Groundhopping : Looking back on our tour of 7 stadiums across the UK!

Newcastle, QPR, Sunderland, Everton, Wrexham, Altrincham, Manchester United: from 2 to 9 November 2026, we spent a week groundhopping in the UK, attending 7 matches at 7 different stadiums: iconic grounds, traditional stadiums and one ultra-modern venue.

This experience, taking us to such a wide variety of stadiums, gave us a real insight into the culture of watching football at the stadium in the UK.

Here is the schedule of the 7 matches we attended:

• Monday 2 October: Newcastle - Everton at St. James' Park
• Tuesday 3 October: QPR - Burnley at Loftus Road
• Thursday 5 October: Sunderland - Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadium of Light
• Friday 6 October: Everton - Coventry at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
• Saturday 7 November: Wrexham - Wolverhampton at the Racecourse Ground
• Saturday 7 November: Altrincham - Notts County at the J Davidson Stadium
• Sunday 8 November: Manchester United - Aston Villa at Old Trafford

You can read our reviews of each stadium in dedicated articles on stadiumtraveller.com, and find all the practical information on each stadium's page.

Here is our overall review following these 7 matches.

Planning ahead when it comes to tickets.

We purchased tickets for all these matches through the clubs' official online ticket offices, using three different systems:

• General sale open to everyone: Altrincham, QPR and Sunderland.
• Purchasing a membership to gain access to ticket sales and resale: Manchester United, Everton and Newcastle.
• A ballot among members: Wrexham.

Food and drink at the stadium.

Alcohol is not allowed in the stands in the UK. As a result, supporters are used to drinking outside the stadium in pubs or in the concourses until kick-off.

When it comes to food, stadiums generally offer much the same meals and snacks: pies (a British speciality), fried chicken and chips, hot dogs, sausage rolls...

Prices are fairly similar across all stadiums. Expect to pay between £5 and £7 for pies and hot dogs, between £6 and £8 for beers and ciders, and between £2 and £3.50 for soft drinks.

All payments at refreshment stands are cashless, with card payments only.

Pub culture and stadium food and drink offers.

This is one of the main traditions of football culture in the UK: going to the pub before and after the match! There are pubs everywhere around stadiums and throughout the cities.

During this stadium tour, we discovered St. James' Park, considered the stadium with the most pubs nearby thanks to its central location, as well as The Turf in Wrexham, the oldest stadium pub.

To encourage supporters to arrive earlier and spend money inside the stadium, clubs run various initiatives and offers:

• Fan zones and food courts with a wide selection of outlets, for example at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and St. James' Park.
• A 25% discount at refreshment stands during the first 30 minutes after the stadium opens at Newcastle, and throughout the first hour at Manchester United.

Read our dedicated reviews of each match in the news section on stadiumtraveller.com.

Find practical information and our recommendations on each stadium's page on stadiumtraveller.com.