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Turf Moor
(Burnley)
Address: 52-56 Harry Potts Way,
Burnley,
Lancashire,
England,
BB10 4BX
Capacity: 21,744 (All-Seater)
One of the oldest football grounds in the country, Turf Moor is a fantastic example of how a stadium can be kept fit for the ever-changing game.
The sight dates back to 1833, when Burnley Cricket Club were founded and used the ground for their matches.
Burnley Football Club were invited in 1883 to move from their original home at Calder Vale to a football pitch adjacent to the cricket field, and the Turf Moor Stadium was built up around this.
Location and Getting There
Turf Moor is based less than 0.5 miles east of Burnley Town Centre. Towneley Park is due south of the ground, with Queen's Park and Thompson Park to the north.
The same field which Burnley Cricket Club have used for well over a century is in place right next to the west side of Turf Moor.
Burnley bus station, little more than 10 minutes walk from the ground, has services that can take people out towards Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire.
The two closest train stations are Burnley Central, roughly 25 minutes northwest of the ground, and Burnley Manchester Road, approximately 25 minutes walk southwest of Turf Moor.
The area around the stadium is also easily accessible by car, with street parking available around the town. It is worth noting that the entirety of Harry Potts Way which runs along Turf Moor’s Bob Lord Stand is closed to vehicles on matchdays.
Outside the Stadium
If you are coming from the town centre, take the chance to visit the Royal Dyche, a pub on Yorkshire Street named after the club’s hugely popular manager. The pub was originally known as ‘The Princess Royal’, but the owner promised to change the name if Dyche and his Burnley side could secure European football at the end of the 2017-18 season, which they most certainly did.
Continuing along Harry Potts Way brings you to the Bob Lord Stand, named after the local businessman and former chairman of Burnley Football Club.
The stand's exterior is mostly brickwork, though large silver panels are in use as you head towards the southeast corner.
Turf Moor's main entrance is in the centre of the Bob Lord Stand with the ticket office over to the right of here. The Clarets Store is based right on the southeast corner.
Clockwise from here is the West Stand, otherwise known as the Cricket Field Stand. Burnley Cricket Club is right out the back of this stand and so there are no turnstiles along its plain, brick outer wall.
Turnstiles for away fans are based in the southwest corner off Harry Potts Way, whilst the home turnstiles are in the northwest corner. To get from the Bob Lord Stand to these home turnstiles, you can either walk around the stadium's east and north stands, or head back down Harry Potts Way, up Belvedere Road (A6114) and along the small path that takes you past the northern side of the Cricket Club.
The North Stand is known for sponsorship reasons as the James Hargreaves Stand.
It is the largest of the four stands at Turf Moor, consisting of a brickwork base, claret corrugated iron in the middle, grey corrugated above and a cantilever roof on top.
Entrances into the James Hargreaves Stand suites are based in the centre of the outer wall, with turnstiles spread evenly across the rest of the brickwork base.
Most of Turf Moor's car parking spaces are out beyond this stand, and the Elite Training Centre is in a separate building away from the stadium itself. The ticket collection point is based inside its main entrance.
Away from Turf Moor's northeast corner is a large tent that holds the Matchday Fan Zone.
The East Stand is named after Jimmy McIlroy.
Born in Northern Ireland on 125th October 1931, McIlroy was an attacking player who moved to Burnley from Glentoran in 1950. He remained with the Clarets until 1963, making nearly 500 appearances for the club and scoring over 130 goals. He was part of the Burnley team that won the First Division Title in 1960 and made the FA Cup Final in 1962.
Capped 55 times by Northern Ireland, scoring 10 International goals, McIlroy passed away on 20th August 2018 at the age of 86. The East Stand at Turf Moor has been named after him since the late 1990s.
The stand's design mirrors that of the adjacent James Hargreaves Stand, with a brickwork base, claret corrugated iron in the middle, grey corrugated iron higher up and a cantilever roof at the top.
The stand's executive suite entrances are based in the centre of the outer wall, with turnstiles spread evenly across the rest of the brickwork base.
Turf Moor was formerly the northern campus for UCFB (University Campus of Football Business), a higher education institution that offers both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the business, sports and events industries. The northern campus has since relocated to Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, though you can still find banners and flags displaying the UCFB logo around the Jimmy McIlroy Stand's centre.
Inside the Stadium
The Bob Lord Stand is a single-tiered stand that holds the two dugouts.
The bottom third of the stand has blue seats, with the top two thirds made up of claret seating. Executive seats can also be found in the middle of this stand, close to the pitch.
Supporting pillars run along the whole stand a third of the way up, so you’ll want to get a seat towards the front of the stand if you don’t want a restricted view of the action.
Bear in mind though that the very front rows may not be protected very well from the elements on those infamous cold Lancashire days and nights.
The Cricket Field Stand is divided into three small tiers, though you can freely get between all of them.
Most of the blocks inside are brown in colour, though all but one of the front blocks are coloured blue instead.
Two large supporting pillars come down towards the front of the stand and they will slightly restrict your view unless you are sat in the front blocks.
Large windshields do however cover every row of the Cricket Field Stand at either end.
Burnley's changing rooms are based in this stand, and the Turf Moor tunnel is next to the stand in the northwest corner. This means that players and staff have to walk across the pitch in order to get to the dugouts in front of the Bob Lord Stand.
The James Hargreaves Stand is two-tiered, with the top tier larger than the bottom and executive boxes separating the two levels.
The bottom tier consists of blue seats with the word CLARETS spelt out in the club’s famous claret colour, and the top tier a direct colour switch, with BURNLEY spelt out in blue among the rows of claret.
There are no supporting pillars coming down because of the cantilever roof, and your view is therefore perfectly clear from any seat inside.
Large windshields cover every row of the upper tier, but none of the bottom tier seats. There are small walls in place down there that do not offer anywhere near as much protection.
The Jimmy McIlroy Stand consists of two tiers.
It is a very similar height and design to the adjacent James Hargreaves Stand, with the exception of the words spelt out on each tier, TURF MOOR on the top, and BFC on the bottom, again in those distinctive claret and blue colours.
The stand's cantilever roof means that there are no supporting pillars coming down from above, and your view is perfectly clear from anywhere inside as a result.
Windshields again protect every row in the upper tier, but there are just small walls in place to offer protection for the lower tier seats.
A large electronic screen is in the northeast corner, showing action replays along with a live scoreboard and clock.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed behind the goal in the Cricket Field Stand.
It is usually split evenly between home and away fans, though more of the seating blocks can be made available for Burnley supporters if only a small away crowd is expected.
Travelling fans are kept in the blocks closer to the southwest corner, and it can really help to boost the matchday atmosphere given how close home and away fans are to each other. Only the very front rows of this away section will have perfectly clear views of the pitch however as there are supporting pillars present in the Cricket Field Stand.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include:
-The Bridge Bier Huis (2 Bank Parade, BB11 1UH) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-Burnley Cricket Club (Belvedere Road, BB10 4BN) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The Lord Nelson (2 Manchester Road, BB9 7EG) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The New Brew'm Pub (11 St James's Row, BB11 1DR) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The Queen Victoria (Queen Victoria Road, BB10 3EF) (A Brewers Fayre, Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The Royal Dyche (45-47 Yorkshire Street, BB11 3BW) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
Overview
Turf Moor is one of those historic grounds that typifies everything great about the English game. Whether you’re coming as an away fan or a general lover of the game, you’re treated to a good quality view and experience made good by the noise from the club’s loyal fanbase. The view of the rolling landscape you can get from high up in the James Hargreaves Stand is a personal favourite feature of mine.
A stadium that does Lancashire proud.
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