Post Office Road
{{Short description|Rugby league venue in Featherstone, England}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Post Office Road
| nickname = The Millennium Stadium
| image = Featherstone main stand.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| location = Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England
| coordinates = {{coord|53|40|43|N|1|21|17|W|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = 1904
| opened = 1904
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = Featherstone Rovers
| operator = Featherstone Rovers
| surface = Grass
| architect =
| tenants = Featherstone Rovers (1904–present)
Wakefield A.F.C. (2020–2023, 2024-present){{cite web|url=https://wakefieldafc.com/2020/08/04/wakefield-afc-finds-home-in-featherstone/ |title=Wakefield AFC finds home in Featherstone |publisher=Wakefield AFC |date=4 August 2020 |access-date=26 April 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://wakefieldafc.com/2023/04/04/wakefield-bid-farewell-to-the-millennium-stadium/ |title=Wakefield bid farewell to the Millennium Stadium |publisher=Wakefield AFC |date=4 April 2023 |access-date=26 April 2023}}
| seating_capacity = 6,954 standing 359
| record_attendance = 17,000 – Featherstone vs St Helens, 1957
|}}
Post Office Road (currently known as the Millennium Stadium for sponsorship purposes) 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.{{fact|date=February 2021}}
History
The ground opened in 1904 and has been used by the club since their formation in 1908.[http://www.yorkshirerugbyleague.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=2298&ArticleID=1089324 Featherstone Rovers] Yorkshire Rugby League 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=
File:Featherstone north stand.jpg
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=
File:Featherstone East Stand.jpg
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=
File:Featherstone south stand.jpg
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=
File:Featherstone main stand.jpg
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 BBC Radio 1 presenter. 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.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/rugby-fans-baffled-as-ground-is-named-after-dj-424789.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126133023/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/rugby-fans-baffled-as-ground-is-named-after-dj-424789.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 November 2010 |title=Rugby fans baffled as ground is named after DJ |last1=Herbert |first1=Ian |date=18 November 2006 |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=28 August 2014}}{{cite news|url= http://www.therfl.co.uk/HOME/news_item.php?id=6823|title= Rooney backs Yorkshire schools|work= Rugby League News|access-date= 28 January 2007}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} 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.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
| Year | Sponsor | Name | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| title = Featherstone Rovers make a big step to name stadium
| date = 7 January 2010
| access-date = 5 June 2010
| newspaper = Pontefract & Castleford Express
| url = http://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/featherstone/Featherstone-Rovers-make-a-big.5960756.jp
}}
Rugby League Test matches
List of international matches played at Post Office Road.[http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/venues/post-office-road/results.html Post Office Road results @ Rugby League Project]
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| style="background:#bdb76b;"
! Test# !! Date !! Result !! Attendance !! Notes | ||||
| 1 | rowspan=2|16 October 1995 | {{rl|Cook Islands}} def. {{rl|United States}} 64–6 | rowspan=2|3,133 | rowspan=2|1995 Rugby League Emerging Nations Tournament |
| 2 | {{rl|SCO}} def. {{rl|RUS}} 34–9 | |||
| 3 | 13 November 2000 | {{flagicon|GBR}} BARLA def. {{rl|MAR}} 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.
| class="wikitable"
! Game !! Date !! Result !! Attendance !! Notes | ||||
| 1 | 1 October 1952 | {{leagueicon|Australia|16}} Australia def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 50–15 | 3,700 | 1952–53 Kangaroo tour |
| 2 | 19 October 1955 | {{leagueicon|Kiwis|16}} New Zealand def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 7–6 | ||
| 3 | 11 November 1959 | {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers def. {{leagueicon|Australia|16}} Australia 23–15 | 7,671 | 1959–60 Kangaroo tour |
| 3 | 2 October 1963 | {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers def. {{leagueicon|Australia|16}} Australia 23–17 | 7,898 | 1963–64 Kangaroo tour |
| 4 | 18 November 1973 | {{leagueicon|Australia|16}} Australia def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 18–13 | 5,659 | 1973 Kangaroo tour |
| 5 | 24 September 1982 | {{leagueicon|France|16}} France def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 13–5 | ||
| 6 | 11 October 1987 | {{leagueicon|Papua New Guinea|16}} PNG def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 22–16 | 3,315 | |
| 7 | 7 November 1989 | {{leagueicon|Kiwis|16}} New Zealand def. {{leagueicon|Featherstone|16}} Featherstone Rovers 44–20 | 2,733 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Post Office Road}}
- [https://www.featherstonerovers.co.uk/the-millennium-stadium/ The Millennium Stadium], Featherstone Rovers
{{Featherstone Rovers}}
{{RFL Championship Venues}}
Category:Buildings and structures in the City of Wakefield
Category:Rugby league stadiums in England
Category:Sport in the City of Wakefield
Category:Sports venues in West Yorkshire
Category:Sports venues completed in 1904