Turf Moor

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Turf Moor
nickname = The Turf


location = Harry Potts Way, Burnley
broke_ground = 1883
opened = 1883
closed = Open
demolished = N/A
owner = Burnley Football Club
operator = Burnley Football Club
surface = Grass
construction_cost = £5.3M GBP
architect = Various
former_names = none
tenants = Burnley Football Club (The Championship) (1883-present)
seating_capacity = 22,546 (Football)

Turf Moor is a football stadium located in Burnley, Lancashire, and is the home ground of English football club Burnley F.C., where they have played there since 1883.

It is situated on Harry Potts Way in Burnley, and has a capacity of 22,546, all seated. Its four main stands are the James Hargreaves Stand, the Jimmy McIlroy Stand, the Bob Lord Stand and the Cricket Field Stand.

Its first game saw Burnley F.C. play Rawtenstall in 1883 shortly after the club had moved from their original premises at Calder Vale. It is one of the oldest football grounds still in use in the United Kingdom, second only to Preston North End's ground - Deepdale.

The record attendance at Turf Moor came in 1924 when Burnley played Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup with 54,755 people attending.

New Burnley director, Brendan Flood, has stated that the ground will go through further redevelopment, and the plans were publicly released on 24th July 2007. It will be a major development, costing £20m. The plans can be found here on www.burnleyfc.com. Many fans expect the Cricket Field Stand to be the first to be redone as during the 2006/2007 season it had to be closed for January and February due to damage sustained in bad weather

tands

James Hargreaves Stand

Constructed: 1996

Capacity: 8,154 (seated)

The James Hargreaves Stand was opened on the 23rd April 1996, replacing the famous Longside (see below). This is now the main stand at Turf Moor and runs parallel to the length of the pitch.

Jimmy McIlroy Stand

Constructed: 1996

Capacity: 6,280 (seated)

The Jimmy McIlroy Stand (formerly the Bee Hole End) of which the upper tier is currently the family stand at Turf Moor and was opened in September 1996 as part of the reconstruction that saw the creation of the James Hargreaves Stand formerly the Longside Stand.

Bob Lord Stand

Constructed: 1974

Capacity: 3,987 (seated)

The Bob Lord Stand was opened in 1974 and was in part paid for by the sale of Martin Dobson. This stand was named after the club's former successful chairman, Bob Lord.

Cricket Field Stand

Constructed: 1969

Capacity: 4,126 (seated)

The Cricket Field Stand has been present at Turf Moor since 1969. It was originally open to the home supporters of Burnley F.C. but has more recently become the stand for visiting away supporters. The stand is to be replaced by a new 2,500 seater state-of-the-art stand by 2009.

Older Stands

Until an emotional day on 16th September 1995 when Burnley F.C. played Hull City, the Longside and the Bee Hole End stood at Turf Moor.

The Longside terrace was situated opposite the original main stand. Along with the Bee Hole End, this was where the majority of fans stood. Originally, the Longside was unterraced. In 1954, a new roof was added to the Longside, at a cost of £20,000. Opposite the Bee Hole end was the Cricket Field end, this was a covered standing terrace.

The future

In July 2007, Burnley revealed plans of a £20 million redevelopment of Turf Moor and the club's training facility at Gawthorpe Hall. This includes a new stand at the 'Cricket Field' end to accommodate 2,500 fans and a redevelopment of the Bob Lord stand which will house a cinema within it. It is planned to move the changing rooms to the home fans' (rather than as current the away fans') end of the ground. Other planned improvements include a new club superstore and other retail outlets, new business offices at the point of the current club shop and a new hotel.

This investment has been linked with the emergence of new director Brendan Flood, although no details of the precise source of the funding have been made public. Work is expected to start in late 2007 and finish in time for the 2010 season.

International matches

*England v Wales, 1927
*England B v Albania, 25th May, 2007

External links

*mmuk phoetc|384935|432555|5

References