{"id":472651,"date":"2026-03-13T03:19:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T03:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/472651\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T03:19:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T03:19:10","slug":"wakefield-trinity-boss-issues-wembley-stadium-verdict-amid-challenge-cup-final-venue-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/472651\/","title":{"rendered":"Wakefield Trinity boss issues Wembley Stadium verdict amid Challenge Cup Final venue uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Wakefield\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has spoken out on just how much it would mean for his club to win the Challenge Cup this year.<\/p>\n

Trinity haven\u2019t lifted the prestigious piece of silverware in 63 years, and it\u2019s been 47 years since they last reached the final.<\/p>\n

The West Yorkshire side continue they 2026 journey in the competition this week against Leeds Rhinos, as they welcome their local rivals to Belle Vue for the first time this season.<\/p>\n

Powell knows the threat that Leeds can bring, with key men all across the field, but the boss truly believes his side can pull off a victory, as their on-field performances begin to slowly increase.<\/p>\n

Victory over Hull FC last week puts them in good stead, but the Challenge Cup is a completely different ball-game, and it is a competition that is rich in history.<\/p>\n

The Wakefield boss spoke to the press this week ahead of the tie with Leeds, and was asked what it would mean for his club to lift the famous trophy once again.<\/p>\n

However, the coach isn\u2019t currently thinking about that just yet, with Trinity still having three more matches to play before they earn their place at Wembley.<\/p>\n

\u201d [63 years] That\u2019s a long time, isn\u2019t it? That\u2019s before me that, before I was born!\u201d said Powell jokingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ve got to take that out of the equation, and just focus on now and what we can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s knockout, it\u2019s just one game at a time. We know what we\u2019ve got to do. We know how difficult a challenge [Leeds] is.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not looking too far ahead, but the Challenge Cup\u2019s a pretty big competition and we want to do well in it, that\u2019s for certain.\u201d<\/p>\n

RFL error, coaches under pressure and Super League\u2019s injury crisis \u2013 click here to watch the latest episode of the Serious About Rugby League Show<\/a><\/p>\n

Wakefield Trinity boss gives Wembley verdict amid Challenge Cup Final venue uncertainty<\/p>\n

Wembley, and the iconic venue it is, holds a ton of rugby league history, from both the Challenge Cup and on the international stage.<\/p>\n

However, in recent seasons, the final has seen a huge decline in attendance, particularly for neutral fans who previously would go regardless of who made it to the final.<\/p>\n

Crowds have dropped significantly over the last decade or so, with the highest attended Final in the 2020\u2019s so far being the 2024 instalment where Wigan Warriors defeated Warrington Wolves (64,845).<\/p>\n

In his three attempts so far \u2013 2003, 2014 and 2021 \u2013 Powell has never won a Challenge Cup at Wembley as a coach, but did lift the trophy whilst playing for Leeds back in 1999.<\/p>\n

He believes that, despite rumours of a venue switch, the national stadium is still the perfect place to hold the competition\u2019s finale.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s awesome for players to go and play at Wembley,\u201d the boss said on the iconic venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that there\u2019s all sorts of bits and bobs around crowds and thing, but that\u2019s the fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a player, I think it\u2019s unbelievable to get to Wembley.<\/p>\n

We had a taste of it in the 1895 Cup, you\u2019ve only got to look at what that did to the crowd and how they came out and supported the team. We had more there than Warrington that day, I think.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s still revered, it\u2019s just all about pounds, shillings and pence and how hard it is for fans to play to go to the games. But, for the players, I still think it means exactly the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wakefield Trinity boss Daryl Powell has spoken out on just how much it would mean for his club…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-472651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}