Holbeck Recreation Ground
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Holbeck Recreation Ground, Leeds, England — opened Not confirmed, 16 rugby league games hosted, home of Holbeck RLFC (Northern Union), for the 1896-97 season, their last season there before relocating to what is now Elland Road in 1897.
Sourcing caveat: That this site's rugby league venue entry and the separately documented cricket-ground Wikipedia article describe the same physical site is a well-supported inference (same district, same era, same 'Recreation Ground' name) but is not explicitly confirmed by any single source.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed (In use for cricket from at least 1868 (as the home of Holbeck Cricket Club, which hosted 8 first-class Yorkshire CCC matches there, 1868-1900); an opening date for the rugby side of the ground's use could not be confirmed.) |
| Home club | Holbeck RLFC (Northern Union), for the 1896-97 season, their last season there before relocating to what is now Elland Road in 1897 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 16 |
| Top recorded crowd | 0 |
| Surface | Grass (described as an open grass field at the foot of Beeston Hill) |
| First rugby league match | 19 Sep 1896, Holbeck 4-5 Bradford (Yorkshire Senior Competition) |
| Years used | 1896–1897 |
| Location | Leeds, West Yorkshire |
Name history
- Recreation Ground, Holbeck — used throughout
Rugby league history
A shared Victorian multi-sport recreation ground in the Holbeck district of Leeds, home to Holbeck Cricket Club until 1900 and, for a single season (1896-97), to Holbeck's Northern Union rugby club shortly before that club relocated to what became Elland Road in 1897. The ground itself no longer exists, lost to housing development.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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