Headingley Rugby Stadium

Headingley Rugby Stadium (known as Emerald Headingley Rugby Stadium due to sponsorship) shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground and is home to both Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire Carnegie rugby teams. Headingley is also the 5th largest rugby league stadium in England.

Headingley Rugby Stadium
Full nameHeadingley Rugby Stadium
LocationSt Michaels Lane, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Coordinates53°48′58.87″N 1°34′55.82″W
Public transit Headingley
OwnerLeeds Rugby
OperatorLeeds Rhinos
Capacity19,700[1]
Record attendanceAll-time
40,175 (Leeds v. Bradford Northern, 21 May 1947)
Super League
23,035 (Leeds v. Bradford Bulls, 2003)
Field size115 yd × 74 yd (105 m × 68 m)[2]
SurfaceGrass and astro turf mix
ScoreboardPhilips VideoTron
Construction
Built1897[3]
Opened1890
Renovated1991, 2011, 2017-19
Expanded1931, 1932, 2006
Tenants
Leeds Rhinos (1890–present)
Yorkshire Carnegie (1991–present)
Bramley (1997-1999)

History

1889-1980s: Construction and development

Leeds St Johns, who were later to become Leeds Rugby League Football Club then Leeds Rhinos, moved to Headingley in 1889 and built Headingley stadium. Headingley hosted rugby league's first ever Challenge Cup Final in 1897.

In the 1930s, major developments took place on two sides of the rugby ground. The South Stand was completed in 1931, with some of the work being carried out by club players, while the old wooden North Stand was burned down during a match against Halifax on 25 March 1932. By the end of 1932, a new North Stand had been completed. The record attendance at Headingley was 40,175 for the rugby league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947. Undersoil heating was installed in 1963 but has since been removed due to ongoing problems, and floodlights were installed in 1966. The 1970 Rugby League World Cup Final between Great Britain and Australia was played at the stadium before a crowd of 18,776.

The third and deciding Test of the 1978 Ashes series was played at Headingley before a crowd of 30,604.

1990s–2000: Rugby union and World Cup games

New changing rooms were added in 1991, the same year Leeds RFU were founded and moved into Headingley. In July 1998, Leeds RFU became part of the world's first dual-code rugby partnership, Leeds Rugby Limited.

Headingley only hosted one match of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, held in England and Wales to celebrate the centenary of rugby league in England. Host nation England defeated rugby league minnows South Africa 46–0 in front of 14,041 fans.

Two matches of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup were held at Headingley which included England v. Fiji which England won by 66–10 in front of a crowd of 10,052 and latterly the quarter final fixture between England and Ireland which England won by 26–16 and attracted 15,405 spectators.

2001–2006: East Stand expansion and redevelopment

In 2001 capacity was increased marginally by extending the terracing around the corner in between the Western Terraces and the North Stand.

Since 2005 Headingley rugby stadium has been the venue for the annual varsity rugby union match between Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds which has attracted over 11,000 spectators.[4]

2005 also saw the construction of the Carnegie Stand, built to replace the Eastern Terrace. The new stand had two tiers with 1,844 seats and hospitality suites. It was opened on 1 September 2006 for the Super League match between Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves.

2012–2015: More international games

The 2012 World Club Challenge saw the first time that the stadium was fully packed to its capacity when the home team, and Super League XVI Champions, Leeds Rhinos took on the 2011 NRL winners the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. 21,062 turned out to see the Rhinos defeat Manly 26–12, the game being highlighted by Ryan Hall's 90 metre intercept try midway through the first half.[5] This saw Leeds gain some revenge for their 28–20 loss to Manly in the 2009 World Club Challenge at Elland Road.

The stadium hosted two matches of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup: a Group B game featuring New Zealand, the defending World Cup Champions, and Papua New Guinea on Friday 8 November which the Kiwis won 56–10 in front of an audience of 18,180. Headingley also hosted a Quarter-final game on Friday 15 November between New Zealand and Scotland which New Zealand won by 40–4 to a crowd of 16,207.

In 2015 Headingley hosted New Zealand again for the first time since 2013 where they took on Leeds Rhinos as a warm up for their test series against England. It also marked 120 years of rugby league being played at the stadium.

2016–present: Major redevelopment

In 2015 it was announced that the North and South stands were to be rebuilt as part of the redevelopment of the stadium. The new North stand will include new changing rooms and hospitality for both the cricket and rugby ground, with the cricket side having three tiers. The South Stand will also be rebuilt as it was condemned in 2011 with plans since then to rebuild the stand. The new South stand will have the same standing capacity and will also house seating due to the North stand being slightly reduced and will have a similar design as the Carnegie Stand.

Work on the new South Stand began in 2017, with the old structure demolished in September of that year. The stand is due to be open for the 2019 season.

