Halton Stadium

Widnes Football Club had a number of grounds before settling at Lowerhouse Lane in 1884/85 on a site a few hundred yards north of the current location. That land was leased on behalf of the rugby organisation by Widnes Cricket Club but, to coincide with the breakaway from the Rugby Football Union in 1895, Widnes F.C. obtained a lease for land on which they laid out a new ground (the Naughton Park/Halton Stadium site). The first game on the new field was against Liversedge on 12 October 1895.

In the late 1920s it was proposed that the land would be compulsorily purchased to make way for a new council housing scheme. After much lobbying the club were finally given an option to purchase the site for the not inconsiderable sum of £3,250.

Club secretary Tom Naughton was instrumental in raising the necessary funds but before the formal completion of the purchase in 1932 he died in a car crash, leading to the ground being renamed in his honour.

During the 1978 Kangaroo tour Widnes defeated Australia at Naughton Park before a crowd of 12,202.

Naughton Park stadium was owned by Widnes F.C. (later Widnes RLFC Ltd) but when financial difficulties set in they sold the ground to Halton Borough Council in 1995.

Halton Borough Council in partnership with Widnes Vikings agreed to build a new stadium on the site of Naughton Park. This stadium would provide a multi-purpose complex including a social club, conference facilities, recreational facilities and catering/function facilities.

The stadium was officially reopened on 2 November 1997. A new stand was built in 1998 with funding from Halton Borough Council and on 29 January 1999 the club's remaining 40% share in the ground was sold to the council.

The stadium became known as the AutoQuest Stadium in 1999 due to sponsorship.

In 2000, Runcorn F.C. sold their Canal Street ground and moved to the Halton Stadium. The club renamed itself Runcorn F.C. Halton to reflect its new location.

AutoQuest's sponsorship ended in 2001 and the stadium became known as the Halton Stadium.

In 2005 the East Stand was completed making the Halton Stadium a complete four-stand all seater stadium. Runcorn F.C.'s precarious financial state caused them to move out of the Halton Stadium and into Valerie Park.

In December 2007 a sponsorship agreement was made with Stobart Group Limited and the stadium was renamed Stobart Stadium Halton.[1] In February 2008 the North stand seats were changed to spell out Vikings, West stand seats are sponsored by Stobart and East stand seats are sponsored by Halton Borough Council as part of the stadium sponsorship deal.

The Widnes Rugby League Museum was opened in 2007.

The stadium was a temporary home to St. Helens during the 2011 season, as Langtree Park only opened for use in time for the 2012 season.[2]

Since 2013 the Stadium has been the host venue for the British Drum Corps Championships which are held each September. The Championships feature the top UK Marching Bands and is organised by Drum Corps United Kingdom - www.dcuk.org.uk

The Widnes Rugby League Museum is situated in the East Stand of the Halton Stadium. It is home to a collection of memorabilia much of it donated by members of the public, and displays a history of Widnes RLFC.

List of rugby league test matches played at Naughton Park.[3]

Test#	Date	Result	Attendance	Notes
1	15 January 1978	Wales def.  France 29–7	9,502	1978 European Rugby League Championship
2	16 March 1979	England def.  Wales 15–7	5,099	1979 European Rugby League Championship
3	26 January 1980	France def.  Wales 21–7	2,804	1980 European Rugby League Championship
4	19 June 1998	England def.  Wales 15–12	5,154
1	12 November 2000	Wales def.  Papua New Guinea 13–12	5,211	2000 Rugby League World Cup Quarter-final 3
5	12 November 2006	England def.  Tonga 32–14	3,000	2006 Federation Shield Final
6	9 November 2007	Samoa def.  United States 42–10	753	2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying
7		Lebanon def.  Wales 50–26

Other than Widnes club games, the stadium also saw Widnes play host to various international touring teams from 1907–1990. Widnes' 11–10 win over Australia in 1978 was their only win over the touring Kangaroos. It also remains (as of 2017) the last time a British club or county side has defeated Australia in any match.

Game	Date	Result	Attendance	Notes
1	17 October 1907	New Zealand def. Widnes 26–11	8,000	1907–08 All Golds tour
2	6 January 1909	Australia def. Widnes 13–2	1,000	1908–09 Kangaroo Tour
3	11 October 1911	Australasia def. Widnes 23–0	5,000	1911–12 Kangaroo Tour
4	6 October 1921	Australasia def. Widnes 28–4	11,000	1921–22 Kangaroo Tour
5	27 December 1921	Australasia def. Widnes 17–8	12,000
6	28 September 1926	New Zealand def. Widnes 15–5	6,000	1926–27 New Zealand Kiwis tour
7	19 September 1929	Australasia def. Widnes 37–13	6,400	1929–30 Kangaroo Tour
8	26 October 1933	Australia def. Widnes 31–0	6,691	1933–34 Kangaroo Tour
9	21 October 1937	Widnes drew with Australia 13–13	4,201	1937–38 Kangaroo Tour
10	11 December 1948	Australia def. Widnes 18–8	10,761	1948–49 Kangaroo Tour
11	6 December 1952	Australia def. Widnes 18–7	7,411	1952–53 Kangaroo Tour
12	1 October 1959	Australia def. Widnes 45–15	9,381	1959–60 Kangaroo Tour
13	21 November 1963	Australia def. Widnes 20–9	6,509	1963–64 Kangaroo Tour
14	11 November 1967	Australia def. Widnes 13–11	9,828	1967–68 Kangaroo Tour
15	14 October 1973	Australia def. Widnes 25–10	5,185	1973 Kangaroo Tour
16	25 October 1978	Widnes def. Australia 11–10	12,202	1978 Kangaroo Tour
17	9 November 1980	Widnes def. New Zealand 14–7	6,416	1980 New Zealand Kiwis tour
18	23 November 1982	Australia def. Widnes 19–6	9,790	1982 Kangaroo Tour
19	12 November 1986	Australia def. Widnes 24–4	10,268	1986 Kangaroo Tour
20	18 November 1990	Australia def. Widnes 15–8	14,666	1990 Kangaroo Tour

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