eMoov looked at 144 of the UK’s sporting stadiums with a capacity over 10,000 and found that on average, house prices in areas with a football stadium (£215,089) were 8% higher than those with a rugby stadium (£199,945).
But whilst both have enjoyed an annual increase of 4%, the endless weekends of rowdy crowds seem to impact the property potential in these areas, with homeowners with a football stadiums 5% worse off compared to the current UK average (£226,185) and those with a neighbouring rugby stadium 13% worse off.
Despite this, one sport does seem to be good for the local property market. Those in an area home to a major cricket venue are enjoying a current house price (£287,688) 27% higher than the UK average up 5% annually.
Of course, London is the most expensive area for UK sporting venue properties, with Lord’s cricket ground in Westminster home to an average house price of £999,437. It’s joined in the top 10 by the likes of Craven Cottage, Loftus Road, Stamford Bridge, Twickenham Stadium, the Emirates and the Oval.
The lowest average house price is found by one of the smaller stadiums in the list, Cwmbran Stadium in Blaenau Gwent in Wales, where the average property price is just £81,482. Burnley FC’s Turf Moor is the second cheapest at £83,508. Ewood Park, home to Blackburn Rovers, has enjoyed the largest annual increase at 14%, with Aberdeen FC’s Pittodrie Stadium seeing the largest annual decline in prices at -8%.
Russell Quirk, founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, commented: “The sudden influx of thousands of people to one area, via the same transport links, can cause absolute chaos for local residents. It can close roads, cause long delays and increase noise and litter pollution so it may seem understandable that house prices are lower around the UK’s major stadiums.
However, it’s important to remember that for most of these communities these venues are a source of income not only for those working at the venue itself but for the hundreds of local businesses that benefit on match days.
This, in turn, translates to positivity for the economy which will always trickle down to the housing market. For the right buyer, a short walk to the home of their favourite team could be the selling point for your property and even result in a higher price achieved.”
