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.
The Saints have been around since 1880 and Franklin's Gardens has been their home for well over a century. It is a compact ground with a capacity of around 15,000, which is just about right for a club of Northampton's size. There is none of the slightly soulless feeling you can get at some of the huge modern stadiums; here the stands are close to the pitch and you know you're at a rugby ground.And these days you need to get your ticket early. Success on the pitch has brought the supporters out in force, with the club selling out nine Premiership matches during the 2024/25 season and 11 matches in 2025/26. Season tickets have also sold out, so Franklin's Gardens can be a very difficult place to get into for the bigger games.
The atmosphere when it is full is excellent. Saints supporters are an enthusiastic bunch and the combination of a relatively intimate ground and a successful team makes for a pretty lively afternoon. Northampton's style of rugby has also helped, with the Saints generally associated with an entertaining, attacking approach rather than simply grinding out results.
One of the more unusual sights is just outside the ground — the Northampton Lighthouse. This rather strange-looking structure has become something of a local landmark and stands alongside the stadium. It isn't actually a lighthouse, of course, but the tall illuminated structure is sufficiently conspicuous to act as a useful navigational aid when you're trying to find Franklin's Gardens. Every rugby ground should have one! To be boring "Northampton Lighthouse" is the local nickname for the National Lift Tower (formerly the Express Lift Tower), a 127-metre (418-foot) which used to be used to testing lifts.There is another thing worth mentioning about the Saints, and that is their approach off the pitch. The club has historically been careful about its finances, rather more so than some of the clubs that have got themselves into serious trouble by spending money they didn't really have. Saints reported that they had been profitable for 16 consecutive years and described responsible financial management as a cornerstone of the club's approach.
That doesn't mean Northampton haven't invested. Far from it. The club has continued to improve Franklin's Gardens and opened a High Performance Centre in 2023, while further redevelopment of the supporters' area is now under way.The result is a club that feels rather well balanced. There is ambition, there is investment and there is clearly a desire to compete at the highest level, but there also seems to be an understanding that you can't simply throw money at the problem.
Franklin's Gardens therefore feels like a very good reflection of Northampton Saints themselves. It has history without being stuck in the past, modern facilities without becoming soulless and, increasingly, a team capable of filling the place.
Add in the slightly surreal sight of the Northampton Lighthouse next door and you've got one of the more distinctive grounds in the Premiership.
And when the Saints are playing well and the Gardens is full, it is a very impressive place to watch rugby.
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