Wombwell Greyhound Stadium was a
greyhound racing and
football stadium on Hough Lane in
Wombwell
Wombwell () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The town in the 2011 census was split between a ward called Wombwell, as well as small parts that fell under two other wards called Darfield (specifically ...
, near
Barnsley,
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...
. It was one of two greyhound tracks in the town; the other was called the
South Yorkshire Sports Stadium.
Origins
The Wombwell Greyhound Stadium was constructed on the north side of Hough Lane, west of Summer Lane and south of allotment gardens on an existing football ground.
Opening
Whippet racing is known to have taken place before the greyhound racing started in 1934. The greyhound racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the
National Greyhound Racing Club The National Greyhound Racing Club was an organisation that governed Greyhound racing in the United Kingdom.
History
The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) was formed in 1928 and this body would be responsible for regulation, licensing and the ...
) and was known as a flapping track which was the nickname given to independent tracks.
History
Racing took place on Tuesday and Saturday evenings at 7.15pm on a track circumference of 410 yards.
In 1949 it was featured by the National Coal Board when a television documentary was filmed there.
It could accommodate 10,000 spectators
and annual events included the Yorkshire Sprint and Yorkshire Derby on the all-grass track. The race distances were 360, 460 and 700 yards with an 'Inside Sumner' hare system.
[
]
Closure
Racing continued until 29 June 1972 when it closed. The site was used to build a new school called the Oakfield Junior School later Kings Oak Primary School.
References
{{English greyhound tracks
Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom
Defunct football venues in England