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 The Twin Towers of Wembley Stadium (2002) | |
 Interactive map of Wembley Stadium | |
| Former names | Empire Stadium British Empire Exhibition Stadium |
|---|---|
| Location | Wembley, England |
| Coordinates | 51°33′20″N0°16′47″W / 51.55556°N 0.27972°W /51.55556; -0.27972 |
| Owner | Wembley Company |
| Capacity | 82,000 (original standing capacity was 125,000, and later 100,000 prior to being made all-seated in 1990) |
| Record attendance | 126,047 (Bolton Wanderers vsWest Ham United –1923 FA Cup final) |
| Surface | Grass and track |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1922; 104 years ago (1922) |
| Opened | 28 April 1923; 102 years ago (1923-04-28) |
| Renovated | 1963; 63 years ago (1963) |
| Closed | 7 October 2000; 25 years ago (2000-10-07) |
| Demolished | 2002–2003 |
| Rebuilt | Replaced in 2007 by the newWembley Stadium |
| Construction cost | £750,000 (£49.81 million in 2023) |
| Architect |
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| Tenants | |
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The originalWembley Stadium (/ˈwɛmbli/; originally known as theEmpire Stadium) was afootballstadium inWembley, London, England, best known for hosting important football matches. It stood on the same site now occupied by itssuccessor.
Wembley hosted theFA Cup final annually, the first in1923, which was the stadium's inaugural event, theLeague Cup final annually, fiveEuropean Cup finals, the1966 World Cup final, and thefinal of Euro 1996. Brazilian footballerPelé once said of the stadium: "Wembley is the cathedral of football. It is the capital of football and it is the heart of football",[2] in recognition of its status as the world's most famous football stadium.
The stadium has also hosted many other sports events, including the1948 Summer Olympics, rugby league'sChallenge Cup final, and the1992 and1995Rugby League World Cup finals. It was also the venue for numerous music events, including the 1985Live Aid charity concert. In what was the first major WWF (nowWWE)pay-per-view to take place outside North America, it hosted the1992 SummerSlam.
The stadium's first turf was cut byKing George V and it was first opened to the public on 28 April 1923. Much ofHumphry Repton's originalWembley Park landscape was transformed in 1922–23 during preparations for theBritish Empire Exhibition of 1924–25. First known as the "British Empire Exhibition Stadium"[3] or simply the "Empire Stadium", the construction was carried out bySir Robert McAlpine[4] for theBritish Empire Exhibition[5] of 1924 (extended to 1925).[6][7][8][9]
The stadium cost £750,000 (equivalent to approximately £49.81 million in 2023) and was constructed on the site of afolly calledWatkin's Tower. The architects wereSir John Simpson andMaxwell Ayrton[10] and the head engineerSir Owen Williams. The original intention was to demolish the stadium at the end of the Exhibition, but it was saved at the suggestion ofSir James Stevenson, a Scot who was chairman of the organising committee for the Empire Exhibition. The ground had been used for football as early as the 1880s.[11]
At the end of the exhibition, which proved to be a financial disappointment, the site at Wembley was considered by many to be a vast 'white elephant'. It was bought by a property speculator,James White, who planned to sell off the buildings for redevelopment, including the stadium which had been the centrepiece of the exhibition.Arthur Elvin, an ex-RFC officer who had worked in a tobacco kiosk at the exhibition and had previous experience working for a scrap metal firm, was employed by White to oversee the sale of the buildings and the clearance of the Wembley site.
The stadium had gone into liquidation after it was pronounced "financially unviable".[12] After nine months, having earned a good sum from selling various buildings on the site, Elvin agreed to buy the stadium from White for a total of £127,000 as a £12,000 downpayment and the balance plus interest payable over ten years.[13]
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Facing personal bankruptcy, White killed himself at his home,King Edward's Place, in 1927. This caused financial complications for Elvin, requiring him to raise money within two weeks to buy the stadium before it too was demolished. He was able to finance this by forming the 'Wembley Stadium and Greyhound Racecourse Company'. He raised the money to buy the stadium at the original price he had agreed with White, then immediately sold it back to the company, leaving him with a healthy personal profit. Instead of cash, he received shares in the company, which gave him the largest individual stake in Wembley Stadium, and subsequently became chairman.[13]
Elvin was able to make a considerable profit with the introduction of greyhound racing from 1927[14] and is credited with saving the stadium from closure and demolition.[15]
The electric scoreboard and the all-encircling roof, made from aluminium and translucent glass, were added in 1963.[16]
In 1977 fences were erected around the pitch following theEngland vs Scotland match when Scotland fans invaded the pitch and vandalised the pitch and goalposts. These fences were taken down following theHillsborough disaster in 1989.
