.jpg) View of Turf Moor from Harry Potts Way | |
  Turf Moor Location in Burnley Show map of Burnley Turf Moor Location in Lancashire Show map of Lancashire | |
| Address | 52-56 Harry Potts Way |
|---|---|
| Location | Burnley Lancashire, England BB10 4BX |
| Coordinates | 53°47′21″N2°13′49″W / 53.78917°N 2.23028°W /53.78917; -2.23028 |
| Owner | Burnley F.C. |
| Operator | Burnley F.C. |
| Capacity | 21,944 |
| Record attendance | 54,775 (Burnley vsHuddersfield Town, 23 February 1924) |
| Field size | 105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd) |
| Surface | Desso GrassMaster |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1883 |
| Opened | 17 February 1883 |
| Tenants | |
| |
Turf Moor is anassociation football stadium inBurnley,Lancashire, England, which has been the home ofBurnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground inEnglish professional football. The stadium is situated on Harry Potts Way, named afterthe manager who won the1959–60 First Division with the club, and has a capacity of 21,944.
The Turf Moor site has been used for sporting activities since at least 1843, whenBurnley Cricket Club moved to the area. In 1883, they invited Burnley to use apitch adjacent to the cricket field. The firstgrandstand was not built until 1885, whileterraces were also added to each end of the ground in the same year. Between the mid-1950s and mid-1970s, all stands were rebuilt. Turf Moor underwent further refurbishment during the 1990s, when the Longside and the Bee Hole End terraces were replaced byall-seater stands following the recommendations of theTaylor Report. The ground comprises four stands: theBob Lord Stand, the Cricket Field Stand, the North Stand and theJimmy McIlroy Stand.
In 1886, Turf Moor became the first football ground to be visited by a member of theRoyal Family, whenPrince Albert Victor attended afriendly match between Burnley andBolton Wanderers. The firstFootball League match at the ground took place in October 1888; Burnley'sFred Poland scored the first league goal at the stadium. In 1922, Turf Moor hosted its onlyFA Cup semi-final and, in 1927, it was the venue of an international match betweenEngland andWales. The stadium's record attendance was set in 1924, when 54,775 people attended anFA Cup third-round game between Burnley andHuddersfield Town.
Burnley is inLancashire inNorthern England on the edge of thePennines; itsRiver Brun drains themoors to the east.[1] During theMiddle Ages, the Turf Moor area was one of the town'scommons and the inhabitants probably cutturf here for fuel.[2][3] Sport has been played at the Turf Moor site since at least 1843, whenBurnley Cricket Club made it their home. Before 1840, there was a short-lived attempt to host an annualhorse (turf) race.[4][5] In 1878,rugby football club Burnley Rovers[a] played a side fromBacup in an evening match to demonstrate electric lighting. The pitch was surrounded by only three lamps which were powered by a small engine; the experiment cost£39 (the equivalent of £5,000 as of 2023[b]) but was unsuccessful as the darkness caused many spectators to leave early.[4][8] In January 1883, the cricket club leased sevenacres of land between the cricket field andBee Hole Colliery to the east.[9] The following month, they invitedassociation football teamBurnley to move from their original home at Calder Vale to the pitch adjacent to the cricket field. The cricket club also donated £65 (the equivalent of £8,000 as of 2023[b]) toward the setup costs.[9][10] Burnley played their first match at Turf Moor on 17 February but lost 6–3 againstRawtenstall; according to a local newspaper, "a high wind made correct play impossible".[4] Committee member Charles Riley subsequently appointed himself Turf Moor's firstgroundsman.[4]
Attendances during the early years averaged around 2,000, although a crowd of 12,000 was at the ground in March 1884 to see Burnley play local rivalsPadiham.[11] Spectators had to congregate around the pitch or watch from the hill at the back of Turf Moor, so in 1885, the club built an 800-seater woodengrandstand along the south side of the ground, along Brunshaw Road (as it was then known), and installed uncoveredstanding areas (terraces) for 5,000 people at each end of the pitch.[4][12] In the same year, a dispute broke out as the cricketers complained that the footballers left the shareddressing room uncleaned and did not pay toward repairs.[13] In October 1886, Turf Moor became the first football ground to be visited by a member of theRoyal Family:Prince Albert Victor attended thefriendly match between Burnley andBolton Wanderers, while he was in the town to open a new hospital.[12]
