Athletic Ground (Cheltenham)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Athletic Ground (Cheltenham), Cheltenham, England — opened unknown, 1 rugby league games hosted, home of no fixed rugby league tenant; used as a one-off neutral venue in a city otherwise a stronghold of rugby union.
Ground facts
| Opened | unknown (Directly re-verified against Rugby League Project's own venue page, which confirms the venue name as Athletic Ground (Cheltenham), corroborated independently by a commemorative plaque at the site. This conflicts with a Wikipedia tour article that names the venue as Whaddon Road, Cheltenham -- but Whaddon Road was not built until 1927, nearly two decades after this 1908 match, making that Wikipedia claim very likely an anachronistic error. No capacity, floodlight or tenant-club information is documented.) |
| Home club | no fixed rugby league tenant; used as a one-off neutral venue in a city otherwise a stronghold of rugby union |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1 |
| Top recorded crowd | 4,013 |
| Years used | 1908 |
| Location | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
Name history
Rugby league history
The Athletic Ground in Cheltenham hosted just one rugby league fixture: the deciding third Test of the inaugural Great Britain (Northern Union) vs New Zealand series, on 15 February 1908, which New Zealand's All Golds won 8-5 to take the series 2-1, the first rugby league Test series ever contested. Roughly 4,013 spectators attended; the site is today commemorated by a plaque.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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