Deepdale, Football and rugby league stadium in Preston, England
Deepdale is a football and rugby league ground in Preston, England, made up of four covered stands that hold around 24,500 spectators in total. The structure surrounds a rectangular playing field with continuous rows of seating, and each stand has its own name based on compass directions or local references.
The site opened in 1875 as a cricket ground and switched to football three years later, making it the oldest continuously used professional football venue in the world today. The current stands were built between the 1990s and early 2000s, replacing older open terraces and smaller covered sections.
The ground takes its name from the shallow valley where it was built, and this natural feature shaped the site long before any structure appeared. Visitors today see the bronze statue of Tom Finney at the main entrance, a figure who remains one of the most celebrated players in local memory and a common meeting point on match days.
The ground sits on Sir Tom Finney Way and can be reached on foot from Preston railway station in around 15 minutes, with parking available nearby for drivers. Visitors should plan to arrive early on match days, as roads around the site tend to get busier before kickoff.
During the Second World War, the site was temporarily used as a training ground for troops and a storage area for military equipment before football resumed after the conflict ended. In the early 2000s, it housed the National Football Museum, which drew tens of thousands of visitors each year before the collection moved to Manchester.
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