Turf Moor hosted its firstFootball League match on 6 October 1888—an encounter between Burnley and Bolton Wanderers. Burnley forwardFred Poland scored the first league goal at the ground after five minutes, and the home side went on to defeat Bolton 4–1.[14] In 1889, after more disputes, Burnley separated from the cricket club and agreed to pay £77 per year (the equivalent of £11,000 as of 2023[b]) to rent the stadium, and subsequently increased their ticket prices from four to sixpence (the equivalent of £3.49 as of 2023[b]) to the dissatisfaction of the supporters.[15][16] In 1891, another local football team,Burnley Union Star, disbanded and abandoned their ground, which included a grandstand. Burnley bought the stand and moved it to the north side of Turf Moor, where it became known as the Stars Stand.[4] Turf Moor hosted its firstfloodlit football match in March of the same year, between Burnley andNelson; 16creosote-fuelled lamps were placed on poles at intervals along the sides of the pitch. Spectators reported that while the edges of the field were sufficiently lit, there was a dark area in the centre.[4]
The Stars Stand was demolished in 1898 and replaced by a larger grandstand, which continued to be referred to as the Stars Stand by the supporters. In 1903, Burnley built a second tier on the Brunshaw Road Stand to accommodate club offices, and in September of that year, the club hosted its firstannual general meeting at Turf Moor. The Stars Stand was extended in 1909 with newturnstiles andbarricades erected in preparation for theFA Cup quarter-final game against reigning Football League championsManchester United.[4][12] In 1911, the club unveiled plans for the rebuilding of the Brunshaw Road Stand, with former Burnley forwardArthur Bell being the architect for the project.[4] A strike amongst railway workers delayed the deliveries of steelwork for the new roof but spectators were still able to use the stand in time for Burnley's first league game of the1911–12 season againstLeeds City. Work on the dressing rooms had not been completed so players from both teams changed in the adjoiningcricket pavilion. The stand cost the club £5,000 (the equivalent of £643,000 as of 2023[b]) and could accommodate over 5,500 spectators, including 2,200 seated places.[17] By this time an L-shapedembankment had been constructed, possibly withspoil from the coal mine, stretching from the eastern goal around the northeast corner to the halfway line.[18]
In 1913, the Burnley directors decided to demolish the Stars Stand for a second time and opted instead to expand the uncovered embankment.[17][18] The Brunshaw Road Stand was also extended to run the whole length of the pitch. In 1914, a roof was constructed to cover the terracing at the Cricket Field End. The developments increased the ground's capacity to around 50,000, almost equal to the town's male population.[12][17] Burnley won theFA Cup during the same year, and they were crownedFirst Division champions in 1920–21.[19] During that season, the team went unbeaten in 30 consecutive league matches—at that time an English record—and won 18 consecutive games at Turf Moor. The average home attendance was more than 30,000, a then club record.[20] In 1922, Turf Moor hosted its onlyFA Cup semi-final, with around 46,000 spectators watchingHuddersfield Town defeatNotts County 3–1.The Football Association demanded that the pitch be lengthened to 115 yards (105 m) for the match, although afterwards it was returned to its original 111 yards (101 m).[17] That same year, Burnley bought Turf Moor for £4,500 (the equivalent of £310,000 as of 2023[b]) at aThursby Estates auction. The club also acquired the adjoining cricket ground.[21] On 23 February 1924, Burnley beat Huddersfield 1–0 in theFA Cup third round in front of 54,775 supporters, still the record for Turf Moor.[12][22] The ground hosted its only senior international fixture three years later whenEngland playedWales. The Englishmen lost 2–1 after BurnleycaptainJack Hill scored anown goal to give the visitors the win. In 1932, a hut andscoreboard were installed at the Bee Hole End embankment—named after the Bee Hole Colliery—with funds from Burnley's newly foundedsupporters' club.[17][23]
In 1938, the club announced that a covered terrace would be built on the site of the old Stars Stand. The plan was delayed by the outbreak of the Second World War,[17] but the new Longside terrace was eventually completed in 1954.[10] Constructed on the four-decade-old embankment,[17][18] the club spent £20,000 (the equivalent of £692,000 as of 2023[b]) on the roof alone. The terrace was built with help from theBurnley youth players.[10] In 1955, Burnley became one of the first clubs to set up a purpose-builttraining ground, on 80 acres of farmland atGawthorpe Hall purchased by their new chairman,Bob Lord.[12][24][25] The club installed permanent floodlights in 1957, which were first used during a friendly against local rivalsBlackburn Rovers.[12] Around this time, terracing was added to the banking at the Bee Hole End.[26]
