Home > Football > It's Wales 1 England 0 in the big stadium battle
by gerald mclaughlin on 18 July 2008
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There is no point asking a Welshman or an Englishman which stadium they prefer between the Millennium and Wembley. So, being a Scotsman - and because I'm so disappointed with our own Hampden Park - I'll make a decision now that I have been to both.
Wembley is the biggest stadium in Britain and, at a cost of £798million, is the most expensive ever built. Is it worth it? Of course - it's the identity of England's national sport and it was important that it remained in the same area of London. At least for the history-lover.
The Twin Towers were wrenched down to howls of derision by those still clinging to their historical value, but we all must move on and the impressive arch that soars over the new stadium is another unique vision for England to be proud of. The 39 steps have also disappeared and the winners of the FA Cup now have to climb 107 - not such a great idea for those players who've just completed extra time, especially for the losers!
We all know about the delays and escalating cost so let's not dwell on that. As they say, good things come to those that wait. It is a fantastic stadium, inside and out. Music events such as Live Earth and a couple of Foo Fighers concerts have taken place already. They all ran smoothly and the atmosphere has been electric. NFL, rugby league and rugby union have also played their part in the opening year-and-a-half.
But it is football that is synonymous with Wembley and the first competitive senior international took place between Engalnd and Brazil on June 1, 2007. John Terry was the first England player to score on the not-so-hallowed turf in a 1-1 draw. I say this because there have been a number of complaints about the surface being rather poor, that it rips up too easily causing "football playing" teams a bit of hardship - most notably when Croatia knocked England out of Euro 2008 qualifying.
Could it have been way too many events in the first few months of opening? It was bound to happen due to the mammoth delays, but with so much money having been spent on it one would have thought that the pitch would have been perfect.
The Millennium Stadium holds 76,250 spectators and was, in comparison to Wembley, considerably cheaper to build. At a total cost of just £126million it is a an absolute bargain - and with a retractable roof to boot. Music concerts, monster truck racing and motorsport have been held there, yet it is the atmosphere that has captured many.
Now, we all know that the Welsh can sing - better than us Scots and the English put together! When the roof was closed and the singing started it created and incredible but perfectly audible echo that was quite unlike anything I had ever heard before. Just amazing.
I think that the Millennium, in terms of cost and atmosphere, is pretty incredible and its location allows spectators easy access to activities in and around the stadium. Wembley is an awesome sight but the atmosphere is lacking a little. Hollow even.
What both stadiums have got right is the proximity of the fans. The old Wembley used to have way too much space between fan and pitch, but now it is close enough to create not just a better view but a more intimidating stadium for visiting teams.
At this moment I'd have to say I prefer the Millennium Stadium simply because of that atmosphere I tasted when the roof was over. However, like anything new, it needs a few years to be broken into and used a bit before we'll see it at its very best.
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