The stadium's distinctiveTwin Towers became its trademark and nickname.[17] Also well known were the 39 steps needed to be climbed to reach the Royal box and collect a trophy (and winners'/losers' medals). In 1934, theEmpire Pool was built nearby. The "Wembley Stadium Collection" is held by theNational Football Museum. The stadium closed in October 2000 and demolition commenced in December 2002, completing in 2003 forredevelopment. 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.
The cities ofBirmingham andCoventry launched bids to become the new home of England's football team[18][19] following disputes and a political row regarding the new Wembley's construction.[20] These bids were ultimately unsuccessful as the FA chose in 2002 to keep the national team at the new Wembley once completed.
Wembley is best known for hosting football matches, having hosted theFA Cup Final annually as well as numerous England International fixtures.
The Empire Stadium was built in exactly 300 days at the cost of £750,000. Described as the world's greatest sporting arena, it was ready only four days before the "White Horse" final in 1923. The FA had not considered admission by ticket, grossly underestimating the number of fans who arrived at the 104 gates on match day. However, after this match, every event apart from the1982 replay[21] was ticketed.
The first event held at the stadium was the1923 FA Cup final on 28 April betweenBolton Wanderers andWest Ham United.[22] This is known as theWhite Horse Final. Such was the eagerness to attend the final at the newnational stadium that vast numbers of people crammed through the 104turnstiles into the stadium, far exceeding its official 127,000 capacity. The crowds overflowed onto the pitch as there was no room on the terraces. Estimates of the number of fans in attendance range from 240,000[23] to well over 300,000.[24]
It was thought that the match would not be played because of the number of spectators inside the stadium that had spilled onto the pitch, until mounted police, including Police ConstableGeorge Scorey and his white horse,Billy, slowly pushed the crowds back to the sides of the field of play to allow the match to kick off just 45 minutes late. In honour of Billy, the footbridge outside the new Wembley Stadium has been named theWhite Horse Bridge. The official attendance is often quoted as 126,047. The match saw a 2–0 victory for Bolton Wanderers, withDavid Jack scoring the first ever goal at Wembley.[25]
The1953 FA Cup final betweenBlackpool andBolton Wanderers was dubbed the "Matthews final" after Blackpool's wingerStanley Matthews. At age 38, he was making his third and ultimately his final attempt at winning an FA Cup medal.[26] In the previous six years, he failed to earn a winner's medal againstManchester United in1948 andNewcastle United in1951.[26] It featured ahat-trick by Blackpool'sStan Mortensen in his side's 4–3 win, with Matthews almost single-handedly turning the match around for Blackpool, who had trailed 3–1 toBolton Wanderers before fighting back to win the match. It remained the only hat-trick ever scored in an FA Cup Final at the original Wembley.
The FA Cup final was played there in April or May until 2000 (excluding the 1970 replay whenChelsea beatLeeds United atOld Trafford). It was also the venue for finals of theFA Amateur Cup,League Cup (except for the early years when this was settled on a home and away basis) and in later years theAssociate Members' Cup and theFootball League promotionplay-off finals (in the early years of play-offs they were home and away fixtures). The 1988 final of theMiddlesex Charity Cup was also played there.[27]
Prior to the 1923 Wembley stadium, international football games had been played byEngland at various stadia. Most early internationals (includingthe first ever international football match (1870)) were played atThe Oval, which opened in 1845 as the home ground ofSurrey County Cricket Club and would in 1880 host the firstTest match played in England. For the first 27 years, the only International England games played at Wembley were fixtures against Scotland, with other games played elsewhere until 1951. The first team other than Scotland to face England at the venue was Argentina.[28] In 1956 and 1971, it was the venue of the home matches of the Great Britain national football team for the qualification matches to theSummer Olympic Games againstBulgaria.[29]
In 1966, it was the leading venue of theFIFA World Cup. It hosted nine matches, including thefinal, where tournament hosts England won 4–2 after extra time againstWest Germany.[30] Seven years later, Wembley was the venue for a specially arranged friendly between teams called "The Three" and "The Six" to celebrate theUnited Kingdom joining theEuropean Economic Community. The match finished 2–0 to "The Three".
