Post Office Road
 | This article needs more citations. (February 2012) |
The Millennium Stadium | |
 | |
 Interactive map of Post Office Road | |
| Location | Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°40′43″N 1°21′17″W / 53.67861°N 1.35472°W |
| Owner | Featherstone Rovers |
| Operator | Featherstone Rovers |
| Capacity | 6,954 standing 359 |
| Surface | Grass |
Record attendance | 17,000 – Featherstone vs St Helens, 1957 |
| Construction | |
| Groundbreaking | 1904 |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Tenants | |
| Featherstone Rovers (1904–present) Wakefield A.F.C. (2020–2023, 2024-2025)[1][2] | |
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.[citation needed]
History
[edit]The ground opened in 1904 and has been used by the club since their formation in 1908.[3] 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
[edit]North Stand
[edit]
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
[edit]
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
[edit]
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
[edit]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
[edit]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.[4][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 | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2006 | Lionheart | Lionheart Stadium | [6] |
| 2007–2009 | Chris Moyles | Chris Moyles Stadium | [4] |
| 2010–2016 | Bigfellas Nightclub | Bigfellas Stadium | [7] |
| 2017–2020 | LD Nutrition | LD Nutrition Stadium | [8] |
| 2020– | Millennium Support | The Millennium Stadium |
Usage
[edit]Rugby League
[edit]Test matches
[edit]| Date | Result | Attendance | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 October 1995 |  Cook Islands | 64-6 |  United States | 3,133 | 1995 Emerging Nations |
| 2 |  Scotland | 34-9 |  Russia | |||
| 3 | 13 November 2000 |  BARLA | 60-2 |  Morocco | 2000 Emerging Nations |
Tour matches
[edit]| Date | Home | Score | Away | Attendance | Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 October 1952 |  Featherstone Rovers | 15-50 |  Australia | 3,700 | 1952–53 Kangaroo tour |
| 2 | 19 October 1955 | Featherstone Rovers | 6-7 |  New Zealand | 4,042[10] | 1955–56 Kiwi tour |
| 3 | 11 November 1959 | Featherstone Rovers | 23-15 | Australia | 7,671 | 1959–60 Kangaroo tour |
| 3 | 2 October 1963 | Featherstone Rovers | 23-17 | Australia | 7,898 | 1963–64 Kangaroo tour |
| 4 | 18 November 1973 | Featherstone Rovers | 13-18 | Australia | 5,659 | 1973 Kangaroo tour |
| 5 | 24 September 1982 | Featherstone Rovers | 5-13 |  France | ||
| 6 | 11 October 1987 | Featherstone Rovers | 16-22 |  PNG | 3,315[11] | 1987 Kumuls tour |
| 7 | 7 November 1989 | Featherstone Rovers | 20-44 | New Zealand | 2,830[12] | 1989 Kiwi tour |
Yorkshire Grand Finals
[edit]Post Office Road has hosted four Yorkshire Mens League Grand Final days in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2024
References
[edit]- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Featherstone Rovers Yorkshire Rugby League
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ "Rooney backs Yorkshire schools". Rugby League News. Retrieved 28 January 2007.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "RUGBY LEAGUE: Sheffield break up Wembley squad". The Independent. 27 November 1998. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ "Featherstone Rovers make a big step to name stadium". Pontefract & Castleford Express. 4 January 2010. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
- ↑ "New name for Featherstone ground". Love Rugby League. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ Post Office Road results @ Rugby League Project
- ↑ "Kiwis Tour 1955 Series: Game 12". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ "Kumuls Tour 1987 Series: Game 1". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ↑ "Kiwis Tour 1989 Series: Game 11". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
External links
[edit]
- The Millennium Stadium, Featherstone Rovers