Changing the Game: Meet Martin Robinson
In this Changing the Game blog series, we dive into the creative minds shaping the future of stadium and arena design; exploring how they elevate the fan experience, drive commercial revenue growth, and bring new life to communities.
Martin Robinson has over 30 years of experience in sports architecture. His work on high-profile sports projects worldwide has included the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Chelsea Football Club. Martin focuses on stadium and arena design, balancing achieving commercial goals for owners with creating exceptional experiences for fans while contributing to urban regeneration and renewal.
Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.
I started my career as an architect in London. During my training, I had the opportunity to work on various commercial and hospitality projects, but my passion for football led me to a career in sports architecture.
For 25 years, I focused on growing and developing one of the UK’s leading sports practices, working with Premier League teams such as Bolton Wanderers Football Club. My role as Managing Director gave me the unique opportunity to be involved in the oversight of a wide range of projects for multiple clients.
More recently, I’ve been working alongside Dan Meis on the new Everton Football Club Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, due to open for the 2025-26 English Premier League season. I am helping to grow AECOM’s sports offering across the UK, Europe, and Middle East. This role allows me to combine my experience with my lifelong passion for creating world-class sports venues that inspire entire communities.
My passion for football led me to a career in sports architecture.
Talk to us about one of your favorite stadium design projects.
One of my favorite projects was leading the design competition for the London Aquatics Centre, designed and built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was an incredible experience to write the design brief and manage the competition process, which brought together six world-class architectural teams: FaulknerBrowns, Make, Bennetts Associates, Studio Zoppini, Zaha Hadid, Behnisch & Partner, Dominique Perrault, and Massimiliano Fuksas.
I worked closely with each team throughout the process, ensuring their ideas aligned with the City’s and Local Organizing Committee’s (LOC) vision for the Games. The competition was chaired by world-renowned architect, the late Richard Rogers, and won by Zaha Hadid’s studio. Her work not only became a centerpiece for the Olympic and Paralympic Games but provided a lasting and valuable legacy for the people of Stratford and the surrounding boroughs.
Being part of such a transformative project, with its global significance and enduring impact, remains a career highlight for me. It showcased the power of collaboration and the ability of architecture to elevate international events that continue today.
One of my favorite projects was leading the design competition for the London Aquatics Centre, designed and built for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
How do your stadium designs balance the commercial goals of a club with the fan experience?
Balancing a club’s commercial goals with the fan experience is at the core of great stadium design. Whether it’s football, baseball and basketball in the U.S. or soccer in the UK, fans are at the heart of any sport or club. So, it’s absolutely crucial that we prioritize their experience when designing a stadium or arena. At the same time, clubs are commercial entities — they need to generate revenue to fund what happens on the pitch, so their financial goals must be integrated into the design. I always aim to create spaces and places that not only enhance the matchday experience for fans but that also provide new and different opportunities for clubs to generate revenue. New projects are much more than just a stadium. They are effectively mixed-use schemes including multiple elements such as fan zones, hotels, retail and commercial.
More recently, I’ve seen the hugely influential role social media platforms such as X and Instagram have on our ability as architects to actively engage fans directly in our designs. During the design process for the new Everton Stadium, Dan joined the club’s Fan Advisory Board meetings and regularly responded to posts from fans that directly helped to shape the finished design. This real-time connection really helps us bridge the gap that can sometimes exist between a club’s ownership and the fan base throughout a design project.
I always aim to create spaces and places that not only enhance the matchday experience for fans but that also provide new and different opportunities for clubs to generate revenue.
How do you see stadiums and arenas contributing to long-term urban renewal?
Stadiums and arenas play a crucial role in long-term urban renewal as they are direct catalysts for economic growth, infrastructure development and community transformation. When planned strategically, they can revitalize underdeveloped or decaying areas, turning them into thriving urban neighborhoods. These sports projects often bring other wider community improvements with them, such as better transportation networks, new retailers and pop-up businesses, equally benefiting both the match-day crowds and local residents.
A prime example of this is the area around Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London, which has seen dramatic changes over the past 15 years. Beyond sports, modern stadiums function as community hubs, hosting events year-round — from weddings and business meetings to cultural activities. These new spaces have brought together people from diverse backgrounds and across the economic spectrum, becoming an absolute social hub for the community. We’re likely to see something similar happen in Liverpool when the new Everton Stadium opens, coinciding with the investment going into the City’s historic waterfront.
New stadia and arenas are not only sports venues but are businesses. With many now operating 365 days a year, they contribute to local economies, create jobs and provide essential infrastructure improvements. By supporting a wide range of community activities, they enhance the quality of life for residents and become integral parts of the urban landscape, providing lasting benefits for both the community and the city.
When planned strategically, they can revitalize underdeveloped or decaying areas, turning them into thriving urban neighborhoods.