Post Office Road
Post Office Road (currently known as the Millennium Stadium for sponsorship purposes)[3] is a rugby league ground in Featherstone, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of rugby league club Featherstone Rovers. The ground's current capacity is 6,954.
The Millennium Stadium | |
 | |
| Location | Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°40′43″N 1°21′17″W |
| Owner | Featherstone Rovers |
| Operator | Featherstone Rovers |
| Capacity | 6,954 |
| Record attendance | 17,000 – Featherstone vs St Helens, 1957 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1904 |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Tenants | |
| Featherstone Rovers (1904–present) Wakefield A.F.C. (2020–2023)[1][2] | |
History
The ground opened in 1904 and has been used by the club since their formation in 1908.[4] The record attendance is 17,000 from a 1957 game against St. Helens.
In 2011, fans bought stands from the defunct Scarborough F.C.'s McCain Stadium and erected them at the railway end of the ground, replacing the terracing.
Layout
North Stand
Capacity – (seated)
The North Stand or Railway End is the newest part of the ground after originally being terracing it was replaced in 2014 with seated stands which were taken from Scarborough's McCain Stadium. The North-East corner houses the scoreboard.
East Stand
Capacity – (seated)
The Eastern side of the ground has two covered seated stands. The main stand on the halfway line houses bars and toilets while towards the Northern end of the ground, the smaller stand was erected in 2014 after it was relocated from Scarborough's McCain Stadium. To the Southern end of the stand there is a small amount of uncovered terracing.
South Stand
Capacity – (standing)
The South Stand or Post Office Road End is located behind the goal posts and is open terracing. Terrace houses overlook behind the stand and people have been known to sit on the roofs and watch games.
West Stand
Capacity – (seated)
The West Stand is the Main Stand in the ground. It contains covered seating, where the TV gantry is and a small amount of uncovered terracing towards the South end of the ground. Towards the North end of the ground is the hospitality building which is connected to the main stand and also houses the changing rooms.
Sponsorship and name changes
From 2007, it was announced that the ground would be renamed the Chris Moyles Stadium after the Radio 1 Disc Jockey. This decision attracted criticism from some fans who felt Moyles had nothing to do with the tradition of the club or rugby league (he was born in Leeds and is famously a loyal Leeds United fan). However others saw it as a positive, good move and good publicity for the team. Moyles did not pay any money in the deal but mentioned Featherstone Rovers occasionally on his breakfast show.[3][5] From 2009, the ground sponsorship was taken up by Bigfellas Nightclub following a two-year sponsorship deal. In 2017 local health food business LD Nutrition signed a deal to sponsor the stadium.
| Year | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2007–2008 | Chris Moyles | Chris Moyles Stadium |
| 2009–2016 | Bigfellas Nightclub | Bigfellas Stadium |
| 2017–2020 | LD Nutrition | LD Nutrition Stadium |
| 2020– | Millennium Support | The Millennium Stadium |
Rugby League Test matches
List of international matches played at Post Office Road.[7]
| Test# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 October 1995 |  Cook Islands def.  United States 64–6 | 3,133 | 1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament |
| 2 |  Scotland def.  Russia 34–9 | |||
| 3 | 13 November 2000 |  BARLA def.  Morocco 60–2 | 2000 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament |
Rugby League Tour matches
Post Office Road also saw Featherstone play host to various international touring teams from 1952–1994.
| Game | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 October 1952 |  Australia def.  Featherstone Rovers 50–15 | 3,700 | 1952–53 Kangaroo Tour |
| 2 | 19 October 1955 |  New Zealand def. Featherstone Rovers 7–6 | ||
| 3 | 11 November 1959 | Featherstone Rovers def. Australia 23–15 | 7,671 | 1959–60 Kangaroo Tour |
| 3 | 2 October 1963 | Featherstone Rovers def. Australia 23–17 | 7,898 | 1963–64 Kangaroo Tour |
| 4 | 18 November 1973 | Australia def. Featherstone Rovers 18–13 | 5,659 | 1973 Kangaroo Tour |
| 5 | 24 September 1982 |  France def. Featherstone Rovers 13–5 | ||
| 6 | 11 October 1987 |  PNG def. Featherstone Rovers 22–16 | 3,315 | |
| 7 | 7 November 1989 | New Zealand def. Featherstone Rovers 44–20 | 2,733 |
References
- "Wakefield AFC finds home in Featherstone". Wakefield AFC. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- "Wakefield bid farewell to the Millennium Stadium". Wakefield AFC. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- Herbert, Ian (18 November 2006). "Rugby fans baffled as ground is named after DJ". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- Featherstone Rovers Yorkshire Rugby League
- "Rooney backs Yorkshire schools". Rugby League News. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
- "Featherstone Rovers make a big step to name stadium". Pontefract & Castleford Express. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
- Post Office Road results @ Rugby League Project
External links
- The Millennium Stadium, Featherstone Rovers