Everyone has the dream of playing in the grounds their favourite team does week in and week out. A Manchester United fan will dream of a chance of playing at Old Trafford, an Arsenal fan would relish an opportunity to play at the Emirates and likewise.
While all these stadiums are often destination for match days and casual tours, if you gather enough people and the right amount of money, most clubs in England will let you use their stadium. You can play on your dream pitch with a bunch of friends, have some food before and after and enjoy using the stadium's facilities with a one-time fee.
Here are the clubs that let you use their stadium for a particular fee:
#5 Below £2,000
There are a bunch of football clubs in England that let you use their stadium for less than £2000 including well-established Premier League sides. Most of these clubs are in the North East of England and let you do it for a nominal fee – when compared to the others – given their lesser influence on the League and the league title. (except one!)
Norwich City: You can rent Norwich City's Carrow Road stadium for £1500 + VAT. This buys you two hours at the stadium for you to play, warm up, do some drills, etc. Norwich also offer the chance to play for a further hour if you're willing to spend £1800 + VAT.
Sunderland: The Stadium of Light is available for you for £1500 + VAT but while Norwich give you two hours, Sunderland give you three hours, plus a meal after the game, a man of the match presentation and some mementoes for the best and worst (yes, really) players of the game.
Newcastle: England's third biggest stadium also charges you £1500 + VAT but give you only one hour of playing time. The Magpies provide you with a ball, a referee and a post-match buffet for everyone. If you want to play in the evenings, it'll cost you more to cover the expenditure of the flood lights. Newcastle also offer you option of forming a team and letting the club choose an opposition.
Stoke City: Stoke City are willing to offer you the chance to play on the Britannia's pitch for slightly more than the above three but offer different plans for different days. They charge you £1,750 + VAT for a midweek midday game; £2,000 + VAT for an evening game and £2,500 + VAT for a weekend game. They also offer you the chance to pay a little extra to get customised jerseys. However, with the stadium under renovation during the 2016 off-season, you'll be able to avail their pitch only next summer.
Watford: Watford's Vicarage Road is available to you for £1,800 + VAT. They offer you one hour of game time, the home and away dressing rooms, the showers, a ball signed by all the first-team players, a referee, bottled water, free car parking and official Premier League footballs. Just like the Britannia, Vicarage Road is also undergoing pitch work this summer and will available to hire only next summer.
Leicester City: Probably the last time it'll be worth less than £2,000. The Premier League leaders offer you the pitch of the King Power Stadium for £1,950 + VAT. You get to use the home and away dressing rooms, the dugouts and the showers. With the stadium hosting UEFA Champions League football next season, expect it to get a lot more expensive come the end of this summer.
#4 Below £5,000
There are four clubs in England that let you use their pitch for under £5,000. While these teams might seem a little more expensive that the others, they're priced in such a way for a reason. They're much more established Premier League sides who have a history in the League and are willing to use that legacy to charge you that much more.
Crystal Palace: For £2,500 + VAT, Palace let you use the pitch of Selhurst Park. Often voted as one of the better atmospheres in London / England, the club let you use the dressing room, the showers, provide you with a referee and give you a match ball to play with.
Everton: Goodison Park is one of the oldest and most precious football stadiums in the country. It's a surprise that they're willing to lend you the pitch for around £4,000 + VAT. Details are unclear as to whether they let you use the changing rooms, the showers and the like but for the price and the chance to play at the stadium, the extras shouldn't really matter.
West Bromwich Albion: West Brom are the only club on this list that let you rent our their stadium for quite a while and when we say quite a while, we mean it. The Baggies offer you the chance to play on their pitch for half a day for just £4,500 + VAT with the option of renting it out the whole day for £8,000 + VAT. The use of dressing rooms, showers and dugouts are included in the package. A lot of football time, though!
Southampton: The Saints let you use St Mary's for around £4,000 + VAT to £5,000 + VAT depending on the time of the day you want to play at. Another classic English stadium, the use of showers, dressing rooms and more are unclear.
