England Rugby Stadia Menu
Ampthill
When it comes to clubs playing in the Championship (I refuse to use the stupid new name The Champ) the word stadium sometimes has to do some heavy lifting, then you come to Ampthill where the word stadium is absolutely redundant.
Dillingham Park is very much like a grass roots rugby ground and that is not a criticism.
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Bath
Bath is one of those places where rugby isn't just another sport – it is the sport. The city has a genuine rugby culture and on match day the centre of Bath fills with supporters making their way towards one of the most unusual settings for a professional rugby ground.
The Recreation Ground, or the Rec as everyone calls it, sits right in the middle of the city, alongside the River Avon and within sight of Bath Abbey. As settings for a rugby ground go, it's difficult to beat.
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Bedford Blues
If Ampthill is the Championship's great grass roots ground, Bedford Blues is very much the other end of the scale. Goldington Road is a proper rugby ground with a long history, a good atmosphere and, most importantly, a club I have a considerable soft spot for.
Bedford is a rugby town and the Blues have been playing at Goldington Road since 1919.
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Bristol Bears
Bristol is another city where rugby has a very strong following and the Bristol Bears play their home games at Ashton Gate, sharing the stadium with Bristol City Football Club.
This is very much a modern stadium rather than a traditional rugby ground, but it works extremely well for rugby.
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Chinnor
If Ampthill is a reminder that the word stadium can sometimes be doing rather too much work in the Championship, Chinnor is another good example. Kingsey Road is very much a rugby club rather than a purpose-built professional sports ground, and that is part of its appeal.
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Coventry
Coventry Rugby is one of those clubs with a history considerably bigger than its current surroundings might suggest.
The club's old home was Coundon Road, but since 2004 Coventry have played at what was traditionally known as Butts Park Arena, right in the heart of the city.
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Ealing Trailfinders
And now for the enigma that is Ealing Trailfinders.
If you judge a rugby club purely by the quality of the rugby being played, you could make a pretty good case for Ealing being a Premiership club already. They have consistently been one of the strongest sides in the Championship and, when given the opportunity to test themselves against Premiership opposition, they have shown that they can more than hold their own.
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Exeter Chiefs
Sandy Park is a good example of what can happen when a rugby club takes a gamble and gets it right.
When Exeter Chiefs left their traditional County Ground in the middle of Exeter in 2006, they moved to what was then basically a field next to the M5.
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Gloucester
If Bath is a city where rugby is important, Gloucester takes it another step further. Rugby is very much part of the identity of the city, and nowhere is that more obvious than at Kingsholm.
This isn't some modern stadium built on an industrial estate miles from anywhere. You are in the middle of Gloucester, surrounded by streets, pubs and houses, and it feels like a rugby ground should feel.
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Harlequins
If Twickenham is the cathedral of English rugby, then the Twickenham Stoop is its much smaller, considerably more mischievous little brother. Sitting almost literally across the road from the national stadium, the Stoop has been home to Harlequins since 1963 and holds around 14,800 spectators.
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Leicester Tigers
Welford Road is one of those rugby grounds where you know you're somewhere that takes rugby seriously. Home of Leicester Tigers since 1892, it is right in the middle of Leicester and has a history and atmosphere that many of the newer, purpose-built stadiums simply can't replicate.
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Newcastle Red Bull
Newcastle Red Bulls are an interesting club at the moment. For several years Newcastle Falcons seemed to be stuck in the doldrums, regularly propping up the Premiership and looking increasingly vulnerable. Then along came Red Bull, buying the club in 2025 and giving it a new name, new investment and, perhaps most importantly, a feeling that something might finally be happening in the North East.
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Northampton Saints
Franklin's Gardens is one of the proper old-school rugby grounds, although it has been progressively modernised over the years and now provides a very good home for one of the most successful clubs in English rugby, Northampton Saints.
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Richmond
Richmond is another of those clubs that reminds you just how much history there is below the top two levels of English rugby. Founded in 1861, Richmond is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world and has been playing at the Richmond Athletic Ground for many years.
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Rotherham Titans
Rotherham Titans’ Clifton Lane ground is another one where the first impression can be slightly confusing. The main stand is behind the posts rather than along the side of the pitch, which isn't some strange bit of rugby-ground planning but the result of the pitch having been rotated through 90 degrees to meet the requirements for Championship rugby.
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Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are another Premiership club with a ground that, for me, is much harder to get to than it really ought to be. The Salford Community Stadium is perfectly respectable once you're there, but getting there can feel like an unnecessary expedition.
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Saracens
Saracens are one of those clubs that seem to inspire unusually strong opinions. There is certainly no shortage of people who love to hate them, but putting all that to one side, they remain one of the most successful clubs in English rugby in recent years.
I'm rather more mixed about their home, StoneX Stadium.
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Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors are probably the most controversial addition to the Championship, and there are plenty of rugby supporters, myself included, who believe they should have had to work their way back up from the bottom of the pyramid following the club's spectacular financial collapse.
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