Location | Headingley, Leeds, England |
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Coordinates | 53°48′58.87″N 1°34′55.82″W / 53.8163528°N 1.5821722°W |
Owner | Leeds |
Capacity | 21,062 |
Surface | Grass |
Construction | |
Opened | 1890 |
Renovated | 1991, 2011 |
Expanded | 1931, 1932, 2006 |
Tenants | |
Yorkshire Carnegie (1991-present) |
Headingley Rugby Stadium, often referred to as Headingley Carnegie Stadium or just Headingley shares the same site as Headingley Cricket Ground and is home to both of Leeds' rugby teams, Leeds Rhinos and Yorkshire Carnegie.
Leeds St. Johns, who were later to become Leeds Rugby League Football Club then Leeds Rhinos, moved to Headingley in 1889 and built Headingley stadium. Since then the stadium has staged more than 40 international matches and countless domestic finals. The ground now has a capacity of 21,000. It is the second largest stadium in Leeds after Elland Road. Headingley hosted rugby league's first ever Challenge Cup Final in 1897.
In the 1930s, major developments took place on two sides of the rugby ground. The South Stand was completed in 1931, with some of the work being carried out by club players, while the old wooden North Stand was burned down during a match against Halifax on 25 March 1932. By the end of 1932, a new North Stand had been completed. The record attendance at Headingley was 40,175 for the rugby league match between Leeds and Bradford Northern on 21 May 1947. Undersoil heating was installed in 1963 but has since been removed due to ongoing problems, and floodlights were installed in 1966. The 1970 Rugby League World Cup Final between Great Britain and Australia was played at the stadium before a crowd of 18,776.
The third and deciding Test of the 1978 Ashes series was played at Headingley before a crowd of 30,604.
New changing rooms were added in 1991, the same year Leeds RFU were founded and moved into Headingley.