Specialist events and hospitality teams from over 70 football, rugby and cricket venues across the UK joined together to recognise and celebrate their ‘off the pitch’ successes at The Stadium Events & Hospitality Awards 2025.
The event is organised by Stadium Experience annually, and recognises the efforts and dedication shown by the catering, conference and events teams at every football, rugby and cricket stadium.
71 clubs were nominated for awards, with 26 different venues scooping at least one of 45 gongs. There were Bronze, Silver and Winner awards presented across 15 categories.
For the second year running, Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club scooped the top gong for Overall Matchday Hospitality Experience 2025, fighting off tough competition from 31 participating venues across the leagues. The full results list of 2025 award winners includes;
*NEW* Event Agents Choice Award
Voted for by event agents who are asked to vote for their top stadium venue where they have had the best event enquiry experience.
WINNER: MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA
Non-Matchday Mystery Shopper Award
This award is based on a mystery shopper corporate/business event sales enquiry call and follow up, made by our new judges from Sandown Effective Sales Solutions.
WINNER: RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: SOUTHAMPTON FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: ROTHERHAM UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Matchday Sales Team of the Year Award
This award recognises the very best matchday sales team in UK stadium venues. Winners demonstrated strategies for growth, brave new ideas, and overcoming challenges.
WINNER: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: SOUTHAMPTON FOOTBALL CLUB
Non-Matchday Sales Team of the Year Award
This award recognises the very best non-matchday sales team in UK stadium venues. Winners demonstrates strategies for growth, new ideas for unique and different events, creative use of their spaces, and overcoming challenges.
WINNER: MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: MKM STADIUM, HULL
BRONZE: ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB
Operations Team of the Year Award
This award recognises the often unseen behind-the-scenes teams that make stadium events run so smoothly, going above and beyond the call of duty to provide the very best service to customers.
WINNER: LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: COVENTRY BUILDING SOCIETY ARENA
Stadium Event of the Year Award
This award recognises the very best stadium event held in the last year. Judges specifically looked for a stadium venue which has displayed exceptional venue facilities and outstanding guest experiences.
WINNER: MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB (Christmas at City – Fan & Family Event)
SILVER: NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB (Trophy celebrations with 350,000+ people and only 11 days to organise)
BRONZE: SOUTHAMPTON FOOTBALL CLUB (Carnival Cruises bespoke Christmas Party for 1500 people)
Above & Beyond Recognition Award
This award recognises those individuals or teams who are simply outstanding at what they do, and continuously shine.
WINNER: KATY JOHNSON AT LEEDS HEADINGLEY STADIUM
SILVER: JULIE-ANN BUXTON-BEALES AT BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: POLLY WARD AT WALSALL FOOTBALL CLUB
A live theatre chef competition held at Xcelerate with Edgbaston – A regional community skills and learning centre in Birmingham. Chef teams had 90 mins to prepare, cook and present a three-course menu suitable for their Club Chairman to entertain the Head of the FA or RFU to dinner. Served anonymously and judged by The British Culinary Federation.
WINNER: EDGBASTON STADIUM
SILVER: CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: LEEDS UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
This award recognises the best retail catering teams at stadia across the UK. Winners demonstrated commercial growth, high quality food offerings or proactive sustainability improvements.
WINNER: HULL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: BRENTFORD FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB
Visiting Rugby Directors Award
Voted for by Directors at rugby clubs who are asked where they had the best away experience this season. They are specifically asked to consider the welcome, service and catering.
WINNER: LEEDS RHINOS RUGBY CLUB
SILVER: WARRINGTON WOLVES RUGBY CLUB
BRONZE: WIGAN WARRIORS RUGBY CLUB
Visiting Football Directors Award
Voted for by Directors at football clubs who are asked where they had the best away experience this season. They are specifically asked to consider the welcome, service and catering.
WINNER: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: MIDDLESBROUGH FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB
Judged by experienced chef and hospitality experts who are part of chef industry associations such as The British Culinary Federation, Craft Guild of Chefs and more. Judges visit each venue to experience their full matchday offering. The clubs they visit rotates regularly, and their scores and reports are validated to ensure consistency across the board. Each element is carefully considered and scored against strict criteria.
This award is split into 3 categories (small, medium and large) based on the number of hospitality seats on a matchday to compare similar sized matchday operations:
Matchday Hospitality Award – Small Stadium (up to 1000 hospitality seats)
WINNER: STOCKPORT COUNTY FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: MORECAMBE FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN FOOTBALL CLUB
Matchday Hospitality Award – Medium Stadium (1001 – 2000 hospitality seats)
WINNER: BRENTFORD FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: BRISTOL BEARS RUGBY CLUB
BRONZE: HAMPDEN PARK STADIUM
Matchday Hospitality Award – Large Stadium (2001+ hospitality seats)
WINNER: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: LEEDS UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
BRONZE: MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Overall Matchday Hospitality Award
This award pitches all sized clubs against all (regardless of size) to announce the overall winning UK stadium that provides the very best matchday hospitality experience.
WINNER: BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION FOOTBALL CLUB
SILVER: BRENTFORD RUGBY CLUB
BRONZE: BRISTOL BEARS RUGBY CLUB
Stadium Experience Chair Person Collette Salmon, commented: “Another year and another milestone, we have now grown our membership to over 70 Stadium Venues across the UK across Football, Rugby and Cricket, our aim is to make sure that our venues keep up to date with new trends, directives, offering diverse and sustainable events, giving our customers the best experience in a very unique way, different to other venues adding a bit a little bit of the sporting magic to events, whether they are a having a business or personal event.
“This year has seen us come back to having face to face events and seeing each other again to share our experiences and offer each other help, because that is what we do best at Stadium Experience. Thank you to all our members, the leadership team all the Winners in celebrating at our Awards evening, Brighton for hosting us and celebrating our success. Congratulations to every single person who is part of this journey, Debbie who keeps us in line and brings this superb event together for us, long may we continue.”
“There has been a positive exchange of ideas, which has helped us shape our products and services into the Stadia and Event Hospitality space. There is plenty of energy and innovative ideas around this group, focused on the guest experience and delivering memorable experiences.”
The 2025 event concluded with the announcement of the host venue in 2026, which will be held at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the new home of Everton FC.