Burton Albion

Starting in the 19th century, there were a few football clubs in town, but it wasn’t until 1950 that the current club came into being. They kicked around leagues you will have never heard of (Northern Premier League Premier Division, anyone?) until 1998, when they hired Nigel Clough as player-manager. If you know your English football, you’ll recognize the name. Nigel’s dad, Brian, is a true legend of the game. He won the title with Derby County in 1972 and then won the league in 1978 and Europe in 1979 and 1980 with Nottingham Forest. You can read more about him in the Nottingham Forest profile; Nigel played for him at Forest.

By 2002 Nigel Clough had gotten Burton to the Football Conference, now called the National League, which is level 5 of the English league system. He left in 2009, and later that year they were promoted to the Football League for the first time.

In 2006 they gained some notoriety by drawing Manchester United in the FA Cup at home and held them 0-0. This meant a replay at Old Trafford, which they lost, 5-0—but they set the all-time record for away fans there, with 11,000 Brewers fans making the trip.

Their home stadium’s capacity: 6,912. Burton upon Trent population: 73,000. Roughly one in six people in town made the trip!

They made League One in 2015, and the next year Clough returned and got them to the Championship. That such a small club got there was remarkable; that Clough kept them up the following year was probably even more amazing. Alas, on the final day of the 2017-18 season, when Bolton Wanderers scored two goals in the last five minutes of their game, Burton were sent back down to League One, where they remain and have finished between 12th and 20th place the last six seasons.

2024–25 SEASON: 20th in League One, 2nd Round FA Cup, 1st Round League Cup

2025–26 SEASON: League One (relegated in 2018)

Back in their lower-league days, they mixed it up with teams like Gresley Rovers, Nuneaton Town, Stafford Rangers, and Tamworth. When they made the Football League, their main rivals became nearby (and similar-league) Port Vale, Crewe Alexandra, Notts County, Chesterfield, and Walsall.

In 2016–17, when they got to the Championship, they played their first-ever competitive matches against Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and Wolverhampton. All of these clubs are within about an hour of Burton, but they had never been in the same league before. 

Burton Albion Women, who are not technically associated with the club but are owned by its Community Trust and draws players from its academy, play in the fifth-tier West Midlands Regional Women’s Football League. Home games are at Pirelli Stadium, same as the men.

Their go-to seems to be the “na-na-na” from “Hey Jude,” followed by “Brewers.” They do a version of “Country Road” with the lines “Take me home, Derby Road / to Pirelli, to see the Brewers.” They also have a fun one saying that Burton upon Trent is wonderful: “It’s full of beer, beer, and more beer.”

The Pirelli Stadium has 6,912 capacity, of which 2,034 are seats. It stands where once there was a Pirelli Tires (or Tyres in the UK) plant. The company donated the land for the stadium in return for naming rights. The seats are all in the South Stand, which also has the club offices, so the rest is terraces. The away fans stand in the East Terrace, known for sponsorship reasons as the Coors Stand (Coors is brewed in town).

TOURS: No tours are available at this stadium.

GETTING THERE: From the rail station, you can walk in about half an hour, unless you get distracted on the way (see Pubs below). You can also take bus 1, 17, or 38 or grab a taxi for about £7.

PUBS: Burton really is full of beer, beer, and more beer. Near the station, check out the tiny and über-charming Weighbridge Inn.

If you take the longer route through town and past the National Brewing Centre (see Around Town), you can pass a series of micropubs, several of them award-winning and fabulously named: The Roebuck, The Last Heretic, Devonshire Arms, Coopers Tavern, The Fuggle and Nugget, Burton Bridge Inn, Tower Brewery, Burton Town Brewery, and the Great Northern. It’s beer heaven. Have a pint in each and let’s call it the Burton Slam.

GRUB: With all this beer, who cares? We saw a long line at the Wetmore Road Fish Bar on the longer walking route mentioned in Getting There. There is also good fish and chips downtown at Tommy’s. Tommy is from Cyprus and has been in town 30-plus years. Please tell him the American soccer book writer said hello. And get the haddock.

If afternoon tea is your thing, check out Langan’s Tea Rooms.

AROUND TOWN: Beer! Seriously, Burton upon Trent is the brewing capital of England; Americans can think of it as the UK’s Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Beer has been made there since at least the 11th century, when local monks discovered that the water in town was excellent for making strong ale. In fact, the water is of such quality that a word was invented—Burtonize—to describe bringing other places’ water up to the standard. Combine this with the town having a bridge over the River Trent since the 12th century, throw in some canals built during the Industrial Revolution, then railroads, and kaboom: brewing capital!

In 1880 there were 30 breweries in town. Most notable in the town’s history was that of William Bass—yes, that Bass—who combined beer making with industrial practices in the 18th century, and his brewery in town became the world’s largest. Two of the three Bass breweries still stand, though sadly now they bear the name Molson Coors. Why does the U.S. always export the worst of its culture?

A major by-product of brewing is yeast extract, and it was in Burton that someone figured out a way to consume that: Marmite. It was invented and is still produced in Burton upon Trent. Sadly, no tours are available.

Another item made in Burton, though not invented there, is Bovril, which is kind of like a beef broth drink that doesn’t (any longer) have actual beef in it. You are not a proper English football fan until you have warmed yourself on the terraces with a basket of chips, perhaps with gravy, and a steaming cup of Bovril.

And finally, Colman’s Mustard moved in 2019 to Burton from their home of 160 years, Norwich. They have yet to open a museum or shop in their new home, which is a shame.

St. George’s Park, training ground of the England national teams, is nearby. Tours are available.