high flying Championship team, so sadly deserves a single one star.

If an Ironsmith uses Iron and a Wordsmith uses Words, does a Johnsmith use Johns? But Johns use…read moreCall Girls, right? So then I don't get it. This stadium used to be known as the Galpharm Stadium, and I'd love to visit a Galpharm because there'd be a lot of Gals produced there obvs. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I was very impressed when the Galpharm first opened, and used to drive by on the M62 and be amazed. Being inside it - and I've only seen one live match here, in 2011 - was absolutely everything I always thought it would be. What a crowd, what a beautiful facility, and what a credit to the city and the team. It might even be the highlight of the whole city of Huddersfield. Definitely it took them to the next level and while they haven't been in the Prem yet, when they get there, the JSS means they'll be ready for it. I was lucky to go on a day when the stadium was nearly full. I have heard it is usually empty. I am hoping when they get to the Prem someday, it will be packed every single game. Definitely one of my fave non-Prem stadiums in the UK. 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 was originally the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, opened in 94 and capacity 24,500. It's one of the most distinctive stadiums in the world because of the steep arched roof on all sides of the ground. It's up in the hills, and right by the M62 motorway. Some top musicians have performed here including Bryan Adams, The Beautiful South, Blue, Bon Jovi, The Eagles, Elton John and R.E.M. Um.. Blue? It's now bright blue and looks absolutely gorgeous so it scores 5.

If you spend the night at my place and your clothing ends up strewn across the floor, I won't mind…read morethat you left your Bra in My Hall. (brainmyhall) as long as your Lane down in my bed. In fact this stadium is named after the concept... Brainmyhall Lane. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I absolutely love Bramall Lane. It's infinitely better than Hillsborough, the other Sheffield stadium. I've seen Oxford play here (and get beaten) a long time ago, but recently I saw a Sheffield home game in League Two, and the fans were just as loud as any Prem stadium! They're such amazing passionate fans and this is just such a cauldron. I've seen maybe 3 games here and can't wait to go to a 4th, probably in 2016. I have pictures of my time here and will always consider a part of me a SUFC supporter because of these intense experiences. 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 is one of the best stadiums in England, easily. It's loud, obnoxious, intense, modern and rebuilt, but old and historical. It's closed in, it's beautiful, it's fantastic. I don't even particularly love Sheffield United, but they have a hell of a tradition, a hell of a support, and a hell of a team. The Blades. Bramall holds 32k people and gets intense crowds for sure. It's right near town and is a wonderful place to watch footy. It was built way the hell back in 1855 too so it's one of the oldest grounds in the UK. Back in those days, rent for the ground was 70 pounds a year... haha. 1862 was the first footy game... Sheffield FC vs Hallam FC. England have played here 5 times. There are 10 or 12 other reviews for this stadium, but they are incorrectly under the club page for SUFC. Hopefully theywill be moved over here soon.

I love the pavilion - it is a great sports venue and caters for all age ranges from the childrens…read moreparties and fitness classes ran in school holidays to the gym and fitness classes, tournaments, and OAP classes. Check out the teesactive.co.uk website for details of all the facilities this place offers. I am a gym member and the gym is great - it was recently refurbished and has top of the line new machines and well trained staff to help you get the best out of your gym sessions. If you get a monthly gym membership (lots of packages on offer) all the fitness classes here, and at the Forum as well as the swimming pools in billingham, thornaby and stockton are included at no extra charge. Well worth the subscription you pay and it is reasonably priced unlike some gyms in the area.

Geri Halliwell and Indiana Jones opened this stadium while having a wild stormy affair, sounds hot,…read moreright? Well the weather up here is not at all. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - other than sleeping here (I'll get to that in a minute), I've done a little tour of the stadium on a few occasions. Warrington was always a city that I skipped, and until I saw it with my own eyes, I had no clue that this city had such a fantastic stadium. It scores 4 only because they still have difficulty filling it, and I have yet to see a full match here, but it really is a credit to the city and a fantastic facility. I was last here in 2014. 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 *** I slept right across the street from this stadium and then visited the large superstore as well. Good times, good memories. It's a very imposing, grand, fantastic stadium for rugby, and it's just as amazing on the inside, it looks like it houses a lot more than 14k people. I would have given it a 5 if it was also for a football team, but I'm biased against Rugby ;) My concert in Warrington wasn't great, especially not the text messages I received later, but all that aside, this is an amazing stadium.

A nice new stadium, built for the wolves when they moved from Wwilderspool. The stadium provides a…read morestate of the art sporting venue and is a focal point for community activity, incorporating the Warrington Wolves Foundation learning floor and a brand new NHS walk-in centre. The Halliwell Jones Stadium sports a capacity of 14,206 through an innovative mix of seated and traditional terraced spectactor accomodation. The stadium comprises standing and seating on each side and end, offering supporters unrivaled flexibility. With a pitch size of 120m x 74m, it is designed for expansive and exciting rugby league.

We've mainly visited Owlerton for the greyhound racing…read more If you check the local press the week before you plan to go to watch the dogs, there are usually a few offers around that include entry, race cards and food. You have the choice of a few bars and either a sit-down meal or pie and peas and the like from the kitchen. It's a good place to go in the summer as there's plenty of space to sit outside and it's always interesting to watch the people taking big money to the trackside bookies. A very good night out if there's a group of you!

Olwerton Stadium hosts greyhound racing on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Entry is usually…read morequite cheap - check their website or give them a ring before going as there is always special offers on, especially if there is a large group of you going. There are several bars (although to get a seat you need to be there early) or you can stand outside to watch the races. The drinks are a bit pricey. There are Tote betting kiosks all around the stadium if you fancy a bet (you can bet from as little as 50p) and some trackside bookmakers. On a busy night there is a great atmosphere and is a great night out whether or not you want to have a bet! If you do like a flutter you can continue your night at the casino next door.

Theres a current dispute between some locals and the village council over some old lime trees which…read morehave become hazardous to the public. The council have acted accordingly in my opinion and have decided to pull the trees down and replant some trees waiting in their place. This to me is sensible and the right decision to make. Even if it does upset a minority, its for a greater good. The council have always been intune with what the people of tickhill want and have been very beneficial to the village. An asset.

i was there for a womens football match so quite empty but looks…read morebrilliant if its full