Full name | Wilderspool Stadium |
---|---|
Location | Fletcher Street, Warrington |
Coordinates | 53°22′57″N2°35′17″W / 53.38250°N 2.58806°W |
Owner | Warrington Borough Council |
Operator | Warrington Wolves |
Capacity | 9,200 (900 seating) |
Surface | Grass |
Scoreboard | Manual |
Construction | |
Built | 1881 |
Opened | 1881 |
Renovated | 1888 |
Expanded | 1983, 2000 |
Closed | 2014 |
Demolished | 2014 |
Tenants | |
Warrington Wolves (1898–2003) Warrington Wizards (2003–2012) |
Wilderspool Stadium was a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England. The ground was Warrington RLFC's old ground before moving to the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
In 1898, Warrington RLFC moved to the Wilderspool Stadium. A 10-year lease was agreed with Greenall Whitley for land on the east side of their previous ground, a pitch previously used by Latchford Rovers Rugby Club. Warrington's previous pitch was used to build houses in Fletcher Street.
Wilderspool Stadium was modernised and extended in the inter-war period, becoming one of the finest venues in rugby league, and being awarded host status for Championship finals, Challenge Cup semi-finals, and tour games. A new west perimeter wall and turnstiles were built at Wilderspool around 1921. In 1925 the supporters' club provided Warrington with covered accommodation on the popular side of the ground and two years later, they donated a scoreboard. In 1926, the perimeter wooden fence being replaced by a concrete wall. New dressing rooms underneath the main stand were opened in January 1934.
During the Second World War, Wilderspool was requisitioned for the war effort; being used as a storage depot.
The record Kangaroo Tour attendance at the stadium was on the 1948-9 tour when 26,879 saw Warrington defeat Australia 16-7. [1]
Wilderspool's record attendance was created in the 1948-9 season when 34,304 spectators turned up to see Warrington lose only their second game of the season to Wigan.
In April, 1953, Wilderspool staged its first international, a match between Wales and Other Nationalities.
In 1958, the popular side terracing became fully covered and soon after the Fletcher Street End was given a roof.
In 1965, floodlights were installed at Wilderspool.
A stand was completely destroyed by arson in 1982. [2] The Brian Bevan stand was built in 1983 to replace the one lost to arson.
During the 1994 Kangaroo tour, Australia defeated Warrington 24-0 at Wilderspool before a crowd of 11,244 in the Kangaroos' last game at the ground.
Warrington RLFC left Wilderspool for the Halliwell Jones Stadium in 2003. [3] The final game was played in September 2003 with Warrington beating Wakefield 52–12. [4]
The stadium was finally demolished between August and October 2014. [4] A plan for 160 houses on the site was submitted in 2019, more than 16 years after the final game at Wilderspool. [5]
The scoreboard from Wilderspool was restored and placed in Warrington's Victoria Park in 2017. [6]
List of Test and World Cup matches played at Wilderspool Stadium. [7]
Game# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 April 1953 | Wales def. Other Nationalities 18–16 | 8,449 | 1952–53 European Rugby League Championship |
2 | 1 December 1973 | Australia def. Great Britain 15–5 | 10,019 | 1973 Ashes series |
3 | 20 September 1975 | England def. Wales 22–16 | 5,034 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup |
4 | 24 March 1979 | England def. France 12–6 | 5,004 | 1979 European Rugby League Championship |
5 | 8 October 1995 | New Zealand def. Tonga 25–24 | 8,083 | 1995 Rugby League World Cup Group B |
6 | 20 October 1995 | Russia def. United States 28–26 | 1,950 | 1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament |
7 | 16 November 2003 | England def. France 68–6 | 2,536 | 2003 European Nations Cup |
Wilderspool also saw Warrington and the county team Lancashire play host to various international touring teams from 1907–1994.
