Ground improvements were seldom, most clubs rarely reached their capacity on a regular basis, and poor facilities were commonplace – this particularly being the case between 1979 and 1986, when attendances fell, with this fall in spectators being blamed largely on increased hooliganism, as well as the economic downturn and sharp rise in unemployment that occurred in the early 1980s.
In January 1990, the Taylor Report recommended the conversion of all Football League stadiums to all-seater arenas[2] although this was subsequently applied just to the top two levels with effect from the 1994–95 season.
Following promotion to the Sky Bet Championship in 2013 the club installed a larger, roofed temporary stand, bringing the total ground capacity just shy of 12,000.
After a successful debut Premier League campaign, the club submitted a planning application to Bournemouth Borough Council to redevelop the temporary Ted MacDougall Stand with a much larger one which would take the capacity of the ground to 14,529.
After a number of delays, a compulsory purchase order was finally granted by the London Borough of Hounslow in late 2016, allowing the club to take full possession of the site.
There are periodic reports of a new stadium in White City to be shared with Queens Park Rangers, but such plans are not currently being pursued by either club, with both concentrating on developing their existing grounds.
Craven Cottage was the final top division stadium to feature standing accommodation when Fulham were promoted in 2001, but Taylor Report regulations meant it closed a year later.
However, the relocation to a new stadium took place in the same year as relegation from the Premier League, putting a huge strain on the club's finances and leading to a spell in administration as debts reached more than £30million.
Old Trafford has been United's home since 1910, and after decades of gradual development (and a complete rebuild following bomb damage in World War II) became largely all-seater in the 1992–1993 season when the Stretford End was rebuilt, and completely all-seater the following season once the Scoreboard Paddock had been converted, giving it the country's largest capacity at club level with more than 45,000 seats, although demand for tickets vastly outstripped supply.
In 2007 under the chairmanship of Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle United announced plans to increase the capacity of St James' Park by 8,000 to 60,000 by rebuilding the Gallowgate End as part of a £300m scheme to redevelop the stadium and its surrounding area.
The club had trouble selling out games in the 2008–09 season as Newcastle headed towards relegation after 16 years in the Premier League, and also in the promotion winning campaign of 2009–10, as they played at a lower level.
In February 2023 Newcastle United repurchased the lease on land behind the Gallowgate End which had been sold by former owner Mike Ashley in 2019 to developers who planned to construct 328 flats, an office block and a 213-bedroom hotel.
Tottenham have been planning a larger stadium since the late 1990s, however, it was undecided whether this strategy would involve expanding White Hart Lane (which has held some 36,000 all-seated fans since the early 1990s) or moving to a new site.
[74] On 11 July 2014 the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government announced that a compulsory purchase order had been granted for the outstanding parcel of land required for the development of the new stadium site.
Coventry had long planned a move to a purpose-built 45,000-seat stadium, with original suggestions including a retractable roof and pitch à la Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem.
On 7 June 2019 it was reported that talks between SISU and Wasps had again broken down meaning that Coventry would have to play their 2019–20 "home" matches at Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground.
At one point, while flying high in Europe in 2001, Leeds United were examining a potential move to a new 50,000-seat stadium in nearby Stourton, while there were also ambitious plans to redevelop Elland Road as a 90,000-seat "Wembley of the North".
In September 2016 Lewisham Council approved a compulsory purchase order of land surrounding The Den rented by Millwall, as part of a major redevelopment of the "New Bermondsey" area.
[143] The club confirmed in September 2012 that the feasibility of a 7,000-seat development has been backed by the University of East Anglia, based on factors such as "population growth, and real numbers, such as socio-economic data, and not instinct or intuition.
[149] QPR achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2011, and owner Tony Fernandes announced in November 2011 that the club were looking for sites in west London to build a new stadium, with a capacity around 40,000.
Elm Park was deemed unsuitable for renovation due to its confined location and the ambitions of chairman John Madejski to establish Reading in the top flight (although promotion was not achieved until 2006), so the decision to build a new stadium was made.
This replaced Vetch Field which had been their home since they were founded and was unsuitable for expansion, and would have had a low all-seater capacity, although relocation plans were first formulated at a time when Swansea were in the league's fourth tier.
Following numerous delays (including a Judicial Review launched by local members of the Green Party) it emerged Sainsbury's were attempting to terminate their contract to buy the site.
However, the club failed to maintain its top-flight status and when, in January 2008, was sold into new American ownership, in the form of General Sports and Entertainment[204] both the Plaza plan and the Ground expansion initiatives were scrapped.
The Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber approved the plan in February 2002, Conoco agreed naming rights to the stadium in April 2002 and the revised opening date was set for the start of the 2003/2004 season.
Construction re-commenced in November 2015 with the main building (now renamed East Stand) being extended to provide a medical centre, ticket office and enlarge the banqueting facilities.
The additional height allows for office space, corporate hospitality, retail opportunities and a gymnasium The club that re-formed following the dissolution of the original Maidstone United played at Sittingbourne, while constructing a new stadium at James Whatman Way.
The clubs have submitted (Nov08) planning applications for facility and ground improvements which will see the Borough of Solihull offered a centre of excellence and a Community Foundation which will benefit its own populace and beyond.
The council pledged to help FC United build a stadium in a new location with reduced costs,[303] and the alternative site was announced in April 2011 in the Broadhurst Park area of Moston, Manchester.
Chairman Imraan Ladak insisted plans were on track, with a site identified and potential funding sourced; however, in 2011 Kettering Town moved to Nene Park, former home of rivals Rushden & Diamonds.