The quirkiest sports stadiums around the world

Sport is often a very quirky beast, with superstition playing a far greater part than perhaps we would somehow like to admit. Another aspect of the whacky nature of sport is the grounds and stadiums it is played at, here is a look into a selection of the weirdest and wackiest grounds in the history of sport.

Constructed in 1912, Fenway Park is an iconic part of baseball history and one aspect of the stadium stands out more than any other. Behind left field stands an 11.3m wall known as the ‘Green Monster’ making home runs all the more difficult! A historic aspect of a truly great, if quirky, ballpark.

A stadium that simply looks unfinished, Kassam Stadium is missing an entire stand. After an unfortunate relegation mid-construction, Oxford could no longer afford to pay for the entire build, coming to an agreement to leave that area incomplete. The cost of lost balls over the years has probably more than made up for any money saved though.

Another stadium that seems to be missing some stands, the Braga stadium is actually carved out of a nearby quarry with the raw rockface replacing what would usually be a stand. Deciding to leave the opposite end open with views over the Portuguese city, this is truly a unique piece of sporting architecture.

Certainly a very astutely named stadium, with the pitch floating on the waters of Marina Bay, The Float is unlike anything you’ll see elsewhere. Used for a variety of sporting events as well as graduations and concerts, the stadium can be seen during the Singapore Grand Prix. In a city with very little space, utilising the water is certainly a sensible choice for this weird stadium.

One of the most successful counties in English cricketing history, Kent played hundreds of games of top level cricket with a 27 metre lime tree in the outfield. Becoming part of the legend of the club when the tree fell in 1999 due to high winds, the club decided to replace it, although eventually deciding to move it outside the playing area, probably the sensible option!

This could well be stretching the term ‘stadium’ somewhat, given there were only ever a few events held on the deck of the giant US Navy ship. It certainly proved quite the spectacle with over 8,000 packing onto the ship to watch North Carolina vs Michigan State. Unfortunately, due to slipping issues on the court, this experiment didn’t last long with only two Carrier Classics ever held.

There is nothing too crazy with this design, it is just rare you see a building with a nickname quite so apt. Known as the ‘Water Cube’ due to its shape and that it is filled with water and later the ‘Ice Cube’ with its conversion to an ice rink for the 2022 Winter Olympics, this stadium does exactly what it says on the tin.

Used for ice hockey and concerts, the Avicii arena is named after the late EDM musician. That really undersells this quirky stadium as it holds the record for being the largest spherical building in the world. Something I’m sure the Swedes are incredibly proud of.

The Polo Grounds were a foundational part of many professional sports in America, with gridiron, soccer and boxing all played there. Most famously it was home to the New York Giants baseball team, but given the strange shape of the field, it made for one of the weirdest playing areas in baseball, with its rectangular shape creating tiny right and left fields but leaving batters with nearly 500 ft to clear in centre field!

Named after the legendary German player and manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld for his contribution to Swiss football, the GsponArena has a number of quirks to it. Not least is the location, perched on the very edge of a cliff 2,000m above sea level in the Swiss Alps, it is certainly one of the most scenic stadiums in the world. Bizarrely it is also located in a village with only five inhabitants with the team and spectators needing to drive 500 metres up a mountain to play and watch their team!

There isn’t too much remarkable about the Marlins’ stadium, an impressive piece of engineering allows them to play through all weather with a retractable roof across the whole field. The quirkiness comes in the form of the 60 ft tall Home Run Sculpture featuring dolphins and palm trees which lights up and moves when the home team hits a dinger. Odd.

Not too much to say about the Timsah stadium, other than the rather odd decision to make the whole thing look like a giant crocodile. Certainly an interesting design choice.

Another stadium in Florida, another strange design choice. Rather than a home run sculpture, the home of the Bucs features a life-size replica of a pirate ship complete with cannons and masts. When the Bucs score the cannons are fired to let everyone in the surrounding county know, or something.

Another historic baseball stadium, Wrigley Field is, for the most part, a perfect place to catch a ball game. The quirk is found on the field of play, with the outfield walls covered in thick-growing ivy which can at times lead to balls getting stuck and causing great confusion amongst outfielders.

Able to hold over 5,000 spectators this Serbian stadium is not the strangest to look at from pitch level, it is only when you zoom out that you realise it is a football stadium built on top of a shopping centre. A clever use of space in downtown Belgrade, you can’t help but admire this odd piece of architecture.