In 1996, it was the principal venue ofUEFA Euro 1996, hosting all of England's matches, as well as the tournament's final, where Germany won theUEFA European Championship for a third time after defeating theCzech Republic 2–1 with the first internationalgolden goal in football history. Germany had earlier defeated England on penalties in the semi-final after a 1–1 draw, withGareth Southgate having his penalty saved against England in the shoot-out.
England's final two competitive matches played at the stadium resulted in 0–1 defeats for England to Scotland and Germany respectively. The first defeat was in the play off for theEuro 2000 qualifiers in November 1999, but England still went through as they won the other leg 2–0 atHampden Park. However, the final match at Wembley was the openingqualifier for the2002 World Cup, and defeat prompted the resignation of England managerKevin Keegan at the end of the match after 18 months in charge.
| Date | Time (BST) | Team #1 | Score | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 July 1966 | 19:30 |  England | 0–0 |  Uruguay | Group 1 | 87,148 |
| 13 July 1966 | 19:30 |  France | 1–1 |  Mexico | 69,237 | |
| 16 July 1966 | 19:30 | England | 2–0 | Mexico | 92,570 | |
| 19 July 1966 | 16:30 | Mexico | 0–0 | Uruguay | 61,112 | |
| 20 July 1966 | 19:30 | England | 2–0 | France | 98,370 | |
| 23 July 1966 | 15:00 | England | 1–0 |  Argentina | Quarter-finals | 90,584 |
| 25 July 1966 | 19:30 | England | 2–1 |  Portugal | Semi-finals | 94,493 |
| 28 July 1966 | 19:30 | Portugal | 2–1 |  Soviet Union | 3rd place match | 87,696 |
| 30 July 1966 | 15:00 | England | 4–2 (a.e.t.) |  West Germany | Final | 96,924 |
| Date | Time (BST) | Team #1 | Score | Team #2 | Round | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 June 1996 | 15:00 | England | 1–1 |  Switzerland | Group A | 76,567 |
| 15 June 1996 | 15:00 |  Scotland | 0–2 | England | 76,864 | |
| 18 June 1996 | 19:30 |  Netherlands | 1–4 | England | 76,798 | |
| 22 June 1996 | 15:00 |  Spain | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (2–4pen.) | England | Quarter-finals | 75,440 |
| 26 June 1996 | 19:30 | Germany | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (6–5pen.) | England | Semi-finals | 75,862 |
| 30 June 1996 | 19:00 |  Czech Republic | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Germany | Final | 73,611 |
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In all, the stadium hosted fiveEuropean Cup finals, a record for the continent's top football tournament until the inauguration of the newWembley Stadium in 2007. The first two were1963 final betweenMilan andBenfica, and the1968 final between Manchester United and Benfica. In1971, it again hosted the final, betweenAjax andPanathinaikos, and once more in1978, this time betweenLiverpool andClub Brugge, another in1992, whenBarcelona playedSampdoria.
Wembley also hosted twoEuropean Cup Winners' Cupfinals: in1965, whenWest Ham United defeated1860 Munich, and in1993, whenParma defeatedRoyal Antwerp.
