Climbing the property ladder

Craven Cottage is set for a massive makeover

BBC Sport Online examines football's property boom as more and more English clubs decide to move away from or redevelop their spiritual homes.

Thousands of football fans are about to discover that moving to a new home can be a stressful business.

Leicester, Fulham and Darlington supporters are all bracing themselves for the highs and lows of relocation as they follow their team to pastures new next season.

And in the next few years they could be copied by as many as eight other clubs as football's property boom shows no signs of a slowdown.

  Clubs on the move

Leicester: Walker's Stadium, 2002

Fulham: Loftus Road, 2002-03

Darlington: Neasham Road, 2002

Manchester City: Eastlands, 2003

Arsenal: Ashburton Grove, 2004

Leeds: Stourton, 2004

Everton: King's Waterfront, 2005

Wimbledon: Milton Keynes, no date

Brighton: Falmer, no date

Bristol City/Rovers: no date

Leicester will mark their relegation to the First Division by quitting Filbert Street for the 32,000-capacity Walker's Stadium.

QPR's Loftus Road will become Fulham's temporary home while they are waiting for Craven Cottage to be transformed into a 30,000 all-seater arena.

And ambitious Darlington will become the envy of the Third Division when they move into a new 25,000 stadium at Neasham Road.

Some clubs decide to move - or redevelop - for financial gain, others simply need a place to call home.

Bolton, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Derby, Southampton, Stoke, Reading, Wigan, Bournemouth and Oxford have all taken the plunge in recent years.

Manchester City are looking forward to settling into their new 48,000-capacity ground at Eastlands next year when development is completed after the Commonwealth Games.

There were various stresses at the beginning and to an extent we are still adapting

Southampton fan Nick Illingsworth

Arsenal plan to leave Highbury for a 60,000 stadium at nearby Ashburton Grove in 2004-05, by which time Leeds hope to welcome 50,000 fans to a new ground on the outskirts of the city.

Everton's proposals for a 55,000-capacity stadium on King's Waterfront, to be ready for 2005-06, are approaching the crucial planning stage.

Wimbledon's controversial plans to relocate to Milton Keynes face fierce opposition from their fans.

But long-suffering Brighton supporters cannot wait to end their nomadic existence by moving to a new stadium at Falmer.

Bristol City and Bristol Rovers could even end up sharing the same ground as the local council is currently exploring the possibility of building a new stadium in the city.

Southampton fans are well placed to advise on removal matters after swapping The Dell for the St Mary's Stadium at the start of the season.

Leicester's new stadium will open to First Division football

Adjustments to the Saturday afternoon routine were compounded by a nightmare start on the pitch, which finally ended with a win against Charlton in late November.

"There were various stresses at the beginning and to an extent we are still adapting," admits Southampton Independent Supporters Association chairman Nick Illingsworth.

"But you gradually settle into a routine, work out where to park and which bars to drink at, and it's starting to feel like home now.

"It's probably better for Leicester fans that they have already been relegated because they can look to the future now and start to focus on the move."

Fulham fans face the bizarre prospect of supporting their team from stands usually occupied by supporters who see them as the enemy.

But David Lloyd, editor of Fulham fanzine There's Only One F in Fulham, believes the suffering will be worth it in the end.

"We don't want to leave but we have the consolation of knowing we will be coming back to a brilliant stadium, and hopefully with the team going great guns on the pitch," he said.

The Fulham faithful can console themselves with the fact that they will be in illustrious company next season.

Juventus supporters also face a year in exile while their beloved Stadio delle Alpi is transformed into an "English-style" venue - and they still have no idea where the team will play in the meantime.