Game | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 21 December 1907 | Warrington def. New Zealand 15–13 | 10,000 | 1907–08 All Golds tour |
2 | 14 November 1908 | Warrington def. Australia 10–3 | 5,000 | 1908–09 Kangaroo tour |
3 | 8 February 1909 | Warrington drew with Australia 8–8 | 7,000 | |
4 | 30 December 1911 | Australasia def. Warrington 34–6 | 8,500 | 1911–12 Kangaroo tour |
5 | 29 October 1921 | Warrington def. Australasia 10–3 | 16,000 | 1921–22 Kangaroo tour |
6 | 14 December 1921 | Lancashire def. Australasia 8–6 | 6,000 | |
7 | 9 October 1926 | Warrington def. New Zealand 17–5 | 5,000 | 1926–27 New Zealand Kiwis tour |
8 | 26 September 1929 | Australia def. Lancashire 29–14 | 24,000 | 1929–30 Kangaroo tour |
9 | 21 December 1929 | Warrington def. Australia 17–8 | 12,826 | |
10 | 20 September 1933 | Australia def. Lancashire 33–7 | 16,576 | 1933–34 Kangaroo tour |
11 | 14 October 1933 | Warrington def. Australia 15–12 | 16,431 | |
12 | 17 March 1934 | English League XIII def. France 32–16 | 11,100 | 1934 French rugby league tour |
13 | 29 September 1937 | Lancashire def. Australia 7–5 | 16,250 | 1937–38 Kangaroo tour |
14 | 27 November 1937 | Warrington def. Australia 8–6 | 12,637 | |
15 | 30 October 1948 | Warrington def. Australia 16–7 | 26,879 | 1948–49 Kangaroo tour |
16 | 11 October 1952 | Australia def. Warrington 34–10 | 21,478 | 1952–53 Kangaroo tour |
17 | 19 November 1952 | Australia def. Lancashire 36–11 | 5,863 | |
18 | 27 October 1956 | Warrington def. Australia 21–17 | 15,613 | 1956–57 Kangaroo tour |
19 | 19 September 1959 | Australia def. Warrington 30–24 | 17,112 | 1959–60 Kangaroo tour |
20 | 14 September 1963 | Australia def. Warrington 28–20 | 20,090 | 1963–64 Kangaroo tour |
21 | 30 September 1967 | Australia def. Warrington 16–7 | 11,642 | 1967–68 Kangaroo tour |
22 | 11 October 1978 | Warrington def. Australia 15–12 | 10,143 | 1978 Kangaroo tour |
23 | 29 October 1980 | Warrington def. New Zealand 11–7 | 5,680 | 1980 New Zealand Kiwis tour |
24 | 31 October 1990 | Australia def. Warrington 26–6 | 10,200 | 1990 Kangaroo tour |
24 | 9 November 1994 | Australia def. Warrington 24–0 | 11,244 | 1994 Kangaroo tour |
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The 1928–29 Lancashire Cup was the 21st running of this regional rugby league competition. Wigan took the trophy for the 6th time, by beating Widnes by 5–4 in the final played at Wilderspool, Warrington. The attendance was 19,000 and receipts £1,150.
1935–36 was the twenty-eighth occasion on which the Lancashire Cup completion had been held.
Salford won the trophy by beating Wigan by 15–7.
The match was played at Wilderspool, Warrington, now in the County Palatine of Chester but (historically in the county of Lancashire. The attendance was 16,500 and receipts were £950.
This was the second of the three consecutive Lancashire Cup finals in which Salford would beat Wigan.
The 1945–46 Lancashire Cup was the thirty-third occasion on which the Lancashire Cup competition had been held in rugby league, and the first since the end of the Second World War in Europe.
For the first time for several seasons there is a new name on the trophy; that of one of the founder members of the Northern Union, Widnes, who won the trophy by beating Wigan by the score of 7–3.
The match was played at Wilderspool, Warrington,. The attendance was 28,184 and receipts were £2,600.
The 1947–48 Lancashire Cup was the thirty-fifth occasion on which the Lancashire Cup competition had been held.
The 1949–50 Lancashire Cup competition was the 37th Rugby League Lancashire Cup. In the final, Wigan beat Leigh 20–7 to win the trophy. Thirty-five thousand people attended the match, which took place at Wilderspool, Warrington with receipts of £4,751. The attendance was the second-highest to date for the competition. This was the fourth of Wigan's record-breaking run of six consecutive Lancashire Cup victories.
The 1972–73 Lancashire Cup was the sixtieth occasion on which the competition was held. Salford won the trophy by beating Swinton by the score of 25-11 in the final. The match was played at Wilderspool, Warrington,. The attendance was 6,865 and receipts were £3,321.00
The 1973–74 Lancashire Cup was the sixty-first occasion of the Lancashire Cup. Wigan won the trophy by beating Salford by the score of 19–9 in the final. The match was played at Wilderspool, Warrington. The attendance was 8,012 and receipts were £2,750.
The 1977–78 Lancashire Cup tournament was the sixty-fifth occasion on which the Lancashire Cup had been contested. For the first time in many years, there was a new name on the trophy as this time it was relative newcomers Workington Town who joined the league in 1945. Workington Town won the trophy by beating Wigan in the final by the score of 16-13. The match was played at Wilderspool, Warrington, now in the County Palatine of Chester but. The attendance was 9,548 and receipts were £5,038. After relatively little success in the competition, Workington Town had reached the semi-final stage in 1973, 1974 and 1975, had been runner-up in 1976, and now winner in 1977. They would go on to be runners-up again in 1978 and 1979.