Match Day Parking: The UK Football Grounds With The Safest Parking

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.

MK Dons stadium & car park
Credit: iStock/Rob Atherton

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.

RankClubStadiumLeagueCity (area)No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season
1MiddlesbroughRiverside StadiumChampionshipMiddlesbrough712
2Coventry CityCoventry Building Society ArenaChampionshipCoventry700
3Huddersfield TownKirklees StadiumChampionshipHuddersfield598
4Leeds UnitedElland RoadChampionshipLeeds410
5SouthamptonSt Mary’s StadiumChampionshipSouthampton320
6Birmingham CitySt Andrew’sChampionshipBirmingham317
7SunderlandStadium of LightChampionshipSunderland287
8WatfordVicarage RoadChampionshipWatford271
9Cardiff CityCardiff City StadiumChampionshipCardiff249
10Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur StadiumPremier leagueLondon (Tottenham)244
11BournemouthVitality StadiumPremier leagueBournemouth228
12Ipswich TownPortman RoadChampionshipIpswich206
13Newcastle UnitedSt James’ ParkPremier LeagueNewcastle upon Tyne172
14Aston VillaVilla ParkPremier LeagueBirmingham159
15West Ham UnitedLondon StadiumPremier LeagueLondon (Stratford)152
16Crystal PalaceSelhurst ParkPremier LeagueLondon (Selhurst)148
17Luton TownKenilworth RoadPremier LeagueLuton146
18Norwich CityCarrow RoadChampionshipNorwich118
19Bristol CityAshton Gate StadiumChampionshipBristol113
20FulhamCraven CottagePremier LeagueLondon (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.

RankClubStadiumCity (area)No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season
1Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur StadiumLondon (Tottenham)244
2BournemouthVitality StadiumBournemouth228
3Newcastle UnitedSt James’ ParkNewcastle upon Tyne172
4Aston VillaVilla ParkBirmingham159
5West Ham UnitedLondon StadiumLondon (Stratford)152
6Crystal PalaceSelhurst ParkLondon (Selhurst)148
7Luton TownKenilworth RoadLuton146
8FulhamCraven CottageLondon (Fulham)112
9LiverpoolAnfieldLiverpool (Anfield)111
10Sheffield UnitedBramall LaneSheffield102
11ArsenalEmirates StadiumLondon (Holloway)96
12Wolverhampton WanderersMolineux StadiumWolverhampton82
13EvertonGoodison ParkLiverpool (Walton)77
14BurnleyTurf MoorBurnley70
15ChelseaStamford BridgeLondon (Fulham)67
16BrentfordBrentford Community StadiumLondon (Brentford)59
17Nottingham ForestCity GroundWest Bridgford27
18Brighton & Hove AlbionAmerican Express Community StadiumFalmer (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.

RankClubStadiumLeagueCity (area)No. of vehicle crimes reported in 2022/23 season
1Plymouth ArgyleHome ParkChampionshipPlymouth5
2Blackburn RoversEwood ParkChampionshipBlackburn21
3Brighton & Hove AlbionAmerican Express Community StadiumPremier LeagueFalmer (Brighton)24
4Nottingham ForestCity GroundPremier LeagueWest Bridgford27
5Swansea CitySwansea.com StadiumChampionshipSwansea32
6Preston North EndDeepdaleChampionshipPreston45
7Sheffield WednesdayHillsborough StadiumChampionshipSheffield49
8Rotherham UnitedNew York StadiumChampionshipRotherham51
9Leicester CityKing Power StadiumChampionshipLeicester57
10BrentfordBrentford Community StadiumPremier LeagueLondon (Brentford)59
11West Bromwich AlbionThe HawthornsChampionshipWest Bromwich59
12Hull CityMKM StadiumChampionshipKingston upon Hull65
13ChelseaStamford BridgePremier LeagueLondon (Fulham)67
14BurnleyTurf MoorPremier LeagueBurnley70
15Queens Park RangersLoftus RoadChampionshipLondon (White City)70
16EvertonGoodison ParkPremier LeagueLiverpool (Walton)77
17Stoke Citybet365 StadiumChampionshipStoke-on-Trent78
18Wolverhampton WanderersMolineux StadiumPremier LeagueWolverhampton82
19ArsenalEmirates StadiumPremier LeagueLondon (Holloway)96
20Sheffield UnitedBramall LanePremier LeagueSheffield102

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.

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