Belle Vue (Wakefield)
Encyclopedia
Belle Vue is a rugby league
stadium
in Wakefield
, England
. It is the home stadium of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
. It is located beside the A638 Doncaster Road
, approximately one mile south of Wakefield City Centre.
and rugby union
, in order to provide a permanent base for the Wakefield Trinity
team who had being playing on fields in the local area since 1873. The money was provided by the Wakefield Athletic Club, and was also initially used for cycling
and athletics
competitions.
Belle Vue was the venue of the 1922–23 Challenge Cup
final, in which Leeds
beat Hull 28–3 in front of a crowd of 29,335, this is the only occasion that Belle Vue was the venue for the Challenge Cup final.
The 1937–38 Rugby Football League Championship final was due to have taken place at Belle Vue, but as both finalists Hunslet
and Leeds
were from Leeds
, the authorities switched the match to Elland Road
in Leeds.
Many of the scenes from This Sporting Life
were filmed at the Belle Vue Stadium during Wakefield's third round Challenge Cup match against Wigan in 1962.
Floodlights were installed in 1967 and were upgraded in 1990/1.
The stadium was called the Atlantic Solutions Stadium for 2005.
On Saturday 16 September 2006 the stadium played host to "The Battle of Belle Vue" when 11,000 fans from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
and Castleford Tigers
crammed in to watch the match which would decide who was relegated from Super League
. Wakefield won the match 29–17 sending their nearest and most fierce rivals Castleford down to the National League.
The capacity of the stadium was increased to 12,600 in 2008, to help with the application for a 2009 Super League licence, which was granted in July 2008.
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
have long been in negotiation with the local council to find an alternative site, as the present Belle Vue stadium does not comply with the proposed standards required by the Super League
. However, there have been difficulties in agreeing with the local council on a suitable alternative site.
Plans for a new stadium in partnership with Wakefield City Council working together with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
were rejected after the Council decided that it would be difficult to deliver within budget on an appropriate timescale.
New plans for a 12,000 seater stadium near junction 30 of the M62, in Stanley, were unveiled on 17 April 2009, with the development undertaken by Yorkcourt Properties and a community trust, chaired by former Rugby Football League
chairman Sir Rodney Walker..
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the home stadium of Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
. It is located beside the A638 Doncaster Road
A638 road
The A638 is a main road in England that runs between the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire and Chain Bar Junction 26 of the M62 motorway south of Bradford in West Yorkshire....
, approximately one mile south of Wakefield City Centre.
Description
Currently, the East stand has a covered stand with seating, with some terracing beneath. The North and West sides are large open terrace, while the South side is the location of hospitality facilities. The stadium capacity is officially listed as 12,000 but can hold up to 13,000 on rare occasions.History
The site was purchased in 1895 after the split between rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, in order to provide a permanent base for the Wakefield Trinity
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
team who had being playing on fields in the local area since 1873. The money was provided by the Wakefield Athletic Club, and was also initially used for cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
and athletics
Athletics (track and field)
Athletics is an exclusive collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking...
competitions.
Belle Vue was the venue of the 1922–23 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
final, in which Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
beat Hull 28–3 in front of a crowd of 29,335, this is the only occasion that Belle Vue was the venue for the Challenge Cup final.
The 1937–38 Rugby Football League Championship final was due to have taken place at Belle Vue, but as both finalists Hunslet
Hunslet Hawks
Hunslet Hawks is a professional rugby league club based in Hunslet, West Yorkshire, England. The club, sometimes known as 'the Parksiders' after their former stadium, are currently champions of Championship One.-History:-Early years:...
and Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
were from Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, the authorities switched the match to Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
in Leeds.
Many of the scenes from This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life
This Sporting Life is a 1963 British film based on a novel of the same name by David Storey which won the 1960 Macmillan Fiction Award. It tells the story of a rugby league footballer, Frank Machin, in Wakefield, a mining area of Yorkshire, whose romantic life is not as successful as his sporting...
were filmed at the Belle Vue Stadium during Wakefield's third round Challenge Cup match against Wigan in 1962.
Floodlights were installed in 1967 and were upgraded in 1990/1.
The stadium was called the Atlantic Solutions Stadium for 2005.
On Saturday 16 September 2006 the stadium played host to "The Battle of Belle Vue" when 11,000 fans from Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
and Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers
Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'...
crammed in to watch the match which would decide who was relegated from Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. Wakefield won the match 29–17 sending their nearest and most fierce rivals Castleford down to the National League.
The capacity of the stadium was increased to 12,600 in 2008, to help with the application for a 2009 Super League licence, which was granted in July 2008.
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
have long been in negotiation with the local council to find an alternative site, as the present Belle Vue stadium does not comply with the proposed standards required by the Super League
Super League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
. However, there have been difficulties in agreeing with the local council on a suitable alternative site.
Plans for a new stadium in partnership with Wakefield City Council working together with Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
were rejected after the Council decided that it would be difficult to deliver within budget on an appropriate timescale.
New plans for a 12,000 seater stadium near junction 30 of the M62, in Stanley, were unveiled on 17 April 2009, with the development undertaken by Yorkcourt Properties and a community trust, chaired by former Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League
The Rugby Football League is the governing body for professional rugby league football in England. Based at Red Hall in Leeds, it administers the England national rugby league team, the Challenge Cup, Super League and the Rugby League Championships...
chairman Sir Rodney Walker..