With another football season kicking off in August, fans from around the country will be getting themselves ready to support their team both at home and away. Whether you’re heading to one of the country’s biggest football cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London or Birmingham or to one of your local teams, the logistics of getting to the ground aren’t always easy.
Though public transport is great, depending on the location of the stadium in relation to the nearest railway station, and connections to your local lines, it can be easiest to drive to the match in lots of cases. However, as any football fan will know, parking on match days isn’t always the most straightforward, with fans often leaving their cars in any available car park or street necessary to get to the game on time.
Of course, security is always something to consider wherever you park – to avoid damage from other road users, as well as those who may break into your car, or steal it outright. Football adds another layer of complexity to this too, with team rivalries often spilling out of the stadium onto the roads, leading to vandalism of vehicles. This left us wondering – which stadiums have the safest nearby parking? We’ve analysed police records for the areas surrounding more than 40 UK football stadiums, to answer exactly that, and help you to keep your car safe next time you attend a game.
The Football Grounds With The Highest Number of Local Vehicle Crimes
Our research found that out of the 42 Premier League and Championship football stadiums analysed, it’s the surroundings of Middlesborough FC’s Riverside Stadium that saw the highest number of vehicle crimes during the last season. With 712 vehicle crimes recorded on the police database for the 2022/23 season running from August to May, those parking near the stadium should think twice before leaving their car for the afternoon or evening.
The Coventry Building Society Arena follows closely behind in second place, with 700 vehicle crimes reported in the same period, something that any Sky Blues supporter should take note of – perhaps using the Coventry Arena railway station could be an alternative transport option? The area surrounding Huddersfield Town’s ground, the Kirklees Stadium, follows in third with 598 reported vehicle crimes to complete the top three.
Only Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium ranks in the top ten from the Premier League, with the newly built stadium ranking in tenth position with 244 reported vehicle crimes last season, followed by Bournemouth‘s Vitality Stadium which saw 228 crimes in the local area.
| Rank | Club | Stadium | League | City (area) | No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season |
| 1 | Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | Championship | Middlesbrough | 712 |
| 2 | Coventry City | Coventry Building Society Arena | Championship | Coventry | 700 |
| 3 | Huddersfield Town | Kirklees Stadium | Championship | Huddersfield | 598 |
| 4 | Leeds United | Elland Road | Championship | Leeds | 410 |
| 5 | Southampton | St Mary’s Stadium | Championship | Southampton | 320 |
| 6 | Birmingham City | St Andrew’s | Championship | Birmingham | 317 |
| 7 | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | Championship | Sunderland | 287 |
| 8 | Watford | Vicarage Road | Championship | Watford | 271 |
| 9 | Cardiff City | Cardiff City Stadium | Championship | Cardiff | 249 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | Premier league | London (Tottenham) | 244 |
| 11 | Bournemouth | Vitality Stadium | Premier league | Bournemouth | 228 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | Portman Road | Championship | Ipswich | 206 |
| 13 | Newcastle United | St James’ Park | Premier League | Newcastle upon Tyne | 172 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | Villa Park | Premier League | Birmingham | 159 |
| 15 | West Ham United | London Stadium | Premier League | London (Stratford) | 152 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | Selhurst Park | Premier League | London (Selhurst) | 148 |
| 17 | Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | Premier League | Luton | 146 |
| 18 | Norwich City | Carrow Road | Championship | Norwich | 118 |
| 19 | Bristol City | Ashton Gate Stadium | Championship | Bristol | 113 |
| 20 | Fulham | Craven Cottage | Premier League | London (Fulham) | 112 |
The Worst (and Best) Premier League Stadiums for Vehicle Safety
With all but one of the top ten stadiums with the highest local vehicle crime being home to Championship teams, we wanted to take a closer look at which teams within the Premier League have the worst nearby parking options.
As mentioned, Tottenham Hotspur’s Stadium ranks as the only Premier League team in the overall top ten, with 244 crimes reported in the area local to their new stadium. Among the remaining Premier League teams, Bournemouth and Newcastle United complete the top three, with 228 and 172 reported vehicle crimes in the locality of the stadium respectively.
