SWINTON LIONS have hailed Wigan Warriors after sealing the Edge Hall Road Community Stadium in Orrell as the venue for their Championship clash with Halifax Panthers on Sunday, June 7.

With their usual Heywood Road base unavailable due to the pitch renovation work being undertaken by their rugby union landlords Sale, Swinton were left to seek an alternative ground.

Edge Hall Road, opened in 1950, once the home of another rugby union club Orrell and 28 miles from Sale by motorway, is now jointly operated by Wigan’s Rugby League and football clubs, with their respective women’s teams playing there.

Swinton will be rolling back the years with the visit, having faced Whitehaven at Orrell in a Northern Ford Premiership match in June 2000 which was drawn 28-28. They usually played at Gigg Lane, Bury at that time.

The Edge Hall Road stadium has been redeveloped since and holds 3,000, including 800 covered seats.

“The change of venue has been necessary due to the extensive pitch renovation work currently being carried out at Heywood Road,” explained Swinton.

“We’d like to thank Wigan Warriors, in particular (chief executive) Kris Radlinski, as well as (Wigan Athletic head of operations) Andy Birch and Neil Russell (managing director of Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium), for their assistance in making Edge Hall Road available to us at short notice.

“We’d also like to thank Halifax Panthers and the RFL for their co-operation in ensuring that the fixture gets played on the date as originally scheduled.”

Swinton say they will be back at Heywood Road when they next have a home game, against Doncaster on Sunday, July 19.

Another Wigan venue, the Robin Park Arena, staged Widnes Vikings’ recent 1895 Cup quarter-final tie against Newcastle Thunder.