HUDDERSFIELD Giants are heading back to Dewsbury this year.
Luke Robinson’s side will play their Super League fixture against Toulouse Olympique at neighbours Dewsbury Rams’ FLAIR Stadium on Saturday, June 6.
It’s due to a concert the previous weekend at the the Accu Stadium, now owned by Huddersfield Town Football Club and which the Rugby League team are set to leave at the end of this season.
The Giants played Wigan Warriors at Dewsbury, nine miles away, last June, also due to a concert at their usual base, with the 4,182 turn-out higher than that for seven of the club’s Super League games at the Accu in 2025.
“Giants fans will be familiar with the FLAIR Stadium and also have another chance to create a great atmosphere at our home from home,” said the club.
The Toulouse match is the second in a run of six Super League outings away from the Accu (formerly John Smith’s Stadium), with maintenance work scheduled at the ground the Giants have used since 1994.
After taking on St Helens there on Thursday, May 14, the Giants return to face Bradford Bulls on Friday, July 10.
The Giants look set to switch to an alternative home, potentially The Shay in Halifax, from next year until a new stadium is built back in Huddersfield.
Club owner Ken Davy feels the 24,500 all-seated Accu is too big for his club’s needs and wants to create an 8,000-capacity stadium on the site of a former gasworks nearby.
However Kirklees Council have earmarked that land for economic development and see it as a key part of the their ambition to become a UK centre for health tech innovation.
Meanwhile Davy is in the process of purchasing The Shay, which will remain home to Rugby League club Halifax Panthers and football team FC Halifax Town.
He has already provided interest-free loans to help with last year’s installation of a new pitch, while the plan is to undertake further work to bring the venue up to Super League standard once the sale is complete.