Brunton Park

Brunton Park stands in Carlisle, a city in north-west England. It is the 17 000-capacity home of Carlisle United football club. The ground opened in 1909 after the club moved east from smaller grounds. Four separate stands make up the stadium: the Main (West) Stand, the Warwick Road End, the East Stand and the Petteril End. The Main Stand holds the club offices, changing rooms and media facilities. The Warwick Road End is covered with a distinctive triple-triangle roof. The Petteril End remains closed unless large crowds are expected. The ground has faced serious challenges over the years. In 1953 a fire destroyed the original wooden grandstand, rebuilt after the sale of player Geoff Twentyman to Liverpool. Flooding struck in 2005 and again in 2015, forcing the team to play elsewhere while repairs were carried out. The capacity once reached 27 500 but safety inspections in the 1980s and before the 2012–13 season reduced it to 17 001. The largest recent crowd was 15 401 for a 2023 League Two playoff semi-final. Visitors find a mix of terraces and seats across the stands. The Main Stand’s lower tier is a paddock terrace with dugouts in front. The East Stand, built in 1996, runs 18 metres past the goal line because plans for a southern stand never happened. The Warwick Road End is the noisiest section, often repainted by younger fans. A single scoreboard and advertising screen sit beside the Petteril End’s control tower. The pitch, laid with local Solway turf, measures 104 by 67 metres.