A journalist has ranked all 92 English Football League grounds from worst to best, with a League One stadium featuring as his number one pick in a top 10 that includes Old Trafford, Anfield and Goodison Park.
Oliver Holt, who works for the Daily Mail, completed the “journey of a lifetime” on April 1, 2025, after he visited his 92nd and final English Football League ground.
In other words, Holt completed the 92 challenge. If you aren’t aware of the concept, doing the 92 means watching a live game at every league stadium, including every Premier League club and the other 72 sides who make up the Football League.
So who came out on top in his so-called love letter to English football? In what may come as a surprise to some readers, Stockport County’s 10,800 capacity Edgeley Park has been ranked as the number one ground based on a number of factors.
“Mark Stott has not just invested in the first team and dragged County back up into the Football League but he has bought a new training ground and lavished a lot of love on upgrading facilities for fans in the Cheadle End,” Holt says.
The home of Stockport County, Edgeley Park. Image credit: Getty
“The Danny Bergara Stand still oozes character, it is still similar to the way I remember it from that first game in 1979 and much of the rest of the stadium has been renovated and improved. I haven’t been yet this season because I spent my spare weekends trying to complete my 92.”
He added: “I’m longing to get back. Every fan will know that feeling, the feeling of going home.”
Somewhat more unsurprisingly, Anfield features in the number two spot, with Holt playing down claims that the atmosphere is a myth. “It wasn’t and it isn’t,” he added. “Corporate incursions have altered it but it still has the power to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.”
Exeter City’s St James Park, another ground that belongs to League One, is ranked in third position, while Cherry Red Records Stadium, the stadium of AFC Wimbledon, features in fourth ahead of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which places fifth despite its overall cost of over £1bn.
Here is the top 20:
20. Stamford Bridge, Chelsea
19. Exercise Stadium, Harrogate Town
18. Selhurst Park, Crystal Palace
17. MATRADE Loftus Road, Queens Park Rangers
16. City Ground, Nottingham Forest
15. Home Park, Plymouth Argyle
14. Prenton Park, Tranmere Rovers
13. Craven Cottage, Fulham
12. Wham Stadium, Accrington Stanley
11. Villa Park, Aston Villa
10. Old Trafford, Manchester United
9. Goodison Park, Everton
8. Elland Road, Leeds United
7. St James’ Park, Newcastle United
6. Holker Street, Barrow
5. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur
4. Cherry Red Records Stadium, AFC Wimbledon
3. St James Park, Exeter City
2. Anfield, Liverpool
1. Edgeley Park, Stockport County
Edgeley Park edges out the likes of Old Trafford and Anfield. Image credit: Getty
Which stadium has the best food? And which ground boasts the best atmosphere? You can read the full list here.
