One of football’s old adages is that the crowd can often be akin to a 12th man, and that principle can certainly be felt at these five stadiums.
With fans around the world in all sports slowly being allowed back into stadia following easing of restrictions concerning the Covid 19 pandemic, atmospheres are going to be felt once more.
Here are five of the very best in the world of sport.
Anfield
The home of Liverpool is one of the most iconic stadiums in the world due in no small part to their vociferous fan base.
Even before the game, goosebumps come to the surface when You’ll Never Walk Alone is belted out by the Reds faithful.
Particularly on European nights, Anfield has an aura that is hard to replicate.
Perhaps the finest example of that was the Champions League semi-final two years ago en route to lifting their sixth European Cup.
Faced with a 3-0 deficit against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, the Anfield cauldron roared Liverpool to victory – a win which was down to Klopp and the Kop in equal measure.
Celtic Park
One half of football’s bitterest rivalry – Celtic Park generates huge noise thanks to their loyal following.
Even though the Scottish Premiership is widely disparaged in footballing circles, the Bhoys can still persuade quality players to join the club, simply because of the fans.
Earplugs are almost a necessity whenever there’s an Old Firm match (the same can be said of Ibrox in fairness) as Celtic and Rangers go to war at least four times a season.
And again, European nights are usually special, with Celtic’s 2-1 win against the legendary Barcelona side of the early 2010s a particular highlight.
Turk Telekom Stadium
It would be remiss not to include a ground where the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium was once held.
Galatasaray fans have always had a fearsome reputation – and although there has been a lot of nastiness over the years, there is no question that a big atmosphere can be raised.
The “Welcome to Hell” banners that greeted Manchester United are still iconic to this day.
CenturyLink Field
Moving away from football, NFL fans certainly know how to make a stadium rock and the home of the Seattle Seahawks is no exception.
Speaking of Guinness World Records, the Seahawks fans broke that in September 2013, when the noise reached 136.6 decibels during their 29-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
They went on to win the Super Bowl that season – that crowd roar playing a major role.
Arrowhead Stadium
Another NFL team, another World Record breaker – the Arrowhead Stadium is another symphony of noise when fans are in full voice.
142.2 decibels were reached in September 2014 when the Kansas City Chiefs’ fan base wildly cheered them onto a 41-14 win over the New England Patriots.
Even though they didn’t qualify for the Super Bowl from the AFC Conference that year, there is no doubt that was a night to savour and remember.