#3 Below £15,000
While £15,00 might seem a lot to play for a single day, it's completely normal when you look at the kind of the teams that offer you the pitch. They're royal English Premier League who have won the title multiple times and will continue to win it in years to come. One of them are even two-time UEFA Champions League winners. Imagine that while playing on the pitch.
Aston Villa: The Birmingham side are all but relegated this season. They've had a terrible run of form over the past few seasons but are still willing to rent out their pitch for £7,500 + VAT for 'multiple' hours. They also have multiple packages that can go all the way up to £10,000 + VAT although it is unclear as to what extra they're willing to offer you. Dressing room, dugout and shower usages are not mentioned. With relegation on the horizon, expect the price go down a bit.
Tottenham Hotspur: The North London club are willing to offer you the chance to use the Lane's pitch for £14,950 + VAT. With this price, they offer you the grounds for a while, full printed customised kits for every player, the use of dressing rooms, showers, snacks and a meal after the game. Considering they might playing in the UEFA Champions League again next season, the prices might go up a bit.
#2 Above £15,000
If you thought £15,000 was a lot to rent a football pitch for a few hours, these two clubs on this level will shock you for how much they charge you. The usual promises of stadium facilities and the chance to drown in a rich history is why these clubs charge such exorbitant fees.
Chelsea: The defending Champions offer one of the best packages in whole of England. They let you use the pitch for three hours if you shell out £18,000 + VAT and that's just the standard package. For £22,000 + VAT, you get the 'premium' package that includes the same playing time, referees, seats for 100 spectators, the use of the advertising boards, safety stewards, the use of the club's public announcement system and a lavish barbeque session at the end of the game.
That is one fancy package by the Blues. Given they're recent UEFA Champions League and Premier League winners, it's no surprise they charge you this much.
Arsenal: The most expensive ground you can hire is Arsenal's who offer you the Emirates which is one of Europe's top stadiums comparable to those of Real Madrid's and Barcelona's. The Gunners charge you a minimum of £30,000 + VAT but include everything the first team are used to enjoying. Pre and post match food, the changing rooms, the use of the dugouts, the showers, customised jerseys for every player and the chance to play on the award-winning and pristine Emirates pitch – meticulously monitored and checked by legendary football manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal also offer you match referees, ball boys around the pitch and the just about everything else the Emirates has to offer first team stars.
#1 Priceless
There are a bunch of Premier League clubs who don't rent out their pitches for you to use. This is a common affair especially with clubs outside of England. Most of the clubs on this list have signed the extra time off to sponsors who use the time to play corporate matches.
Some of England's – and the world's – biggest clubs are on this list and they just make you want to join the sponsors, beg them to let you play football on these pitches. That's the only way you're getting playing time here.
Manchester United: The dream of playing at Old Trafford lives within millions of minds across the world. However, with United the global superpower it is, there are 54 sponsors who all share the use of the ground during off-season. Sorry, United fans.
Liverpool: Another English and global superpower, Liverpool will not let commoners use the pitch – only for a while though. You can rent the pitch of Anfield eventually but you're going to have to wait for years to come given they're constantly working on the pitch when not in season. This summer, the next summer are confirmed by the club as development time on the pitch. If you've dreamed of playing at Anfield, you're going to wait for 2018 minimum.
Manchester City: Much like their neighbours, City have signed away their extra off-season days to sponsors but will let you use the training pitches that are right next to the Etihad. The next best is better than nothing, right?
Swansea: The Swans don't let you use their pitch unless you're a part of the West Welsh League or the Welsh Senior League.
West Ham United: West Ham won't let you use their stadium because it isn't going to exist soon. The Boleyn Ground is a legendary one but with the club set to move to the Olympic Stadium come the end of the season, tough luck. Details about using the Olympic Stadium still aren't out yet.
Bournemouth: Bournemouth sadly don't let you use their stadium but allow you to use their 3G training pitches for a 'nominal' fee that hasn't been mentioned by the club.
