Glasshoughton Welfare 0-4 Wakefield, Saturday 26th July 2025

Glasshoughton 0-4 Wakefield, Northern Counties East League Division 1, WrapStyl Stadium (Leeds Road), att. 200

It is a new dawn. Or a new season, at least. And the Northern Counties East League have kindly opened their account a week before the EFL season, which allows a gentler introduction for those of us expecting a tough season ahead for our own teams. I message Molly. He’s in, though he’s been to my initial suggestion, Thackley. Surely he’s not been THERE, I thought. I’d never heard of it. I looked it up, it’s somewhere near Bradford. But I’m overtaken by events anyway; my partner needs dropping in Wakefield. Where’s near Wakefield, who have a game?

I’m thinking Horbury or Glasshoughton (Castleford). Moll adds South Leeds to the mix. Horbury aren’t at home, South Leeds sounds a bit Leedsy. Let’s go Glasshoughton. Another team I had to look up last season as I learn what it takes to visit the NCEL. Appleby Frodingham, Club Thorne Colliery, Nostell Miners Welfare. Where are these places? (Molly and Loko put me right; Nostell Priory is...near Wakefield!) Oh yes, we’ve been joined by Loko. He threatened to visit me on Sunday and I put late feelers out. After all, Glasshoughton is easier for him than me (M62 an’ all).

It is a glorious sunny, summer’s day. And next door to the ground, the thwack of leather on willow can be heard on the cricket pitch. I watch an over and would love to stay (kick-off being half an hour away) but the urge to visit the toilet takes over. I must get in and avail myself of the facilities. Upon entering the ground, there’s a large building to the right, housing the changing rooms, toilets, and Lord knows what else.

One other thing it apparently contains is the social club, but it’s off limits to us football fans today, as cricket has 1st dibs. This would explain the can bar at the refreshment kiosk. I thought it was a bit basic. The crowd today is a healthy 200, though half appear to be from Wakefield, judging by the shirts. They have a slick merchandise operation, though no ground in Wakefield. (They’re back to sharing with Featherstone rugby league team, after sharing with Wakefield Trinity.) They’re ambitious, but they need their own ground in Wakey.

The visitors are undoubted favourites, and romp this game 4 nil, though the two things I enjoyed most were eating blackberries at half-time (every ground should have overhanging blackberry bushes) and the unbelievable Wakefield miss towards the end of the game, from a yard out, only slightly offset by the uneven bounce of the pitch.

We spend the 1st half on the social club side, before wandering anti clockwise around the ground at half-time. Behind the goal is open, flat standing, with a wall tight to the perimeter. But thanks to global warming, the blackberries are out earlier than usual. Opposite the social club side is a small, seated stand. It’s basic, with nearly as many supporting pillars as seats, but with a cordoned off section for the directors of both clubs. No-one sits here.

There is a small cover on the 4th side, behind the goal and as we take our positions here for the last 5 mins as we are treated to the most appalling / brilliant miss. Still, it’s a statement win from Wakey, and perhaps a sign of a promotion bid to come. And I also win our very own ‘guess the crowd competition. ‘About 200’. It is EXACTLY 200. I can die happy.

The Damage:
£6 ent
£1.50 prog

Wakefield 2-0 Selby Town, Saturday 30th December 2023

Wakefield 2-0 Selby Town, Northern Counties East League Division 1, Wakefield Trinity Stadium (Belle Vue), att. 467

It is the last Saturday of 2023 and one advantage of supporting an EFL side is that being the festive period, Barnsley played yesterday. Thus, the non-league world is my oyster. Molly and I settle on Golcar United. He wants to see my new place up the road, but the Pennine Gods aren’t favourable; another day of rain (I think I’ve had 3 dry days in 2 nearly 2 months) puts paid to Golcar’s game, just as it did the other week when I went to Emley instead.

I suggest local Barnsley derby, Wombwell Town v Worsbrough Bridge, pitting my mates Molly and Nozzer against each other. However, Nozzer can’t make it and besides...it’s also off. I give Molly a list of suggestions. There’s local derbies aplenty; Ossett v Pontefract, Stocksbridge v Sheffield, Stalybridge v Avro...and Moll responds with a curveball. Wakefield v Selby Town, at Wakefield Trinity’s rugby league ground, no less. I’d see a sizeable new ground without having to watch rugby league. Super! (I actually don’t mind rugby league and will happily go back and watch Trinity.)

