Bloomfield Road
Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Bloomfield Road, Blackpool, England — opened 28 Oct 1899, 60 rugby league games hosted, home of Blackpool Panthers RLFC, approximately 2004-2006; has also hosted the National League Cup Final as a neutral/showcase venue in most years from 2005.
Sourcing caveat: Whether Bloomfield Road continued hosting the National League Cup Final after 2011 is not confirmed in any source found.
Ground facts
| Opened | 28 Oct 1899 (Previously known as Gamble's Field (1887-1899); renamed Bloomfield Road in December 1899 after Blackpool F.C. merged with South Shore F.C.) |
| Home club | Blackpool Panthers RLFC, approximately 2004-2006; has also hosted the National League Cup Final as a neutral/showcase venue in most years from 2005 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 60 |
| Top recorded crowd | 22,000 |
| Capacity | approximately 16,500 (2025); historical peak of 38,098 for a football match on 17 Sep 1955 |
| Challenge Cup Finals hosted | 7 |
| Floodlights installed | present, engineered with 145-ft pylons for coastal winds; exact installation date not confirmed |
| Surface | Grass, relaid multiple times, most recently 2010 and after the 2008-09 season |
| First rugby league match | Blackpool 13-24 Leigh (Challenge Cup Round 3), 9 Mar 1957, attendance 22,000 — predates the Blackpool Panthers club by decades, suggesting an earlier one-off Challenge Cup tie |
| Years used | 1957–2019 |
| Location | Blackpool, Lancashire |
Name history
- Gamble's Field — 1887-1899
- Bloomfield Road — since December 1899
Rugby league history
A well-known professional football ground (Blackpool F.C.) that became a recurring neutral host for rugby league's National League Cup Final (the lower-tier Championship/League 1 knockout competition) for at least 2005-2011, plus a brief spell as Blackpool Panthers' home ground in the mid-2000s.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 2005 National League Cup Final — Castleford 16-18 Hull KR, attendance 9,400
- 2006 National League Cup Final — Hull KR 18-22 Leigh, attendance 7,547
- 2007 National League Cup Final — Whitehaven 6-54 Widnes, attendance 8,236
- 2008 National League Cup Final — Doncaster 0-60 Salford, attendance 6,328
- 2009 National League Cup Final — Barrow 18-34 Widnes, attendance 8,720
- 2010 National League Cup Final — Batley 25-24 Widnes, attendance 8,138
- 2011 National League Cup Final — Halifax 16-20 Leigh, attendance 8,820
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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