Butts Park Arena
Coventry, West Midlands, England
Butts Park Arena, Coventry, England — opened 2004, 59 rugby league games hosted, home of Coventry Bears (later rebranded Midlands Hurricanes), League 1, roughly 2015-2021/22; the ground's primary long-term tenant across all codes is Coventry R.F.C. (rugby union).
Sourcing caveat: Floodlight installation date is not confirmed in any source found. The 2004-2015 gap between the ground opening and the first recorded rugby league match is unexplained by any source checked.
Ground facts
| Opened | 2004 (Built on the site of a former cycling track; renamed Nick Newbold Stadium on 21 Feb 2026 in honour of a long-serving club staff member, after hosting rugby league as 'Butts Park Arena' for essentially its entire rugby league history to date.) |
| Home club | Coventry Bears (later rebranded Midlands Hurricanes), League 1, roughly 2015-2021/22; the ground's primary long-term tenant across all codes is Coventry R.F.C. (rugby union) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 59 |
| Top recorded crowd | 1,465 |
| Capacity | main stand holds 3,000 with conference facilities; additional standing for up to 1,000 around the pitch; a temporary 1,000-capacity West Stand was removed after 2005-06 for safety reasons |
| Surface | originally grass; replaced with an artificial surface in June 2019 |
| First rugby league match | Coventry 32-10 Oxford (League 1 Round 1), 3 Apr 2015, attendance 721 — over a decade after the venue opened in 2004, suggesting Coventry Bears' rugby league tenure began around 2015 rather than at the ground's opening |
| Years used | 2015–2021 |
| Location | Coventry, West Midlands |
Name history
- Butts Park Arena — 2004-2026
- Nick Newbold Stadium — since 21 Feb 2026
Rugby league history
A rugby-union-first multi-sport stadium (home of Coventry R.F.C.) that has also hosted Coventry Bears'/Midlands Hurricanes' lower-tier League 1 rugby league fixtures since roughly 2015. No Cup Final, Test match, or Grand Final found hosted here; the highest recorded rugby league attendance is 1,465, for Coventry 12-62 Bradford Bulls (League 1) on 30 Jul 2018.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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