On 6 July 1950 the brewing town in the heart of England got a team again. Burton Albion turn 77 on 6 July 2027. It is the story of a club that began with a public meeting and climbed all the way to England's second tier.

A town that wanted a team again

Burton upon Trent once had several teams, such as the Swifts, the Wanderers, United and Town. The war, however, froze football in the town for about ten years.

The idea of a new club was pushed by local newspaper columnist Alf Moss, after a conversation with Walter Slater, a former Burton Town director. A first meeting on 15 June showed that people wanted it.

On 5 July some 700 people filled the Town Hall and voted for a new club, and the next day Burton Albion was a reality. Frank Broome donated the first kit, and Don McPhail became the first manager.

Amber and black, like two beers

The nickname "The Brewers" recalls the town's great brewing tradition. According to the club, the same tradition lies behind the colours.

In the first match in 1950 the team wore a shirt that was half amber, half black. The club says the two colours stand for mild and bitter, Burton's two classic beers.

For the 75th anniversary, in 2025-26, Burton brought that design back with a TAG shirt. It had a collar with the Staffordshire knot and a fabric pattern inspired by old English pubs.

The tubby footballer and the brewer

In 1950 the shirts had no badge. The match programmes, though, carried a drawing of a tubby footballer built around the club's initials.

In the early 1970s the players wore the town's coat of arms, and for the 1987 FA Trophy final at Wembley a crest featuring a brewer with a barrel and a tankard was designed. The tubby footballer returned in 1994, and in 2025 a new crest arrived, based on an old brass pin badge.

From Eton Park to the Championship

The team started out in local leagues and in 1958 moved to Eton Park, where it stayed until 2005. Then the Pirelli Stadium opened, on land donated by the tyre company in return for the naming rights.

The great architect was Nigel Clough, who arrived in 1998 as player-manager. In 2006 his team drew 0-0 with Manchester United in the FA Cup, and in 2009 it celebrated promotion to the Football League.

Under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Burton won the League Two title in 2015, and with Clough back in the dugout they reached the Championship in 2016. They stayed there for two seasons, and in 2019 they reached the League Cup semi-finals, where Manchester City stopped them.

The appearance record belongs to Darren Stride with 646 games, while Jackson Irvine's sale brought in a club-record £2 million. In 2025-26 Burton finished 17th in League One and reached the FA Cup fourth round, where they hosted West Ham.

Celebrate with us

From a vote in the Town Hall to Championship grounds, Burton Albion have always remained the team of a town that smells of malt. Happy 77th birthday, Brewers!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The West Stand at the Pirelli Stadium – Steve Daniels, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.