| Full name | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Rugby League Club |
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| Nickname(s) | Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, Dreadnoughts | ||
| Website | wakefieldwildcats.co.uk | ||
| Founded | 1873 | ||
| Ground | Belle Vue, Wakefield (Capacity 11,000) |
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| Key people | Andrew Glover (Chair) Richard Agar (Coach) Steve Southern (Captain) |
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| League | Super League | ||
| XV position | 11th | ||
| Championships | 2 | ||
| Challenge Cups | 5 | ||
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| Current season | |||
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as 'Wakey', 'Trinity', 'Wildcats', or historically 'The Dreadnoughts'. Their main rivalry is with Castleford but they also have rivalries with Huddersfield, Leeds and Featherstone Rovers.
Wakefield Trinity is also one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895, making them one of the world's first rugby league clubs.
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Trinity won the Northern Union Challenge Cup for the first time in 1909, beating Hull 17-0 at Headingley. The corresponding 1914 final saw the result reversed, with Hull winning 6-0, and proved to be an accurate guide to the teams pre-war endeavours, as Trinity lost four Yorkshire Cups in the thirties with a side that included club stalwart Jonathon Parkin.
If the pre-war years were austere then the post-war period was bright and bullish for the Dreadnoughts. The first Wembley final after the war produced a return to winning ways as Trinity, with names such as Billy Stott, Herbert Goodfellow and Mick Exley, pipped Wigan to the Cup 12-13.
The club was not destined to return to Wembley until 1960 and had to slake its thirst for silverware on two Yorkshire Cup and two Yorkshire League victories in the 1950′s. Wakefield returned to Wembley emphatically with a record 38-5 win v Hull under the guidance of coach Ken Traill and loose forward Derek "Rocky" Turner. Wakefield won their third Challenge Cup victory two years later in 1962, running out 12-6 winners v Huddersfield.
The successful defence of the Cup the next year iced a spectacular period in the club's history with three Wembley titles in four years. Further renown was arrested due to two Championship Final defeats in 1960 and 1962 v Wigan and Huddersfield respectively. One of Trinity's great servants, centre Neil Fox, who scored a record 6,220 points in his 23 year career (19 with Wakefield) was coming to prominence, however, in Trinity's up and coming side.
The club were victorious in a dour 1962 Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield although the Fartowners went on to deny them the double a few days later in the Championship final. With a victorious defence of the Cup in 1963, their fifth Challenge Cup title, Wakefield had still not been able to achieve the league championship title. The Holy Grail would be achieved in the 1966-67 season when a seasoned, Harold Poynton led side that included Neil and Don Fox, Gary Cooper and Ray Owen, defeated Saints in a replay. They repeated the title feat the following year v Hull KR but were again denied the double when Leeds defeated them in the 1968 'water splash' final at Wembley.
Wakefield Trinity was founded by a group of men from the Holy Trinity Church in 1873. Early matches were played at Heath Common (1873), Manor Field (1875–76) and Elm Street (1877) before the club moved to Belle Vue in 1879.
Prior to schism of 1895 which led to the formation of the Northern Rugby Union, Wakefield Trinity participated nine times in thirteen years in the final of the Yorkshire Cup (T'owd Tin Pot), a trophy that is nowadays contested solely by rugby union clubs.
They were one of the initial 22 clubs to form the Northern Union after the acrimonious split from the Rugby Football Union in 1895.
Belle Vue was purchased in 1895, in order to provide a permanent base for the Trinity. The money was provided by the Wakefield Athletic Club, and was also initially used for cycling and athletics competitions.
Trinity won the Northern Union Challenge Cup for the first time in 1909, beating Hull 17–0 at Headingley. The corresponding 1914 final saw the result reversed, with Hull winning 6–0.
Jonty Parkin signed for Wakefield Trinity as a 17-year-old in 1913. In a quiet time for Trinity, they won only one Yorkshire Cup (in 1924–25 against Batley) and lost four Yorkshire Cups.
Parkin decided he wanted to leave in 1930, at the age of thirty-four, and he was put on the transfer list at £100. Hull Kingston Rovers would not find the money; so Parkin paid the fee himself to secure his release. The game's bylaws were adjusted shortly afterwards, so that no player could ever do that again.
