Super League stadium recommended for National Heritage List

One stadium in Super League has been recognised as an ‘outstanding building’ and has been recommended to join the National Heritage List.

The Twentieth Century Society, a charity aimed at preserving architecture built from 1914 onwards, has named the Kirklees Stadium (John Smith’s Stadium for sponsorship) to its list of ten buildings ‘Coming of Age in 2024’.

Whilst Huddersfield Giants play at the stadium, they do not fully own it, with the Super League side currently owning 20% and recently expressing plans and desires to build their own stadium. However, they have played at the ground since 1994 when it was first built.

It is one of the most controversial grounds in Super League with away fans particularly holding a dislike for the stadium, often maligning its size and lack of atmosphere. With a capacity of over 20,000, it is often half empty which is one of the reasons why Giants owner Ken Davy has expressed a desire to move away from the site.

Despite that, it has now been recognised and recommended to be added to the National Heritage List as a result of the ground recently celebrating its ’30th birthday’.

Super League stadium recommended for heritage status

This year marks 30 years since the Kirklees Stadium was first opened and that means it now qualifies for the Twentieth Century Society’s ‘Coming of Age’ campaign, in which they celebrate buildings turning 30 years old.

As part of that campaign, the charity is calling for ten buildings over the age of 30 to be placed on the National Heritage List. They claim that adding these ‘outstanding buildings’ to that list at such a relatively young age ensures that they will be protected in the years to come.

Also on the list is the famous rollercoaster ride The Big One in Blackpool, as well as Waterloo International Terminal in London.

On Huddersfield Giants‘ stadium, they describe its design as ‘elegant yet groundbreaking’ and note that it is the only stadium to ever win the RIBA Building of the Year award.

Their advocacy of the stadium continues, stating: “Its curved ‘banana’ trusses fully supported the weight of the roof without the need for supporting columns, offering fans uninterrupted views from every seat for the first time.”

Whilst the stadium has been recommended to be placed on the National Heritage List, listing can only be confirmed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It’s to be seen if the recommendation is acted upon given that buildings often only qualify for listed status when they’re far older, something this campaign hopes to change.

That’s because the initiative will continue yearly with the 2025 edition featuring buildings from 1995 and so on.