The Willows is home of the Salford Rugby League Football Club. It is a small mainly terraced stadium with one main stand. The capacity is 11,363 with 2,500 seats.

The nearest railway station is Eccles railway station (1 mile from ground) and the nearest Metrolink station is Weaste (5 mins walk from ground).

[edit] The stadium

'The shed' is a covered all-standing stand that runs down one wing of the pitch. The north stand or the away end is divided into standing in the bottom half and seated in the top half. The press stand is on the other wing of the ground and is all seated; on top of the stand are the VIP boxes, television gantry and coaches area. The Willows is also a local entertainment complex and has several function rooms, which are used to hold meetings, wedding receptions and other parties. Small concerts are regularly held in the function building. In addition, the building holds a valid marriage licence and holds weddings throughout the year.

Salford City Reds are looking to move into a new, purpose-built stadium in Barton, Eccles working under the initial stadium name, the City of Salford Stadium. However, it seems likely that the function rooms will remain and will continue to be used, even if the Reds do move into their new stadium.

[edit] History

During 1900 Salford agreed a 14-year lease on 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land belonging to the Willows Estate Company, named after the abundance of willow trees in the area. Salford made their debut at The Willows on 21 December, 1901, beating Swinton 2-0, the official attendance being 16,981.

In the 1960s, the terrace was flattened at the Willows Road end to make way for the Salford Football and Social Club which was officially opened on 16 June, 1966.

A few months earlier, The Willows switched on its floodlights for the first time in the match with Widnes on Friday 11 March, 1966.

[edit] External links

• The Willows on Worldstadia.com
• Directions to The Willows

Coordinates: 53°29′11″N 2°18′34″W / 53.48639°N 2.30944°W / 53.48639; -2.30944