Deepdale
Preston, Lancashire, England
Deepdale, Preston, England — opened 1878, 94 rugby league games hosted, home of Preston North End (football, since 1878); the rugby league tenant was Lancashire Lynx (renamed Chorley Lynx in 2000).
Sourcing caveat: Sources disagree on the exact span of the rugby league tenancy: Wikipedia's Chorley Lynx article gives Deepdale as their home ground 1996-2000, while Rugby League Project's results page for the venue shows fixtures there under the Lancashire Lynx/Chorley Lynx name running 1997-2003, and this project's own venue directory records first/last years of 1997-2004 for the ground. The underlying club and its Deepdale tenancy are confirmed by all sources; only the precise start/end years differ, likely reflecting different definitions of 'home' fixtures (league only vs. all competitions) — not independently resolved here.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1878 (1878 is when Deepdale opened as a sports ground/football stadium (first football match 5 October 1878); rugby league was only played there much later, and briefly — see context.) |
| Home club | Preston North End (football, since 1878); the rugby league tenant was Lancashire Lynx (renamed Chorley Lynx in 2000) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 94 |
| Top recorded crowd | 1,382 |
| Capacity | 23,404 (current all-seated football capacity) |
| Years used | 1997–2004 |
| Location | Preston, Lancashire |
Name history
- Deepdale — 1878-present; no alternative names found in sources checked
Rugby league history
Deepdale is one of English football's oldest grounds, home to Preston North End since 1878 and originally used for cricket and rugby (union) before football took over. Its rugby league history is a single, secondary chapter: Chorley-based club Lancashire Lynx (renamed Chorley Lynx in 2000) used Deepdale as a home ground while away from their own Victory Park, playing there through the late 1990s in the Rugby Football League's lower divisions before returning to Chorley; Chorley Lynx ultimately folded in 2004 due to falling attendances and the withdrawal of financial backing.
Deepdale is primarily and historically an association football ground (Preston North End, founder members of the Football League in 1888); a one-off professional baseball match was also played there in the 1930s (Preston North End Baseball Club vs Derby Baseball Club).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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