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 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 City Reds 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 the Catalans Dragons 18–44 in front of 10,146 fans, a record for a Salford City Reds home match in the Super League.
Rugby League Test matches List of international rugby league matches played at The Willows.The Willows results @ Rugby League Project Game# Date Result Attendance Notes1 14 January 1922 def. 6–0 22,000 1921–22 Ashes series2 27 January 1932 def. 19–2 8,000 3 7 November 1968 def. 24–17 6,002 4 23 October 1969 def. 8–2 6,189 1969–70 European Rugby League Championship5 25 September 1971 def. 25–24 8,083 1971 Great Britain vs New Zealand series6 25 January 1975 def. 12–8 8,494 1975 European Rugby League Championship7 6 November 1975 def. 23–2 2,247 1975 Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League Tour Matches The Willows also saw Salford and the county team Lancashire play host to various international touring teams from 1908 to 1978.
Game Date Result Attendance Notes1 28 December 1907 New Zealand def. Salford 9–2 12,000 1907–08 All Golds tour2 17 October 1908 Salford drew with 9–9 6,100 1908–09 Kangaroo tour3 30 December 1911 Australasia def. Salford 6–3 4,000 1911–12 Kangaroo tour4 29 October 1921 Australasia def. Salford 48–3 9,000 1921–22 Kangaroo tour5 3 November 1926 New Zealand def. Salford 18–10 3,500 1926–27 New Zealand Kiwis tour6 11 January 1930 def. Salford 21–5 8,000 1929–30 Kangaroo tour7 21 October 1933 Salford def. 16–9 15,761 1933–34 Kangaroo tour8 30 October 1937 Salford def. 11–8 12,000 1937–38 Kangaroo tour9 30 October 1948 def. Salford 13–2 16,627 1948–49 Kangaroo tour10 26 September 1959 def. Salford 22–20 11,008 1959–60 Kangaroo tour11 11 October 1967 def. Lancashire 16–7 9,369 1967–68 Kangaroo tour12 30 September 1973 def. Salford 15–12 11,064 1973 Kangaroo tour13 10 October 1975 def. Salford 44–6 5,357 1975 Australian Rugby League World Cup tour14 14 November 1978 def. Salford 14–2 6,155 1978 Kangaroo tour
Redevelopment In 2013, a proposal to redevelop the site for housing was put forward by City West Housing Trust.
References
External links
The Willows on Worldstadia.com Directions to The Willows