On Saturday 27 October 1934, Leeds and Wakefield Trinity met in the final of the Yorkshire Cup at Crown Flatt, Dewsbury. The match ended in a 5–5 draw. Four days later the two clubs drew again, with Leeds eventually lifting the trophy after a second replay, the only occasion it took three attempts to settle a Yorkshire Cup Final. A total of 52,402 spectators watched the three games.[1]
In 1947 Wakefield Trinity centre Frank Townsend was fatally injured in a match at Post Office Road, Featherstone.[2]
If the pre-war years were austere then the post-war period was bright and bullish for the Dreadnoughts. On Saturday 3 November 1945, Bradford Northern met Wakefield Trinity in the final of the Yorkshire Cup held at Thrum Hall, Halifax. Wakefield began the match as favourites, they had lost only one of thirteen matches thus far in the season. However, Bradford won 5–2 and lifted the Yorkshire Cup for the fourth time in six seasons. The first Wembley final after the war produced a return to winning ways as Trinity, with names such as James "Jim" Croston and Billy Stott, pipped Wigan to the Cup 13–12.
On Saturday 27 October 1951 25,495 were at Fartown, Huddersfield to see Wakefield Trinity defeat Keighley 17–3 in the Yorkshire Cup Final. The club was not destined to return to Wembley until 1960 and had to slake its thirst for silverware on two Yorkshire Cup and two Yorkshire League victories in the 1950s. Trinity featured in the first league match to be broadcast on British television, a clash with Wigan at Central Park on 12 January 1952.
Trinity were runners-up in the league championship in 1959–60, losing in the Championship Final against Wigan.
Wakefield Trinity beat Huddersfield 16–10 in the 1960 Yorkshire Cup final at Headingley, Leeds on 29 October 1960.[3]
Wakefield returned to Wembley emphatically with a record 38–5 win v Hull under the guidance of coach Ken Traill and loose forward Derek 'Rocky' Turner.
Wakefield won their third Challenge Cup victory in 1962, running out 12–6 winners against Huddersfield. Many of the scenes from the film This Sporting Life were filmed at the Belle Vue during Wakefield's third round Challenge Cup match against Wigan. The club were victorious in a dour 1962 Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield although the Fartowners went on to deny them the double a few days later in the Championship final at Odsal Stadium, Bradford. Wakefield also won the Yorkshire Cup final of 1961–62 and the Yorkshire League of 1961–62.
Wakefield Trinity was invited to visit South Africa during June and July 1962. Neil Fox, Harold Poynton, Gerry Round, Derek 'Rocky' Turner and Jack Wilkinson, were unable to accompany the team on the six-match tour, as they were in Australia with the GB tourists. Wakefield Trinity’s Chairman Stuart Hadfield was also touring with the national team as Great Britain manager. Trinity therefore added four South African players who were playing for British clubs at that time to their squad. They were Fred Griffiths (Wigan), Tom van Vollenhoven (St Helens), Wilf Rosenberg (Hull) and Edward "Ted" Brophy (Leigh). Wakefield had three South Africans of their own in the squad in Alan Skene, Jan Prinsloo and Colin Greenwood, with the rest of the party made up of Frederick "Fred" Smith, Kenneth "Ken" Hirst, Kenneth "Ken" Rollin, Keith Holliday, Dennis Williamson, Milan Kosanović, Geoffrey "Geoff" Oakes, Brian Briggs, Albert 'Budgie' Firth and Don Vines. It was some squad so, not surprisingly; they were comfortable winners of all six matches. The tour opened on Saturday 30 June 1962 at Milner Park, Johannesburg, where the local Johannesburg Celtic club were overpowered by 52 points to 6.
Despite winning the Challenge Cup for a fifth time in 1963, Wakefield had still not been able to secure the league championship title. The Holy Grail would be achieved in the 1966–67 season when the experienced Harold Poynton led a powerful side, which included Neil Fox, Don Fox, Gary Cooper and Ray Owen, to victory over St Helens in a replay of the championship final. They repeated the title feat the following year against Hull KR but were again denied the double when Leeds defeated them in the 1968 'water splash' final at Wembley, a match played during a downpour that saturated the pitch. The game produced the most dramatic of finishes, when Man-of-the-Match, Don Fox had a conversion to win it for Wakefield, but missed it to leave Leeds 11–10 winners.
Trinity were crowned Champions for the only time in successive seasons – 1966–67 and 1967–68. Wakefield Trinity beat St Helens 21–9 in the 1967 Rugby Football League Championship final at Station Road, Swinton on 10 May 1967, and won the Harry Sunderland Trophy in the 17–10 victory over Hull in the 1968 Rugby Football League Championship final at Headingley on 4 May 1968.[3]
Wakefield absorbed a number of different coaches at the helm in subsequent years but did not return to Wembley until William "Bill" Kirkbride's talented charges fell 12–3 to Widnes in 1979 in front of nearly 100,000 fans.
