Stanley is an area in the Metropolitan Borough of Wakefield

City of Wakefield

The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...

 in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, 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 about 2.5 miles (4 km) north-east of 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....

 city centre.
Stanley was an Urban District

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

 in the West Riding of Yorkshire

West Riding of Yorkshire

The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...

 prior to 1974, being made up the four electoral wards of Lake Lock, Outwood, Stanley and Wrenthorpe

Wrenthorpe

Wrenthorpe is a village north-west of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England.It is located in the Rhubarb Triangle.-History:Although earlier remains, such as Roman coins and pottery, have been found in the area, the current settlement dates from after the Domesday Books compilation in 1086.Pottery...

. The Lofthouse

Lofthouse, West Yorkshire

Lofthouse is a village in West Yorkshire, England between the cities of Wakefield and Leeds. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough but with a Wakefield postal address . It is mentioned as Locthuse also Loftose in the 1086 Domesday Book....

 / Stanley area of West Yorkshire has a combined population of 22,947.

The area plays host to a number of commercial and corner shop type shops. It has a few pubs including The Weatsheaf, Bar Stanley, Stanley Ferry and The Travellers and is also home to St Peters School, Stanley Surgery and a large community centre.

Stanley is home to the Stanley Marsh nature reserve which is a site consisting of varied terrain including a lake. The reserve is situated on the site of a former colliery, (see Lake Lock Rail Road

Lake Lock Rail Road

The Lake Lock Rail Road was an early narrow gauge railway built near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.- The Company :The Lake Lock Rail Road Company was formed in 1796 with the capital being raised from 128 shares. These were purchased by a broad range of people including a lawyer, banker,...

).

Stanley also plays host to the Stanley Falcons, a successful cricket team who play in Division One of the Central Yorkshire Cricket League. Stanley Rangers

Stanley Rangers

Stanley Rangers is an amateur rugby league club situated in the village of Stanley near Wakefield.Players range from 8-years old and receive training in all aspects of the sport...

 ARLFC, an amateur

Amateur

An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....

 rugby league

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...

 team who play in National Conference League

National Conference League

The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association...

 Division Two.

Stanley Rodillians RUFC Ltd is based at Manley Park on Lee Moor Road and currently play in the Yorkshire 4 league.

In April 2009, it was announced that 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...

' new community stadium

Newmarket Stadium

Newmarket Stadium is the proposed home for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in Stanley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. It will replace Belle Vue which has been home to the rugby league club for over 100 years....

would be built on the site of old Newmarket Colliery. On August 31, 2010 however, Wakefield Council announced that the project had been shelved due to being unpopular with local residents and not financially viable in the current economic downturn.