THERE is something special about an old rugby league ground.
Not only is it incredible to think that 100 years ago people would flock to the same terracing to watch their favourite team, but it’s also remarkable that such ancient venues are still around today.
A number of them have stood the test of time, though redevelopment has been the name of the game for some of those still left standing.
Here, we charter back through time to reveal the six oldest rugby league grounds still being used by a rugby league side.
Cougar Park – Keighley Cougars
First opened in 1876, Cougar Park has been the home of the Keighley Cougars since 1899. But, from 1899 to 1995, the ground was known as Lawkholme Lane until August 1991 when the ‘Cougars’ were officially launched. The renovation of the old Lawkholme Lane ground followed and with this came a new name for the old ground ‘Cougar Park.’ The record attendance inside Cougar Park came when Warrington visited before World War Two in the Challenge Cup – there was a crowd of 14,000 who paid £761, then record receipts for the ground.
Fox’s Biscuits Stadium – Batley Bulldogs
Otherwise known as Mount Pleasant to diehard rugby league fans, the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium has been around since 1880! That means Batley’s stadium can be traced back to Queen Victoria, the First Boer and the adoption of Greenwich Mean Time! The first game on the Bulldogs’ ground was in October of that year when Batley beat Bradford Zingari. Of course, back in 1880, the stadium looked mightily different and during the mid-1880s there was only one stand – and poultry was even kept there! The ground’s record attendance of 23,989 still remains from March 1925 when Leeds made the short distance for a Challenge Cup third round tie. Naming rights of Fox’s Biscuits was adopted in December 2014.
Belle Vue – Wakefield Trinity
There is some dispute about when Belle Vue actually opened, with some accounts stating 1878 and others 1879, but Wakefield Trinity played their first game on the hallowed turf in April 1880. In the same month, Liberal MP William Gladstone became Prime Minister, beating Conservative Benjamin Disraeli in a general election. Since then, Wakefield have continued to play at Belle Vue, with the current redevelopment breathing new life into the old stadium. Trinity do boast a record crowd of 29,335 for the 1922-23 Challenge Cup Final when Leeds beat Hull FC – the only time Belle Vue has been used for the showpiece event.
Headingley – Leeds Rhinos
1890 was the year that Headingley came into being, with Leeds making the venue its home immediately, which makes the current renovation and modernisation look even more impressive. It’s fair to say that the ground did not look like its modern-day structure over 130 years ago, but the high regard of the venue has been there through history when considering that Headingley hosted the first-ever Challenge Cup Final in 1997. The record crowd to fill the stadium is 40,175 when Leeds took on local rivals Bradford Northern in May 1947.
Naughton Park/DCBL Stadium – Widnes Vikings
There is some debate about whether the DCBL Stadium counts as one of the oldest stadiums considering every stand is now different to the one which opened as Naughton Park back in 1895. However, Naughton Park was sold to Halton Borough Council in 1995 and the council, in partnership with the Vikings, agreed to build a new stadium on the site of Naughton Park – which is now the DCBL Stadium. The stadium was officially reopened back in November 1997. The DCBL Stadium rose to fame in 2011 when it became the first venue in England to install a fully artificial 3G pitch. Its biggest crowd since renovation was in 2009 Challenge Cup semi-final when 12,975 Warrington and Wigan fans filled the stadium.
Millennium Stadium – Featherstone Rovers
Known to most as Post Office Road, the Millennium Stadium has been around since 1904, when Featherstone Rovers moved in. In the same year, the Russians and Japanese went to war whilst Puccini debuted his new opera, Madame Butterfly. The record attendance at the venue stands at 17,000 from a 1957 game against St Helens, but the stadium looks a lot different now to back then. In 2011, fans bought stands from the defunct Scarborough F.C.’s McCain Stadium, forging the outline of a brand-new look of Featherstone’s home.
