Football stadium designs that didn't come off [Photos]

Guangzhou Evergrande Stadium. [Internet]

Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande have begun work on the world’s largest football-only stadium.

The stadium started construction today and Evergrande Chairman Hui Ka-yan himself participated in the design. It will be the home of Guangzhou Evergrande FC.

The stadium, due for completion in 2022, has a whopping 100,000 seats and 168 VIP boxes.

Inside of the Guangzhou Evergrande Stadium. [Internet]

But what about the football stadium designs that never came to fruition?

The Liverpool/Everton ‘Siamese’ stadium

Less than a mile separates Anfield and Goodison Park, the home grounds of Liverpool and Everton respectively.

There have been multiple proposals to redevelop or relocate both stadiums, but perhaps the most interesting was the idea put forward in 2010 by a local business consortium for a “Siamese-style” stadium, with the two grounds side by side, separate but connected by a central “spine”.

After a lot of umming and ahhing, Liverpool decided to expand their current stadium, while Everton are planning a “world-class waterfront stadium” including a stand that will house 13,000 fans.

Artist impression of Bramley-Moore Dock

Everton’s planned 52,000-capacity stadium is part of the regeneration of Liverpool’s northern dockland

Chelsea’s new powerhouse

In 2012, Chelsea made a bid to buy the iconic Battersea Power Station in south-west London, with a plan to redevelop it into a 60,000-capacity stadium.

The thinking, at the time, was any plan to increase capacity at Stamford Bridge made no economic sense.

Plans for the new ground included preserving the building’s landmark four chimneys and also the Grade II listed turbine hall and control room.

The atmosphere would have been, ahem, electric. They didn’t win the bid.

Barcelona’s new camp

News Camp Nou Stadium [COURTESY]

The Catalan club went back and forth for a while over whether to build a new stadium or redevelop their iconic home the Nou Camp.

One proposal included a stadium off the bay of the city, connected by a bridge.

In the end they settled on increasing the capacity of the Nou Camp year-on-year, with a goal of 105,000 by the 2021-22 season.

We’d settle for any kind of stadium right now. Football, we miss you.