The Watersheddings
Oldham, Greater Manchester, England
The Watersheddings, Oldham, England — opened 1889, 1,917 rugby league games hosted, home of None (demolished/redeveloped; historic home of Oldham RLFC, 1889-1997).
Ground facts
| Opened | 1889 |
| Home club | None (demolished/redeveloped; historic home of Oldham RLFC, 1889-1997) |
| Closed | 1997 |
| Site today | Redeveloped as housing, now Watersheddings Way and Hutchins Lane |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 1,917 |
| Top recorded crowd | 22,000 |
| Challenge Cup Finals hosted | 1 |
| Floodlights installed | 1965 (first used 20 October 1965) |
| Surface | Grass |
| First rugby league match | Oldham v Swinton, 28 September 1889 (score not identified in sources found) |
| Years used | 1895–1996 |
| Location | Oldham, Greater Manchester |
Name history
- The Watersheddings — 1889-1997, no sponsor-name changes recorded
Rugby league history
Oldham's home for over a century, reportedly the highest professional rugby league ground in the UK at around 770ft above sea level. Hosted the 1914-15 Challenge Cup Final, in which Huddersfield's celebrated "Team of All Talents" beat St Helens 37-3. The ground's attendance record of 28,000 was set for a 1912 fixture against Huddersfield. Oldham left in 1997 for Boundary Park (groundshared with Oldham Athletic F.C.); The Watersheddings was subsequently redeveloped into housing.
An adjoining cricket ground operated from 1889 until its demolition in 1933; an Oldham Greyhound Stadium was also built nearby in 1933.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 1914/15 Challenge Cup Final, 1 May 1915 — Huddersfield 37-3 St Helens, attendance 8,000
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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