Football League World
·4 November 2024
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Yahoo sportsFootball League World
·4 November 2024
FLW has taken a look at all of the clubs in the third tier and compared their atmospheres to one another.
League One is filled to the brim with historically big clubs that boast fantastic fanbases.
The third tier of English football has seen the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland all play in the division in recent years, bringing huge crowds and electric atmospheres.
While those three have gone back to the Championship now, League One still has numerous clubs of similar stature that pack their stadiums and create lots of noise every other weekend.
Football League World has taken a look at all 24 teams in the league, and compared them based off their home atmospheres from best to worst.
There is just something about Edgeley Park that makes it number one on our list, with its old-school feel, packed-out crowds and, at times, superb football, all culminating in the best atmosphere in League One.
Stockport County are a special club, and their supporters have stuck with them throughout the tough times to get them back to the third tier of English football.
It was a toss-up between the Hatters and Birmingham City for the top two positions, and it is Blues who just missed out.
St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park is an aging ground, but with the club's owners helping to restore it to its former glory, the atmosphere has started to build back up once again. 'Keep Right On' is one of the greatest songs in English football, and on its day, it can get the place rocking.
Once regarded as the best atmosphere in the Premier League, the last few years have been difficult for the Huddersfield Town faithful.
Nevertheless, the South Stand (known as The Magic Rock Brewing Stand for commercial reasons) can produce a great deal of noise, particularly when the Terriers are in form. However, the rest of the stadium often lacks the same amount of passion, and that's why it ranks below the top two.
The Valley is one of, if not the best, stadiums in League One currently, with it having a feeling of true grandeur thanks to its huge stands.
Alongside that comes a buzzing atmosphere, with the Charlton Athletic supporters making the place extremely tough to visit thanks to The Covered End's extreme passion.
It is a Premier League-level stadium, but their ambitions right now will be about getting back to the Championship, and with their fanbase, there is no reason why they cannot.
Perhaps a surprise addition in the top five for those who have not been to the LNER Stadium, but it certainly is not one for anybody who has made the trip to Lincoln City before.
The Imps fans are incredibly loud, and have made their home one of the most challenging places to visit in all the EFL. The GBM stand is always raucous, and makes coming to Lincoln an extremely tough challenge.
St. James Park has been the home of Exeter City ever since they started playing football, and it is that historical feeling that remains at the home of the Exiles.
The Devonshire side are yet another club who have managed to trap that noise in a relatively modest ground, and it can be an extremely intimidating place to visit for away fans, especially after a long journey south.
A club that is hard to rank, Wrexham have come on leaps and bounds in all departments in recent years, including the noise factor.
However, compared to some of the other sides in the division, there is something just lacking at Stōk Cae Ras. It is perhaps The Kop's temporary nature currently, but when the new stand is built, it may help build the atmosphere, and see them rise this particular table.
Although it does bring in thousands of passionate fans, at times the Toughsheet Community Stadium can suffer for its size, as when it is quiet, it feels very quiet.
However, when Bolton Wanderers supporters back their team, they can create a fantastic sound, and can help drag their team over the line. They can bounce off the travelling support as well, which helps bring to life the out-of-town ground.
Peterborough United's Weston Homes Stadium feels unique, and the terracing behind the goal allows for a group of exceptionally passionate fans that can help drag their team to victory.
Nevertheless, other parts of the ground do struggle to bring the same racket that can be achieved, and the atmosphere can suffer.
Blackpool's Bloomfield Road is often held in high regard by away fans due to the nature of the surrounding area itself, and those travelling to the seaside town do tend to bring a vast number of supporters.
When given the chance, it can be the loudest stadium in League One, but it is often reliant on the away support, and it can get very silent at times.
Barnsley's Oakwell is feeling its age, and the atmosphere suffers for that, with just three modern stands in the ground.
The away fans are on the opposite side to the Tykes' noisy end, and it does have a knock-on effect, but when a large away contingent are in, it can be a hive of noise. But too often, it lacks that intimidation factor.
The Memorial Stadium is different, to say the very least, but its quirks do make it one that Bristol Rovers are very proud of.
Nonetheless, its lack of consistent structure, and the distance between parts of the ground really does make it difficult to create an atmosphere at times. But, Gas fans are passionate, and they can make up for their home's awkwardness.
The AESSEAL New York Stadium is a typical modern bowl-stadium, but it is a great place for Rotherham United fans to watch football.
It lacks the character that Millmoor used to bring, and can be quiet at times. However, the structure of the ground does allow it to keep in the noise that is produced.
Reading's Select Car Leasing Stadium is slated at times for the lack of fans filling it, and this does mean it suffers in terms of how loud it is.
Club 1871 have helped improve the matchday experience, and their placement next to the away end does help, but consistently there is not enough to push it higher up this list.
The good times are rolling at Field Mill right now and that is having a positive impact on the atmosphere that is being created by Mansfield Town fans.
Yet, when times are tough, it can struggle to create the same sound levels that have been seen throughout the start of the season. By the end of the campaign, the Stags could be further up this table.
Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park is a difficult place to win at, and while their supporters are perhaps not quite renowned for constant singing, they do create a decent amount of noise.
There are definitely improvements that can be made by fans, but they are slowly starting to be made and the Chairboys are getting louder with each passing season.
This part of the list gets very difficult to rank, as while these atmospheres are not terrible, they are all very similar and it varies game-to-game. However, Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road (Gaughan Group Stadium) can bring the noise on occasion.
But, with fans not always packing out the stands, it does struggle to maintain its sound, and it can be relatively quiet.
There is a growing young contingent of Cambridge United supporters that are helping to improve the atmosphere at The Abbey Stadium, but it is perhaps still too early to push it further up this particular table.
The start to the season has been tough, but fans are getting behind their team, and it has had an impact on the pitch.
Northampton Town's Sixfields is a nice ground, and does offer away fans the chance to watch the game from outside the stadium on a hill, but it does have its drawbacks.
The atmosphere escapes quite easily due to how spaced out the stands are, and it is the fourth-smallest stadium in the league, which does not help it create the noise that others can.
The Croud Meadow is currently the host of European football, with Welsh side TNS temporarily playing there in the UEFA Conference League, but those European nights do not transfer to Shrewsbury Town's atmosphere.
One of the nicest towns in the country, it is a great day out for away fans, but they do struggle to bounce off the home support with a lack of noise often the case.