Headingley Rugby Stadium


Headingley Rugby Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Headingley, Leeds and shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground. It is the home ground of the Leeds Rhinos, and is the fifth largest rugby league stadium in England.
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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. Leeds were founder members of the Northern Union in 1895 and 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 RUFC were founded and moved into Headingley. In July 1998, Leeds RUFC came under common ownership with Leeds Rhinos, the two becoming 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.
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 stadium 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. A total of 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. 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.

2016–2019: Major redevelopment

In January 2016, it was announced that the North and South stands were to be rebuilt as part of the overdue redevelopment of the stadium and adjoining cricket ground. Parts of the South Stand were condemned in 2011, and the club wanted to modernise the rest of the ground after the Carnegie Stand was completed in 2006. Financing for the Β£44 million redevelopment works on both the rugby stadium and cricket ground was secured from insurance and investment management group Legal & General in March 2017, with a further Β£10 million as well as a stadium sponsorship secured in June 2017 from Emerald Group Publishing.
The South Stand was demolished towards the end of the 2017 season with the North Stand following at the end of the season. Leeds Rhinos mostly continued playing at Headingley while construction work was underway on both stands, although two games were moved to Elland Road at the start of the 2018 season.
The new South Stand, housing up to 7,700 standing and seated supporters was officially opened in January 2019, while the North Stand, housing up to 3,800 seated supporters, opened in May 2019.

2020–present

Following the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in July 2020, Headingley was chosen alongside the Totally Wicked Stadium as the host of multiple rounds of Super League XXV, which were held behind closed doors following the restart of the Super League season on 2 August.
The stadium also hosted the 2022 Championship Summer Bash. The total attendance over the weekend at the stadium was recorded at 10,763, the lowest seen for a Summer Bash, with 4,011 recorded as attending the matches held on Sunday.

Future

The rebuilding of the North and South Stands in 2018 future-proofed the stadium. The only part of the ground that remains untouched is the Western Terrace. The club have explored possibilities of expanding the stand and putting a roof over it; however, owing to there being a public right of way and residential houses, plans have never been able to come to fruition.

Layout

North Stand

Capacity- 3,825
The North Stand backs onto the cricket stadium. The stand also houses the changing rooms as well as the media and journalists and a banqueting suite that is shared by both the cricket and rugby grounds.

AMT Auto East Stand

Capacity- 4,550
The AMT Auto Stand 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 it has also been known as the Extentia Stand and Global East Stand.

South Stand

Capacity- 7,721
The South Stand is well known in rugby league for being the ground's popular side. The original stand was open to the elements but, following rebuilding in the 1930s, it was partially enclosed by a pitched roof. The roof was extended to cover the entire stand in the 1960s.
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.
Before the replacement of the original roofs in 1999, the front of the South Stand featured a narrow spiral staircase, in full view of all spectators, via which television commentators accessed the television gantry on the roof. Rugby League commentator Eddie Waring claimed that, to brave the taunts and insults from fans as he climbed the stairs, he would sing the hymn, "Fight the Good Fight" to himself until reaching the sanctuary of the commentary box.

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.

Sponsors

Headingley first sold naming rights in 1990 to brewers Bass following which the stadium's official name became Bass Headingley. Following the end of this arrangement the ground did not have another naming rights sponsor until 2006 when Leeds Metropolitan University took the rights during the construction of the Carnegie Stand.
In 2017, Headingley sold the naming rights to Bingley-based publishers Emerald Group during the redevelopment of the North and South stands. Emerald withdrew their sponsorship from the full Headingley complex in November 2021, after which the rugby stadium reverted to its original name of Headingley Stadium.
At the end of the 2023 season, Leeds announced a record-breaking 15-year sponsorship deal with Leeds-based car leasing company AMT.
YearSponsorName
1990–1994Bass BreweryBass Headingley
2006–2017Leeds Metropolitan UniversityHeadingley Carnegie Stadium
2017–2021Emerald Group PublishingEmerald Headingley Stadium
2023–2038AMTAMT Headingley Stadium

Other uses

Rugby League Internationals

World Cup matches

Headingley has hosted 12 World Cup games since England first hosted the tournament in 1960. The stadium will host three more games during the postponed 2021 World Cup.
DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
21 October 196021–151960 World Cup10,773
24 October 197011–41970 World Cup15,169
7 November 197012–71970 World Cup18,776
16 March 197520–21975 World Cup10,842
12 November 197525–01975 World Cup7,680
9 November 19856–61985–88 World Cup22,209
24 January 198852–41985–88 World Cup6,567
14 October 199546–01995 World Cup14,041
4 November 200066–102000 World Cup10,052
11 November 200026–162000 World Cup15,405
4 November 201356–102013 World Cup18,180
15 November 201340–42013 World Cup16,207
15 October 202242–82021 World Cup13,366
24 October 202248–22021 World Cup6,320
30 October 202268–62021 World Cup6,829
5 November 202248–102021 World Cup14,044

