Gary Hetherington explains what makes Headingley special

Recently Leeds Rhinos’ famous Headingley Stadium has undergone a transformation.

The Rhinos’ historic ground now has a splash of modernity to it and looks as good as ever with Salford Red Devils’ Director of Rugby recently describing it as “beautiful.”

Now, Chief Executive Gary Hetherington has explained why he thinks Headingley is so special as he revealed the amount of money went into the transformation.

“We will offer a public tour of Headingley both the rugby and the cricket. This was a stadium that was here in 1895 when the game was born and before that in 1890,” Hetherington revealed plans for a stadium tour.

“There is so much history and heritage. All the most iconic players have played in Headingley, it is the only place in the World where all the iconic players have actually played.

“It is rich in history. It is something we will want to continue to develop. It has been a complete transformation here, over £100 million in new facilities but I think we still retain the history and heritage at the stadium.”

Leeds’ stadium will become more important in the coming years as IMG bring back licencing.

On IMG, Hetherington said:

“It is a huge year for the game. Constitutionally, what has happened in the last 12 months is on a par with anything that has happened in the history of the game.

“The game and the clubs have a marvellous opportunity after the constitutional change that has effectively brought the game back together again is important.

“The introduction of IMG is quite significant, to have a global leader and have a 12-year partnership is unknown for our game and gives us some great opportunities for fans, players and coaches.

“They are opportunities that we need to look to grasp.”