Panoramic view: Oldest football ground in continuous use?
Paul C 8 April 2005 13:50:22
There are several claimants to the title of 'oldest football ground' Here's a panoramic view of the Chapeltown Ground, which I believe to be the oldest. It was the home of one of Lancashire's leading football clubs in the 1870s and 1880s - Turton FC, and is now the home of Old Boltonians.
Turton FC were formed in 1870, but the ground was used for 'football matches' back to the mid-1850s and there is some evidence that football of a kind was played there well before then.
In the the late 1870s Turton entertained teams such as Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest here in the FA Cup. Turton FC is also credited with introducing the 2-3-5 team formation