The Willows, Salford

The Willows

250px The Willows North Stand
Full name	The Willows
Location	Willows Road, Weaste, Salford M5 5FQ
Coordinates
Owner	Iain Watson
Capacity	11,363 with 2,500 seats
Record attendance	26,470 vs Warrington (Challenge Cup), 13 February 1937
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	Electronic
Construction
Built	1900
Opened	1901
Renovated	1966, 1971, 1975, 1989
Closed	2011
Demolished	2012
Tenants
Salford RLFC (1901–2011) Swinton RLFC (2011)

The Willows was a rugby league stadium in Weaste, Salford, England. It had a final capacity of 11,363 with 2,500 seats.

History

In 1900, Salford agreed a 14-year lease on 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named after the abundance of willow trees in the area. They made their debut at the Willows on 21 December 1901, beating Swinton 2–0 in front of 16,981 fans.

In the 1960s, the terrace was flattened at the Willows Road end to make way for the Salford Football and Social Club which was officially opened on 16 June 1966.

The Willows switched on its floodlights for the first time in the match with Widnes on Friday 11 March 1966. On 26 November 1989, Salford unveiled a new £50,000 electronic scoreboard above the Willows Variety Centre.

Salford moved to the Salford City Stadium in Barton-upon-Irwell at the start of the 2012 season. The last match at the Willows saw them lose to Catalans Dragons 18–44 in front of 10,146 fans, a record for a Salford home match in Super League.

Redevelopment

In 2013, a proposal to redevelop the site for housing was put forward by City West Housing Trust.

External links

• The Willows on Worldstadia.com
• Directions to The Willows
• Pictures of The Willows

Preceded by Headingley Leeds	Challenge Cup Final Venue 1902–03	Succeeded by Headingley Leeds
Preceded by Fartown Huddersfield	Challenge Cup Final Venue 1910–11	Succeeded by Headingley Leeds
Preceded by New Barnes 1878–1901	Salford Red Devils Home Ground 1901–2011	Succeeded by Salford City Stadium 2012–present

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