New Barnes
Salford, Greater Manchester, England
New Barnes, Salford, England — opened 1878, 87 rugby league games hosted, home of Salford (rugby football/rugby union to 1895, then Northern Union/rugby league, 1878-1901).
Sourcing caveat: New Barnes is a genuinely distinct, third Salford-area rugby league ground from the two others already catalogued here — The Cliff and Wheater's Field are both Broughton Rangers grounds in Broughton, Salford, whereas New Barnes was the home of the separate Salford club (the future Salford Red Devils) before their long-term move to The Willows in 1901. No capacity figure or exact present-day site use for New Barnes was found in sources checked, so both are omitted rather than guessed.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1878 (Wikipedia's Salford RLFC history states the club (then playing under the earlier name "Cavendish") moved to a field north of the former Manchester Racecourse, New Barnes, with 1878-79 given as the first season there (and the last played under the Cavendish name); the ground predates rugby league itself, which did not split from rugby union until 1895, so its early years were as a rugby football (union) ground.) |
| Home club | Salford (rugby football/rugby union to 1895, then Northern Union/rugby league, 1878-1901) |
| Closed | 1901 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 87 |
| Top recorded crowd | 8,000 |
| First rugby league match | Salford's first match in the Northern Union (rugby league, formed 1895) at this ground was played on 5 September 1896 (opponent/score not identified in sources found); the club had already been playing rugby football at New Barnes since 1878 |
| Last rugby league match | 30 November 1901 — Salford's last game at New Barnes (opponent/score not identified in sources found), shortly before the club's Willows debut on 21 December 1901 |
| Years used | 1896–1904 |
| Location | Salford, Greater Manchester |
Name history
- New Barnes — 1878-1901, no sponsor-name changes recorded
Rugby league history
New Barnes, on a field north of the former Manchester Racecourse, was Salford's home ground for over two decades before The Willows, spanning the club's move from rugby union into the Northern Union split of 1895 and the first years of organised rugby league. The club had to leave in 1900 after the Manchester Ship Canal Company bought the land, playing its last recorded game there on 30 November 1901 before opening The Willows a few weeks later on 21 December 1901. Rugby League Project's results page for the ground lists matches from the 1896/97 season (Lancashire Senior Competition, County Cup and early Challenge Cup fixtures) through to 1901/02, all as home games for Salford.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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