It was also the venue forArsenal's home Champions League matches in1998–99 and1999–2000. It has hosted clubs' home matches on two other occasions; in 1930, whenLeyton Orient played two homeThird Division South matches while theirLea Bridge Stadium was undergoing urgent remedial works;[31] and in 1930–31 for eight matches bynon-League Ealing A.F.C.[32] It was also to be the home of theamateur club which made several applications to jointhe Football League, theArgonauts.[32]
In March 1998, Arsenal made a bid to purchase Wembley in the hope of gaining a larger stadium to replace theirHighbury ground, which had a capacity of less than 40,000 and was unsuitable for expansion. However, the bid was later abandoned in favour of building the 60,000 capacityEmirates Stadium, which was opened in 2006.[33]
On 20 May 2000, thelast FA Cup final to be played at the old Wembley saw Chelsea defeatAston Villa with the only goal scored byRoberto Di Matteo.[34] The final competitive club match there was the2000 First Division play-off final on 29 May 2000, betweenIpswich Town andBarnsley, a 4–2 win resulting in promotion to the Premier League for Ipswich.[35]
The last club match of all was the2000 Charity Shield, in which Chelsea defeated Manchester United 2–0. The last international match was on 7 October,[36] in Kevin Keegan'slast game as England manager. England were defeated 0–1 by Germany, withDietmar Hamann scoring the last goal at the original Wembley.[37]On that day,Tony Adams made his 60th Wembley appearance, a record for any player.[38] Adams also claimed England's final goal at the stadium, having scored in the previous home fixture againstUkraine on 31 May 2000.[39]
In the sport ofrugby league, theRFL held itsChallenge Cup Final at Wembley from 1929 onwards.[40] The stadium was also regularly used by the sport for major international matches, such asGreat Britain versusAustralia. In 1949 theFrance national rugby league team became the first France national team of any sport to win at Wembley. The largest crowd for aChallenge Cup Final at Wembley was set in 1985 whenWigan beatHull F.C. 28–24 in front of 99,801 spectators, which as of 2017 remains the second highest rugby league attendance in England behind only the1954 Challenge Cup Final replay atBradford'sOdsal Stadium when a then world record attendance of 102,575 sawWarrington defeatHalifax 8–4 (the original 1954 cup final at Wembley, drawn 4–4, was played in front of 81,841 fans).[41]
The stadium set the international record crowd for a rugby league game when 73,631 turned out for the1992 Rugby League World Cup final between Great Britain and Australia (since beaten by the 74,468 attendance for the2013 RLWC Final atOld Trafford).[42] TheMal Meninga-led Australian team won the game 10–6 on the back of aSteve Renouf try in the north-east corner and Meninga's goal kicking. The1995 World Cup Final betweenEngland and Australia was also played at Wembley with 66,540 spectators watching Australia win 16–8. The final of the1999 Challenge Cup was the last to be played at the stadium and was attended by 73,242 fans, with the annual fixture moving to other grounds (Murrayfield Stadium,Millennium Stadium andTwickenham) before returning to the new Wembley upon its completion in 2007.
Source:[43]
Wembley was the main venue for the1948 Summer Olympics, withFanny Blankers-Koen andEmil Zátopek among the notable winners inathletics. The Stadium also hosted the semifinals and finals of the Olympichockey andfootball tournaments, the Prix des Nations event in theequestrian competition, and a demonstration match of lacrosse.[44]
Motorcycle speedway first took place at Wembley in 1929, and operated until the outbreak ofWorld War II in 1939, a few days before the1939 World Championship Final was due to be held, but it was cancelled as a result of the war. TheWembley Lions returned in 1946 and operated in the top flight until the end of the 1956 season winning a number of League titles. A short lived revival saw the Lions in theBritish League in the1970 and1971 seasons.Lionel Van Praag (1936),Tommy Price (1949), andFreddie Williams (1950 and1953), all won World Championships whilst riding for Wembley. The ashes for the speedway track were supplied by Richard Biffa Ltd whose operating base at the time was in Wembley Hill Road. Richard Biffa later became Biffa Waste Services. The Lions were formed by the Wembley Stadium chairmanSir Arthur Elvin.[13]
Between 1936 and 1960 Wembley hosted all of the first 15 finals of theSpeedway World Championship. It hosted another nine World Finals before the last one at Wembley took place in1981 in front of 92,500 fans, just shy of the venue's record speedway attendance of 95,000 set at the1938 World Final.[45]
Riders who won the World Championship at Wembley include; inaugural champion Lionel Van Praag (Australia),Jack Milne (United States),Bluey Wilkinson (Australia), Tommy Price (England), Freddie Williams (Wales),Jack Young (Australia – the first two-time winner, first back-to-back winner and the firstsecond division rider to win the title),Ronnie Moore (New Zealand),Ove Fundin (Sweden),Barry Briggs (New Zealand),Peter Craven (England),Björn Knutson (Sweden),Ole Olsen (Denmark),Bruce Penhall (United States – the winner of the 1981 World Final), and legendary New Zealand riderIvan Mauger. With four wins, Sweden's Ove Fundin won the most World Championships at Wembley, winning in1956,1960,1963 and1967.
Wembley also hosted the Final of theSpeedway World Team Cup in1968,1970 and1973 won byGreat Britain (1968 and 1973) andSweden (1970).
