Rugby League Stadium Names Trivia Quiz

Answer: Knowsley Road

St. Helens, nickname "The Saints", began playing at Knowsley Road in 1890. There were two teams competing in the same town, the other called St. Helens Recs between 1913 and 1939. St. Helens became one of the consistently top teams with the change to summer rugby and SuperLeague in 1996. With sponsorship from GPW Recruitment, the stadium's name was changed to GPW Recruitment in 2008.

Answer: Batley

Batley, later called Batley Bulldogs, began playing at Mount Pleasant in 1895. They became semi-professional in 1921. Their old nickname was "The Gallant Youths", but since the advent of summer rugby league, they were called Batley Bulldogs. Batley were a strong team in the 1920s.

They defeated Wigan 13-7 in the Championship Final in 1924. For most of the decades since, they have been in the lower divisions. They had to wait until 2010 for their next Cup victory, beating Widnes Vikings 25-24 in the Northern Rail Cup.

Answer: JJB Stadium

By 1895, Wigan had been playing at a ground on Prescott Street, moving to Springfield Park in 1901, then moving to Central Park in 1902. They had a very successful history at Central Park. Their nickname was "The Riversiders" until 1996 when they became Wigan Warriors playing in the Super League.

They moved to the newly built JJB Stadium in 1999, named after their sponsors. It was renamed DW Stadium after the sponsor Dave Wheelan in 2009.

Answer: The Boulevard

When the Northern Union was formed in 1895, Hull FC (short for Hull Football Club) started playing at The Boulevard, west of the River Hull. Their nickname was "The Airlie Birds", named after Airlie Street which is near to the ground. They had a lot of successes throughout their history and were often competing with their rivals from the east side of the River Hull, Hull Kingston Rovers.

In 1996, they became Hull Sharks until they merged with Gateshead Thunder in 1999, reverting back to Hull FC and The Airlie Birds nickname, even after moving to the newly built KC Stadium in 2003.

Answer: Salford

Salford didn't enter the Northern Union until 1896. They were playing at a field called "New Barnes" in Manchester. This land was sold, so they had to vacate New Barnes, and they moved to land owned by Willows Land Company while playing their first match there in 1901.

This became their stadium, "The Willows". Their nickname was "The Red Devils", but they also were renamed Salford City Reds in 1996.

Answer: Stade Gilbert Brutus

Rugby League was introduced to France in the late 19th century, but it didn't really become popular until 1934 with the start of a French championship in the south of the country. Rugby League was banned by the Vichy government and the Nazis in 1941, so strengthening rugby union in its place.

A SuperLeague team called Paris St. Germain was formed in 1995, but it had to fold in 1997 because of poor results and dropping attendances. A team called Union Treiziste Catalon was formed in Perpignon in 2001, sharing Stade Aime Giral with the Rugby Union team.

It became a SuperLeague team called Catalan Dragons in 2006, moving to Stade Gilbert Brutus in 2008.

Answer: Woodlands Memorial Ground

Blackpool Borough, nickname "The Babes", started playing in 1954 at St. Anne's Road Greyhound Stadium. They moved to Borough Park in 1962, but were liquidated and reformed as a much weaker side in 1982, playing their last game there in 1987. They moved and changed their name many times, first to Springfield, then Chorley, Trafford, Borough, Blackpool Gladiators, Lancashire Lynx, and finally Chorley Lynx. Blackpool Panthers was formed in 2004, playing at the soccer ground Bloomfield Road.

They moved to Lytham-St. Anne's in 2006 to Woodlands Memorial Ground, already the stadium of Fylde Rugby Union Club since 1920.

Answer: Vandalism, slum clearances and industrialisation

Hunslet were formed in 1883, south of Leeds city centre, becoming part of the original Northern Union in 1895. They played first at Woodhouse Hill, then moved to Parkside in 1888, earning them their nickname "The Parksiders". For decades, they were one of the most successful Rugby League teams.

After World War 11, slum clearance and the industrialisation of Leeds meant falling attendances. The club slumped in the early 1970s with vandalism, industial development, and closure in 1973. From 1973, New Hunslet played at Elland Road Greyhound Stadium, then at Bramley.

They became Hunslet Hawks in 1995, playing at South Leeds Stadium which was renamed John Charles Stadium in 2004 after the death of John Charles, a Leeds United footballer.

Answer: Adam's Park

There were some unsuccessful attempts to form London-based Rugby League clubs in the 1930s, but it was not until 1980 with the formation of Fulham FC, playing at Craven Cottage, that RL took root in London. Due to the poor condition of the pitch in 1983, Fulham played at a number of sports stadia and soccer stadia between 1984 and 1994. By 1991, they had changed their name to London Crusaders.

In 1994, the Brisbane Broncos bought the team. They changed their name to London Broncos, becoming a SuperLeague side in 1996.

They played their home fixtures at The Valley, Twickenham Stoop (Harlequin's Rugby Union stadium), The Valley, Griffin Park, then finally settling at The Stoop to be re-branded as Harlequins RL in 2006.

Answer: Halifax

Halifax, nickname "Fax", was formed in 1873 and became one of the original Northern Union in 1895, later going on to become a great Rugby League club, especially during the 1950s. They had moved to Thrum Hall in 1886 and played there for the next 112 years. From 1996 until 2003 they played in SuperLeague, using the nickname "Blue Sox". By 2004, they had been relegated to the national leagues and reverted back to the nickname "Fax".