I worry for the rugby league side. I worry for rugby league. The ubiquitous nature of football, and the premier league in particular, casts a murky shadow over traditional rugby league hubs such as Wakefield. And with Trinity relegated last season, you can apparently pick up a season ticket for only £100 this year. With a brand new stand, they’re doing their best.

There is undoubtedly untapped potential for the football team though. The city has a population of 110,000. Moll and I debate whether it’s the biggest place not to have had a professional football team, though I think Warrington’s population is 200,000. Today, nearly 500 turn up for game at the 10th tier of English football, over 50% more than the next highest, Staveley Miners Welfare. I have no idea where Staveley is, or if it’s even a real place.

Formed in 2019, oddly, it’s the first season Wakey have actually played in Wakefield, following stints in Barnsley and at Featherstone Rovers’ Post Office Road. I went to a friendly at the latter, 0-7 (seven) to Doncaster Rovers, who promptly got themselves relegated. So it’s quite the turnaround now to see Wakefield having been promoted from the county league and now topping the NCEL Division 1 table (albeit 2nd placed Parkgate are one point behind with 4 games in hand).

The rain has followed me and I have to use the satnav to find the ground. Wakefield is bigger than I thought. I finally see the floodlights piercing the misery and park up in a street behind the ground. I’m slightly worried by the fly tipping and general detritus in the street and find myself having to follow a convoluted route to a stadium which can’t be 50 yards away as the crow flies. I am met by a massive (free) car park. Dammit, shoulda parked here.

The brand new stand is adorned with ‘Wakefield Trinity Stadium.’ What’s with the rebrand? Why tamper with the evocatively named ‘Belle Vue’? I see people entering via a side building and a bloke at a table takes my money. He’ll be busy if he has 466 others to deal with. Then it’s through the social club which is cunning, as I am lulled into buying a pint. But why, if you have Madri on tap, do you need to have Madri in bottles? Aren’t there nicer beers in the world? I peruse the souvenir stall. I can’t buy a programme, but I can buy a wonderful looking cushion emblazoned with Wakefield’s modern logo, part of a recent rebrand. (A ‘recent rebrand’? They’re 4 years old!!)

Molly walks in. He hasn’t parked in the car park either, having no knowledge of a rugby league ground he’s never been to before. In fact, I learn he’s never been to a rugby league match ever, despite it being on his Barnsley doorstep. Fair enough, if you don’t like the sport. We’re accosted by an elderly away fan, wondering if there’s an easier path into the ground itself. I tell him we’ve no clue...but the first two people I ask are with him. Oh well, I tried.

Huge plate glass windows mean a wonderful view of the ground. It turns out to be one of the most bizarre, unique stadiums I have ever been to and one which must be savoured sooner rather than later, what with planned development. The new stand, to our right, is smart yet slightly overbearing, with the vast roof seemingly out of proportion to the stand. Maybe it’s the dead space at the rear of the stand. Isn’t this meant to be a 300 capacity restaurant overlooking the pitch? Plus the front of the stand is over 6 feet in the air. Great for viewing, less so to look at. Still, the modern proclivity for multi-coloured seats at sparsely attended venues makes Belle Vue less grey.

Behind the goal, at the Sandal End, there is a monstrous 4 storey block of executive boxes and hospitality areas, unused today save for the balcony on the lower tier. It was meant to be temporary when it was built 20 years ago but the balcony affords an excellent view, being that the goalposts are a few yards off and helps me muse on this end’s similarity to one side of Boca Juniors’ La Bombonera. I guess I’m on my own there.

To our left is a higgledy piggledy collection of terraces, and roofs and buildings. There is another bar at the back of the roofed terrace, while a camera gantry sits atop the random building on the halfway line. You’d expect a constant terrace round to the other end, but instead it’s broken up by random walkways and steps. Before half-time, we go for a wander from our balcony position and find ourselves at the far end, where we encounter possibly the most bizarre bit of a bizarre ground...there’s a modern concrete terrace built IN FRONT of an old crumbling one. The old roof has remained too. More crumbling old terracing bends round from this end to the new stand. I wish I’d visited before this stand was even built, as it sounded a right wreck:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/dec/22/wakefield-trinity-renovating-stadium-belle-vue-rugby-league-clubs

For me, the absolute appeal of Belle Vue is its rundown state. I WANT to be able to amble around the stadium, free from being penned into yet another plastic seat in an identikit stand in an identikit stadium. Get here while you can. I’m off to Castleford ASAP. Oh, and Wakey won comfortably, 2-0 with both goals in the opening 20 minutes at the far end.

The Damage:
£6 ent
£5.30 Madri
= £11.30