Buying tickets to a stadium you’ve never been to can be nerve-wracking. You have no idea where the best seats are or if there will be a pillar blocking your view.
While it might seem straightforward enough, there’s a bit of a nuance to picking seats at sports stadiums. Here’s how to get the best seat in the house the next time you buy Etihad Stadium tickets or any tickets for that matter.
Picture the Layout and Sightlines
Almost every ticket website gives you a layout of the stadium. Use this to your advantage. For football, you might want a seat somewhere along midfield so you can see the majority of the action or behind a goal if you like the energy diehard fans create.
If you have to buy a seat in an upper deck, you should still try to pick one in either of those two locations. The farther up you are, the harder it will be to see the action, but the cheaper the tickets might be. Seats in between the goal and midfield are still decent picks if the others are taken.
Basketball is similar to football in that the seats by the halfcourt line are the best, as you can see all of the action. A seat right behind the announcers for college basketball is the best way to watch up-and-coming players. For other sports with non-rectangular fields, like baseball, it’s different. Home plate seats offer the best view of the action. You’ll see every pitch, every swing, and every infield play.
Seats behind the dugouts also offer a great view of the players and action, while seats behind the outfield offer a limited view of the action but are great for catching home runs and cheap tickets.
In short, you should visualize the game and where you would best see all of the action. These seats will be the most expensive, however, so you may want to pick seats near those or on the upper deck if you’re looking to save some cash.
You can also use Google to help find the absolute worst seats in a stadium, helping you avoid seats near poles and other fixtures that may block your sight.
Atmosphere vs. Comfort
As we mentioned before, you can find seats with a lively atmosphere and energetic fans at any stadium. These seats are often behind goals or the teams themselves. You may find them listed as supporter or “ultra” sections. Just be sure to pick the seats corresponding to the team you want to root for!
For comfort beyond the typical plastic seats, you’ll want to look into box seats or VIP tickets. Box seats give you a private room high up in the stadium, with a great view of the action.
Box seats often feature cushiony chairs, a private enclosed area, and some sort of service. Don’t feel like waiting in line for a burger? That’s fine! Just click a button, and one will be brought to you.
Box seats can be insanely expensive depending on your budget, but they’re the ultimate way to experience a game if you’re looking to maximize comfort.
Weather
This is a huge one that is often forgotten. Besides the typical rain, you also need to consider the sun. Rain can be a problem if the stadium is open to the sky, but depending on your seats, that may not be a problem as you may have an overhang above you.
The sun, however, can blind you and make it impossible to watch the game, even with a hat and sunglasses. Try to find a recording of the previous match to see where the sun falls. Avoid seats that will be in direct sunlight for the majority of the game.
Check Forums
Behind every sports team is a diehard group of fans. And those fans love to chat on forums and Facebook groups. Social media can be useful even though more and more people seem to be leaving it.
Head over to your favorite social media site, or simply Google the team with the word “forum,” and you’ll find the best group of people to ask questions.
You can probably find a thread on the topic of best seats in their stadium already, but fans love to help newcomers and probably wouldn’t be upset if you asked again about specific seats. Teams will also make posts about how to find the best seats, so be sure to check those out as well.
In the end, you can’t go wrong with any seat in a stadium. The atmosphere and live game will be enjoyable from just about anywhere. You can save yourself some headaches by doing some research beforehand, though.
Try to find seat maps if you can and know ahead of time what you’re looking for, whether that’s an energetic crowd or a great view from the sidelines.
You’ll also want to keep the weather in mind, as a hot sun beating down on you all day can put a damper on the game. When in doubt, reach out to fans on forums and social media to get firsthand knowledge of where the best seats are.
