Home of Burton Albion FC
Opened 2005
Capacity 6,912
★★★★★
★★★★★
The new fanzine that is open before each match is excellent and offers home fans somewhere to gather prior to the game. There are stalls and tents selling food and drinks, with a central marquee with a DJ. A really good concept. We saw the third kit being launched from here in September 2924.
4 months ago
A miserable grey day every time I visit this place. Never even get so much as a point whenever I come! 😜 Seriously though, not a bad modern stadium but like all others lacks because of location and lack of facilities. Fodder over priced and awful quality. Never gonna win any Footyscran awards (though nor will Town!) Easy enough to find.
3 months ago
A very well designed newer stadium with the feeling of a throwback to an older ground with the amount of terracing. Great acoustics with the low roof and the feeling of a warm family welcome from the home team.
Plently of parking and fairly accessible with having the car. Was a boxing day fixture so the attendance was good which added to the atmosphere.
a year ago
Great small family stadium, mostly terraces apart from the main stand which is seating.
Easy to get to, and plenty of parking around (costs about a fiver, although there's some free parking in the trading park on Hawkins Lane, across the railway bridge opposite the ground).
There's a good atmosphere and friendly staff.
10 months ago
History (from Wikipedia)
Planning and construction[edit]
Plans for a new ground for Burton Albion had existed since July 2003, when it was becoming apparent that the club's progress and ambition on the pitch was not matched by their current Eton Park stadium, despite having spent £1 million to bring the ground up to Football Conference standards following their recent promotion to that league.[4] A new stadium would need to be created to Football League standards in the event of a further promotion. In June 2003 it was revealed that the club were hoping to acquire land on the Pirelli Sports and Social Club, with artists' impressions of the new ground first appearing on 6 August 2003.[4] This date coincided with the club submitting planning proposals to Staffordshire County Council for the new ground, originally intended to have a capacity of 6,000, representing a 25% increase on the capacity of Eton Park.[4] The original proposals also included a new training pitch to be available for community use, whilst also incorporating relocation of the Eton Park Bowling Club and Football Tavern.[4][12]
Club chairman Ben Robinson outlined the need for the stadium to be the focal point of football in the local community, claiming "The new football ground will provide modern facilities for the club to secure its ongoing development, and enable it to offer better coaching within the community and provide better facilities for schools and local clubs."[4] The planning proposal also included a planning application to allow the redevelopment of Eton Park into residential properties, a move intended to fund the construction of the new stadium, and also a proposal by Pirelli to include new distribution units on their adjacent national distribution centre.[4]
Artistic impressions were submitted to the local council by architects Hadfield, Cawkwell and Davidson, of Sheffield.[4] Construction work was carried out by Burton firm Bison,[4] who were the club's shirt sponsors at the time. Work began in December 2003 in anticipation for being ready for the 2004–05 season.[4]
Conference years (2005–2009)[edit]
The first fixture at the new ground was held on 16 July 2005 with a pre-season friendly against Chester City.[13] A crowd of 1,341 saw Chester defeat the Brewers 1–0, with the distinction of scoring the first goal at the stadium landing to Chester trialist Avun Jephcott.[13] The first Albion player to score at the ground was trialist Kevin Street in a pre-season friendly against Hull City, a match that ended in a 2–2 draw.[14] The ground was officially opened on 14 November 2005 with a friendly match against Manchester United.[15] Special guests Sir Alex Ferguson, Pirelli managing director Dominic Sandivasci and Barbara Clough, widow of Brian Clough and mother of then-Brewers manager Nigel Clough, marked the ceremony by unveiling a plaque.[15] In the match itself, a crowd of 6,065 saw the Brewers defeat the young United side 2–1.[15] Just before this match the stadium's official capacity having been fully completed had been set by Staffordshire County Council's safety committee at 6,068.[16]
