Doncaster Greyhound Stadium

Stainforth Stadium opened as a speedway dirt track in 1929 following extensive work on an area of marsh land west of Station Road that was turned from marsh to cinder. The track consisted of sand, three inches of concrete and then finished off with nine inches of cinder. The first speedway took place on Easter Monday 1930 [2] but despite a promising start the Stainforth speedway company went into liquidation in 1930.

In 1933 the Stainforth Amateur Athletic Club bought the stadium but the World War II brought the Athletics to a halt. However, in 1941 during the war a greyhound and whippet track was added, the first meeting was on Saturday 22 March 1941 and plans were drawn up for racing every Saturday at 5.30pm. Races were held over 300 yards and 465 yards and the track attempted to gain permission for a tote in 1945 without success.[3]

Stainforth Greyhound Stadium c.1992

The track remained a flapping track (not licensed by the National Greyhound Racing Club) for thirty five years; boxing events and trotting was also seen at the stadium that was owned by Benjamin Lovatt at the time. Distances changed to 350 and 600 yards and meetings took place on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.[4] The stadium was reportedly sold in 1976 but plans to upgrade the track ended with the stadium closing in 1978 and the site remained derelict for a further thirteen years.

In 1992 businessman and greyhound enthusiast Chick Hicken and his partner June Hicken submitted plans for a new stadium to Doncaster council. The plans were passed during March 1993 a newly built track costing £1.5 million opened. The track wanted to become part of the National Greyhound Racing Club and brought in former English Greyhound Derby winning trainer Barbara Tompkins as General Manager; Racing Managers were Andrew Walker and Richard Bentley. A three tier grandstand was constructed with a restaurant, cocktail bar, public bar and other facilities all being available for the customers. Sometimes known as Meadow Court Stadium, the distances were over 275, 480, 661 and 709 metres on a track circumference of 430 metres.[5] The opening also resulted in an exodus of trainers from Craven Park, Hull in order to train at Stainforth.[6]

Tompkins retired in 2004 and the stadium re-branded from Stainforth Stadium to Doncaster Stadium in 2006. Former Belle Vue Stadium Racing Manager Stephen Gray and Richard Munton had spells as Racing Managers there from 2006-2008 and 2008-2010 respectively before former Wembley manager Mick Smith arrived. The track has grown in reputation and held the TV Trophy in 2008 & the Trainers Championship in 2010. The Yorkshire St Leger was inaugurated in 2004 and became the biggest event held at the track annually.[7]

In 2018 the stadium signed a deal with SIS to race every Monday and Wednesday evening, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.[8]