Great stadium and tour. Really like our experience with everyone from the merch shop and the tour.read more

Had a great time visiting the stadium and the tour was an incedible experience. The tour guides…read morewere very friendly and knowledgeable. Especially, David Hey helped with photos and made us genuinely feel at home like we are local fans. We came all the way over from New Orleans just to see a game and will never forgot this experience. Small group and the tour is a true VIP experience.

Came here to see Hans Zimmer Live and had a great time! Getting in to the Arena went much faster…read morethan other venues I've visited, and it was very easy to find our seats once we got inside. The crowd was as energetic as the orchestra, which is to say MASSIVELY GOOD VIBES! As we were only a few rows from the stage, I was very happy I donned foam earplugs. I was literally *feeling* the music more than I was hearing it, heheh! The bio-break during Intermission flowed pretty fast (not me ... the line!). The food here, considering I got a hot dog & soda, was actually very good! The only thing that was a pain was trying to exit the garage after the show. All traffic seemed to bottleneck into a couple lanes that had to cross the foot traffic leaving the Arena after the show. Otherwise, a great venue and I wouldn't mind seeing more shows there.

It seems even many years later after rebranding including with other sponsors, Manchester Arena…read morewill always be known as the MEN Arena to many locals - it opened in 1995 and is the only indoor purpose-built arena of its' kind in Manchester and although stadiums across the city including the Etihad and Emirates Old Trafford do host concerts now, this is the only Arena of its- type to be fully indoors in a city centre location, it is actually right next to Manchester Victoria Station and the main disabled enterance actually involves going through the station's lift (quite confusing!) - this can also be used as a cut-through to parts of the station when the lifts are out of order, which is the situation right now. Back to the Arena - I can't help but think the only reason this place is so well-known, successful and used is because it lacks competition in one of the UK's best and biggest cities - the customer service is a disgrace such as with booking tickets. The disabled seating tickets team force you to have to phone up with no online booking - they are only open at awkward hours during the day with no option to wait on hold, meaning if you require assistance booking it is going to be difficult to get tickets. It involves creating an account/profile, sending proof of a disability, waiting for that to be confirmed and then placing your tickets on hold for a few days until everything is confirmed - and if it is confirmed you're expected to pay various booking fees: security fee, postage fee (You can only pick up on the day of the event where they advise not to, if you don't pay) and of course a booking fee for telephone orders. Tickets are expensive - I attended Impractical Jokers' recent tour here and I even had to pay a security fee - now I get the venue has to be secure especially after the saddening attack in 2017 but why should they charge a "surcharge" just to be safe as every place like this should be safe and not charging for the fact you're safe, right? The security wasn't even good either - I was told to empty my pockets and go through a scanner, however, they didn't even use the airport-style bag checker on what I emptied (they didn' even look at it and I did have a case which was unexpected) - I also was able to take a drink in despite them being banned - the security is flawed. It does have a capacity of just over 21,000 which is even larger than London's famous O2 Arena, however, I do really prefer the O2, the Manchester Arena has virtually nothing upon entering: no shops, restaurants while the O2 does - all the Arena has is stands selling really expensive food, beverages and merchandise - they even have salesmen who go into the crowd during a show trying to wave things in front of you - like come on I bought my ticket to watch an event, not watch you wave programmes about for goodness sake! The view of the stage wasn't too good either, I had to watch the show from the big screen and after paying for some of the more expensive seated tickets, that isn't what you want either. I really hope the rival to Manchester Arena is built soon by my club, Manchester City as it needs something to rival this hell-hole - the extra star is virtually only for being the only indoor concert/tour arena of its' kind in Greater Manchester, they even hosted amateur hockey games here at one point!

Edgeley Park is a very Edgy Park in that all of the boys and all of the girls in this park tend to…read morewatch football in the nude. At least in my dreams they do. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I used to live just down the road from here in Chorlton Cum Hardy and my friend Derek used to live right by this ground. When I was a kid, I saw one game here, and then as an adult, one more in 2007. It's a fantastic, huge, intense, passionate crowd and ground, and I look forward to seeing another one. I hope they get back into the league very soon. 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 *** Easily the best and biggest stadium outside the Conference Premier and Football League, and hopefully it won't be for long. The once-mighty Stockport County play here, and were in League One for awhile. See my review on this team for more info. This stadium holds over 10k people and as lifelong fan Jonny says, has excellent pies. Unless they've ran out of them, in which case you'd have to ask, who ate all the pies? Probably the Geordies. Or Mike Ashley. Or both. This is a real stadium and a real English football experience, unlike the commercial corporate overpriced Manchester giants, so give it a go and see what you think of "the way it used to be." Yer avin a larf.

