Recreation Ground (Whitehaven)
Recre | |
 | |
| Location | Whitehaven, Cumbria |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°32′23″N 3°35′3″W / 54.53972°N 3.58417°W |
| Capacity | 7,500 |
| Record attendance | 18,500 vs Wakefield |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Built | 1948 |
| Opened | 1948 |
| Renovated | 1973 |
| Expanded | 1995 |
| Tenants | |
| Whitehaven (1948-) | |
The Recreation Ground (known locally as the 'Recre') is a rugby league stadium in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. It is the home of Whitehaven RLFC.
The ground has witnessed many other sports such as football, boxing, speedway and whippet racing.
The stadium
The ground now has terracing on 3 sides with one end of ground, the Kells end, covered. The other sides are known the Popular side, the Railway end and the B&H Motors Grandstand which seats 556. The ground is set to have a second seated stand holding 1,100 people where the Popular side terracing now stands.
The current ground capacity is 7,500.
History
The Recreation Ground was originally the playing fields for local coal miners dating back to Victorian times and was owned by the Miners Welfare organisation. The ground was used for junior sides and hosted a Challenge Cup match when the juniors beat St Helens 13-8 in front of 2,000 spectators.
It was an enclosed field with one wooden stand and opened in 1933. Today the link with the Miners Welfare poses a potential brake on any outside investment in the ground itself which remains an obstacle in Whitehaven's attempts to join Super League.
The Recreation Ground in its current form was built in 1948 to enable the newly formed Whitehaven to play in the Rugby Football League.
The ground's record attendance was set in 1960 when 18,500 spectators turned up for a third round Challenge Cup game against Wakefield Trinity.
In 1973 the ground acquired floodlights.
The old wooden grandstand was demolished in 1995 and the B&H Motors Grandstand was built to replace it.