Derek Turner was Head Coach for Wakefield Trinity from July 1983 until February 1984. In December 1985, Wakefield did a deal with the local council to enable them to continue at Belle Vue. Five council delegates joined Wakefields's board giving them the majority vote.
The ensuing decline was temporarily halted when Wally Lewis signed up for a brief spell with the club, playing at Stand-off. But Trinity continued to fluctuate between the two divisions.
Former player David Topliss stabilised the Dreadnoughts' ship in 1987. He won immediate promotion in 1988 back to the First Division, retiring as a player after the final match of the campaign. [4] He remained at Wakefield purely as a coach and consolidated the club's top tier status by acquiring the services of seasoned internationals like Stephen "Steve" Ella, new captain Mark Graham, Brian Jackson as well as now former Wildcats' coach Andrew "Andy" Kelly and later John Harbin.
Wakefield escaped a threat of closure by forming their first ever board of directors in August 1992. Topliss stepped down as coach to concentrate on his business.[4] David Hobbs joined Wakefield Trinity as coach in May 1994. He then went to Halifax as Director of Football in January 1995.
In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural Super League season and changed from a winter to a summer season.[5] When the Rupert Murdoch-funded Super League competition has been proposed, part of the deal was that some traditional clubs would merge. Wakefield were down to merge with Castleford and Featherstone Rovers to form a new club, Calder, which would compete in the newly formed Super League. Although Wakefield voted to merge, the other clubs refused to do so; Wakefield finished below the cut-off point of 10th in the existing top flight and were excluded from the new Super League. As the sport in Britain entered a new era, it would be three years before Wakefield rose again to the top level of the game.
Under coach Andrew "Andy" Kelly, Wakefield earned their place in the top flight on the back of their controversial victory over Featherstone Rovers in the inaugural Division One Grand Final in 1998. Wakefield adopted the "Wildcats" nickname in 1998: the year they entered Super League, having won promotion from the first division.
Wakefield put together a startling series of results early in the 1999 season, beating some of the most fancied sides and ensuring early in the campaign that they would be safe. The club invested heavily in newcomers.
John Harbin was the coach of Wakefield between October 2000 and October 2001, Wakefield's final game of the 2001 season was a relegation battle with Salford with Wakefield condemning Huddersfield to relegation. He decided to leave the club at the end of 2001.
Peter Roe was appointed Head Coach in October 2001.[6] After years of struggling to keep up with the Super League pace which saw Trinity finish next to bottom on most of their attempts they finally got around to making headway up the league. Peter Roe was sacked in July 2002 and was replaced by his assistant Shane McNally.[7] With Adrian Vowles as his co-coach the pair guided Trinity to their first-ever SL play-off position, finishing in 6th place.
In 2004 after a slow start to the season Trinity finished stronger than any other team in the competition giving their fans some hope of a little glory at the club which had been missing for too long. Away at the KC Stadium in Hull Trinity produced a remarkable performance and managed to beat Hull despite having 2 men sin-binned.
The semis saw a visit to Wigan and there was real hope in the camp that Wakefield would make the elimination final play off and all looked to be going that way when Trinity led 14–0 but some strange decisions went the way of the Wiganers so it wasn't yet to be but Wakefield fans will look back on these 2 games with fondness for many years, The away support was outstanding for both efforts.
Shane McNally was sacked in June 2005 after a disappointing start to the season. Tony Smith took over as caretaker coach from Shane McNally and led Trinity to survival in 2005 but following four straight defeats which saw Wakefield drop into the relegation zone Smith was sacked on Monday, 17 July 2006. Smith's last game in charge was a 26–20 defeat against Huddersfield, a match in which his side squandered a 20-point lead – one of several occasions this season Trinity have collapsed in the second half.
On 24 July 2006, Wakefield announced former Hull coach John Kear as Head Coach until the end of the season.
Trinity defeated their arch-rivals Castleford by 29–17 at Belle Vue on Saturday 16 September 2006 to preserve their Super League status in an epic match which saw both teams leading for spells of the game. Had Wakefield not won the match they would have been relegated. Instead, their win, dubbed as "The Battle of Belle Vue" sent Castleford down to the National League One. The match was attended by a sell out crowd of 11,000.
