Fans reflect on the ground they learned to call home

"There's memories that we've had inside that ground that will stay with us all for the rest of our lives," say football fans reflecting on 25 years at the stadium they learned to call home.

St Mary's Stadium, the home of Southampton Football Club, hosted its first competitive game on 25 August 2001.

Now, a quarter of a century on, those who know the ground best have shared their memories.

Southampton Football Club was first founded at St Mary's Church in 1885.

After playing its early games across the city, it eventually moved to The Dell on Milton Road, which was much loved by fans and remained the club's home for more than 100 years.

The Saints entered the 21st Century by returning to their spiritual home in St Mary's.

"The steeple of the church you can still see from the stands today," said Southampton Football Club historian Duncan Holley.

He remembers fans feeling a mix of sadness and excitement in 2001 when they left The Dell, which held just over 15,000 people, and moved to St Mary's Stadium, with a capacity of more than 32,000.

"It's a bit like moving from a cramped Victorian terrace to a posh house in a marina," Holley said.

The season ticket holder, who has attended the large majority of his team's matches at the new ground, said fans were "proud" of the new stadium, built just a stone's throw from the River Itchen.

He remembers sitting in the stands for the first time to watch a friendly against Spanish side Espanyol.

Holley said he initially felt out of place in the modern venue, until the crowd began singing "Oh When the Saints Go Marching In".

"It brought a bit of a lump to my throat," he said.

"It sort of proved that the fans are the steady element amongst everything. We might move house, we might move ground, but it's the actual fans that remain the same, the songs that remain the same."

Despite that early emotion, "it took a long time for St Mary's to really come alive", remembers Martin Sanders, who runs a Southampton fan channel on YouTube.

The first competitive game at the new ground ended in a 2-0 defeat by Chelsea and the club continued to struggle to secure a home win.

The poor run left some supporters speculating about a "St Mary's curse" and whether a Portsmouth Football Club shirt had been planted by their arch-rivals beneath the centre circle.

Sanders remembers how the "curse" was finally broken on 24 November 2001 with a 1-0 victory over Charlton Athletic.

He said the stadium, which he calls his "church", has gone on to host some memorable moments.

He remembers Senegal forward Sadio Mané scoring the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history against Aston Villa in 2015, a 2-1 Europa League victory over Italian giants Inter Milan in 2016, and a "really special night" beating West Bromwich Albion in the play-off semi-final in 2024, as Saints headed back towards the top flight.

"It still gives me goosebumps when I walk in and you see the pitch and the players and the noise builds," Sanders said.

"I like to be one of the last ones there when the seagulls are flying around afterwards."

Glen De La Cour went to his first Southampton game in 1976 and spent 25 years watching the club at The Dell before another 25 years at St Mary's.

The presenter of the Total Saints Podcast also worked at the gas works that were partially knocked down to make way for the new ground.

He remembers sitting inside the stadium for the first time and thinking: "Wow, we're going to be playing here."

"It just seemed like a world away from what we were used to," he said.

His highlight came when Southampton secured promotion to the Premier League in 2012, culminating in a 4-0 victory over Coventry City on the final day of the season.

The final whistle sparked a jubilant pitch invasion by supporters.

"Everything seemed very good," De La Cour said.

He now dreams of one day seeing Saints return to the top flight and perhaps reliving "massive" European nights at the ground.

Away from the pitch, he believes a big effort has been made to make St Mary's feel like home and described the introduction of fan zones and the use of the site for wider events as a "very good innovation".

The stadium has also become one of the south coast's biggest music venues, hosting stars including Elton John, Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, The Rolling Stones and The Killers.

Take That have become regular visitors too, returning for two nights in 2024 and again in May this year, while McFly headlined at the ground in June.

St Mary's has also found other ways to play a part in city life. It has hosted outdoor cinema screenings and big-screen football events, while in 2026 thousands of runners taking part in the Southampton 10K, half marathon and marathon were routed through the stadium as one of the highlights of the course.

Ellie Brett was one of the runners who made her way through the venue and said it gave her a "boost".

The 24-year-old Southampton superfan has only ever known St Mary's and said she has "fallen completely in love with it" since watching her first game there with her father when she was eight.

"It's the home of our football club," she said.

"There's memories that we've had inside that ground that will stay with us all for the rest of our lives, so it really does mean a lot to us all."

The underdog moments stand out among her fondest memories, including beating Arsenal 2-1 "against all the odds" in the FA Cup last season to secure a semi-final tie at Wembley.

She also remembers the "great moment" when Southampton came from two goals down to beat Liverpool 3-2 in the Premier League in 2016.

"Ronald Koeman running down the line to celebrate with them was just unbelievable," Brett said.

She hopes the next 25 years will bring similar scenes but admitted: "You never know, because being a Saints fan's a rollercoaster, so you don't know what's going to happen."