Layout

Emerald North Stand

Capacity- 3,825 (seated)

North Stand

The North Stand backs onto the cricket stadium. The stand also houses the changing rooms as well as the media and journalists and a bankqueting suite that is shared by both the cricket and rugby grounds.

Extentia Stand

Extentia Stand

Capacity- 4,550 (1,844 seated)
The Extentia Stand[6] was completed in 2006 and replaced the Eastern Terrace. The stand has two tiers; the bottom contained terracing whilst the top contains seating, hospitality boxes, bars and a restaurant. It was originally known as the Carnegie Stand but was renamed Extentia Stand in late 2018.

South Stand

New South Stand

Capacity- 7,721 (2,217 seated) The South Stand is well known in rugby league for being the Kop of the ground. The stand was rebuilt in 2018 and contains two tiers, the bottom tier is terracing and the upper tier is seating. The stand also contains the TV gantry.

Western Terrace

Western Terrace

Capacity- 3,604
The Western Terrace is the only part of the stadium not covered and houses the away fans. It is the only part of the ground that has had no major redevelopment nor are there any plans to do so as there is a public right of way and housing behind it. The biggest change to the Western Terrace is the permanent video board in the South West corner which replaced the temporary one in the North West corner.

Panoramic of the ground during redevelopment.

Sponsors

Headingley first sold naming rights in 2006 by Leeds Metropolitan University during the construction of the Carnegie Stand.

In 2017, Headingley sold the naming rights to Bingley-based publishers Emerald Group to help fund the redevelopment of the North and South stands.

YearSponsorName
2006–2017Leeds Metropolitan UniversityHeadingley Carnegie Stadium
2017–Emerald Group PublishingEmerald Headingley Stadium

International fixtures

Rugby league Test matches

List of rugby league test matches played at Headingley.[7]

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
25 January 1908 Northern Union29–7 New Zealand1907–08 New Zealand Tour8,182
21 October 1921 Great Britain6–5 Australia1921–22 Kangaroo Tour31,700
15 January 1927 England32–17 New Zealand1926–27 New Zealand Tour6,000
9 November 1929 Great Britain9–3 Australia1929–30 Kangaroo Tour31,402
11 November 1933 Great Britain7–5 Australia1933–34 Kangaroo Tour29,618
16 October 1937 Great Britain5–4 Australia1937–38 Kangaroo Tour31,949
17 May 1947 Great Britain5–2 France1946–47 European Cup20,000
4 October 1947 Great Britain11–10 New Zealand1947–48 New Zealand Tour28,445
9 October 1948 Great Britain23–21 Australia1948–49 Kangaroo Tour36,529
15 December 1951 Great Britain16–12 New Zealand1951–52 New Zealand Tour18,649
4 October 1952 Great Britain19–6 Australia1952–53 Kangaroo Tour34,505
25 October 1952 Wales22–16 France1952–53 European Cup10,380
17 December 1955 New Zealand28–13 Great Britain1955–56 New Zealand Tour10,438
26 January 1957 Great Britain45–12 France20,221
14 March 1959 Great Britain50–15 France21,948
21 November 1959 Great Britain11–10 Australia1959–60 Kangaroo Tour30,301
21 October 1960 Australia21–15 New Zealand1960 World Cup10,773
30 September 1961 New Zealand29–11 Great Britain1961 New Zealand Tour16,540
17 November 1962 England18–6 France11,099
30 November 1963 Great Britain16–5 Australia1963–64 Kangaroo Tour20,497
21 October 1967 Great Britain16–11 Australia1967–68 Kangaroo Tour22,293
18 October 1969 England40–23 Wales1969–70 European Cup8,355
24 February 1970 England26–7 Wales9,393
24 October Great Britain11–4 Australia1970 World Cup15,169
7 November 1970 Australia12–7 Great Britain18,776
6 November 1971 Great Britain12–3 New Zealand1971 New Zealand Tour5,479
24 November 1973 Australia14–6 Great Britain1973 Kangaroo Tour16,674
16 March 1975 England11–4 France1975 World Cup
12 November 1975 Australia25–0 England7,680
29 January 1977 Wales6–2 England1977 European Cup6,472
18 November 1978 Australia23–6 Great Britain1978 Kangaroo Tour30,604
21 February 1981 France5–1 England1981 European Cup3,229
18 November 1982 Australia32–8 Great Britain1982 Kangeroo Tour17,318
17 February 1984 Great Britain10–0 France7,646
1 March 1985 Great Britain50–4 France6,491
9 November 1985 Great Britain6–6 New Zealand1985–88 World Cup22,209
24 January 1988 Great Britain52–4 France6,567
6 February 1988 Great Britain30–12 France7,007
29 October 1988 Great Britain30–28Rest of the World12,409
7 April 1990 France25–18 Great Britain6,554
16 February 1991 Great Britain60–4 France5,284
2 April 1993 Great Britain72–6 France8,196
6 November 1993 Great Britain29–10 New Zealand1993 New Zealand Tour15,139
14 October England46–0 South Africa1995 World Cup14,041
4 November England66–10 Fiji2000 World Cup10,052
11 November England26–16 Ireland15,405
9 November England22–4 Wales2003 European Cup2,124
22 October 2006 England26–10 France5,547
22 October 2006 Tonga18–10 Samoa2008 World Cup Qualifying
22 June 2007 Great Britain42–14 France12,685
4 November New Zealand56–10 Papua New Guinea2013 World Cup18,180
15 November New Zealand40–4 Scotland16,207

