(Soccer for anyone else) i am asking from the uk perspective mostly as its a very popular sport no matter what level it is and its usually the heart of the community, but obviously anyone elses opinions would be great. What can be wayspots in football stadiums because depending on the level of football (professional, semi-profesional or non-league) you’ve got bars for alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks, a food shop where you can get hot/cold food/snacks/ hot drinks/cold drinks, the clubhouse where theres a bar in a building with tv with other sport games on and most times other games to play like pool or darts, than theres the stands where you can sit or stand and sometimes these are named after local legends (former players who went on to play professionally) or businesses who sponsor the ground, you’ve got club shops where you can buy merchandise and anything with the clubs badge on, than you might have a lounge for people who pay more money than the basic rate to get higher quality meals/ extra stuff/ meet the players after the game etc and at most lower non - league teams you have a load of picnic benches to sit and do whatever you want. Than obviously you would have the name of the stadium and badge at the entrance to the ground just before the car park.
I wouldn’t restrict this to soccer stadiums, as the same questions relate to American Football stadiums, basketball stadiums, cricket grounds etc.
There isn’t anything /special/ about stadiums that means POI become more or less eligible.
Stands in themselves would be a difficult sell - simply being named after someone doesn’t change what they are, but a plaque for that might be eligible, because it’s a plaque.
Clubhouses are a pretty good nomination and I often see these in review at cricket grounds.
Club shops are shops - generally not eligible because shops are everywhere and need something extra
Everything should be looked at as to whether it meets Exercise, Social or Exploration criteria.
My thoughts on this is that if I can remember correctly at university grounds if a building is named after someone special like a professor who did something important or someone else important the building could become a wayspot.
For this I have to disagree because the club shops are usually only at football grounds and rarely are they in the actual towns/cities in the uk. They are a place that groundhoppers (people who are usually neutrals and want to go to every team in a league/county/area/country etc) definitely go to and obviously the fans go to show there support for the club by buying club related items and for the lower league teams who dont even have a online shop you have to go there and explore the stadium to buy the stuff.
The stadium should be a Wayspot. That includes the grass, goals, scoreboards, and stands - they’re all parts of a whole.
I agree that clubhouses should be OK because they’re a place to socialize.
Shops aren’t places to socialize. They exist for quick transactions to exchange money for merchandise.
Look for murals, statues, and plaques. Maybe a picture of the mascot?
What about a load of picnic tables scattered around a spot usually so you can sit down with people and have your food or a drink.
My local football stadium has like a dozen wayspots on it, ranging from the stadium itself to statues of famous players, trophies displayed in the museum, graffiti artwork, artistic signage, et cetera.
Yes, this could apply to any stadium/arena for any professional sport, or even college, here in the US. Yes, college stadiums are a little crazy in the US, if you ask me.
Yes, the stadium is eligible itself, as it could meet all 3 criteria. I personally wouldn’t put any Wayspots on or near the field of play for stadiums and arenas, as they may not be safe to access during games, or pedestrians may not be allowed on them during events. Also, depending on the stadium and what events take place there, fields of play could be changed from one sport to another (Madison Square Gardens is both a basketball and hockey arena, for example), or for different events, like concerts.
Food stands are almost always in any stadium, so unless it’s unique to that stadium and sells unique food, then I wouldn’t look at nominating them. An example of one I’d consider would be one at Target Field, where the Minnesota Twins play, where they serve all MN State Fair inspired food, a stand that’s unique to the stadium, as well as serving food that’s unique to the area.
Art that’s permanent I’d consider eligible, like statues of former players and coaches, murals, etc. Even historic displays, like a little museum piece, I would find eligible. Examples of these are displays on Olympic athletes that played for a college in the stadium. US Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings play, has an amazing display of all of the helmets of all of the high school American football teams in the state
Picnic areas could be eligible if they are permanent and there all of the time, but I know that some of these can easily moved and/or put away when games aren’ taking place.
Some stadiums these days also have places for kids to play, like playgrounds, mini golf courses, permanent yard games, etc. The hockey arena for our junior league team where I live has an indoor playground as well as climbing wall for the kids; Target Field has mini golf and cornhole near the plaza entrance.
This is a bit late but I just had this thought what about photos that are on the wall of when they won there league, the cup and any other special moments for the club. Also what about a trophy cabinet that shows previous trophies won by them and sometimes other things like signed shirts worn by legends of the club and the first football used at the clubs stadium.
Those sound like great things to explore provided they are on permanent display
I agree with @DTrain2002, stadiums in the US can be a little crazy with the decorations and such. Aside from the stadium itself. You can find really cool Points of interest inside the stadium. Here is an example of one I recently got approved inside Bank of America Stadium here in Charlotte. There are a few more blank walls I hope they make into murals moving forward.
