Key information about Pirelli Stadium

Pirelli Stadium was built in 2005 and is now the home of Burton Albion. The stadium is located on Princess Way in Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire, which is also quite near where the club's old Eton Park home was before it got demolished and replaced with new housing.

It has a capacity of 6,912 but only 2,034 of those are currently seated. The pitch measures 110 by 72 yards and is not surrounded by a running track while the surface is covered with natural grass.

The ground’s record attendance of 6,746 was set during an EFL Championship clash when the nearby Derby County came to visit.

A history of Pirelli Stadium

Despite serious investment of nearly £1m to bring their old ground, Eton Park, up to standards to match their ambition and rise both on and off the pitch, Burton Albion decided it was time to abandon the stadium and construct a new one worthy of their new image. For that reason, in 2003, the plans for the development of Pirelli Stadium were first announced and the proposal included an increase in capacity, a new training pitch to be available for community use and also the relocation of the Eton Park Bowling Club and Football Tavern.

In that proposal, it was also outlined that the old ground of Eton Park would be demolished and turned into new residential properties, which would also help them fund the new stadium along the way. Construction started in December 2003 by Burton firm Bison - who were also the club’s shirt sponsors at the time - and would finish in time for the 2004/05 campaign.

The first match to be played at the new ground was held on 16 July 2005 with a pre-season friendly against Chester City, a game the hosts ended up losing 1-0 in front of a crowd of 1,341. The first competitive clash arrived with a Football Conference fixture against Grays Athletic on 13 August 2005, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Still, it wouldn’t be until 14 November that same year that Pirelli Stadium would officially be opened - the cutting of the red ribbon included - once again with a friendly clash, this time against Manchester United in front of 6,065 people who witnessed the home side beat a young Red Devils team 2-1.

In 2006, the stadium’s capacity increased to 6,200 and a new electronic scoreboard, placed in the Eastern side of the South Stand, was installed, albeit for only that special occasion, not to be used again. Following some acts of vandalism in the following year, CCTV was installed around the perimeter of the ground and they also got a new electronic board prior to the 2008/09 season.

Some years later, in June 2009 and prior to the promotion to the Football League, they got the permission boost the capacity of the stadium by an additional 712 places and following that, they also funded a toucan pedestrian crossing on the adjacent Princess Way which was acknowledged with a renewal of the stadium's safety certificate on 12 July 2010.

There were multiple proposals and plans to modernise the ground ever since but no major works have been done on the Pirelli Stadium in recent years. But that hasn’t stopped it from hosting various high-profile events such as the 2007 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification clash between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands and an England C European Challenge Trophy game against Netherlands C.

Tickets to watch Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium

All tickets to watch Burton Albion at Pirelli Stadium can be purchased on the club’s official website. The cost of an adult ticket in the seated area is £24 but if you buy the ‘Earlybird’ one, you get a £4 discount.

Season tickets are also available for purchase on the aforementioned website.

https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/ - Official website of Burton Albion