Old Wembley Stadium

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Lore & Background

The stadium's first turf was cut by King George V and it was first opened to the public on 28 April 1923. Much of Humphry Repton's original Wembley Park landscape was transformed in 1922–23 during preparations for the British Empire Exhibition of 1924–25. First known as the 'British Empire Exhibition Stadium' or simply the 'Empire Stadium', the construction was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine. The stadium cost £750,000 (equivalent to approximately £49.81 million in 2023) and was constructed on the site of a folly called Watkin's Tower. The architects were Sir John Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton and the head engineer Sir Owen Williams. The original intention was to demolish the stadium at the end of the Exhibition, but it was saved at the suggestion of Sir James Stevenson. The ground had been used for football as early as the 1880s. At the end of the exhibition, the site was considered a 'white elephant'. It was bought by James White, who employed Arthur Elvin to oversee the sale of buildings. After White's suicide in 1927, Elvin bought the stadium for £127,000 and formed the 'Wembley Stadium and Greyhound Racecourse Company', saving it from demolition. The electric scoreboard and the all-encircling roof, made from aluminium and translucent glass, were added in 1963. In 1977 fences were erected around the pitch following the England vs Scotland match when Scotland fans invaded the pitch; these fences were taken down after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. The stadium's distinctive Twin Towers became its trademark and nickname. The stadium closed in October 2000 and demolition commenced in December 2002, completing in 2003.

In Their Own Story

The morning mist clung to the grass as supporters filed through the turnstiles, their breath visible in the cold air. Above the stands, the Twin Towers stood silent sentinels over the pitch where history waited to be written. A young fan clutched a programme tightly, eyes fixed on the centre circle, knowing that somewhere within those walls, a moment of glory was waiting to happen for the team in white shirts and black shorts.

Reader's Guide

Wembley hosted the FA Cup final annually, the first in 1923, which was the stadium's inaugural event, the League Cup final annually, five European Cup finals, the 1966 World Cup final, and the Euro 1996 final. The first event held at the stadium was the 1923 FA Cup final on 28 April between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United, known as the White Horse Final. The 1953 FA Cup final between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers was dubbed the 'Matthews final'. The stadium also hosted many other sports events, including the 1948 Summer Olympics, rugby league's Challenge Cup final, and the 1992 and 1995 Rugby League World Cup finals. It was also the venue for numerous music events, including the 1985 Live Aid charity concert, as well as SummerSlam 1992, the first major professional wrestling pay-per-view to take place outside of North America.

Did You Know?

• The stadium was built in exactly 300 days at the cost of £750,000.
• The first goal at Wembley was scored by David Jack in the 1923 FA Cup final.
• The top of one of the twin towers was erected as a memorial in the park on the north side of Overton Close in the nearby Saint Raphael's Estate.
• Brazilian footballer Pelé once said of the stadium: 'Wembley is the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football'.

Architectural Marvel and Engineering Feat

A collaboration between Foster + Partners and Populous, the current Wembley features a 134-metre high arch that acts as the venue's main structural spine. This circular lattice supports over 75% of the entire roof load—holding up the entire north side and 60% of the weight of the retractable roof on the southern side—which creates the world's longest unsupported roof structure. The design covers 90,000 seats in a bowl shape that shields fans from the weather while letting sun hit the pitch through partially opening eastern and western ends. Multiplex managed the build for £798 million, coordinating firms like Mott MacDonald, Sinclair Knight Merz and Aurecon. While an athletics platform was originally designed, high conversion costs led to its cancellation after the London Olympic Stadium won the 2012 track events bid.

Turbulent Construction History

The journey from the demolition of the original Twin Towers to the opening of the new stadium was fraught with significant delays and challenges. While initial plans targeted a completion date around 2003, financial hurdles and legal disputes pushed the timeline back considerably. Demolition officially commenced on 30 September 2002, yet construction faced critical setbacks starting in 2003 when rising costs led to the withdrawal of the original arch builders, Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company. They were replaced by a Dutch firm, Hollandia, necessitating a restart that complicated the schedule further. The project also suffered from tragic safety failures, including a fatal accident in 2004 involving carpenter Patrick O'Sullivan, which resulted in a £150,000 fine for PC Harrington Contractors regarding health and safety breaches. Despite these adversities, Sports Minister Richard Caborn expressed confidence by late 2005 that the venue would be ready for the FA Cup Final, barring six feet of snow or something like that, eventually leading to its grand opening in 2007.

Premier Hub of English Football

As England's national stadium and a UEFA Category Four venue, Wembley serves as the spiritual home of the country's football culture. Owned by the Football Association through its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd, it hosts the majority of England's international matches and the prestigious FA Cup Final. Its calendar is packed with major domestic events, including the season-opening FA Community Shield, semi-finals of the FA Cup, and finals for various lower-tier cup competitions like the FA Trophy, FA Vase, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy. The stadium also plays a pivotal role in the promotion play-off finals across tiers two, three, four, and five of the English league system. Beyond men's football, it has increasingly become a central stage for women's football, hosting the Women's FA Cup finals and an increasing number of home games of the England women's national football team. Its status as the largest stadium in the UK ensures it remains the definitive venue for the nation's most critical sporting moments.

Global Stage and Versatile Usage

Wembley's reputation extends far beyond domestic English football, establishing itself as a premier global arena for international tournaments and diverse entertainment. It has hosted high-profile European finals, including three UEFA Champions League deciders in 2011, 2013, and 2024, as well as the final and both semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2020 and the final of the UEFA Women's Euro 2022. The venue was integral to the 2012 London Olympics, staging the gold-medal matches of the football tournament. Its versatility is further demonstrated by hosting Rugby League Challenge Cup, Women's Challenge Cup, and 1895 Cup finals, as well as NFL London Games and major music concerts. In a unique chapter of its history, it served as the temporary home for Tottenham Hotspur between August 2017 and March 2019 while their own stadium was rebuilt. Commercially, the venue operates under a long-term sponsorship with EE, officially branded as 'Wembley Stadium connected by EE,' reflecting its continued evolution into a modern, multi-purpose entertainment complex.