Redeveloping Super League stadium to host football team as they leave behind Championship stadium

Wakefield Trinity have announced that from the 2023/24 season, Wakefield AFC will be moving their base to the Be Well Support stadium at Belle Vue. WAFC will have a full-time presence in the redeveloped community stadium and will train there as well as playing their men’s and women’s first team games.

This comes after Featherstone Rovers’ Millenium Stadium hosted their recent seasons.

The intention is that this initial three-year arrangement will be the start of a long-term relationship, cementing the Be Well Support Stadium at the heart of both professional and community sport in the city of Wakefield.

Commenting on the new deal, John Minards Chairman of Wakefield Trinity said;

“We are really excited to welcome Decca and the whole Wakefield AFC team to Belle Vue. We have had an ongoing dialogue with the football team for some time and it is great that the current redevelopments, and in particular our state of the art playing surface, now enable community clubs, and WAFC in particular, to join us. There are lots of exciting areas where we can partnership with Wakefield AFC going forward and all of us at Wakefield Trinity look forward to working with them.”

Guilherme Decca, Chairman of Wakefield AFC said:

“In the Summer of 2021, Andre and I had the opportunity to visit Belle Vue for the first time. That day, it was clear to us that Wakefield AFC should, at some point, be playing in the centre of the city, especially in a stadium with so much history and tradition. Unfortunately, our previous ownership situation did not allow that to happen at the time. Since that visit, much has changed at WAFC, and a lot of progress has happened on and off the pitch. Over time, we also got to know Trinity better and developed a great relationship with Michael and John while re-establishing many links with the local community.

“As a club, we could not be more excited about the move and the great new facilities being built at Belle Vue, including a new grass-hybrid pitch, gym, state-of-the-art new stand, amenities, parking, and food options. More importantly, it gives WAFC a base to further develop our community initiatives, like free youth football, and brings us one step closer to our goal of building an exciting and self-sustainable football club. There are also a few great ideas we will be working on with Trinity, which over time will benefit both fan bases and the Wakefield community as a whole. For now, we are very focused on finishing the 22/23 season strong with a nice playoff run, but at the same time can’t wait to host old and new fans at Belle Vue during our pre-season in the Summer of 2023.”