Came across this on our heritage site, thought people could reminisce about the not so good grounds now long gone.
Great stuff MG, thanks for bringing back some memories of yesteryear.
The grounds look really awful but, the odd thing is, despite getting wet when it rained and queuing for a visit to a smelly gents, at the time I didn’t think they were all that bad!
Really interesting to see how the stadia have changed in the NW in the last 40 years but not necessarily over the Pennines!
Really interesting to see how the stadia have changed in the NW in the last 40 years but not necessarily over the Pennines!
Interesting paradox, did poor stadia contribute to attendances? Surely in the harshness of winter, some maybe have been put off from attending an average rl match in the freezing cold with no shelter?
In the same way that kit design and the need for constant changes wasn’t an issue, I don’t think people were not really constantly judging the stadiums. I honestly think people just went along to watch the match because, at the time, in the north west Rugby League was a great source of entertainment.
Some absolute dives there.Is'nt that Athletic Grounds Rochdale with the speedway track ? Permanently muddy.Unbeleivably some say on facebook they wish we still played at the old Naughton Park !
As they played in the Lancashire Cup I’m going to include Whitehaven’s ground on the ‘roll of honour’. I remember being at their ground when there was a hole in the back of the stand and a driving rain off the sea was blowing the rain horizontally through the hole. It was the coldest I have ever been at any outdoor sporting event. It was grey and miserable and the drive home in my dad’s battered old Vauxhall Viva seemed to take days and days - happy memories 🙂
Renowned as an ice house, Whitehaven!!!!! Probably the same game, we went home via Windermere because Shap was closed!! We must have been dedicated supporters or totally barmy!!!!!!
Never got to Whitehaven or Workington, my Dad gave those two a swerve for some reason but we did all the West Yorkshire away games. Never got round to going myself either, as an adult.Did Barrow, once.Cup Tie 91.
Although it was well before 1981, the very first RL that I paid (3p?) to attend was Widnes versus Liverpool City, who played at Knotty Ash, around Christmas 1963.
Memory can play some very funny tricks but even then I thought that the pitch was awful and the Stadium was a dump - far worse than any of those featured in MG’s video.
Never went to Huyton either, not sure if we played them away after I started watching.I believe the ground was just off the main dual carriageway heading towards M57 and Prescot roundabout.
Yes there were byes to get the number rounded to eight teams remaining.Fulham were included from 1980 and then I assume Springfield Borough/ Chorley but they were the old Blackpool anyway.Blackpool used to host tour games v Aus and NZ.I wonder what they made of the place ?
Never went to Huyton either, not sure if we played them away after I started watching.I believe the ground was just off the main dual carriageway heading towards M57 and Prescot roundabout.
Alt Park - if you were driving out from Knotty Ash towards Widnes it was on the left hand side of the main road a bit before you got to Prescott. I think it could charitably be described as basic.
Thanks Royston.I think I can picture the location, about a mile or two before the Motorway roundabout at Prescott. I should have gone to a game even if Widnes were not playing there.Just to see it.
No, Borough Park.I went to the tour opener v Kiwis in 1980.About 1500 people in attendance.