Wakefield Trinity forced to alter fixture due to water issue

Wakefield Trinity have announced that their Championship fixture against Doncaster will no longer be played at home due to a major issue with the stadium.

The issue in question is a water supply one, after a similar issue – an electrical fault – caused the abandonment of Trinity’s pre-season friendly with their dual-registration partners Wigan Warriors.

This water supply one Wakefield Trinity will now travel to Doncaster on April 7th for their Championship fixture, rather than hosting the game at their own stadium.

The club released a statement confirming the news, which began: “Wakefield Trinity’s fixture against Doncaster RLFC on Sunday 7th April will now take place at the Eco-Power Stadium.

“Originally scheduled to take place at Wakefield Trinity’s DIY Kitchens Stadium, a critical water supply issue means essential work needs to be carried out and potentially could cause heavy disruption around the stadium resulting in both clubs agreeing to switch the location.

“We would like to first apologise to fans for the inconvenience and problems this change may cause.

“We would like to thank Doncaster for agreeing to the change and working with the club to find a solution that is best for both sets of fans.”

Wakefield Trinity thank Championship foe for fixture swap

It’s a major blow for Wakefield who had been expecting a huge crowd after recording very impressive season ticket sales.

The club continued their statement by explaining exactly what the issue was, revealing: “This water issue originally occurred during the clubs pre-season game with Wigan and despite the club referring the matter to the building contractors Morgan Sindall, who thought a solution had been found, the same issue then caused disruption at the Bradford game. Due to water pressure issues, The Neil Fox MBE Stand ran out of water during the first half of the game. This meant supporters had no running water from half time onwards affecting toilet facilities and the players and officials ability to shower after the game.

“The decision to switch the game was not taken lightly but with only 10 working days before the match and this issue being in the hands of the building contractor Morgan Sindall, the club has had no alternative but to make an early decision to allow Doncaster to prepare for the game.

“Extensive building work may need to be carried out around the ground to ensure the water issue is solved and we can service the Neil Fox MBE Stand properly for gamedays going forward. The extent of this is still unknown and the potential disruption contributed to our decision to reverse the fixture.

“We are currently liaising with Morgan Sindall to try and find a speedy resolution to hopefully ensure no further disruption.

“We again would also like to place on record our thanks to Doncaster RLFC for their cooperation in this matter and apologise to our loyal Trinity fans and hope you will travel in your usual numbers to support the team.

“Tickets already purchased for the Sunday 7th April fixture at the DIY Kitchens Stadium will still be valid for the switched fixture which will now take place on Sunday 29th September. Anyone that now can not make that game will be entitled to a full ticket refund and is encouraged to contact our retail store.”