The speedway track at Wembley Stadium was 345 metres (377 yards) in length and was notoriously difficult to ride for those not used to it. Despite regularly being used for World Championship and other British championship meetings,Wembley long had a reputation as a track that was difficult to pass on which often led to processional racing. Among those who never performed well there despite their credentials include1973 World ChampionJerzy Szczakiel (who won his title at home in Poland and two weeks later under difficult circumstances failed to score in the World Team Cup Final at Wembley), while others such as Ivan Mauger and Ole Olsen often seemed to find their best form at the stadium. The track itself was located inside of the greyhound racing track, but intersected the stadium's playing field at the corners. The pits were located in the tunnel at the eastern end of the stadium.
The track record at Wembley will forever be held by Denmark's World Champion of1984,1985 &1988Erik Gundersen. In Heat 6 of the 1981 World Final, Gundersen set the 4-lap record (clutch start) of 66.8 seconds. As this was the last time the stadium was used for speedway racing, it remains the track record.
Two meetings were held at Wembley in 1974 promoted byTrevor Redmond. The first meeting held featuredBriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars andNational Hot Rods. The second meeting featured theBriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars World Final with F1s in support. Before the first meeting the Wembley groundsman threatened to resign over possible damage to the hallowed turf. The pitch was surrounded by wooden beams and little damage was caused.[46]
Though the venue was not traditionally a regular host ofrugby union matches, England played a friendly against Canada on 17 October 1992, as their regular home stadium atTwickenham was undergoing redevelopment.Wales played theirFive Nations and autumn international home matches atWembley (asTwickenham Stadium would not accommodate them) whileCardiff Arms Park was being rebuilt as theMillennium Stadium in the late 1990s (a deal reciprocated for FA Cups during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium). In total there were seven internationals.
| Date | Competition | Home team | Away team | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 October 1992 | 1992 Autumn International Series | England | 26 |  Canada | 13 | |
| 29 November 1997 | 1997 Autumn International Series |  Wales | 7 |  New Zealand | 42 | 76,000 |
| 5 April 1998 | 1998 Five Nations Championship | 0 | France | 51 | 75,000 | |
| 7 March 1998 | 19 | Scotland | 13 | 72,000 | ||
| 14 November 1998 | 1998 Autumn International Series | 20 |  South Africa | 28 | 55,000 | |
| 20 February 1999 | 1999 Five Nations Championship | 23 |  Ireland | 29 | 76,000 | |
| 11 April 1999 | 32 | England | 31 | 76,000 | ||
Wembley was a regular venue forgreyhound racing. It was the first sport SirArthur Elvin introduced to the stadium.[47] The opening meeting was in 1927.[48][49] The greyhound racing provided the stadium with its main source of regular income, especially in the early decades, and continued to attract crowds of several thousand up until the early 1960s.[47] The stadium staged its last greyhound race meeting in December 1998 with the owners, theGreyhound Racing Association, citing economic reasons and the lack of plans for a greyhound track in the stadium's redevelopment.[50]
Two of the biggest events in the greyhound racing calendar were theSt Leger andTrafalgar Cup.[48] Both were originally held at Wembley, the St Leger from 1928 until 1998 after which it moved toWimbledon Stadium and the Trafalgar Cup from 1929 until 1998 after which it moved toOxford Stadium. In 1931 the famous greyhoundMick the Miller won the St Leger.[47]
Wembley's owners' refusal to cancel the regular greyhound racing meant that the match betweenUruguay andFrance in the1966 FIFA World Cup was played atWhite City.[47]
American Football was played at Wembley as long ago as 1952 when the Fursty Eagles defeated the Burtonwood Bullets 26-7 in The American European Zone Football Final.[51] TheNational Football League (NFL) held nine preseasonAmerican football games at Wembley between 1983 and 1993. TheMinnesota Vikings and theSt. Louis Cardinals played the first game on 6 August 1983. TheDetroit Lions and theDallas Cowboys played the last game on 8 August 1993. TheUnited States Football League also played an exhibition game there on 21 July 1984 between thePhiladelphia Stars andTampa Bay Bandits.The Chicago Bears played the Dallas Cowboys in the inaugural American Bowl on 3 August 1986, defeating the Cowboys 17:6. TheLondon Monarchs of theWorld League of American Football played at the venue in 1991 and 1992. Wembley hostedWorld Bowl '91, the inauguralWorld Bowl, where the Monarchs defeated theBarcelona Dragons 21–0.
From 1958 until the mid-1970s,hurling andgaelic football tournaments known as the "Wembley Tournaments" were held at Wembley Stadium to bring the Irish sports to expatriates in Britain at the time. Several Gaelic football games were played in Wembley Stadium, most of them exhibition matches, most notablyKerry andDown in 1961.
