3798 x 2760 px | 32,2 x 23,4 cm | 12,7 x 9,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
2 agosto 2013
Ubicazione:
Halliwell Jones stadium, Mike Gregory Way / Winwick Rd, Warrington, WA2 7NE
Altre informazioni:
By the late 1990s, Warrington RLFC's spiritual home Wilderspool Stadium had become decrepit and unfit for purpose, and so the club looked to move to a new stadium. Before settling on the site which had formerly housed the Tetley Walker brewery, a site in Burtonwood was considered but these plans were rejected. The last competitive game at Wilderspool (after 105 years at the ground) was played on 21 September 2003, when Warrington beat Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 52-12. The stadium was notable for bucking the common trend of modern stadia by including terracing areas rather than being an all-seater stadium. There were originally 4 stands in the stadium – the North Stand (reserved seating), the East Stand (originally unreserved seating but later became reserved seating), the South Stand (home terracing), and the West Stand (visitors' terracing and overflow of home terracing). It also has enormous pitch dimensions of 120 m x 74 m, as requested by Warrington's head coach of the time, Paul Cullen, due to his desire to play expansive rugby. The official capacity of the stadium is 15, 200. The stadium has already enjoyed several memorable moments, perhaps most notably Andrew Johns' debut for Warrington against Leeds Rhinos in a 33-16 victory on 10 September 2005. During the Co-operative Championship grand final rugby league game between Featherstone Rovers and Halifax on 26 September 2010, a fire beneath the terraced West Stand broke out, forcing all of the fans housed in the stand to be evacuated onto the field, holding up the game for around 45 minutes. Following a safety inspection the spectators were eventually allowed back in. However, when the smell of smoke failed to disperse, there was a further hold up as the fans were moved to the East Stand. The game resumed with no further interruptions. The fire is being treated as arson.
