‘Fantastic day’ as Featherstone Rovers open new stands

More than two years’ hard work paid off for staff at Featherstone Rovers when the club opened its two new stands for the first time.
New Featherstone Rovers chief executive, Pat Cluskey. Pictured in front of the newly extended pitch and new stand.
p310c445New Featherstone Rovers chief executive, Pat Cluskey. Pictured in front of the newly extended pitch and new stand.
p310c445
New Featherstone Rovers chief executive, Pat Cluskey. Pictured in front of the newly extended pitch and new stand. p310c445

A crowd of 6,346 packed into the Big Fellas Stadium for the team’s first home game of the season against Bradford Bulls on Sunday.

The stands, at the Railway End of the ground, were transported from the former McCain Stadium at Scarborough Football Club.

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The work has helped increased capacity at the ground from 6,700 to 8,000.

Pat Cluskey, Rovers’ chief executive, said: “It was a fantastic day. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people.

“It was a bit like an episode of Groundforce on Sunday morning to get everything finished in time but it was great to see the ground so full.”

Rovers also relaid the pitch at Post Office Road at the end of last season and were forced to play their first game of the season at Wakefield Trinity Wildcats’ Rapid Solicitors Stadium last month.

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Mr Cluskey added: “From an off the field perspective we got some great publicity for the club and the town on Sunday.

“It hit home for me when I saw some video of the game afterwards and saw the new stands full in the background.

“It sounds a bit odd but it gave me a big sense of pride to see the project we’ve been talking about and working on for two years come to fruition.”

The club were also forced to play all of their pre-season games away from its Big Fellas Stadium because of the damaged pitch.

Mr Cluskey added: “Sunday doesn’t mark the end of the scheme. There is still a lot of work underneath the stands to do.”