Burnley won the First Division title in1959–60, and as a result, Turf Moor hosted its first everEuropean Cup match on 16 November 1960;Jimmy Robson andJimmy McIlroy scored early in the first half as Burnley recorded a 2–0 victory over French sideStade de Reims.[19][27] In 1969, the Cricket Field Stand was built at a cost of £180,000 (the equivalent of £3.74 million as of 2023[b]) and incorporated the changing rooms, which made Turf Moor one of the few English grounds to have theplayers' tunnel behind one of the goals.[10][28] It was the first stand to include oil-fired heating for supporters, with hot air blown through holes under the seats. The system was abandoned after two seasons due to the costs.[12] The club also extended the open terrace at the Bee Hole End in 1970, with the aim of increasing its capacity to around 20,000.[23]
Lord hired Cambridge Soil Services to re-lay the pitch in 1974, and to install new drainage technology andunder-soil heating. Neither came into operation as Lord found them uneconomical, partly because of a major rise inoil prices.[26] The pitch was raised, however, and the slope that had existed was minimised.[10] Lord then replaced the Brunshaw Road Stand with a single-tier stand named after himself, which was opened in September 1974 by former prime ministerEdward Heath.[12] The Bob Lord Stand could accommodate 2,500 supporters and cost £450,000 (the equivalent of £5.92 million as of 2023[b]).[10] It was partly financed byMartin Dobson'stransfer toEverton, leading some fans to dub it the "Martin Dobson Stand".[12] In 1978, Scottish clubCeltic visited Turf Moor for theAnglo-Scottish Cup quarter-finalfirst leg match. The Celtic fansrioted and hurled bottles, stones and iron railings, injuring 60 supporters.[29][30] Burnley won the game 1–0 and defeated the Scots 2–1 in thereturn leg, securing a 3–1aggregate victory before going on to winthat season's cup final.[31][32]
A drop in home attendances combined with increased debt caused a rapid decline in the team's fortunes between the late 1970s and the early 1990s.[19][33] Burnley were left with little money to invest in the stadium's redevelopment and safety work.[28] In 1992, the 17-year-old apprentice footballer Ben Lee was killed when he fell through the roof of the ageing Longside terrace as he tried to retrieve a football during training.[28][34] The authorSimon Inglis noted that the Longside "symbolised how far Turf Moor, once deemed to be so modern, had fallen behind".[28]
Following theHillsborough disaster in 1989, in which ahuman crush on the terraces of theHillsborough Stadium resulted in 97 fatalities, theTaylor Report was published. It recommended the introduction ofall-seater stadiums in thetop two divisions of English football by the start of1994–95.[35][36] Burnley competed in thesecond tier during the 1994–95 season but wererelegated to thethird tier at the end of the campaign.[19] As a result of their season at the second level, Burnley were granted £2.25 million (the equivalent of £5.46 million as of 2023[b]) by theFootball Trust in April 1995 to convert Turf Moor into an all-seater stadium, which had to be spent within 12 months.[28][37] The club contracted theLincolnshire-based Linpave company in September 1995 to build two stands in place of the Longside and the Bee Hole End terraces at a total cost of £5.2 million (the equivalent of £12.6 million as of 2023[b]).[38] The last match in front of the Longside was played on 16 September—Burnley won 2–1 againstHull City.[28][39] The two-tiered North Stand was built in its place and was opened in April 1996 for the visit ofBristol Rovers.[38][40] It was later renamed the James Hargreaves Stand following a sponsorship agreement.[41] A day after the North Stand had opened, demolition of the Bee Hole End started. The Jimmy McIlroy Stand, named in honour of the former Burnley player, was completed in September 1996 and took the stadium's capacity to 22,619.[10]
In 2006, Burnley sold Turf Moor and the Gawthorpe training ground to Longside Properties to address financial difficulties arising from the 2002ITV Digital collapse, which had caused the club to lose over 30 per cent of its expected television revenue. Burnley's chairmanBarry Kilby owned 51 per cent of Longside Properties' shares.[42][43] In 2007, the club revealed plans for a £20 million (the equivalent of £35.1 million as of 2023[b]) redevelopment of Turf Moor and Gawthorpe, to be carried out in six phases and expected to be completed by 2010.[44][45] Among the ideas were the demolition of the Cricket Field and the construction of a stand incorporating a hotel, restaurant, business centre and cricket pavilion.[44][46] Planning permission for the first phase of development was granted in April 2008,[47] but in October, the club delayed the project as a result of theglobal financial crisis.[48] The plans were again put on hold in 2010, due to Burnley'srelegation from the Premier League and a projected recession.[49]
