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When it comes to naming the preeminent soccer stadiums of England, a few names immediately come to mind: Anfield, Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, maybe Craven Cottage if you enjoy going against the grain.
All four are among the oldest stadiums in England — with each being well over a century in age
Leitch was active between 1899 and 1939 — a stretch when football clubs across England and Scotland were beginning to be recognized and pillars of society, and thus were deserving of tidy cathedrals to play in.
At one point in the 1920's, Leitch had built 16 of the 22 stadiums in the English First Division (either the original or was involved renovations).
His stadiums were not particularly flashy — a product of his previous experience planning factories — with steel-constructed stands, pitched roofs and the ocassional ornamental detail. But they were built to last.
Of the 40 stadiums Leitch was involved in designing between 1899 and 1939, 27 are still in use today, including seven in the Premier League: Anfield, Goodison Park, Molineux, Old Trafford, Selhurst Park, Stamford Bridge and Villa Park.
Between them, these top flight grounds have an average age of nearly 125 years, so it's no coincidence that a list of oldest soccer stadiums in England is essentially a manifest of Leitch's work.
The first half of Leitch's career spanned the latter portions of the Second Industrial Revolution, a period that generated significant economic and population growth in the urban hubs of England.
