Bet365 Stadium

The bet365 Stadium, located in Stoke-on-Trent, England, has served as the home of Stoke City Football Club since its opening in 1997. Constructed at a cost of 14.7 million pounds, the stadium was built to replace the Victoria Ground, which had been the club's home since 1878. Originally known as the Britannia Stadium, the venue was officially opened on August 30, 1997, by club legend Sir Stanley Matthews. The stadium was designed as an all-seater arena to modernize the club's infrastructure and provide a purpose-built facility for its supporters. In 2016, the stadium was renamed the bet365 Stadium following a naming-rights agreement with the club's parent company. The venue has undergone various improvements over the years, including expansion work in 2017 that helped increase its capacity to 30,089. While the stadium is known as the bet365 Stadium for domestic fixtures, it is referred to as the Stoke City Stadium during European competitions due to UEFA sponsorship regulations. The site remains a central landmark for the club, featuring a statue of Sir Stanley Matthews outside the ground and serving as the final resting place for his ashes, which were buried beneath the center circle of the pitch following his death in 2000. Today, the stadium continues to host Stoke City in the EFL Championship, maintaining its status as a significant venue in English football.