At the other end of the Premier League table is Brighton and Hove Albion, with the area around the American Express Community Stadium being the safest of all teams in the top flight. With just 24 vehicle crimes recorded in the area over the last season, any fans of the Seagulls can rest easy in the knowledge that the risk of their car being damaged during the game is minor. Nottingham Forest’s City Ground accompanies the Amex at the bottom of the table, with just three further incidents, totalling 27 vehicle crimes last season.
| Rank | Club | Stadium | City (area) | No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season |
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | London (Tottenham) | 244 |
| 2 | Bournemouth | Vitality Stadium | Bournemouth | 228 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | St James’ Park | Newcastle upon Tyne | 172 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | Villa Park | Birmingham | 159 |
| 5 | West Ham United | London Stadium | London (Stratford) | 152 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | Selhurst Park | London (Selhurst) | 148 |
| 7 | Luton Town | Kenilworth Road | Luton | 146 |
| 8 | Fulham | Craven Cottage | London (Fulham) | 112 |
| 9 | Liverpool | Anfield | Liverpool (Anfield) | 111 |
| 10 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | Sheffield | 102 |
| 11 | Arsenal | Emirates Stadium | London (Holloway) | 96 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Molineux Stadium | Wolverhampton | 82 |
| 13 | Everton | Goodison Park | Liverpool (Walton) | 77 |
| 14 | Burnley | Turf Moor | Burnley | 70 |
| 15 | Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | London (Fulham) | 67 |
| 16 | Brentford | Brentford Community Stadium | London (Brentford) | 59 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | City Ground | West Bridgford | 27 |
| 18 | Brighton & Hove Albion | American Express Community Stadium | Falmer (Brighton) | 24 |
The Safest UK Football Stadiums For Parking
Though the areas around some football stadiums may not be the best for parking, the surroundings of Home Park, the stadium of Plymouth Argyle is safe as can be. With just five vehicle crimes reported in the area during the 2022/23 season, it’s the safest of any major stadium in the country when it comes to parking.
Ewood Park ranks in second position, with 21 vehicle crimes reported last season, with Brighton and Hove Albion’s American Express Community Stadium ranking in third – cementing the safety of the ground’s position in the national table as well as just the Premier League.
| Rank | Club | Stadium | League | City (area) | No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season |
| 1 | Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | Championship | Plymouth | 5 |
| 2 | Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | Championship | Blackburn | 21 |
| 3 | Brighton & Hove Albion | American Express Community Stadium | Premier League | Falmer (Brighton) | 24 |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | City Ground | Premier League | West Bridgford | 27 |
| 5 | Swansea City | Swansea.com Stadium | Championship | Swansea | 32 |
| 6 | Preston North End | Deepdale | Championship | Preston | 45 |
| 7 | Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough Stadium | Championship | Sheffield | 49 |
| 8 | Rotherham United | New York Stadium | Championship | Rotherham | 51 |
| 9 | Leicester City | King Power Stadium | Championship | Leicester | 57 |
| 10 | Brentford | Brentford Community Stadium | Premier League | London (Brentford) | 59 |
| 11 | West Bromwich Albion | The Hawthorns | Championship | West Bromwich | 59 |
| 12 | Hull City | MKM Stadium | Championship | Kingston upon Hull | 65 |
| 13 | Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | Premier League | London (Fulham) | 67 |
| 14 | Burnley | Turf Moor | Premier League | Burnley | 70 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | Loftus Road | Championship | London (White City) | 70 |
| 16 | Everton | Goodison Park | Premier League | Liverpool (Walton) | 77 |
| 17 | Stoke City | bet365 Stadium | Championship | Stoke-on-Trent | 78 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Molineux Stadium | Premier League | Wolverhampton | 82 |
| 19 | Arsenal | Emirates Stadium | Premier League | London (Holloway) | 96 |
| 20 | Sheffield United | Bramall Lane | Premier League | Sheffield | 102 |
If our research has made you think twice about parking ahead of your next football day out, it may be worth familiarising yourself with how you can protect your vehicle against theft, to ensure you return to find everything as you left it.
Methodology
We analysed the areas surrounding 42 football teams in the Premier League and Championship using Police.UK crime maps and searching for each team’s stadium. The results were filtered to look at ‘vehicle crime’ only, with the total number of reported incidents recorded for each month during the 2022/23 football season (from August 2022 to May 2023, inclusive).
Data was recorded for the full area in which the stadium is based – however, if this area was significantly larger, then the analyst’s judgement was used to total the number of crimes over an area that was more representative of the average area displayed by other maps.
Data was not available for Manchester City and Manchester United stadiums, so these teams have been excluded from the research.
All data correct as of August 2023.