The first competitive fixture held at the ground was a Football Conference fixture against Grays Athletic on 13 August 2005.[17] 1,654 people witnessed a 1–1, with Aaron Webster scoring the stadium's first competitive goal.[17] Later that season on 8 January 2006, with the stadium's capacity now increased to 6,200, the stadium's capacity record was broken in an FA Cup third-round match, ironically again against Manchester United, against whom the previous record had been set. 6,191 saw the Brewers bely their non-league status against the Premier League side, earning a 0–0 draw, forcing a replay at Old Trafford.[18] This is still the record FA Cup attendance at the ground. The match also saw the introduction of a new electronic scoreboard, placed in the Eastern side of the South Stand, however this was the only game that the board functioned.[18]
CCTV was installed around the perimeter of the stadium in 2007 following a spate of vandalism,[19] including rocks being thrown at the shop window, and trees planted as part of a landscaping project around the stadium being uprooted and damaged. On one occasion a wooden cable drum was rolled across the car park through a fence and into a drainage channel.[19] A new electronic scoreboard was installed prior to the 2008–09 season, however it first functioned in a Setanta Shield match against Kidderminster Harriers on 4 November 2008.[20] The new board is suspended from the roof of the Coors Visitor Stand, prohibiting its view from the away supporters.[21]
Football League (2009–present)[edit]
Prior to the club's inaugural season in the Football League, in June 2009 the club was given the go-ahead to raise the official capacity of the ground by 712, indicating a rise from 6,200, which had been the agreed capacity at the inauguration of the stadium, to 6,912, an increase of more than 10 percent, following discussion with safety inspectors and Staffordshire County Council.[22] The club was also encouraged to fund a toucan crossing for pedestrians crossing the adjacent Princess Way, due to the increase in fans that had coincided with the club's promotion.[23] Work on this project began on 2 August 2009, having originally been proposed during the planning stages of the stadium construction.[24] These moves were acknowledged with a renewal of the stadium's safety certificate on 12 July 2010 by the council's safety advisory group.[10]
The stadium hosted its first ever Football League match on 15 August 2009 against Morecambe, in a match that attracted a crowd of 2,742. Goals from Shaun Harrad, John McGrath, Russell Penn and a Greg Pearson brace ensured a 5–2 victory for the Brewers against their former Conference rivals.[25] The first hat-trick at the stadium was also the first hat-trick scored by a Brewers player in the Football League, achieved by Greg Pearson in a 6–1 victory over Aldershot Town on 12 December 2009. This scoreline is also the Brewers' record victory margin at the stadium.[26] The stadium also witnessed one of the highest scoring matches in Football League history on 13 March 2010 when the Brewers were defeated 5–6 by Cheltenham Town.[27]
Plans for a new ground for Burton Albion had existed since July 2003, when it was becoming apparent that the club's progress and ambition on the pitch was not matched by their current Eton Park stadium, despite having spent £1 million to bring the ground up to Football Conference standards following their recent promotion to that league.[4] A new stadium would need to be created to Football League standards in the event of a further promotion. In June 2003 it was revealed that the club were hoping to acquire land on the Pirelli Sports and Social Club, with artists' impressions of the new ground first appearing on 6 August 2003.[4] This date coincided with the club submitting planning proposals to Staffordshire County Council for the new ground, originally intended to have a capacity of 6,000, representing a 25% increase on the capacity of Eton Park.[4] The original proposals also included a new training pitch to be available for community use, whilst also incorporating relocation of the Eton Park Bowling Club and Football Tavern.[4][12]
Club chairman Ben Robinson outlined the need for the stadium to be the focal point of football in the local community, claiming "The new football ground will provide modern facilities for the club to secure its ongoing development, and enable it to offer better coaching within the community and provide better facilities for schools and local clubs."[4] The planning proposal also included a planning application to allow the redevelopment of Eton Park into residential properties, a move intended to fund the construction of the new stadium, and also a proposal by Pirelli to include new distribution units on their adjacent national distribution centre.[4]
