5 stadiums that are shared by football clubs in Europe

Most top football clubs have entire sections of the city devoted to them. Identifying with a football club means more to fans than treating it as a pastime.The ultras among the fan sections have notorious histories of clashes with opposition fans and the atmosphere of derby games is exhilarating. Each club has a home and fans love the home grounds of their club.

Now imagine what it would mean to fans having to share grounds with their biggest rivals? For many that question is a reality. This list of ground sharing deals is surprising because many of these clubs share historical rivalries and many interesting matches over the decades.

And so here is a list of five surprising ground shares in Europe.

---

#5 Jan Breydel Stadium (Club Brugge KV and Cercle Brugge KSV)

The stadium is a multi-purpose venue located in Sint-Andries in Brugges. It is surprising that the second most successful club in Belgium -- Club Brugge KV -- share their ground with neighbours Cercle Brugge KSV.

Both sides most recently played in the Jupiler League from 2003-15, the country's top tier, and have shared the 29,042 capacity ground which is owned by the city and neither of the clubs.

The stadium has been witness to the rise and fall of Cercle Brugge KSV, currently under the ownership of AS Monaco and playing in the second tier.

#4 Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi (Hellas Verona and Chievo Verona)

The beautiful Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi

The 39,211 capacity ground has been shared by the two biggest clubs in the city both currently in the Serie A. Hellas Verona is a traditionally bigger side having won the Scudetto in the 1984-85 season. The stadium was built and owned by the City of Verona municipality.

The ground which now also accommodates Virtus Verona, a club from the city and now in Serie D in 2012-13. Chievo have become perennial mid-table finishers in the league while Hellas Verona suffered relegation in 2015/16 to bounce back up only to struggle so far this season.

Despite having nearly 40,000 seats, the clubs average between 10,000 to 15,000 fans a season with the highest attendance when both clubs were in the Serie A at 21,172 for Hellas Verona.

#3 Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Genoa CFC and UC Sampdoria)

Stadio Luigi Ferraris

The stadium is owned by the municipality of Genoa and operated by two of the biggest clubs in the city with Genoa having played here since 1911 and Sampdoria sharing the ground since 1946.

Genoa CFC won the Scudetto 9 times in the first two decades of the 20th century and Sampdoria won the Scudetto in 1990-91, their only title. Sampdoria have been more successful in recent years and the two sets of fans share a heated rivalry.

Both clubs have had the higher share of attendance on many occasions with Sampdoria edging out Genoa CFC in recent years.

#2 Stadio Olimpico (AS Roma and SS Lazio)

Stadio Olimpico located in Rome

AS Roma were formed by a union of all clubs in Rome to stop the domination of Italian football by northern sides. The only club that opposed the formation were SS Lazio. It is safe to say there is no love lost between the Italian capital clubs. Their rivalry is considered amongst the most intense in the world.

The Stadio Olimpico has been shared from 1953 by the clubs who moved in at the same time. It has also started hosting rugby games for the Italian national rugby team.

Built and owned by the Italian Olympic Committee the stadium has hosted major events in the Olympics as well. The ground can accommodate 72,000 people in the stands.

#1 San Siro/Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (AC Milan and Inter Milan)

The iconic San Siro

Probably the most famous arrangement of ground sharing between the second and third most successful clubs in Italy with 18 league titles each and 10 Champions League/European Cup titles between them.

The San Siro can house 80,000 people and is owned by the Municipality of Milan. AC Milan have occupied the stadium since 1926 and Inter began using the ground in 1947 after moving from a host of grounds around the city.

The San Siro is an iconic venue in football with an intense rivalry between the two sets of fans who are drawn from different social sections of the city according to research.