Friday 26 December 2025 8:00 am  |  Updated:  Wednesday 24 December 2025 8:54 am

Which Gallagher Prem Rugby stadium is the best?

By: Ollie Phillips

There are 10 Gallagher Prem Rugby teams fighting to thrive, survive and just coast along this year – and their stadiums are key to achieving momentum.

But which stadium is the best to watch England’s top flight competition in? In last year’s inaugural edition I had Newcastle Falcons’ (now Newcastle Red Bulls) Kingston Park bottom, Gloucester’s Kingsholm top, and the other eight pretty close in the middle.

Much of that has changed this year. Here are my top 10 ranked Gallagher Prem Rugby stadiums.

10 – Kingston Park, Newcastle Red Bulls

I am sure this stadium will not be in the same place next season but for now here we are. There’s just something about Kingston Park that doesn’t do it for me.

But some wild bike stunts under their new Red Bull owners and continued attendance rises could make this a bit of a dark horse to rise in the rankings in 2026.

9 – CorpAcq Stadium, Sale Sharks

Seeing so few people watch such a brilliant team is often disheartening but that’s the way it is in Salford right now.

With the local rugby league team now in the Championship, it’s all on Sale Sharks to find some atmosphere – from anywhere – to be the leading club at the CorpAcq.

8 – StoneX Stadium, Saracens

This ranking has probably come just too early to see the influence of Saracens’ Original Club of North London campaign impact its score.

If they can get youngsters in, and rowdy ones at that, the infrastructure is there to make the StoneX a very, very good Prem Rugby day out.

7 – Sandy Park, Exeter Chiefs

It remains to be a difficult stadium to get to but the increased capacity is producing good noise after a disappointing season last year.

The Devonian locals more than make up for the park and ride-style requirements to watch a game at Sandy Park.

6 – The Rec, Bath Rugby

This was a solid top three choice last year but we need to get real: it’s picturesque but the facilities aren’t good enough for top flight rugby and you’re bound to get soaked.

Bring on the new stadium, ASAP, I say. And don’t get me started on the cost of a ticket.

5 – Kingsholm, Gloucester Rugby

What a fall from grace for Gloucester, whose Kingsholm was top in my inaugural ranking last year.

But results on the field, though unsurprising to many fans, leaves a bad smell in the West Country stands. The atmosphere in the famous Shed is lacking the club aren’t close to selling out as much as they’d like.

4 – Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton Saints

A small rise for Northampton this year, whose annoying stadium name isn’t reflected in the brilliant atmosphere being generated in the East Midlands now.

The sell outs are occurring much more regularly and it is a day out neutrals can enjoy – albeit at a pretty hefty price.

3 – Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Leicester Tigers

Welford Road would have been top of the list every year in the noughties, but it has been going through a bumpy phase.

A stadium that used to be packed to the rafters is now rarely so, but the roar of the terrace remains one of the beating hearts of English club rugby.

2 – Ashton Gate, Bristol Bears

Aston Gate is coming into its own now that the supporter base has grown. Its facilities were built with the Premier League in mind, and that shows, and few have a bad day out there.

It’s rocking a lot more than it used to, with huge crowds across the season. It’s closing in on the top spot. 

1 – The Stoop, Harlequins

But for me, and after a monumental rise from fourth last year, The Stoop takes my 2025 crown. 

The crowds are always healthy, the facilities are brilliant and – despite the team’s recent performances – it remains a friendly place to be.

It doesn’t have iconic stands like those seen at Leicester and Gloucester, but it has a brilliantly named bar – The Chris Robshaw Bar – and that’s enough for me.

Gallagher Prem Rugby stadiums: 2024 vs 2025