I have to give the hallowed turf and spiritual home of Stockport County a five star rating…read more I've been coming to Edgeley Park since I was a wee nipper and the only thing that's changed is a slightly more crumbled stadium, a scoreboard that makes its own mind up of when it's going to work and a slow and painful drop for the team through 5 divisions in 10 years. But - this is real football! If you can't afford to attend Utd or City each week and want to enjoy the pints in the pub beforehand, the banter on the terrace and the fact that you can meet and chat to the players before and after the game, then Edgeley Park is the place to be each Saturday. County are now in the Conference North, playing teams that get around 10-20% of the 4000 a week attendance we get, so the 2013-2014 season could be a good place to start for anyone up for a bit of glory hunting At £15 to get in and a little over £3 a pint (with local brewery Robinsons well stocked - just make sure you sit in the Cheadle End) it's a cost effective place to enjoy a few hours each week. The pies aren't half bad as well, as everyone who I meet for the first time tells me once I say I'm a County fan - just ask the Geordies I know who attend about 4 times a year and can't wait for their lunch time treat at half time!

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.

I had one of the most energetic two hours of my life last night. Nope, not an extract from the…read morelikes of Fifty Shades of Grey, but a statement of fact. A group of 16 of us from work had booked a taster session months ago (the waiting list for this is pretty long as it's so popular). We had to give our heights on booking so that they could match us with the right bikes in advance. When the evening arrived, we all headed to Sportcity and into the cavernous reception of The National Cycling Centre. We picked up our shoes with cleats on them to clip on to the pedals (these are at extra cost btw) and cycling helmets (which were included in the initial price). There are men's and women's changing/shower rooms and lockers (bring a pound coin) so you can keep your clothes and valuables safely locked away. Heading through the doors and into the Velodrome you're struck with just how steeply banked the oval track is - and that you're going to be whizzing around it in a matter of minutes. After collecting our bikes that were all waiting and labelled with our names on; and walking up the central slope to get to the track, we were greeted by our instructor who was a straight-talking Lancashire man and total legend. We were first taught the important lessons of how to get on our bikes, how to start pedalling and how to stop without crashing (sounds obvious I know but just wait until you try it for the first time!). After an initial few laps to get used to things, some of us were allowed to 'advance' on to the côte d'azur (a blue band which is between the infield and the actual track) - and pick up our speed. Later on we had timed laps which meant pedalling like a bat out of hell on the track, getting as high up the banking as we felt comfortable. This was my favourite part. The session ended after we were allowed to do as many laps as we wanted/were physically still capable of doing. This was a terrific (read 'knackering') activity for us, even as a big group of mixed ability. You can also book for smaller groups or individually - I'll definitely come back here again, it's decent exercise that's different and fun!

I came here to watch the final of the Revolution Cycling Series and it was my first ever velodrome…read moreexperience. As soon as I stepped into the arena, I made one of those automatic, from the gut, "Whoa! Cool!" noises which proves this place is awesome. The venue is fantastic for watching (and I suspect participating) in track cycling and I became an instant fan of the sport. I really want to give it a go and you can come and take lessons at the centre too. The food situation isn't great - but the good news is that you can BYO picnic!

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.