In April 1970 this show jumping event was held at Wembley Stadium. This left the grass turf in poor condition for the FA Cup Final a week later.[52]
The stadium also staged women's field hockey matches in which England appeared in their annual match between 1951 and 1969 and then from 1971 to 1991. The best-attended field hockey match of all time took place at the Wembley Stadium on 11 March 1978, when 65,165 people showed up for a game between England and the United States.[53]
On 31 May and 1 June 1961, Wembley hosted a ski jumping competition. A 46-metre high scaffolding tower was constructed for the event, which was won by Finland'sVeikko Kankkonen.[54]
On 18 June 1963, Wembley hosted aheavyweight boxing match between London native boxerHenry Cooper and American rising starCassius Clay in front of 35,000 spectators.
On 26 May 1975, in front of 90,000 people,Evel Knievel crashed while trying to land a jump over 13 single decker city buses, an accident which resulted in his initial retirement from his daredevil life.[55]
In 1992, theWorld Wrestling Federation (now known as WWE) drew a sellout of 80,355 whenSummerSlam was hosted at Wembley Stadium. In the main event, English wrestlerDavey Boy Smith won theIntercontinental Championship fromBret Hart. As of April 2023, WWE considers this to be their seventh largest live gate in history behind onlyWrestleMania 32 (2016), which drew a reported 101,763,WrestleMania III (1987), which drew a reported 93,173,WrestleMania 35, which drew 82,265,WrestleMania 39 (2023) Night 2 and Night 1, which drew 81,395 and 80,497, respectively, andWrestleMania 29 (2013), which drew 80,676 fans.
The stadium became a musical venue in August 1972 withThe London Rock and Roll Show, an all star concert. It later played host to a number of concerts and events, most notably the British leg ofLive Aid, which featured such acts asDavid Bowie,Queen,Paul McCartney,Elton John,Phil Collins,Status Quo,the Who,Dire Straits andU2, held at the stadium on 13 July 1985.[56][57]
Other charity concerts which took place in the stadium were theHuman Rights Now! concert,The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert,Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa Concert,The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness and theNetAid charity concert.
Acts who played at Wembley Stadium include:
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(February 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Cecil Freeman Gregg's crime novelTragedy at Wembley (Methuen, 1936) sees his detective character Inspector Cuthbert Higgins investigate a murder at the stadium.[78]
The 1948 Olympic Marathon and the 1923 Stadium feature in the South Korean war filmMy Way (2011), though the marathon is clearly filmed in Riga, rather than London, and the stadium standing in for Wembley has an anachronistic electronic scoreboard.[79]
The stadium also features in the 2001 mockumentary filmMike Bassett: England Manager.
In the 2018Queen biopicBohemian Rhapsody, the stadium was digitally recreated for theLive Aid scene.
John Betjeman is shown standing in the Stadium in his 1973 BBC filmMetroland, though, as John Bale has pointed out inAnti-Sport Sentiments in Literature: Batting for the Opposition (Routledge, 2007), he shows no real interest in Wembley's sporting connections, either here or elsewhere.[80]
InNigel Kneale's 1979Quatermass, in which ancient stone circles turn out to be locations designed by aliens to harvest young humans, the Stadium is said to have been built on the site of a stone circle ("the Sacred Turf they call it", saysProfessor Quatermass, "I wonder what's underneath?")
There is a persistent myth that a small locomotive met with a mishap whenWatkin's Folly was being demolished, or the Empire Stadium built, and was buried under what became the "sacred turf" (though in some versions it is a carriage filled with rubble). When the stadium was rebuilt no locomotive or carriage (or stone circle...) was found, though the foundations ofWatkin's tower were.[81]
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | FA Cup Final venue 1923–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Summer Olympics Main venue (Olympic Stadium) 1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Summer Olympics Athletics competitions Main venue 1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Summer Olympics Men's football final venue 1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final venue 1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Winners' Cup Final venue 1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIFA World Cup Opening venue 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIFA World Cup Final venue 1966 | Succeeded by Estadio Azteca Mexico City |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final venue 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final venue 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Stadio Olimpico Rome | European Cup Final venue 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | World Games Main venue 1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Final venue 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Rugby League World Cup Final venue 1992 and1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Cup Winners' Cup Final venue 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | UEFA European Championship Final venue 1996 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
