Salford City Stadium

The CorpAcq Stadium stands on a brownfield site beside the Manchester Ship Canal and the M60 motorway near Barton-upon-Irwell. It replaced the Salford rugby league club’s old ground, the Willows, before the 2012 season. Sale Sharks rugby union club moved here the following season and still play their home games. The stadium was built by a joint venture between Salford City Council and Peel Group after the original developer went into administration. It was designed to hold 15,000 spectators and sits close to the waterway and motorway network. The stadium has hosted major rugby league and union finals and international matches. It was the venue for the 2012 Challenge Cup semi-final and the 2012 Autumn International Series final. Sale Sharks played their first competitive game here in September 2012 against Saracens. The stadium also staged the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship final. In 2025 it will welcome matches for the Women’s Rugby World Cup. Inside, the ground has four stands with a mix of seating and standing areas. The West Stand holds the changing rooms, media centre and hospitality boxes. The North and South Stands are all-standing ends used by away and home fans. The East Stand is fully seated and painted red and blue for each club. Outside, two outdoor pitches and a gym support community rugby and local clubs.