An entire city named after male chest hair? Yes. ManChestHair City. What are you going to do about…read moreit? First-Hand Experience: I've seen Manchester City play live, in person, many times. Both when they were a smaller club, a humble club, with average wealth, in the shadow of their neighbours... and as recently as Autumn 2014 at the Etihad vs LFC. I liked watching them better in the old days when they weren't a team of mercenaries. What a fantastic experience it was at Etihad. What a great set of fans this team has. They've always been a nice team to watch though, with their faded light blue shirts. I've always enjoyed them, and enjoyed them beating United. Watching them this past Autumn, I noticed how different things are now. They've become an uber-wealthy monstrosity. I'll explain. So there was a time when City would have easily scored 4 or 5 out of 5. That was the time when they played at Maine Road and had lovely fans. But then something changed. They were taken over by the richest people imaginable, built the fanciest new stadium imaginable, and started buying up every expensive overpriced player imaginable. Paying them obscene unimaginable wages. Although if the other three things were imaginable then why not that... I don't know. Anyway. Manchester City. I've seen them play both home and away and they just aren't the same team. The only reason they don't score a 1/5 is because their fans have maintained some semblance of kindness and respect for other fans, unlike Chelsea fans. Also, when I went to the stadium to see the sold out City V Liverpool game, the stadium staff were very lovely and sold me tickets randomly. So I have to bump them up to a 3, but I do it begrudgingly considering the fact that they are no longer a "people's club" and now an "oil baron's club". Capitalism is the world we live in and unfortunately Manchester City are the symbol of that. I'd still rather see them win titles than United, though, considering I'm a Liverpool fan. They were formed in 1880, they play in Sky Blue, they sing "Blue Moon" a lot, they dropped to the 3rd tier only once, and they've now won the Prem 4 times... 1937, 1968, 2012 and 2014. They've won the FA Cup 5 times in 1904, 34, 56, 69 and just recently in 2011. They won the League Cup in 1970, 76 and 2014. They also had one great European success which was the 1970 Cup Winners' Cup. My apologies to the fans for the low rating for your team. It's only because of your owners. By the way, when in Manchester, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars, try Fish & Chips from Neil's Fryery on Langworthy Rd Salford, and most importantly try a Kobedeh Kebab from Rusholme Chippy.

Greyhound racing may be a little bit of a contentious issue for some people. Perhaps because the…read moredogs may be poorly treated or undernourished. It might be a little naive of me but my personal experience of having a friend with a racing greyhound is that they given as much love as your average beagle and the simple fact is they are born, and love, to run. If you're looking for a fun, different and cheap (depending on how much you bet) night out, then think about giving Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium a chance. The floodlight stadium is surrounded by a restaurant, trackside bars and of course the grandstands where you can sit inside or out. The suites are designed for groups and there are special offers for groups including free meals. I didn't really understand how to bet at first, but as soon as you get the hang of it, it's quite exhilarating to watch your favoured pooch curry to the finish line. I didn't win anything, but that hasn't put me off at all. The entry is free on a Thursday, £3 on Fri and £5 on Saturday but even if you don't want to bet at all, it's an entertaining night out with your friends.

Say what you want but I've had two really good nights out at the Dogs…read more It's thought of as quite a chavvy thing to do but do you know what? It's cheap, it's fun and it's a completely different thing to do! It's good fun if you're with a group because that way it's not all about gambling, you can watch other people lose money whilst you take a bit of a back seat! Really good for a works night out actually. Cheap drinks and cheap food too, you can either stand by the track outside and watch or sit inside in one of the booths and watch through the windows. It can be a cheap night but it can be an expensive one too, know your limits people. Check out the website before you go because they usually have some good offers on there.

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.

Welcome to Wrexham. If you are passing through here for other reasons or do not like football…read more(soccer) you need to make a point to visit the racecourse grounds. Catch a game with lively spirited fans and enjoy the chants and friendly confines. Be sure to visit the nearby Turf pub adjacent to the stadium and say hello to Bundy and Richie who will welcome you with a smile, a joke and a Pint. Go Red Dragons

Intercourse is fun, but don't race through intercourse because then Missy E will call you a 1 Min…read moreMan (or woman), and they'll name a stadium after you for all the wrong reasons (the Racecourse Ground, perhaps). First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I've seen Wrexham play twice here, once in 04 and once in 07. I used to live close to here, about a 30 min drive, and would come down just for the amazing atmosphere and intensity here. The best, outside the Prem, perhaps. 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 *** The largest stadium in North Wales, the 5th largest in Wales, with a capacity of 15k (10k sometimes), it opened all the way back in 1807, I mean this place is steeped in history and has an intense atmosphere, too. They even name their big stand "The Kop" after Anfield's stand. They once had 35k people show up to watch them face Manchester United. This all leads up to one thing... such a grand stadium, even for a non league team, and they are the pride of the conference and destined to get back in the football league someday. Add to the fact that it's a supporter owned team (Wrexham AFC) and it's 5 stars across the board for these Welsh wonders.