10 Picturesque Football Grounds We'd Love To Play At
10 Beautifully Picturesque Football Grounds
From grassroots to the top. 10 of the most scenic football grounds.
Stepping away from the mainstream stadiums we see every week we're taking a look at ten of the most beautifully scenic football grounds where we'd love to have a kick about, from non-league to the Europa League. Hidden football grounds tucked away behind mountains in sleepy European towns, on the very edge of the coastline, football pitches in the last place you'd expect to see one.
Giving a new dimension to the phrase beautiful game, we've picked out ten picturesque stadiums where watching a game would be as enjoyable as playing. The type of stadiums where you can watch your local side or even your country for free by finding the highest viewpoint. Where there's room for a pitch, there's room for a game...
Stadion Gospin Dolac, Croatia - The scenically stunning home of Croatian third division club NK Imotski is situated in the Dalmatia region of the country and can officially hold up to 4,000 spectators. A unique stadium perched on the edge of a cliff and overlooked by ruins of the old town that offer spectacular views of the ground and a backdrop that's a photographers dream. On the other side of that cliff behind the main stand is a 500m drop into a lake. Well worth a google for more pics this one.
Eidi Stadium, Faroe Islands - The Faroe Islands is the perfect example of football surviving against all odds. The tiny islands situated between Norway and Iceland are home to just under 50,000 people with only semi-pro football featuring in the country and limited places to play due to the rocky landscape. The Eidi Stadium couldn't be any closer to the Atlantic coastline, freezing cold, windy and if you mis-hit your shot you'll be swapping your Under Armour for a wetsuit. 
Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, Andorra - The national stadium of Andorra hosts every single league game of Andorra's two leagues as well as national team matches, that gives you an idea of how small the country is. The tiny stadium's scenic appearance is owed to the Pyrenees mountains that look over the ground which can hold 1,000 fans. 
TÓrsvØllur, Faroe Islands - Another stunningly scenic ground in the Faroe Islands is that of the national team. There isn't many countries where you can watch the likes of Germany and Italy play from your bedroom window but TÓrsvØllur offers the locals exactly that. They might get tonked by everyone that visits but the effort that the Islanders put in to pull together a side with decent facilities has to be applauded. 
Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium, Switzerland - Carved into the mountains of Zermatt and above the valley of Saastal, Gspon s Ottmar Hitzfeld Stadium is a whopping 2,000 metres above sea level, making if the highest stadium in Europe. Too high for vehicles to reach, the players have to arrive by cable car, seriously.
It may not be full size, but it was the only piece of flat land to build on and the artificial surface is down to the fact the altitude prevents real grass from growing. That is commitment to football, sacrificing your only piece of flat land for a pitch. It's a bit of trek to get there but the views are simply breathtaking and yes, they lose a lot of balls.
Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar - There isn't much room to play football in Gibraltar, the tiny British owned country in the south of Spain is built on one massive rock but right next to the border of Spain and within a spooned shot distance of the airport is the national stadium that holds around 5,000.
Gibraltar have recently been approved as a UEFA nation and they'll soon be able to complete in Euro qualifiers. Any team that draws them out of the hat will enjoy views of the rock behind one goal and RAF jets landing behind the other. 
Hasteinsvollur, Iceland - Iceland is another country where adequate spaces for football pitches is an issue. If you can brave the minus temperatures you'll be rewarded with beautiful scenery that you just don't get from your local pitch in the UK. Hasteinsvollur is home to IVB of the Iceland's top division and the club of ex-England 'keeper David James.
The stadium lies next to volcano and the club have featured in the Europa League qualifiers in recent years. Yeah Leo Messi might be a good player but could he do it on a cold Tuesday night in Hasteinsvollur? Probably not, it doesn't look they've got floodlights.
Kantrida Stadium, Croatia - Sat in the Croatian coastal city of Rijeka is this gem of a stadium inhabited by Croatian top flight side HNK Rijeka. The stadium has a distinctive appearance wedged between steep cliffs to the north of the ground and the Adriatic Sea to the south. Used also by the national team, away days don't come much sweeter than a trip to the Kantrida. Real Betis and Lyon will be lucky enough to travel to the ground in this season's Europa League group stage.
EstÁdio Municipal de Braga, Portugal - One of the most unique stadiums at the top of the game is the home of Sporting Braga. Built for Euro 2004 with a capacity of 30,000 the stadium was carved into the face of a quarry that overlooks the city of Braga. The stadium features two huge stands on either side of the pitch with the quarry behind one goal and spectacular sprawling views behind the other.
The rock moving process to construct the ground cost around €83million before it hosted Bulgaria vs Denmark and Holland vs Latvia at Euro 2004. A must visit for groundhoppers in Portugal the Estadio Municipal de Braga is considered one of the most structurally impressive stadiums in world football. 
Rheinpark Stadion, Liechtenstein - The Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz is the national stadium of Liechtenstein. A ticket to a match to watch either the national team or FC Vaduz play will get you 90 minutes of football along with unrestricted views of the snowy Alps. You can't go wrong with that, no need for half time entertainment.
Fancy having a kickabout in any of these grounds?
