The Willows, Salford

The Willows
Construction
The Willows North Stand
Full name	The Willows
Location	Willows Road, Salford M5 5FQ
Coordinates	53°29′11″N 2°18′34″W / 53.48639°N 2.30944°W / 53.48639; -2.30944Coordinates: 53°29′11″N 2°18′34″W / 53.48639°N 2.30944°W / 53.48639; -2.30944
Owner	Iain Watson
Capacity	11,363 with 2,500 seats
Record attendance	26,470 vs Warrington (Challenge Cup), 13 February 1937
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Electronic
Built	1900
Opened	1901
Renovated	1966, 1971, 1975, 1989
Closed	2011
Demolished	2012
Tenants
Salford City Reds (1901–2011) Swinton Lions (2011)

The Willows was a rugby league stadium in 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.

Salford moved to the Salford City Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell at the start of the 2012 season.^[1] The last match at The Willows saw them lose to Catalans Dragons 18–44 in front of 10,146 fans, a record for a Salford home match in Super League.^[2]

Redevelopment

In 2013, a proposal to redevelop the site for housing was put forward by City West Housing Trust.^[3]

References

↑ "The Willows: Salford Reds' field of dreams". Manchester Evening News. 10 February 2011.
↑ "Salford 18-44 Catalans Dragons". BBC Sport. 11 September 2011.
↑ http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/multi-million-pound-plan-convert-old-6214822

External links

Preceded by Headingley Leeds	Challenge Cup Final Venue 1902–03	Succeeded by Headingley Leeds
Preceded by Fartown Huddersfield	Challenge Cup Final Venue 1910–11	Succeeded by Headingley Leeds
Preceded by New Barnes 1878–1901	Salford Red Devils Home Ground 1901–2011	Succeeded by Salford City Stadium 2012–present

Salford Red Devils

Founded in 1873 Based in Salford, England

The Club	History Honours Players International representatives Coaches

Home grounds	New Barnes The Willows AJ Bell Stadium

Hall of Fame	Gus Risman Martin Offiah

League	Super League

Championships (6)	1913–14 1932–33 1936–37 1938–39 1973–74 1975–76

Challenge Cup (1)	1937–38

Other honours	4—time Rugby Football League Second Division Champions 1–time Divisional Champions 1—time BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Champions 5—time Lancashire Cup Champions 5—time Lancashire League Champions 2—time Northern Rail Cup Champions

Seasons (102)	1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Affiliation	Rugby Football League (1896)

Super League Venues

Current	AJ Bell Stadium Craven Park DW Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium Headingley Carnegie John Smith's Stadium KC Stadium Langtree Park Rapid Solicitors Stadium Stade Gilbert Brutus Stobart Stadium Wish Communications Stadium

Former	Boundary Park Brewery Field Central Park Derwent Park Don Valley Stadium Knowsley Road Odsal Racecourse Ground Stade Sébastien Charléty The Boulevard The Colliseum The Hive The Shay The Willows Thrum Hall Thunderdome Twickenham Stoop Valley Parade Watersheddings Wilderspool

Magic Weekend	Millennium Stadium Murrayfield Stadium City of Manchester Stadium St James' Park

Grand Final	Old Trafford

1975 Rugby League World Cup venues

England	Central Park Headingley Odsal The Willows Wilderspool

France	Stade de Parc Lescure Stade Gilbert Brutus Stadium Municipal Stade Vélodrome

Australia	Lang Park Sydney Cricket Ground

New Zealand	Addington Showground Carlaw Park

Wales	St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground

Kingstone Press Championship Venues

Current	Bigfellas Stadium Derwent Park The Hive Keepmoat Stadium Leigh Sports Village Mount Pleasant Provident Stadium Recreation Ground South Leeds Stadium Tetley's Stadium The Shay

Former	Boundary Park Bramall Lane Brewery Field Cougar Park Craven Park Craven Park Don Valley Stadium Halton Stadium The Coliseum Huntington Stadium The Jungle Owlerton Stadium Racecourse Ground Spotland Stade des Minimes The Willows Thunderdome

Kingstone Press League 1 Venues

Current	Butts Park Arena Cougar Park Craven Park Huntington Stadium Iffley Road Kingston Park Parc Dyffryn Pennar Park Lane Pennine Way Prince of Wales Stadium Racecourse Ground Spotland Whitebank Stadium White Hart Lane Community Sports Centre

Former	Bloomfield Road Boundary Park Brewery Field Crown Flatt Derwent Park Don Valley Stadium Keepmoat Stadium Llynfi Road Post Office Road Recreation Ground South Leeds Stadium The Gnoll The Willows Thunderdome Victory Park Woodlands Memorial Ground