In November 2006 the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council set out plans for a new sporting village to be built at Thornes Park that would incorporate a new stadium to be used by Trinity, along with gymnastics and boxing facilities and swimming pools. The council published results of a feasibility study on 12 September 2008, into the project and which concluded that it is not feasible for a new stadium at Thornes Park.
This now leaves Wakefield Trinity in a precarious position – Belle Vue is not suitable for the long-term future, and a new stadium is crucial to their Super League survival. In 2009 a new stadium in Stanley was proposed with planning permission expected to be applied for in October 2009.
On 22 July 2008 Rugby Football League awarded Trinity with a Super League licence for the 3 seasons from 2009 to 2012. They had been widely tipped as one of the existing Super League clubs (along with Castleford) who were most at risk of missing out on one of the new licences.
The 2009 season was Wakefield's best-ever Super League season with the club finishing 5th on 32 points and qualifying for a home tie in the end of season play-offs.
2010 was a disappointment to the club, after losing Shane Tronc, Terry Newton and Danny Brough, and despite bringing in Danny Kirkmond, Charlie Leaeno and Julien Rinaldi, they still finished in 10th position- 5 lower than the 2009 season.
In February 2011, the club entered administration to avoid a winding up petition from HMRC over £300,000 in unpaid taxes.[8]
Former Hull FC coach Richard Agar is set to become Wakefield Trinity's head coach before the start of the 2012, Super League XVII season, on a three year deal. [9]
Prior to schism of 1895 which led to the formation of the Northern Rugby Union, Wakefield Trinity participated in the final of the Yorkshire Cup (T'owd Tin Pot) nine times in thirteen years, a trophy that nowadays only rugby union clubs compete for.
| Name | Former Wakefield Player | Contract Started | Contract Ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| James "Jim" Croston | Yes | 1946 +/- | 1946 +/- |
| Ken Traill | Yes | 1958 | 1970 |
| Neil Fox | Yes | May 1970 | March 1974 |
| Peter Fox | Yes[10] | June 1974 | May 1976 |
| Geoffrey "Geoff" Gunney (MBE) | No | June 1976 | November 1976 |
| Brian Lockwood | Yes | November 1976 | January 1978 |
| Ian Brooke | Yes | January 1978 | January 1979 |
| William "Bill" Kirkbride | No | January 1979 | April 1980 |
| Bill Ashurst | Yes | June 1981 | April 1982 |
| Ray Batten | No | May 1982 | July 1983 |
| Derek 'Rocky' Turner | Yes | July 1983 | February 1984 |
| "Geoff" Wraith | Yes | February 1984 | May 1984 |
| David Lamming | Yes | October 1984 | April 1985 |
| Len Casey | Yes | April 1985 | June 1986 |
| Tony Dean | No | June 1986 | December 1986 |
| Trevor Bailey | No | December 1986 | April 1987 |
| David Topliss | Yes | May 1987 | April 1994 |
| David Hobbs | Yes | May 1994 | January 1995 |
| Paul Harkin | Yes | January 1995 | January 1996 |
| Mitch Brennan | No | January 1996 | June 1997 |
| Andy Kelly | Yes | June 1997 | May 2000 |
| Tony Kemp | Yes | May 2000 | October 2000 |
| John Harbin | No | October 2000 | November 2001 |
| Peter Roe | No | November 2001 | July 2002 |
| Shane McNally & Adrian Vowles | No & Yes | August 2002 | September 2003 |
| Shane McNally | No | October 2003 | June 2005 |
| Tony Smith | No | June 2005 | July 2006 |
| John Kear | No | July 2006 | September 2011 |
| Richard Agar | No | September 2011 |
For most of their history Wakefield have played at Belle Vue, to the south of Wakefield city centre.
The club announced plans to build a brand new 12,000 seat stadium in near,by Thornes Park, but these were rejected by the local council in September 2008 due to likelihood of failing to meet either the £60m budget and the 2012 deadline.[11] New plans for a 12,000 seater stadium near junction 30 of the M62 motorway, in Stanley, were unveiled in April 2009, with the development undertaken by Yorkcourt Properties and a community trust, chaired by former Rugby Football League chairman Sir Rodney Walker.[12]
The 22nd October 2010 has been set for Wakefield Council to review the outline planning permission application of the Newmarket Lane (or Junction 30: Wakefield) development. The wider development, which includes warehousing and distribution units, is estimated to boost the economy of the district by 4% (upon completion in 2014). Wakefield College have also committed to the site. The same outline application paves the way for a regional centre for sporting excellence consisting of education facilities, classrooms/lecture theatre, state of the art gym and training facilities, and an indoor full size training pitch. More details are to be unveiled on the evening 12 October 2010, ahead of the application review 10 days later.
