The Central Ground was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

stadium in

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, which was the home ground of Witton Albion Football Club between 1910 and 1 May 1989. A

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...

supermarket now occupies the site.

History

Witton Albion's first ground was adjacent to the Parish Church Vicarage. In 1897 and 1910, the club moved to Magdala Place. By 1910, the club moved to a new site near the Victoria Saw Mills on Witton Street. Over the next ten years, the club leased the land for £15 per year, and in July 1920, the club purchased the land outright for £750, and was renamed as the Central Ground. In the 1960s, a small grandstand was constructed at the southern perimeter of the ground. The northern perimeter included a terrace area that ran the length of the pitch. The goal ends featured grass embankments with hooped metal railings. Witton Albion sold the Central Ground to J Sainsbury PLC in 1989, and the football club moved to

Wincham Park Wincham Park is a football stadium in Wincham, a parish on the edge of Northwich, England. The home ground of Witton Albion, it first opened in 1989, after the club left their former Central Ground. Capacity is 4,813, with 600 covered seats ...

, a new ground in nearby

Wincham 200px, Map of civil parish of Wincham in the former borough of Vale Royal Wincham is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is about three miles nort ...

later that year. The final match at the Central Ground was a 1–1 draw against

Frickley Athletic Frickley Athletic Football Club is a football club based in South Elmsall, West Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Westfield Lane. History Although the club itself claims it was formed in 1910, the team was activ ...

on 1 May 1989. A new Sainsbury's store was erected on the site along with a new link road, Venables Road.

References

{{reflist Witton Albion F.C. Defunct football venues in England Demolished buildings and structures in Cheshire Defunct sports venues in Cheshire Sports venues demolished in 1989 Northwich Demolished sports venues in the United Kingdom