Turf Moor and Gawthorpe returned to Burnley ownership under co-chairmen John Banaszkiewicz and Mike Garlick in 2013, after support from private investors.[42][50] Followingpromotion back to the Premier League in 2014,[51] the players' tunnel was relocated to the corner between the James Hargreaves and the Cricket Field Stands.[52] In 2016, a new club shop was constructed between the Jimmy McIlroy and Bob Lord Stands as part of an extension to the stadium.[53] In 2019, Burnley built two corner stands for disabled home supporters between the Jimmy McIlroy and both the James Hargreaves and Bob Lord Stands to comply with the Accessible Stadium Guide regulations.[54][55] In December 2020, the American investment company ALK Capital acquired an 84% stake in Burnley for £170 million in aleveraged takeover.[56][57] Under the new owners, thePreston-based ADI installeddigital signage and largeLED screens at Turf Moor in 2021.[58]Safe standing was introduced in a part of the Cricket Field Stand at the end of the2023–24 season.[59] The club announced several changes to the stadium ahead of its return to thePremier League in 2025–26, including switching the home and away sections within the Cricket Field Stand and relocating the players' tunnel from the north-west to the south-west corner of the ground.[60]
During a pre-season friendly against Italian sideLazio at Turf Moor in August 2025, Burnley became the first football club in history tolive stream a game inimmersive virtual reality.[61][62][c]
Turf Moor's pitch measures 105 by 68 metres (114.8 yd × 74.4 yd) and is surrounded by four stands: the Bob Lord Stand, the Cricket Field Stand, the North Stand and the Jimmy McIlroy Stand. The two newest stands, the North and the Jimmy McIlroy, each have two tiers, while the Bob Lord and the Cricket Field are single-tiered.[10][63][64] In 2010, Burnley installed ahybrid grass (Desso GrassMaster) pitch at a cost of £750,000 (the equivalent of £1,210,000 as of 2023[b]), which was funded by revenue from their stay in thePremier League. It replaced the natural grass surface which often cut up during the winter months.[65][66] The stadium has a capacity of 21,944,[64] which is approximately one seat for every three inhabitants of the town—one of the highest ratios inEnglish football.[67][68]
The North Stand was constructed in 1996.[10] It can accommodate around 8,000 spectators and runs parallel to the length of the pitch.[64][69] The television gantry and thepress box are both situated at the back of the North.[70] The stand's suite has been licensed since 2005 to holdcivil wedding services and it can also be used forbanqueting events.[71][72] The Jimmy McIlroy Stand was erected in 1996 and is situated at the eastern side of the pitch with an approximate capacity of 6,000.[64][69] Both the North and Jimmy McIlroy Stands contain the stadium'scorporate hospitality boxes. The Jimmy McIlroy's upper tier is the designated family area.[69][73] A memorial garden is located behind the stand and includes adugout replica with an image of former managerBrian Miller with his hands aloft, which was taken before Burnley's match againstOrient in 1987;[74][75] Burnley defeated their opponents in the final game of the season and avoided relegation from the Football League.[76]
The Bob Lord Stand, constructed in 1974,[12] has a capacity of around 4,000 and runs parallel with Harry Potts Way, named afterHarry Potts, the manager who won the 1959–60 First Division title with Burnley.[77][78] It houses the club's trophy room as well as the directors' box and a corporate area.[77] The Burnley club shop is located between the Bob Lord and Jimmy McIlroy Stands.[63][79] The Cricket Field, opened in 1969, is Turf Moor's oldest stand.[10][77] It houses home and away fans and has a capacity of around 4,000.[63][80] The stand backs onto Burnley Cricket Club's pavilion and contains both teams' dressing rooms and the officials' lounge.[46][77] Since the 2000s, the Cricket Field Stand has been renamed theDavid Fishwick Stand,[81] theLadbrokes Stand and the Barnfield Construction Stand for sponsorship reasons.[53][82]
In 2011, Burnley opened the world's firsthigher education institution with university degrees in the football and sports industry. It was named theUniversity Campus of Football Business and was set up at Turf Moor.[83][84] Other campus locations were later opened atWembley Stadium (London) and at theCity of Manchester Stadium (Manchester).[85]
