Knowsley Road
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| Full name | Knowsley Road |
|---|---|
| Former names | GPW Recruitment Stadium (2008–2010) |
| Location | St Helens, Merseyside |
| Coordinates | 53°27′6″N 2°45′52″W / 53.45167°N 2.76444°WCoordinates: 53°27′6″N 2°45′52″W / 53.45167°N 2.76444°W |
| Owner | St Helens Rugby Football Club Ltd |
| Capacity | 17,500 (Super League era) |
| Record attendance | 35,695 vs Wigan 26 December 1949 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1890 |
| Built | 1890 |
| Opened | 1890 |
| Renovated | 2006 |
| Expanded | 1960 |
| Closed | 2010 |
| Demolished | 2011 |
| Tenants | |
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St Helens RFC (1890–2010) St Helens Town FC (2002–2010) |
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St Helens RFC (1890–2010)
Knowsley Road was a stadium located in Eccleston, St Helens, Merseyside. It was the home of St Helens RFC from 1890 until its closure in 2010. St Helens Town FC played their home fixtures at Knowsley Road from 2002 until 2010. For a period, the venue also hosted Liverpool F.C. Reserves. The stadium was demolished during spring 2011 and a new construction then known as Cunningham Grange, named after club legend Keiron Cunningham, was built on the site.
Knowsley Road consisted of four stands of open terracing and one seated stand called the Family Stand.
The Family Stand was the only section of the stadium which had a seated area, although there was still areas for standing supporters. The players entered the field from a gateway under the stand and the dugout was also situated in the Family Stand. The Family Stand contained an area for the media such as local radio stations. It was built after the Second World War, funded by local businesses. The actual design of the stand means that it only runs for two-thirds of that side of the pitch.
When the Main Stand was built it provided a new changing room facility and gymnasium for the players, replacing the smaller, outdated ones situated at the old Pavilion End of the ground next to the scoreboard. Players would come out of the new tunnel before kick off to a centralised view of the stadium, facing the Popular Stand.
When the Main Stand was constructed, it created an overhang at the top of the stand. This was because the old Eccleston railway ran below the site of the new stand, linking the Triplex (Pilkington) factory to the town centre. The railway has long gone now, and was replaced by the club's car park.
The Popular Stand was an all standing section of the ground and was the most popular stand for home supporters. The stand was built in the 1960s at a cost of over £30,000 at the time. It spread across the full length of the pitch. It held the famous Scaff – the gantry in which the press gather including Sky Sports. When St. Helens were on television, the Popular Stand regularly were heard singing and chanting due to the small distance between the cameras and the supporters.
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