Headingley Stadium

Headingley Carnegie Stadium
Location Headingley, Leeds, England
Coordinates 53°48′58.87″N 1°34′55.82″W / 53.8163528°N 1.5821722°W / 53.8163528; -1.5821722
Owner Leeds Rugby
Yorkshire CCC
Capacity Rugby Stadium (21,062)
Cricket Stadium (17,500)
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1890
Renovated 1991, 2011, 2015
Expanded 1931, 1932, 2000, 2006, 2010
Tenants
Leeds Rhinos (1890-present)
Yorkshire Carnegie (1991-present)
Yorkshire CCC (1891-present)

Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the suburb of Headingley in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Leeds Rhinos rugby league team and Yorkshire Carnegie rugby union team.

There are two separate grounds: Headingley Carnegie Cricket Stadium and Headingley Carnegie Rugby Stadium with a two-sided stand housing common facilities. Initially owned by the Leeds Cricket, Football and Athletic Company, the ground is now managed jointly by Yorkshire C.C.C. and Leeds Rugby.[1]

Since 2006 the stadium has officially been known as the Headingley Carnegie Stadium as a result of sponsorship from Leeds Metropolitan University whose sports faculty is known as the Carnegie School of Sport Exercise and Physical Education.[2]

Owning the ground

In December 2005 Yorkshire County Cricket Club obtained a loan of £9 million from Leeds City Council towards the cost of purchasing the cricket ground for £12 million.[3] Shortly afterwards, 98.37% of members who participated in a vote backed the deal.[3] On 11 January 2006, the club announced plans to rebuild the stand next to the rugby ground with 3,000 extra seats, taking capacity to 20,000.[4] The club also announced plans to redevelop the Winter Shed (North) stand on 25 August 2006 providing a £12.5 million pavilion complex.[5][6]

Cricket ground

The cricket ground in 2006.

The cricket ground sits to the Northern side of the complex. It opened in 1891 and has been used for test matches since 1899. It is the main home ground of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Yorkshire Vikings Twenty20 cricket team. The ground last held The Ashes in 2009. Since 2015 the cricket ground has been floodlit. The ground has a seated capacity of 17,500, executive facilities and a new media centre opened in 2010. All but the stand at the football ground end have been rebuilt since 2000, it is proposed to replace this stand in conjunction with redeveloping its other side facing the rugby ground.

Rugby ground

Headingley rugby ground

The rugby ground sits to the Southern side of the complex. Historically a rugby league ground it now hosts both codes. It is home to Leeds Rhinos rugby league team and Yorkshire Carnegie rugby union club. The ground consists of three stands and an open terrace at one end, one stand is completely seated, one standing and one mixed. It has a capacity of 21,000.

Future developments

Yorkshire County Cricket Club have shown keen interest in redeveloping the northern side of the ground. This is a major inconvenience to Leeds Rugby Limited as they wish to redevelop their North Stand, which backs onto the Cricket Ground, any redevelopment of this stand cannot go ahead until Yorkshire Cricket are also willing to redevelop their side of the cricket pitch. If Headingley is to retain Test Ground Status it is likely that further improvements will need to be made to the ground. On the 5th of June 2014 Yorkshire CCC announced the "Headingley Masterplan". The phased redevelopment costing around £50 million will take place over the next 20 years.[7]

Phase One Erection of four permanent floodlight pylons. The work should start for the start of the 2015 season.

- The floodlights are now complete. The head is built in the shape of the Yorkshire Rose. The first game to be played under them was the T20 against Derbyshire Falcons on Friday 15 May 2015.

Phase Two The rebuild of the Football Ground End, in conjunction with Leeds Rugby, to incorporate a three-tiered seating area, which will accommodate 5,060 seats, enhanced corporate facilities and new permanent concession units.

Phase Three To incorporate an additional 915 seats to the upper tier of the North East Stand with the possibility of a cantilever roof from the side of the Carnegie Pavilion to the existing scoreboard.

Phase Four The development of a new Pavilion located in the North West area of the stadium complex. Built on five levels, the Pavilion will be adjacent to the existing Carnegie Pavilion. To include state-of-the-art corporate facilities, new dressing rooms for the players and coaching staff, Members’ Long Room and seating and the creation of a main entrance to the stadium on Kirkstall Lane.

Phase Five The erection of a translucent cantilever roof to cover the White Rose Stand on the western side of the ground.

Phase Six Landscaping on the White Rose Stand and North East stand concourses.[7]

The Carnegie Pavilion

Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Metropolitan University have collaborated in building the Headingley Carnegie Pavilion, which replaced 'The Shed' to the northern side of the Cricket Ground (which, dating from the early 1970s, was the oldest surviving structure). The new pavilion replaces 'The Winter Shed' and 'The Media Centre' at the Kirkstall Lane end of the ground, which had become obsolete, according to Yorkshire County Cricket Club, no longer meeting the requirements of modern broadcasting. The changing facilities are replaced by 'state of the art' changing facilities, designed specifically for cricket, while the new executive boxes will provide the expected level of service. Yorkshire County Cricket Clubs offices will also be relocated into the pavilion, which boasts environmentally friendly features such as a ground source heat pump and solar hot water heating.[8]

Gallery

Cricket Ground

Rugby Ground

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Headingley Stadium.

Coordinates: 53°49′01″N 1°34′56″W / 53.81694°N 1.58222°W / 53.81694; -1.58222

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