Test matches

List of rugby league test matches played at Headingley.
DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
25 January 190829–71907–08 New Zealand tour8,182
21 October 19216–51921–22 Kangaroo tour31,700
15 January 192732–171926–27 New Zealand tour6,000
9 November 19299–31929–30 Kangaroo tour31,402
11 November 19337–51933–34 Kangaroo tour29,618
16 October 19375–41937–38 Kangaroo tour31,949
17 May 19475–21946–47 European Cup20,000
4 October 194711–101947–48 New Zealand tour28,445
9 October 194823–211948–49 Kangaroo tour36,529
11 November 195014–91950–51 European Rugby League Championship22,000
4 October 195219–61952–53 Kangaroo tour34,505
25 October 195222–161952–53 European Cup10,380
17 December 195528–131955–56 New Zealand tour10,438
26 January 195745–1220,221
14 March 195950–1521,948
21 November 195911–101959–60 Kangaroo tour30,301
30 September 196129–111961 New Zealand tour16,540
17 November 196218–611,099
30 November 196316–51963–64 Kangaroo tour20,497
21 October 196716–111967–68 Kangaroo tour22,293
18 October 196940–231969–70 European Cup8,355
24 February 197026–71969–70 European Cup9,393
6 November 197112–31971 New Zealand tour5,479
24 November 197314–61973 Kangaroo tour16,674
29 January 19776–21977 European Cup6,472
18 November 197823–61978 Kangaroo tour30,604
21 February 19815–11981 European Cup3,229
18 November 198232–81982 Kangaroo tour17,318
17 February 198410–07,646
1 March 198550–46,491
6 February 198830–127,007
29 October 198830–28Rest of the World12,409
7 April 199025–186,554
16 February 199160–45,284
2 April 199372–68,196
6 November 199329–101993 New Zealand Tour15,139
9 November22–42003 European Cup2,124
22 October 200626–10Federation Shield5,547
22 October 200618–102008 World Cup Qualifying5,547
22 June 200742–1412,685
4 November 202326–42023 Tonga tour15,477
2 November 202434–162024 Samoa tour16,068
8 November 202530–82025 Kangaroo tour19,500

Tour Matches

Other than Leeds club games, Headingley has also seen Leeds, the county team Yorkshire and a Northern Union XIII side play host to various international touring teams from 1911 to 2015.
DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
20 January 1908 Northern Union XIII14–6 New Zealand1907–08 All Golds tour8,182
6 January 1912Australasia8–6 Leeds1911–12 Kangaroo tour1,000
19 October 1921Australasia11–5 Leeds1921–22 Kangaroo tour14,000
23 October 1929 Leeds11–5 Australia1929–30 Kangaroo tour10,000
19 October 1933 Australia13–0leagueicon|Australia|16leagueicon|Leeds|16leagueicon|England|16leagueicon|France|16leagueicon|Leeds|16leagueicon|Australia|16leagueicon|Australia|16leagueicon|Leeds|16

World Club Challenge

Headingley has hosted five games of the World Club Challenge / Championship / Series between 1997 and 2016.
DateWinnersScoreRunners-upCompetitionAttendance
18 July 1997 Leeds Rhinos22–14 Adelaide Rams1997 World Club Championship11,269
3 August 1997 North Queensland Cowboys48–14 Leeds Rhinos1997 World Club Championship12,224
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

Rugby League Finals

First Division finals

The ground has hosted six of the old First Division Finals. The first being in 1914 when Salford beat Huddersfield and the last in 1968 when Wakefield beat Hull KR.
Since Super League inception in 1996, Old Trafford has hosted all but one Grand Final.
SeasonChampionsScoreRunners-upAttendance
1913–14 Salford5–3 Huddersfield8,091
1919–20 Hull F.C.3–2 Huddersfield12,900
1920–21 Hull F.C.16–14 Hull Kingston Rovers10,000
1922–23 Hull Kingston Rovers15–5 Huddersfield14,000
1966–67 Wakefield Trinity7–7 St. Helens20,161
1967–68 Wakefield Trinity17–10 Hull Kingston Rovers22,586

Second Division finals

Headingley hosted its first Championship Grand Final in 2007 when Castleford beat Widnes in front of 20,000 people to be promoted to Super League. The event returned in 2014 when Leigh beat Featherstone however they were not promoted due to Super League then licensing period.
YearWinnersScoreRunner-upAttendance
2007 Castleford42–10 Widnes20,814
2014 Leigh36–12 Featherstone9,164

Third Division finals

As part of the Championship Finals that included the Championship Grand Final, Headingley hosted the Championship 1 Grand Finals
YearWinnersScoreRunner-upAttendance
2007 Featherstone24–6 Oldham
2014 Hunslet17–16 Oldham9,167

Challenge Cup Semi-finals

Headingley has hosted 13 Challenge Cup semi finals and one replay since 1981. The last semi final to be held at Headingley was in 2015 when Hull KR beat Warrington. In recent years the semi-finals have been held at one neutral venue as a double header.
YearWinnerScoreLoser
1981 Hull Kingston Rovers22–5 St. Helens
1982 Hull15–11 Castleford
1983 Featherstone Rovers11–6 Bradford Northern
1985 Hull10–10 Castleford
R Hull22–16 Castleford
1987 Halifax12–8 Widnes
1988 Halifax0–0 Hull
1992 Castleford8–4 Hull
1994 Wigan20–6 Castleford
1998 Sheffield Eagles22–18 Salford
1999 London Broncos33–27 Castleford
2000 Bradford44–20 Warrington
2002 Wigan20–10 Castleford
2015 Hull Kingston Rovers26–18 Warrington