The Butts
Coventry, West Midlands, England
The Butts, Coventry, England — opened Not precisely confirmed as a rugby ground, 51 rugby league games hosted, home of Coventry R.L.F.C., 1910-11 to 1912-13 (the club disbanded after 1912-13 due to poor results and finances); later, in the ground's modern Butts Park Arena incarnation, Coventry Bears rugby league club, 2004 to 2021/22.
Sourcing caveat: The original Butts ground's opening date, capacity, and floodlight history (pre-2004) are not confirmed in any source found. See opened_caveat above for the site-identity disambiguation performed for this write-up.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not precisely confirmed as a rugby ground (Already in sporting use before Coventry RLFC's formation in December 1910 (the club 'took over the tenancy of the Butts, previously the home of Coventry rugby union club'), but no source found gives the ground's actual construction/opening year. IMPORTANT: a separate, unrelated Wikipedia article titled 'The Butts Ground' describes a different site — a Warwickshire CCC cricket ground used 1872-1930, since built over and gone. Direct verification (WebFetch of the Coventry RLFC and Nick Newbold Stadium Wikipedia articles) confirmed the rugby 'Butts' and the modern stadium below are the same site; whether that site is also literally the same footprint as the vanished cricket ground was not established either way.) |
| Home club | Coventry R.L.F.C., 1910-11 to 1912-13 (the club disbanded after 1912-13 due to poor results and finances); later, in the ground's modern Butts Park Arena incarnation, Coventry Bears rugby league club, 2004 to 2021/22 |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 51 |
| Top recorded crowd | 4,500 |
| Capacity | Modern Nick Newbold Stadium/Butts Park Arena: approx. 4,000 (3,000-seat main stand plus up to 1,000 standing). Capacity of the original early-1900s Butts ground not confirmed. |
| Surface | Grass historically; converted to an artificial playing surface in June 2019 |
| First rugby league match | Rugby league was introduced to Coventry here on 13 Nov 1909, when St Helens played Hull F.C. in an exhibition match before over 4,000 spectators — predating Coventry R.L.F.C.'s own admission to the Northern Union in December 1910 |
| Years used | 1910–1913 |
| Location | Coventry, West Midlands |
Name history
- The Butts — pre-1910 through mid-20th century, as Coventry's rugby ground (union, then also league 1910-1913)
- Butts Park Arena — 2004-2026, after redevelopment
- Nick Newbold Stadium — since February 2026, honouring a long-serving staff member's contribution to the club and community
Rugby league history
A historic multi-sport ground in Coventry with a long rugby pedigree stretching back over a century: home to Coventry's rugby union club before 1910, then the short-lived pioneering Coventry R.L.F.C. (1910-13) during rugby league's early Northern Union expansion into the Midlands, then decades as a rugby union base before a 2004 redevelopment into Butts Park Arena brought the modern Coventry Bears rugby league club (2004-2021/22) alongside Coventry R.F.C., who remain the main tenant today. Renamed Nick Newbold Stadium in February 2026. English rugby league international Jack Tomes played for England against Wales here in 1910. A 2018 Coventry Bears fixture against Bradford Bulls drew 1,465.
Also home to Coventry United L.F.C. (football, since 2017-18) and Coventry Jets (American football, hosted Britbowl XXXV in Sep 2023); Coventry R.F.C. (rugby union) has been the main tenant since 2004.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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