Peel Croft was a sports ground in

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. In 2011, it had a population of 72,299. The ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was the home ground of Burton Rugby Football Club and the

Burton Swifts Burton Swifts Football Club was a football club based in Burton upon Trent, England. Established in 1871, the club joined the Football League in 1892, remaining members until merging with Burton Wanderers to form Burton United in 1901. Hist ...

and Burton United football clubs, who played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

between 1892 and 1907.

History

Peel Croft was originally the home ground of Burton RFC, before being bought by the Burton Swifts football club in 1890.Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005) ''The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005'', Yore Publications, p100, A new grandstand was built on the north side of the ground, and a fence was built around the ground to enclose it. It was officially opened as a football stadium on 2 September 1891 with a friendly match against

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

. Further improvements were made the ground, including a covered stand behind the goal at the western end of the ground, an embankment at the east end, and a terrace along the southern touchline. Swifts became members of

in 1892, and the crowd of 5,500 who attended an FA Cup match between Swifts and local rivals Burton Wanderers on 10 December that year was probably the ground's record attendance. In 1901 Swifts and Wanderers merged to form Burton United, with the new club using Peel Croft as their home ground. The grandstand burnt down on 29 March 1907, but by the time a new 600-seat stand was opened on 21 September, United had been voted out of the Football League. They eventually folded in 1910, after which the ground was taken over again by Burton RFC. The 600-seat stand and original terracing (which has since had a roof added) remained at the ground until its demolition. In 2017 it was announced that Burton RFC will be moving to a new stadium in nearby Tatenhill, with Peel Croft being demolished and replaced with a retail park.New images show progress at Burton Rugby Club's new ground as they prepare to leave Peel Croft
''Burton Mail'', 9 December 2017 Following its demolition in 2021, a

Lidl Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...

was built on the site.

References

{{reflist Defunct football venues in England Buildings and structures in Burton upon Trent Sports venues in Staffordshire Rugby union stadiums in England Burton United F.C. English Football League venues Football Alliance venues