A popular drink served at Turf Moor since the First World War is "Béné & Hot"—the French liqueurBénédictine topped up with hot water. TheEast Lancashire Regiment soldiers acquired a taste for the liqueur while stationed at the birthplace of the beverage inFécamp,Normandy, during the war. They drank it with hot water to keep warm in the trenches, and the surviving soldiers later returned to East Lancashire with the liqueur. More than 30 bottles are sold at each match, making Burnley one of the world's largest sellers of Bénédictine and Turf Moor the only British football ground to serve it.[86][87]
The stadium was used for a game between theFootball League XI and theScottish Football League XI in 1914, with the Scots beating their English counterparts 3–2. The Football League team featured Burnley playersTeddy Hodgson,Eddie Mosscrop andTommy Boyle, the latter scoring from apenalty kick.[88] In 1922, Turf Moor hosted its onlyFA Cup semi-final, and in 1927, it staged its only senior international fixture when England played Wales.[17]England B and England's junior sides have also played at the ground on several occasions, atunder-21,under-20 andschoolboy levels.[89] Turf Moor was one of the venues for the1983 UEFA European Under-18 Championship, hosting a group stage match betweenCzechoslovakia andWest Germany.[89][90]
TheEngland women's national team played their first match at Turf Moor in September 2003 againstAustralia, which was the stadium's first international women's fixture. Burnley-bornRachel Brown, a Burnley fan, was England'sgoalkeeper and kept aclean sheet in a 1–0 victory.[88][91] The ground had previously hosted several women's charity matches in the early 1920s, the first occurring in March 1920 whenDick Kerr's Ladies played Liverpool Ladies in aid of theNational Association of Discharged Sailors and Soldiers.[88] In April 2023,Burnley F.C. Women played their first match at Turf Moor, winning 2–1 againstLiverpool Feds in anFA Women's National League North fixture in front of almost 3,000 supporters.[92][93]
Football clubs other than Burnley have played "home" matches at the ground.[88] Between 1902 and 1904, financial difficulties forced Burnley toshare Turf Moor withBurnley Belvedere, members of theLancashire Amateur League. As part of the arrangement, several Belvedere players registered to play for Burnley, as amateurs.[94] In 1993,Accrington Stanley played theirFA Cup first-round game againstScunthorpe United at Turf Moor, relocating the match from theirCrown Ground home to attract a larger crowd.[89][95] Turf Moor has also been used for other sporting activities than football, including an exhibitionlacrosse match in 1912 and anAmerican football game in 1987.[88]
During the late 1980s, local clubColne Dynamoes were rapidly progressing through the Englishnon-League system. Colne's benefactor and chairman-manager, Graham White, had a proposal for a groundshare rejected by the Burnley board, and also made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the club in 1989.[96]
Turf Moor has been Burnley's home ground since 1883. This unbroken service makes it the second-longest continuously used stadium in English professional football, behindPreston North End'sDeepdale.[97] Burnley are one of the best supported sides in English footballper capita,[68] with average attendances of around 21,000 in the Premier League in a town of approximately 78,000 inhabitants.[98][99]
The highest attendance recorded at Turf Moor is 54,775 for a match against Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup third round on 23 February 1924.[12][22] During anFA Cup fifth-round replay againstBradford City in 1960, the official attendance was recorded as 52,850. However, some of the gates were broken down, allowing a large number of uncounted fans to enter the ground.[100] The highest attendance at a league match is 52,869 againstBlackpool on 11 October 1947, during the1947–48 First Division season, which also saw Burnley record their highest seasonal average attendance of 33,621.[101]
Turf Moor is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) east of Burnley's town centre.[53] The ground sits adjacent to theA671 and A6114 roads, and near to theM65 motorway.[53] As most of the stadium's surrounding streets have parking restrictions on matchday, away supporters are advised to park at the cricket club or to use thecar parks in the area.[64][102] The closestrailway station to the ground isBurnley Manchester Road, which is a 15-minute walk from Turf Moor. The other railway station isBurnley Central, which is a 20-minute walk away and is mainly served bylocal trains.[103] TheBurnley bus station is relatively close to the ground; a bus ride to Turf Moor takes about five minutes.[64]
Citations
Sources
Media related toTurf Moor at Wikimedia CommonsBuildings and structures in theBorough of Burnley | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade I |  | ||||
| Grade II* | |||||
| Grade II |
| ||||
| Listed in | |||||
| Unlisted |
| ||||
