Which Football Stadiums Are Closest to Airport Runways?
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A reader's question sparked a global search: which professional football club plays nearest to an airport? The answer involves remarkably short walks.
After St Mirren's cup win highlighted its proximity to Glasgow Airport, fans proposed clubs like Glentoran (Belfast City Airport) and Eastleigh (Southampton Airport). But one Icelandic club may be the outright winner.
Valur, a club in Iceland's capital, is exceptionally close to Reykjavík Airport. According to measurements using Google Maps, the fence around Valur's ground is only about 150 metres from the airport's perimeter fence. The distance from a training pitch to airport tarmac is 230m, and from a corner flag to the end of a runway is 380m.
The airport handles domestic and some international flights, meaning Valur's players and fans are never far from the sound of arriving aircraft.