Rugby league tour matches

Other than Leeds club games, Headingley has also seen Leeds, the county team Yorkshire and a Northern Union XIII (sometimes called English League) side play host to various international touring teams from 1911–2015.

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
20 January 1908 Northern Union XIII14–6 New Zealand1907–08 All Golds tour8,182
6 January 1912 Australasia8–6 Leeds1911–12 Kangaroo Tour1,000
19 October 1921 Australasia11–5 Leeds1921–22 Kangaroo Tour14,000
23 October 1929 Leeds11–5 Australasia1929–30 Kangaroo Tour10,000
19 October 1933 Australia13–0 Yorkshire1933–34 Kangaroo Tour10,309
29 November 1933 Australia15–7 Leeds5,295
6 March 1935 English League25–18 France1935 French tour15,000
1 December 1937 Leeds21–8 Australia1937–38 Kangaroo Tour5,000
27 October 1948 Australia15–2 Leeds1948–49 Kangaroo Tour13,542
24 November 1948 Yorkshire5–2 Australia5,310
22 November 1952 Australia45–4 Leeds1952–53 Kangaroo Tour20,335
13 October 1956 Leeds18–13 Australia1956–57 Kangaroo Tour24,459
16 April 1958 English League19–8 France1958 French tour13,993
12 September 1959 Australia44–20 Leeds1959–60 Kangaroo Tour14,629
21 September 1963 Australia13–10 Leeds1963–64 Kangaroo Tour16,641
25 November 1967 Australia7–4 Leeds1967–68 Kangaroo Tour5,522
17 October 1978 Australia25–19 Leeds1978 Kangaroo Tour9,781
26 October 1980 New Zealand25–5 Leeds1980 New Zealand Kiwis tour5,662
20 October 1982 Australia31–4 Leeds1982 Kangaroo Tour11,570
29 October 1983 Queensland58–2 Leeds1983 Queensland Maroons Tour5,647
19 October 1986 Australia40–0 Leeds1986 Kangaroo Tour11,389
21 October 1990 Australia22–16 Leeds1990 Kangaroo Tour16,037
5 October 1994 Australia48–6 Leeds1994 Kangaroo Tour18,581
23 October 2015 New Zealand34–16 Leeds Rhinos2015 New Zealand Tour20,158

World Club matches

Headingley has hosted 5 games of the World Club Challenge / Championship / Series between 1997–2016.

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
18 July 1997 Leeds Rhinos22–14 Adelaide Rams1997 World Club Championship11,269
3 August 1997 North Queensland Cowboys48–14 Leeds Rhinos12,224
17 February 2012 Leeds Rhinos26–12 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles2012 World Club Challenge21,062
22 February 2013 Melbourne Storm18–14 Leeds Rhinos2013 World Club Challenge20,400
21 February 2016 North Queensland Cowboys38–4 Leeds Rhinos2016 World Club Series19,778

Finals fixtures

Championship finals

DateWinnersScoreRunners-upAttendance
1914 Salford5–3 Huddersfield8,091
1920 Hull3–2 Huddersfield12,900
1921 Hull16–14 Hull Kingston Rovers10,000
1923 Hull Kingston Rovers15–5 Huddersfield14,000
1942 Dewsbury13–0 Bradford
1967 Wakefield7–7 St. Helens20,161
1968 Wakefield17–10 Hull Kingston Rovers22,586

References

  1. "Rlfans.Com". Rlfans.Com. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  2. "Club Records". Leeds United A.F.C. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  3. "Elland Road – Information". wafll.com. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  4. LeedsVarsity.com retrieved 20 June 2014
  5. "World Club Challenge 2012 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  6. "Emerald Headingley's East Stand to be renamed the Extentia Stand". The Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  7. "Headingley - Results - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
Preceded by
Sydney Cricket Ground
1968
Rugby League World Cup
Final venue

1970
Succeeded by
Stade de Gerland
1972

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