One of the leading clubs in the second tier of English rugby league have been forced into stadium changes at the request of the council amid fears of supporter safety.
Featherstone Rovers have released a statement confirming that following discussions with Wakefield Council and the emergency services, they have been asked to implement immediate ‘Stadium Health and Safety measures’.
Playing their homes games at the Millennium Stadium on Post Office Road, Rovers have been asked to make three immediate changes with meetings already set to try and facilitate those changes as quickly as possible.
Featherstone are next scheduled to play at home tomorrow (Saturday) when they take on Widnes Vikings so temporary measures will be in place, namely a reduced capacity of the stadium and reduced capacity of the Post Office Terrace, for which there will be mandatory wrist-banding, with those being two of the three recommendations from the Council and the emergency services.
Rugby League club forced into immediate health and safety stadium changes
The other recommendation is that the Railway Stand be closed temporarily as a result of concerns about fire safety relating to the storage and workshop units beneath the stand.
As such, Saturday’s game will see the Railway Stand closed, the Post Office Terrace capacity reduced to 360 (with those fans wrist-banded), and a general reduction in capacity anyway.
It’s unclear how quickly Featherstone can make the required changes as their next home match after Widnes comes on the 7th of September against Oldham.
Currently, Featherstone are four points behind Oldham with a game in hand so that match could be crucial in earning Rovers a top four spot and a home play-off game.
They will hope to have all the required amendments done by then so that their home support can be as impactful as possible in what will be an incredibly tough game.
Having confirmed the recommendations, Featherstone confirmed their intent to act upon them as they apologised to their supporters for any inconvenience.
That statement read: “Supporter safety is paramount for the Club. Therefore, we positively embrace the advice given to us by the Authorities. Meetings are planned to work with the appropriate agencies to ensure the necessary improvements are put in place to resolve these matters as quickly as possible.
“We apologise for any inconvenience which these short-term measures will cause our supporters.”
Club Statement – 22.08.2025https://t.co/7OPinrG3Cx
— Featherstone Rovers (@FevRoversRLFC) August 22, 2025
