Springfield Park
Wigan, Greater Manchester, England
Springfield Park, Wigan, England — opened 1897, 39 rugby league games hosted, home of Wigan RLFC (predecessor of today's Wigan Warriors), as sub-tenants for a single season, 14 Sep 1901 to 28 Apr 1902, before purpose-built Central Park opened in 1902 and became Wigan's long-term rugby league home; Springfield Borough (a different rugby league club, part of the same itinerant lineage later found at Moss Lane, Altrincham, as Trafford Borough), one season, 1987-88.
Sourcing caveat: A Rugby League Project results-page pull returned some match entries that don't fit either documented RL tenancy narrative (possibly representative/playoff fixtures at a neutral venue, or an extraction artifact) and could not be fully reconciled against the two consistent Wikipedia sources used above; exact total RL match-count at the venue should be treated as approximate.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1897 |
| Home club | Wigan RLFC (predecessor of today's Wigan Warriors), as sub-tenants for a single season, 14 Sep 1901 to 28 Apr 1902, before purpose-built Central Park opened in 1902 and became Wigan's long-term rugby league home; Springfield Borough (a different rugby league club, part of the same itinerant lineage later found at Moss Lane, Altrincham, as Trafford Borough), one season, 1987-88 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 39 |
| Top recorded crowd | 25,483 |
| Capacity | 40,000 maximum (historical, football-era) |
| Challenge Cup Finals hosted | 1 |
| Floodlights installed | Installed by Oct 1966; first floodlit match was Wigan Athletic vs Crewe Alexandra, 19 Oct 1966 |
| Surface | Grass; the ground also had a concrete cycle-track velodrome encircling the pitch, and hosted horse trotting, wrestling, and athletics |
| First rugby league match | Wigan RLFC 12-0 Morecambe, 14 Sep 1901 (crowd 4,123) — the club's first match during its single Springfield Park season |
| Years used | 1901–1993 |
| Location | Wigan, Greater Manchester |
Name history
- Springfield Park — 1897-1999, no name change found
Rugby league history
Primarily and famously a football ground — home to Wigan Athletic F.C. for 67 years (1932-1999) — but with a genuine, documented rugby league pedigree predating that: Wigan's Northern Union club played here as sub-tenants (ground shared with Wigan United, who held playing preference) for the 1901-02 season immediately before Central Park was built, with a record attendance of 10,111 vs Widnes (19 Mar 1902). A different rugby league club, Springfield Borough, played one season here in 1987-88 before relocating to become Chorley Borough. This is worth stating clearly and distinctly from Wigan Warriors' main lineage of grounds (Central Park 1902-1999, then JJB Stadium/DW Stadium/Brick Community Stadium 1999-present) — Springfield Park was never Wigan RL's long-term or primary home, only a short-term, one-season tenancy on two separate occasions, 85 years apart, by two different clubs. Closed and demolished in 1999 for housing development, when Wigan Athletic moved to the JJB Stadium.
Primary long-term tenant was Wigan Athletic F.C. (football, 1932-1999); also hosted a cycling velodrome, horse trotting, wrestling, and athletics.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- Wigan RL 2-0 Bramley, Challenge Cup Round 1, 15 Mar 1902 (during the one-season RL tenancy)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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