- Address: Britannia Road, Southampton
- Country: United Kingdom
- Capacity: 32,000
- Opened: 1 August 2001
- Main use: Football
- Tenants: Southampton FC (football)
Extra stadium info – St. Mary’s Stadium
The construction of the St. Mary’s Stadium started in 2000 and its construction costs were £32 million. The venue opened with a football match between Southampton Football Club, nicknamed The Saints, and the Spanish side RCD Espanyol. The Spanish visitors won the game. In 2022, the St. Mary’s Stadium hosted its first-ever continental championship match. It was a 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship game. The women’s national football team of Norway won the match against Northern Ireland 4-1. Austria and England also won a 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship game at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
The national football team of England
On 16 October 2002, the St. Mary’s Stadium hosted its first-ever match for the national football team of England. 32,000 people attended the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw. It was a qualifier for the European championship for national football teams. The English football legends David Robert Joseph Beckham and Steven George Gerrard both scored for England in the match.
The Saints
Southampton FC, one of the first English sports clubs with 1 million followers on its main social media page, use the St. Mary’s Stadium for home games. The football club was founded in 1885 under a different name. The club was founded by members of the St. Mary’s Church. In 1976, they won the FA Cup for the first time in their history. Southampton Football Club won the tournament after beating Manchester United Football Club in London in front of 99,000 spectators. Southampton FC drew an average attendance of 30,000 in their 19 home matches in their first-ever Premier League season at the St. Mary’s Stadium. The Saints have a long-standing rivalry with Portsmouth FC. The matches between both clubs are known as South Coast derbies.