The meeting was held at Wakefield County Hall on 22 October 2010, Wakefield council unanimously voted in favour of the development; and saw the educational, sporting and economical benefits of the scheme as "important in equal measure".
Wildcats Chief Executive James Elston said: “This is fantastic news and is the biggest day in the clubs modern history. We are still aware that we have some boxes to tick but now we can move onwards and upwards. I would like to thank all supporters, players and staff who spent three hours outside showing their support for the club this morning and also to Wakefield Council’.
On 14 December 2010 the Secretary of State[13] ruled that the application should be referred meaning a substantial delay in the planning process and Wakefield seeking a new home in 2011 after the sale of their existing Belle Vue ground.
Our first game of the season ended in defeat to York knights academy in a rather one man showing for our opponents. The score was tight with the academy losing 22–20 mainly due to the strength and prowess of one individual, young Dom Golding. Who with muscular physique controlled our forwards. The young Golding scored all of York's points with total solo efforts with one beating every member of our team. The season can only get better for our young academy, however the league will now be aware of Dom "Dynamite" Golding.
Anounced on 15 December 2011:
| 2012 Wakefield Wildcats Season | |||||||||
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| First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
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Head coach
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Ins
| Nat | Name | Signed From | Contract Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Fox | Hull Kingston Rovers | 3 Years | July 2011 | |
| Andy Ellis | Harlequins RL | 3 Years | August 2011 | |
| Oliver Wilkes | Harlequins RL | 2 Years | August 2011 | |
| Vince Mellars | Crusaders Rugby League | 3 Years | August 2011 | |
| Ali Lauitiiti | Leeds Rhinos | 2 Years | August 2011 | |
| Steve Southern | Newcastle Knights | 3 Years | August 2011 | |
| Dean Collis | Cronulla Sharks | 3 Years | September 2011 | |
| Danny Washbrook | Hull FC | 3 Years | September 2011 | |
| Kyle Amor | Leeds Rhinos | 3 Years | October 2011 | |
| Andy Raleigh | Huddersfield Giants | 2 Years | October 2011 | |
| Danny Kirmond | Huddersfield Giants | 3 Years | October 2011 | |
| Ben Cockayne | Featherstone Rovers | 1 Year | October 2011 | |
| Kyle Wood | Huddersfield Giants | 2 Year | October 2011 | |
| Isaac John | New Zealand Warriors | 3 Years | October 2011 | |
| Tim Smith | Cronulla Sharks | 1 Years | October 2011 | |
| Matt James | Barrow Raiders | 1 Year | November 2011 | |
| Richard Mathers | Castleford Tigers | 1 Year Loan | December 2011 | |
| Paul Aiton | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 2 Years | December 2011 |
Outs
| Nat | Name | Sold To | Contract Length | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Blaymire | Retired | N/A | August 2011 | |
| Luke George | Huddersfield Giants | 2 Years | August 2011 | |
| Julien Rinaldi | Harlequins RL | 2 Years | August 2011 | |
| Chris Dean | Widnes Vikings | 2 Years | August 2011 | |
| Ben Gledhill | Salford City Reds | 3 Years | August 2011 | |
| Jarrad Hickey | Harlequins RL | 1 Year | September 2011 | |
| Aaron Murphy | Huddersfield Giants | 4 Years | October 2011 | |
| Paul King | York City Knights | 1 Year | October 2011 | |
| Tommy Lee | Huddersfield Giants | 1 Year | October 2011 | |
| Glenn Morrison | Retired | N/A | October 2011 | |
| Michael Korkidas | Keighley Cougars | 1 Year | October 2011 | |
| Sammy Masselot | Villeneuve Leopards | 1 Year | October 2011 | |
| Liam Higgins | Sheffield Eagles | 1 Year | December 2011 | |
| Jeremy Smith | N/A | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Kevin Penny | Swinton Lions | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Josh Veivers | Salford City Reds | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Stuart Howarth | Salford City Reds | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Kevin Henderson | Montpellier Diables Rouges | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Semi Tadulala | Keighley Cougars | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Kieran Hyde | N/A | N/A | December 2011 | |
| Ryan Tongia | N/A | N/A | December 2011 |
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