Stanley Greyhound Stadium
Liverpool (Kensington), Merseyside, England
Stanley Greyhound Stadium, Liverpool (Kensington), England — opened 1927, 250 rugby league games hosted, home of None (defunct as a sporting venue; last rugby league tenant was Liverpool Stanley, 1934-1950).
Ground facts
| Opened | 1927 (1927 is the greyhound stadium's own opening date (17 August 1927); rugby league did not arrive until 1934.) |
| Home club | None (defunct as a sporting venue; last rugby league tenant was Liverpool Stanley, 1934-1950) |
| Closed | 1961 (greyhound racing ended 11 November 1961) |
| Site today | A wholesale fruit, vegetable and fish market opened on the site in 1964 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 250 |
| Top recorded crowd | 14,000 |
| First rugby league match | 1 September 1934 — Liverpool 21-5 St Helens Recs (Northern Rugby League 1934/35) |
| Last rugby league match | Liverpool Stanley left for Knotty Ash in 1950 |
| Years used | 1934–1951 |
| Location | Liverpool (Kensington), Merseyside |
Name history
- Stanley Greyhound Stadium — 1927-1961 (base name, greyhound racing); rugby league tenancy 1934-1950
Rugby league history
Built on a former brickworks and clay pit and opened for greyhound racing in August 1927, Stanley Stadium in the Liverpool suburb of Kensington became a rugby league venue in 1934 when the itinerant Wigan Highfield club relocated there and was renamed Liverpool Stanley. The club's best-attended match was the 2 May 1936 Northern Rugby League semi-final against Widnes, which drew 14,000 spectators — Liverpool lost 10-9. Liverpool Stanley also hosted a tour match against the touring Australian Kangaroos in 1956, losing 40-12 in front of just over 4,700. The rugby league tenancy ended in 1950 when the club moved to Knotty Ash (later becoming Liverpool City, then Huyton, then eventually Runcorn Highfield/Prescot Panthers, before folding in 1997). Stanley Stadium itself continued as a large, well-known independent greyhound track — noted for its unusually long 516-yard circuit and heavy totalisator turnover — until racing ended in 1961; a wholesale market was built on the site in 1964.
A major independent greyhound racing venue (516-yard circuit, 160 resident kennels) that also hosted a world featherweight boxing title fight (Nel Tarleton v Freddie Miller, 12 June 1935).
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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