Erik Terpstra is the founder and managing editor of The Stadium Guide. He started the website in 2001 as a hobby, which meant the occasional lack of attention, but has recently taken up the task to further professionalise it.
Erik has visited many football stadiums and matches spread over 11 countries. His favourite teams have a tendency to underperform and to choke when on the verge of winning something.
You can contact Erik via erik [at] stadiumguide [dot] com.
The Dutch Eredivsie is the first of Europe’s major leagues to finish. We have once more collected the attendances and will present you our findings below. We will be a bit more to the point than last year, when we presented our conclusions in an extensive article, and instead [...]
While it is not uncommon for shiny new stadiums to get built in places where you would not expect them, there is something even more special going on in Iraq right now: an actual stadium boom. The Arab country, still recovering from the war, has decided to put some of its oil money in a massive overhaul of [...]
Here’s the New York Times on the proposed new MLS stadium in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park in the New York borough Queens: Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Major League Soccer officials are talking about a new soccer stadium, partly as a way to help rejuvenate the park. The 25,000-seat stadium [...]
Oh, how times can change. Let me give the word to Peter Storrie, ex-chairman of Portsmouth FC: Portsmouth is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field. The new [...]
The Chinese are expanding their influence in developing countries by offering them investments in infrastructure in return for access to their raw materials. These infrastructure projects regularly involve building new stadiums. From Frank Dikköter’s review on a book about China’s dealings in the developing world: From the copper mines of [...]
It is the end of December, which means that it is tradition to look back at the year we are about the finish. In our case, it means looking back at what happened in the fascinating world of football stadiums. The year 2012 came off the back of a prolific 2011 in terms of [...]
Both the Brazilian Série A and Japanese J-League season have ended, and we have therefore put the attendances of their seasons in a few charts. No extensive analyses this time, but just some charts. The average Brazilian league attendance dropped with 13.6% from 14,989 spectators per match in 2011 to [...]
Today, UEFA made clear that the 2020 European Championships will get played at an estimated twelve different venues all over Europe. Reactions were almost entirely negative, with talk about nightmare logistics, increased costs for fans, and the over-commercialisation and lost soul of [...]
Every weekend, hundreds of thousands of football fans all over the world make the biweekly journey from home to the stadium. For many of them, this has become part of an almost sacred ritual, but quite a few will some day be faced with a change of routine when their [...]
Instead of being nicely spread out over the years, stadium openings tend to come and go with waves. We recently dedicated an article to the particularly prolific year of 1923, but the early 1920s have not been the only period of frantic stadium construction in the last 150 years. These [...]
Football used to be the sport of the working masses, but this has long ceased to be the case. These days, it is not unusual for fans having to save instead to be able to watch some live football from the stands. But while in particular fans in England have been complaining about [...]
The year 1923 was a rather uneventful one. The First World War had ended a few years ago, but the volatile years of the Great Depression were still six years away. Sure, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the French and Belgian occupation of the Ruhr area, and the [...]
Maracanã reopens with first test match
The legendary Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro has reopened with a first test match after three years of building works. Before hosting another test match on the 15th of May, it will then officially open on the 2nd of June with a friendly between the Brazilian and [...]
Sampdoria take step closer to seafront stadium
Sampdoria have taken another step closer to realising a new seaside home after presenting their plans to a special committee of the city of Genoa. Sampdoria hope to build a new 30,000 all-seater in the place of the present Palasport indoor arena and [...]
West Ham receive 99-year lease for Olympic Stadium
West Ham have agreed a contract to move into the London Olympic Stadium from the start of the 2016-17 season. On Friday, the club finally received confirmation of the deal that follows on a long and torturous process and saw an earlier deal collapse.
Anji opens redeveloped Anji Arena
FC Anji Makhachkala have found a new home in the redeveloped Anji Arena, but while the Anji Arena has the look of a modern stadium, the rich Russian club of billionaire Kerimov and star player Eto’o hope that their stay at the new arena will only be a temporary one. [...]
Manchester City contemplate Etihad expansion
Manchester City appears to be considering expanding the Etihad Stadium with an extra tier to the Family and South Stand. This has become clear from a survey the club has sent out to its fans. The survey, which was sent by email, starts like [...]
Opening Grêmio Arena marks a new dawn in Brazilian football
The 2012 Brazilian Séria A season has just finished, but when the new season starts in May 2013, much will have changed. The reason for this is that the largest country of South America will be swept by a series of stadium openings in the next [...]
Real Madrid showcases four proposals for redeveloped Bernabéu
At the end of last Sunday’s member’s assembly, Real Madrid chairman Florentina Pérez had a little surprise for the socios. These were four models of four different proposals for the redevelopment of Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. The models had been vigorously kept secret [...]
While it is not uncommon for shiny new stadiums to get built in places where you would not expect them, there is something even more special going on in Iraq right now: an actual stadium boom. The Arab country, still recovering from the war, has decided to put some of its oil money in a massive overhaul of [...]
Oh, how times can change. Let me give the word to Peter Storrie, ex-chairman of Portsmouth FC: Portsmouth is moving into a new dawn with the backing of owner Alexandre Gaydamak and these are very exciting times for the club both on and off the field. The new [...]
2012 review – the world of football stadiums
It is the end of December, which means that it is tradition to look back at the year we are about the finish. In our case, it means looking back at what happened in the fascinating world of football stadiums. The year 2012 came off the back of a prolific 2011 in terms of [...]
