Huntington Stadium

Huntington Stadium (formerly Ryedale Stadium) is the former stadium of English rugby league teams York Wasps, and York City Knights.

Huntington Stadium

Full name	Huntington Stadium
Former names	Ryedale Stadium
Location	Huntington, York, England
Coordinates	53°59′5″N 1°03′12″W
Capacity	3,428
Record attendance	4,977 vs Halifax 5 January 1990
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	1989
Opened	1989
Closed	2014
Main contractors	Birse Construction Ltd
Tenants
York Wasps (1989–2002) York City Knights (2003–2014)

History

The stadium, which was financed by the Ryedale District Council and was initially named the Ryedale Stadium, was completed in October 1989.^[1]

York Wasps played their first ever match at the Huntington Stadium when they lost to Hull Kingston Rovers 36–26 in front of a crowd of 3,105.^[2]

2009 saw the first ever game at the stadium live on Sky Sports. York were victorious as they beat Oldham 20–18 to go second in the Championship.^[3]

The 2014 season was announced as the final season at the stadium for the York City Knights. They won the league and lifted the trophy at the final home league game against London Skolars.^[4] The final game at Huntington Stadium ended in a 32–24 defeat for the York City Knights by Hunslet Hawks in the Championship 1 Play Off Semi Final.^[5]

Spectator stands

Scoreboard

Demolition and replacement

It had long been proposed that the Knights should share a new municipal stadium with York City F.C. and it was announced in July 2010 that the preferred location would be the site of the current Huntington Stadium.^[6]

A community archaeology project was undertaken by York Archaeological Trust in 2015 to record the site of a Roman Marching Camp Site. The work of the local community project "Dig York Stadium" produced a historical record.^[7]

After the York Dig had concluded on 19 June 2015^[7] it appeared that demolition of Huntington Stadium would be able to commence. However, the project faced more delays^[8] after a legal challenge to its planning application.^[9]

The new municipal stadium, York Community Stadium, completed in December 2020.^[10]

References

1. "Former York rugby chairman John Stabler calls for Knights to be brought back in to community stadium project". York Press. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
2. "Knights in shining ardour". 20 January 2003. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
3. "Huge crowd sees York City Knights go second in Championship One". York Press. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
4. "Knights coach hails spirit of the champions". York Press. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
5. "March Report". York City Knights. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
6. "Site chosen for new York community stadium". BBC News. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
7. "Dig York Stadium". Dig York Stadium. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
8. "York Stadium: Football & rugby clubs say new delay will cause uncertainty". York Press. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
9. "New bombshell for York stadium plan – Vue Cinemas lodge legal challenge". York Press. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
10. "York's long-delayed 8,000-seat stadium completed". BBC News. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.

External links

• Huntington Stadium (Archive copy: 5 February 2013) – York City Knights official website