Drawing on lessons from both sides of the Atlantic, HOK architects Chris DeVolder (Kansas City), Kirsty Mitchell (London) and Rashed Singaby (Denver) examine how history, culture, regulation and market forces shape the design—and the business—of today’s stadiums.
History of the Game
All across Europe, football is woven into neighborhood identity. In England and Scotland, the professional leagues date back to the 1880s. In Spain, Italy and Germany, they go back roughly a century. Pubs on every corner, century-old terraces—heritage permeates every match day. That long history produced rules and rituals that still feel sacred. Many English grounds restrict large flags or drums, while Spanish, German and Italian “ultra” sections often encourage them.
The United States, by comparison, has a young and evolving professional soccer culture. With no entrenched customs—or the tragedies that led to Europe’s stringent safety codes—American clubs started with blank slates and lots of commercial ambition. The contrast between “inherited tradition” and “new-market innovation” underpins every stadium design decision.
Stadium grounds across Europe are part match-day venue, part museum. Tours generate steady revenue by letting visitors step inside living history. While supporters in England tend to resist overt commercialization, thoughtfully planned tour routes, elevated retail galleries, mini-amphitheaters and landscaped public greens can enrich the non-match-day experience without compromising a venue’s legacy.
Follow the Money
Over the past decade, American investors have purchased or taken stakes in several top-flight European clubs and poured funds into broadcast rights and stadium operations. Todd Boehly’s 2022 acquisition of Chelsea is the headline example, but the pattern is clear: new owners arrive with a mandate to modernize facilities, grow media rights and drive profitability.
As U.S. capital reshapes European venues, fan expectations evolve—and American owners, many of whom already hold MLS franchises, chase the authenticity, connectivity and culture that define European match atmospheres. This influence now flows both ways: Europe exports heritage and America exports revenue strategy.
A Sustainable Approach
European stadium projects face tight urban parcels, aggressive carbon-reduction targets and detailed planning policies. Clubs must prove whole-life sustainability, local economic benefit and social value before breaking ground. The result is compact, transit-friendly venues that integrate community functions and, driven by strong climate policies, pursue net-zero goals.
In the U.S., land is usually cheaper and regulations looser, allowing larger footprints, surface parking and energy-intensive amenities. Sustainability still matters—LEED certification is common—but environmental ambition is largely owner-driven rather than mandated. Combining European life-cycle rigor with American flexibility on site planning can offer a powerful path forward.
The Purity of the Seating Bowl
Attend a Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga match and you’ll immediately notice the integrity of the bowl: one continuous rake of seats, with premium suites stacked behind or above rather than interrupting the grandstand. Alcohol rules also shape that communal feel, but they vary by country. England and Scotland ban drinking in view of the pitch, Spain allows only 0%–0.5% beer and Germany generally allows full-strength beer in the stands. Where drinking is restricted, supporters tend to stay put for the full 45-minute half, preserving an uninterrupted wall of sound and a stronger sense of shared experience.
In MLS venues, premium clubs, loge boxes and social terraces are woven into the bowl to increase per-capita revenue. European clubs may leave money on the table, but they safeguard the experience. The middle ground is to monetize pre- and post-match periods with pop-up lounges, field-level dining and post-game social spaces while protecting the 90-minute ritual.
A New Take on Hospitality
Hotels have long stood next to stadiums. Now, developers are embedding select guest rooms into the seating bowl itself. With views of the pitch and an intimate look at the behind-the-scenes operations, these rooms can be highly profitable but come with security and logistical challenges.
Inside the venues on both continents, local food and beverage offerings, adjacent high-end hospitality spaces and social clubs can strengthen brand identity and keep fans on site longer.
Seamless Mixed-Use Development
As we’ve seen in the U.S. with projects like Etihad Park in New York City and Energizer Park in St. Louis, soccer stadiums and their adjacent developments can both centralize team operations and training and positively impact the urban core. In St. Louis, Energizer Park sparked more than $820 million in surrounding development and has breathed new life into its neighborhood. Stadiums anchor these synergistic developments, and planners can create a transparent edge of a district, with schools, shops, restaurants, public parks and hospitality spaces blending in seamlessly.
In the U.K., for example, the sheer number of teams impacts culture and development. They boast 92 teams in the first four divisions and another 72 in the three National Leagues. According to Navigate, an advisor to sports and entertainment brands, if the US had the same density of teams there would be 891 soccer clubs in the states, with seven in Chicago and 23 in New York City.
Where land allows, European clubs can capitalize on this fandom and borrow the U.S. model for urban development with great opportunity for success. Where it doesn’t, they can weave micro-parks, plazas and supporter squares into the dense urban fabric, gaining similar benefits at a smaller scale.
Retail and Sponsorship Opportunities Abound
Today’s young supporters can choose from immersive concerts, experiential sports venues like TopGolf and even updated fair-ground attractions. That abundance has intensified competition for their entertainment dollars and raised expectations for unique, shareable moments inside a stadium.
Brands are responding. Industry forecasts show spending on U.S. soccer sponsorships nearly doubling from about US$ 2.54 billion in 2024 to US$ 4.6 billion by 2030, with women’s soccer delivering an even higher return on engagement. The result is a steady rise in pop-up retail zones, interactive product demos and limited-edition merchandise drops both inside the concourse and in adjacent public plazas.
Opportunities differ by market. In many European leagues—especially England, France and Germany—overt in-bowl sponsorship has historically played a smaller role on match day. Clubs can channel this appetite into the surrounding mixed-use district: fan plazas, street-level shops and temporary pavilions that keep the bowl uncluttered. As fan bases keep diversifying, we expect to see new categories like tech, wellness and fashion joining legacy alcohol and automotive partners.
Bridging Tradition and Innovation
Stadiums are complex buildings that shape culture, anchor neighborhoods and inspire fans. Europe shows how to protect legacy and community; America shows how to diversify revenue and program space year-round. The most successful future venues will blend both philosophies to honor local tradition while embracing global opportunity.
Want to learn more about HOK’s approach to soccer stadiums? Contact Chris DeVolder, director of Sports + Recreation + Entertainment, Kirsty Mitchell, senior project manager or Rashed Singaby, senior project designer.