Central Park
Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Central Park, Wigan, England — opened 1902, 2,091 rugby league games hosted, home of Wigan Warriors (until 1999; demolished).
Sourcing caveat: Wikipedia's Central Park article lists three further World Club Challenge finals there in 1997, but a spot-check against Rugby League Project found the 1997 Wigan v Canterbury pool match was actually played at Belmore, Sydney, not Central Park — so those three 1997 fixtures are omitted here pending independent confirmation, rather than published on a single, partly-contradicted source.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1902 |
| Home club | Wigan Warriors (until 1999; demolished) |
| Closed | 5 September 1999 |
| Demolished | 1999 (exact calendar day not identified in sources found) |
| Site today | A Tesco supermarket and car park |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 2,091 |
| Top recorded crowd | 44,731 |
| Capacity | 18,000 (final configuration) |
| Test matches hosted | 13 |
| World Club Challenge finals hosted | 2 |
| Floodlights installed | Summer 1967 (120ft pylons, to allow entry into the BBC2 Floodlit Trophy) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Last rugby league match | Wigan 28-20 St Helens, 5 September 1999 — 96 years and 364 days after the ground's first-ever game, v Batley |
| Years used | 1902–1999 |
| Location | Wigan, Greater Manchester |
Name history
- Central Park — 1902-1999, no other names recorded
Rugby league history
Often called "the most famous rugby league ground in the world." Hosted the first-ever international rugby league match (England vs Other Nationalities, 5 April 1904) and 43 international Test matches between 1904 and 1995, plus five World Club Challenge finals (1987-1997). Held the British rugby league regular-season attendance record: 47,747 for Wigan vs St Helens on 27 March 1959. Wigan's home for 96 years and 364 days, closing 5 September 1999; the club moved to the new JJB Stadium (now Brick Community Stadium) later that year. The site is now a Tesco supermarket.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 7 October 1987 World Club Challenge — Wigan 8-2 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, attendance 36,895
- 30 October 1992 World Club Challenge — Brisbane Broncos 22-8 Wigan, attendance 17,764
- 5 April 1904 — Other Nationalities 9-3 England (the first-ever rugby league international)
- 1 January 1906 — England 3-3 Other Nationalities
- 2 October 1926 — England 28-20 New Zealand
- 17 November 1956 — Great Britain 21-10 Australia (1956 Kangaroo Tour)
- 12 December 1959 — Great Britain 18-12 Australia (1959 Kangaroo Tour)
- 24 September 1960 — Australia 13-12 France (1960 Rugby League World Cup)
- 6 November 1965 — Great Britain 9-9 New Zealand
- 1 November 1975 — England 16-13 Australia (1975 Rugby League World Cup)
- 20 November 1982 — Australia 27-6 Great Britain (1982 Kangaroo Tour)
- 22 November 1986 — Australia 24-15 Great Britain
- 11 November 1989 — Great Britain 10-6 New Zealand (1989-92 World Cup)
- 30 October 1993 — Great Britain 29-12 New Zealand
- 11 October 1995 — England 46-0 Fiji (1995 Rugby League World Cup, the final Test held there)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Notable games played here
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Group A, 11 Oct 1995 | 1995 Rugby League World Cup | England 46-0 Fiji |
| World Cup Table, 11 Nov 1989 | 1989-92 Rugby League World Cup | Great Britain 10-6 New Zealand |
| World Cup Table, 9 Nov 1991 | 1989-92 Rugby League World Cup | Great Britain 56-4 Papua New Guinea |
| World Cup Table, 22 Nov 1986 | 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup | Great Britain 15-24 Australia |
| World Cup Table, 24 Oct 1987 | 1985-88 Rugby League World Cup | Great Britain 42-0 Papua New Guinea |
| World Cup Table, 1 Nov 1975 | 1975 Rugby League World Cup | England 16-13 Australia |
| World Cup Table, 21 Oct 1970 | 1970 Rugby League World Cup | Australia 47-11 New Zealand |
| World Cup Table, 24 Sep 1960 | 1960 Rugby League World Cup | Australia 13-12 France |
| World Cup Table, 8 Oct 1960 | 1960 Rugby League World Cup | France 0-9 New Zealand |
| 1943/44 Challenge Cup Final | Challenge Cup Final | Bradford Northern 8-3 agg (Leg 1: Wigan 3-0; Leg 2: Bradford N. 8-0) Wigan |
| 1931/32 Challenge Cup Final | Challenge Cup Final | Leeds 11-8 Swinton |
| 1927/28 Challenge Cup Final | Challenge Cup Final | Swinton 5-3 Warrington |
| 1926/27 Challenge Cup Final | Challenge Cup Final | Oldham 26-7 Swinton |
Only matches we have full, sourced records for are listed here — other historic games mentioned above may not have a dedicated match page built yet (World Cup coverage in particular is still expanding tournament by tournament).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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