Canal Street
Runcorn, Cheshire, England
Canal Street, Runcorn, England — opened 1895, 434 rugby league games hosted, home of None (demolished; historically home to Runcorn RFC/Runcorn from 1895, and to the professional-era Runcorn Highfield RLFC from 1984/85–1991).
Sourcing caveat: The name 'Runcorn Highfield RLFC' most directly applies to the professional club that played at Canal Street from 1984/85 to 1991 (having relocated from Huyton); the ground's earlier and longer rugby league tenancy (1895 onward) was under the separate 'Runcorn' / Runcorn RFC name. Capacity figures for Canal Street were not found in the sources checked and are omitted rather than guessed.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1895 |
| Home club | None (demolished; historically home to Runcorn RFC/Runcorn from 1895, and to the professional-era Runcorn Highfield RLFC from 1984/85–1991) |
| Closed | 2001 |
| Site today | Housing development (the Linnets Park estate). |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 434 |
| Top recorded crowd | 4,500 |
| First rugby league match | Runcorn 15-4 Widnes, 7 September 1895, Northern Rugby Football Union 1895/96 (per Rugby League Project) |
| Last rugby league match | Runcorn F.C. 1-2 Gateshead (association football), 5 May 2001 — the last competitive game of any code played at Canal Street |
| Years used | 1895–1990 |
| Location | Runcorn, Cheshire |
Name history
- Canal Street — 1895–2001
Rugby league history
Canal Street was one of rugby league's founding grounds: Runcorn were founder members of the Northern Union in 1895 and played their earliest Northern Union fixtures there, beating Widnes 15-4 in the ground's first recorded match that September. The ground passed through several owners over the following decades — including tannery owner R.H. Posnett after the First World War, and the Highfield and Camden Tanneries Recreation Club (later Runcorn F.C.) from 1918 — and by the 1980s hosted the Huyton-turned-Runcorn Highfield professional rugby league club, which used Canal Street from 1984/85 until relocating to St Helens in 1991. The ground's final years were troubled: during the 1993/94 season alone it suffered a collapsed terrace wall during an FA Cup tie against Hull City, a stand roof torn off by high winds, and a fire that destroyed the main stand. It closed for good after a final football match on 5 May 2001, with Runcorn F.C. relocating to Halton Stadium; the site is now the Linnets Park housing estate.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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