19 February 1910 - Back When It Was Just "Trafford"

On 19 February 1910, Liverpool spoiled the debut of Manchester United's new stadium, winning there 3-4.

Originally named United Football Ground, the stadium was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and cost approximately £60,000 to complete. It opened with a capacity of 80,000--substantially higher than the 50,000 of their previous Bank Street ground--but only 45,000 people turned out for that opening match.

United's opponents were Liverpool, who had already beaten them at Anfield earlier in the season. They completed their sweep of the Red Devils with a 3-4 win thanks to a brace each from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart (United's scorers were Tom Homer, Sandy Turnbull, and George Wall).

Renamed Old Trafford in 1936, it has remained United's home ever since, except for a brief spell after World War II when bombing damage rendered it temporarily unusable. Its highest attendance, however, did not involve United; that was set at 76,962 for a 1939 FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town when Old Trafford was still a terraced stadium. The record after conversion to an all-seater is 76,098, set during a league game between United and Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

6 September 1913 - Say "Hi" To Highbury

On 6 September 1913, Arsenal defeated Leicester Fosse 2-1 on the first day of the 1913-14 Second Division season. It was the first match played at the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury.

In that match, Leicester's Tommy Benfield scored the first Highbury goal, while George Jobey was the first Arsenal player to score there.

Highbury was designed by renowned architect Archibald Leitch and was built at a cost of £125,000. Leitch's original design included only one stand on the east side, with banked terraces on the other three sides. The stadium was redesigned twice--once in the 1930s and again in 1992. The earlier renovations added the West Stand and roofing over the North Terrace, while the later renovations converted the stadium into an all-seater in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.

The last match at Highbury was played on 7 May 2006, a 4-2 Arsenal Premier League victory over Wigan, as the Gunners moved to a new stadium for the 2006-07 season. Over the course of its service, Highbury hosted 2,101 competitive Arsenal matches and 12 England matches.

It also featured prominently in two films--The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939) and Fever Pitch (1997).

10 April 1886 - Home Is Where The Hearts Are

On 10 April 1886, Heart of Midlothian F.C. opened its current ground, Tynecastle Stadium, with a 4-1 win in a friendly against English side Bolton Wanderers. Located on Edinburgh's Gorgie Road, the stadium has hosted a number of historic matches and undergone several renovations since that first match, including the construction of the old Main Stand by famous stadium architect Archibald Leitch.

Tynecastle hosted its first international match on 26 March 1892, a British Home Championship contest between Scotland and Wales. The Scots won by the score of 6-1.

Tynecastle's record attendance is 53,396, acheived for Hearts' 3rd-round Scottish Cup match against Rangers on 13 February 1932, which Hearts lost 0-1. Due to its conversion to an all-seater, however, and other renovations, Tynecastle's current capacity is 17,529.

In 2004, in an effort to curb the club's rising debt, Hearts chief executive Chris Robinson announced plans to sell the stadium, claiming that it was no longer suitable. Hearts supporters strongly opposed the plan, however, and responded with the "Save Our Hearts" campaign to block the sale. The sale was canceled upon Vladimir Romanov's purchase of the club in January 2005. 

19 February 1910 - Back When It Was Just "Trafford"

On 19 February 1910, Liverpool spoiled the debut of Manchester United's new stadium, winning there 3-4.

Originally named United Football Ground, the stadium was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and cost approximately £60,000 to complete. It opened with a capacity of 80,000--substantially higher than the 50,000 of their previous Bank Street ground--but only 45,000 people turned out for that opening match.

United's opponents were Liverpool, who had already beaten them at Anfield earlier in the season. They completed their sweep of the Red Devils with a 3-4 win thanks to a brace each from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart (United's scorers were Tom Homer, Sandy Turnbull, and George Wall).

Renamed Old Trafford in 1936, it has remained United's home ever since, except for a brief spell after World War II when bombing damage rendered it temporarily unusable. Its highest attendance, however, did not involve United; that was set at 76,962 for a 1939 FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town when Old Trafford was still a terraced stadium. The record after conversion to an all-seater is 76,098, set during a league game between United and Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

25 March 1939 - Not The Teams You'd Expect For The Record, Are They?

On 25 March 1939, Manchester United's Old Trafford ground held its largest-ever crowd. And Manchester United weren't playing.

Designed by famed architect Archibald Leitch and completed in 1909, the stadium was originally named United Football Ground, but was renamed to Old Trafford in 1936. With an original terraced capacity of just under 80,000, it was one of England's largest grounds and hosted some prominent matches, including English internationals and FA Cup Finals.

In 1939, it served as the venue for one of the FA Cup semi-finals. A stadium-record crowd of 76,962 people turned out to watch Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Grimsby Town 5-0. The victory sent Wanderers to the Final at Wembley, where they lost to Portsmouth.

In the early 1990s, the club converted the stadium to an all-seater, following the recommendation of the Taylor Report following the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster. The capacity dropped at that point to around 44,000. Subsequent additions, however, have increased the stadium close to its pre-Taylor Report levels and it currently boasts a capacity of 75,957.

6 September 1913 - Say "Hi" To Highbury

On 6 September 1913, Arsenal defeated Leicester Fosse 2-1 on the first day of the 1913-14 Second Division season. It was the first match played at the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury.

In that match, Leicester's Tommy Benfield scored the first Highbury goal, while George Jobey was the first Arsenal player to score there.

Highbury was designed by renowned architect Archibald Leitch and was built at a cost of £125,000. Leitch's original design included only one stand on the east side, with banked terraces on the other three sides. The stadium was redesigned twice--once in the 1930s and again in 1992. The earlier renovations added the West Stand and roofing over the North Terrace, while the later renovations converted the stadium into an all-seater in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster.

The last match at Highbury was played on 7 May 2006, a 4-2 Arsenal Premier League victory over Wigan, as the Gunners moved to a new stadium for the 2006-07 season. Over the course of its service, Highbury hosted 2,101 competitive Arsenal matches and 12 England matches.

It also featured prominently in two films--The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939) and Fever Pitch (1997).

10 April 1886 - Home Is Where Hearts Are

On 10 April 1886, Heart of Midlothian F.C. opened its current ground, Tynecastle Stadium, with a 4-1 win in a friendly against English side Bolton Wanderers. Located on Edinburgh's Gorgie Road, the stadium has hosted a number of historic matches and undergone several renovations since that first match, including the construction of the old Main Stand by famous stadium architect Archibald Leitch.

Tynecastle hosted its first international match on 26 March 1892, a British Home Championship contest between Scotland and Wales. The Scots won by the score of 6-1.

Tynecastle's record attendance is 53,396, acheived for Hearts' 3rd-round Scottish Cup match against Rangers on 13 February 1932, which Hearts lost 0-1. Due to its conversion to an all-seater, however, and other renovations, Tynecastle's current capacity is a meager 17,420.

In 2004, in an effort to curb the club's rising debt, Hearts chief executive Chris Robinson announced plans to sell the stadium, claiming that it was no longer suitable. Hearts supporters strongly opposed the plan, however, and responded with the "Save Our Hearts" campaign to block the sale. The sale was canceled upon Vladimir Romanov's purchase of the club in January 2005. Romanov has since applied for permits to increase capacity to 23,000 for the 2010-11 season.