The Willows, Salford
53°29′11″N 2°18′34″W / 53.48639°N 2.30944°W / 53.48639; -2.30944
Salford United (1906–1936)
Swinton RLFC (2011)
The Willows was a rugby league stadium in Weaste, Salford, England. It had a final capacity of 11,363 with 2,500 seats.
History
In 1900, Salford agreed a 14-year lease on 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named after the abundance of willow trees in the area. They made their debut at the Willows on 21 December 1901, beating Swinton 2–0 in front of 16,981 fans.
In the 1960s, the terrace was flattened at the Willows Road end to make way for the Salford Football and Social Club which was officially opened on 16 June 1966.
The Willows switched on its floodlights for the first time in the match with Widnes on Friday 11 March 1966. On 26 November 1989, Salford unveiled a new £50,000 electronic scoreboard above the Willows Variety Centre.[1]
Salford City Reds moved to the Salford City Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell at the start of the 2012 season.[2] The last match at the Willows saw them lose to the Catalans Dragons 18–44 in front of 10,146 fans, a record for a Salford City Reds home match in the Super League.[3]
Redevelopment
In 2013, a proposal to redevelop the site for housing was put forward by City West Housing Trust.[4]
Rugby League Test matches
List of international rugby league matches played at The Willows.[5]
Game# | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 January 1922 | ![]() ![]() | 22,000 | 1921–22 Ashes series |
2 | 27 January 1932 | ![]() ![]() | 8,000 | |
3 | 7 November 1968 | ![]() ![]() | 6,002 | |
4 | 23 October 1969 | ![]() ![]() | 6,189 | 1969–70 European Rugby League Championship |
5 | 25 September 1971 | ![]() ![]() | 8,083 | 1971 Great Britain vs New Zealand series |
6 | 25 January 1975 | ![]() ![]() | 8,494 | 1975 European Rugby League Championship |
7 | 6 November 1975 | ![]() ![]() | 2,247 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup |
Rugby League Tour Matches
The Willows also saw Salford and the county team Lancashire play host to various international touring teams from 1908 to 1978.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/The_Willows%2C_Salford.jpg/220px-The_Willows%2C_Salford.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/The_Willows_North_Stand_-_geograph.org.uk_-_43344.jpg/220px-The_Willows_North_Stand_-_geograph.org.uk_-_43344.jpg)
Game | Date | Result | Attendance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28 December 1907 | ![]() ![]() | 12,000 | 1907–08 All Golds tour |
2 | 17 October 1908 | ![]() ![]() | 6,100 | 1908–09 Kangaroo Tour |
3 | 30 December 1911 | ![]() ![]() | 4,000 | 1911–12 Kangaroo Tour |
4 | 29 October 1921 | ![]() ![]() | 9,000 | 1921–22 Kangaroo Tour |
5 | 3 November 1926 | ![]() ![]() | 3,500 | 1926–27 New Zealand Kiwis tour |
6 | 11 January 1930 | ![]() ![]() | 8,000 | 1929–30 Kangaroo Tour |
7 | 21 October 1933 | ![]() ![]() | 15,761 | 1933–34 Kangaroo Tour |
8 | 30 October 1937 | ![]() ![]() | 12,000 | 1937–38 Kangaroo Tour |
9 | 30 October 1948 | ![]() ![]() | 16,627 | 1948–49 Kangaroo Tour |
10 | 26 September 1959 | ![]() ![]() | 11,008 | 1959–60 Kangaroo Tour |
11 | 11 October 1967 | ![]() ![]() | 9,369 | 1967–68 Kangaroo Tour |
12 | 30 September 1973 | ![]() ![]() | 11,064 | 1973 Kangaroo Tour |
13 | 10 October 1975 | ![]() ![]() | 5,357 | 1975 Australian Rugby League World Cup tour |
14 | 14 November 1978 | ![]() ![]() | 6,155 | 1978 Kangaroo Tour |
References
- ^ "The Willows". Manchester Evening News.
- ^ "The Willows: Salford Reds' field of dreams". Manchester Evening News. 10 February 2011.
- ^ "Salford 18-44 Catalans Dragons". BBC Sport. 11 September 2011.
- ^ "Multi-million pound plan to convert old rugby league ground into 120 homes". Manchester Evening News. 22 October 2013.
- ^ The Willows results @ Rugby League Project
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- The Willows on Worldstadia.com
- Directions to The Willows
- Pictures of The Willows
Preceded by | Challenge Cup Final Venue 1902–03 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | Challenge Cup Final Venue 1910–11 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by New Barnes 1878–1901 | Salford Red Devils Home Ground 1901–2011 | Succeeded by Salford City Stadium 2012–present |
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- Founded in 1873
- Based in Salford, England
- New Barnes
- The Willows
- Salford Community Stadium
- 4—time Rugby Football League Second Division Champions
- 1–time Divisional Champions
- 1—time BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Champions
- 5—time Lancashire County Cup Champions
- 5—time Lancashire League Champions
- 2—time Northern Rail Cup Champions
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