Artistic impressions were submitted to the local council by architects Hadfield, Cawkwell and Davidson, of Sheffield.[4] Construction work was carried out by Burton firm Bison,[4] who were the club's shirt sponsors at the time. Work began in December 2003 in anticipation for being ready for the 2004–05 season.[4]
Conference years (2005–2009)[edit]
The first fixture at the new ground was held on 16 July 2005 with a pre-season friendly against Chester City.[13] A crowd of 1,341 saw Chester defeat the Brewers 1–0, with the distinction of scoring the first goal at the stadium landing to Chester trialist Avun Jephcott.[13] The first Albion player to score at the ground was trialist Kevin Street in a pre-season friendly against Hull City, a match that ended in a 2–2 draw.[14] The ground was officially opened on 14 November 2005 with a friendly match against Manchester United.[15] Special guests Sir Alex Ferguson, Pirelli managing director Dominic Sandivasci and Barbara Clough, widow of Brian Clough and mother of then-Brewers manager Nigel Clough, marked the ceremony by unveiling a plaque.[15] In the match itself, a crowd of 6,065 saw the Brewers defeat the young United side 2–1.[15] Just before this match the stadium's official capacity having been fully completed had been set by Staffordshire County Council's safety committee at 6,068.[16]
The first competitive fixture held at the ground was a Football Conference fixture against Grays Athletic on 13 August 2005.[17] 1,654 people witnessed a 1–1, with Aaron Webster scoring the stadium's first competitive goal.[17] Later that season on 8 January 2006, with the stadium's capacity now increased to 6,200, the stadium's capacity record was broken in an FA Cup third-round match, ironically again against Manchester United, against whom the previous record had been set. 6,191 saw the Brewers bely their non-league status against the Premier League side, earning a 0–0 draw, forcing a replay at Old Trafford.[18] This is still the record FA Cup attendance at the ground. The match also saw the introduction of a new electronic scoreboard, placed in the Eastern side of the South Stand, however this was the only game that the board functioned.[18]
CCTV was installed around the perimeter of the stadium in 2007 following a spate of vandalism,[19] including rocks being thrown at the shop window, and trees planted as part of a landscaping project around the stadium being uprooted and damaged. On one occasion a wooden cable drum was rolled across the car park through a fence and into a drainage channel.[19] A new electronic scoreboard was installed prior to the 2008–09 season, however it first functioned in a Setanta Shield match against Kidderminster Harriers on 4 November 2008.[20] The new board is suspended from the roof of the Coors Visitor Stand, prohibiting its view from the away supporters.[21]
Football League (2009–present)[edit]
Prior to the club's inaugural season in the Football League, in June 2009 the club was given the go-ahead to raise the official capacity of the ground by 712, indicating a rise from 6,200, which had been the agreed capacity at the inauguration of the stadium, to 6,912, an increase of more than 10 percent, following discussion with safety inspectors and Staffordshire County Council.[22] The club was also encouraged to fund a toucan crossing for pedestrians crossing the adjacent Princess Way, due to the increase in fans that had coincided with the club's promotion.[23] Work on this project began on 2 August 2009, having originally been proposed during the planning stages of the stadium construction.[24] These moves were acknowledged with a renewal of the stadium's safety certificate on 12 July 2010 by the council's safety advisory group.[10]
The stadium hosted its first ever Football League match on 15 August 2009 against Morecambe, in a match that attracted a crowd of 2,742. Goals from Shaun Harrad, John McGrath, Russell Penn and a Greg Pearson brace ensured a 5–2 victory for the Brewers against their former Conference rivals.[25] The first hat-trick at the stadium was also the first hat-trick scored by a Brewers player in the Football League, achieved by Greg Pearson in a 6–1 victory over Aldershot Town on 12 December 2009. This scoreline is also the Brewers' record victory margin at the stadium.[26] The stadium also witnessed one of the highest scoring matches in Football League history on 13 March 2010 when the Brewers were defeated 5–6 by Cheltenham Town.[27]
Things to do in Burton upon Trent.