Some 965 days ago, this story began on a field in Siddal on the outskirts of Halifax with just a few hundred people there to see it: this weekend, one of rugby league’s grand old clubs will be the headline attraction in front of more than 70,000 supporters when Trinity face Warrington in their maiden Super League Grand Final. It is a rise so rapid it almost defies belief but to understand it, you must appreciate where this club were in the food chain even just a few short years ago. It was late 2023 when boyhood Wakefield Trinity fan Matt Ellis completed a takeover of the club; £10m worth of investment later, the results are clear to see on and off the field.
But at that time, Wakefield were a mess. Relegated from Super League in 2023, their famous Belle Vue ground was the laughing stock of rugby league; a crumbling, leaking relic with survival for the club seen as an achievement. When their new-look side took to the field at Siddal in the Challenge Cup in February 2024, few could have imagined what would follow: and at what speed.
Trinity sauntered to the Championship title, sealing an immediate return to Super League. Last year, they surprisingly reached the playoffs and this time around, they have reached the Grand Final for the very first time. Fifty-eight years on from their last league title and major trophy, Wakefield are on the brink of becoming the epicentre of the sport once again.
The boom is already astronomical within the town. Three years ago, Trinity’s average crowds were below 5,000; this year, they have been over 9,000 and Ellis is already conscious that with around 20,000 supporters going to Old Trafford, Belle Vue may have to be redeveloped further to fit everyone inside in 2027. But the signs are all over this rugby league-mad city, suddenly awoken from its slumber.
You cannot drive anywhere without seeing Wakefield supporters young and old. Their Grand Final merchandise sold out before it had even arrived at the club shop. It used to be neighbouring Leeds Rhinos and, perhaps even Castleford Tigers, that were the talk round those parts.
And for those who were on this journey before the riches rolled in, there is a deep sense of appreciation at where they have come from. Pitts returned to Wakefield in 2020 after a decade away, and rejoined at a time when they were fighting for their very survival. We just didn’t have the finances to do anything.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
