I recently visited St Mary's Stadium, and it was an amazing experience! The stadium is well-designed, with excellent seating arrangements that offer a great view of the pitch from almost every angle. The atmosphere was electrifying, with passionate fans creating an energetic vibe throughout the match.
The facilities are well-maintained, with clean restrooms and plenty of food and drink options to choose from. The staff were friendly and helpful, ensuring a smooth entry and exit process.
Whether you're a football enthusiast or just looking for a great day out, St Mary's is a fantastic venue that delivers on all fronts. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Southampton!
Great stadium to watch a football match.
There are good facilities outside the stadium (I definitely recommend the new fan zone or the Dell pub). Going into the stadium was smooth and quick. Inside the stadium there are plenty of toilets and refreshments choices. The view from the seats are great.
Large and almost modern stadium with many changes over the recent years. Money making ventures all around the outer ring of the site and they even have their own band.
MUFC
Great away... close to pitch, brilliant outside bar and smoking area opened up at half time, friendly town and easy access to stadium
One of the better aways
Since the 1980s, when Southampton regularly challenged the best sides in the English league (particularly in 1984 when they were league runners-up), there had been talk of the club relocating to a new stadium to replace The Dell due to the old stadium's cramped location which made it unsuitable for major expansion work.
When the Taylor Report on 29 January 1990 required all First and Second Division clubs to have all-seater stadiums by August 1994, Southampton's directors initially decided to upgrade The Dell into an all-seater stadium (which was completed in 1993) but speculation about relocation continued, especially as an all-seater Dell had a capacity of just over 15,000; despite this, Southampton continued to defy the odds and survive in the new FA Premier League after 1992.
After a lengthy and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to build a new 25,000-seater stadium and leisure complex at Stoneham, on the outskirts of Southampton, the city council offered the club the chance to build a new ground on the disused gas work site in the heart of the city, about one and half miles from The Dell.
The move was cited as the club returning home, because the club was formed by members of the nearby St. Mary's Church, as the football team of St. Mary's Church Young Men's Association before becoming Southampton St. Mary's F.C., and eventually Southampton F.C.
Construction started in December 1999 and was completed at the end of July 2001, with work on the stadium itself and improvements to local infrastructure cost a total of £32 million.
The Saints have been in residence since August 2001 when they moved from The Dell, which for the final years of its life, held just over 15,000 spectators – less than half the size of the new stadium. The first match was played on 1 August 2001 against RCD Espanyol, with the Spanish side winning 4–3.