Oldham move back to town in stadium switch

James Gordon 21 Dec 2021 10:04 AM

Oldham have confirmed they will be returning to town to play at the Vestacare Stadium following their relegation to League 1.

The Roughyeds have played at Stalybridge’s Bower Fold for the past two seasons since their promotion to the Championship.

They also played there in 2016 and 2017, as the Vestacare Stadium doesn’t meet the RFL’s minimum standards for the second tier.

Chairman Chris Hamilton said: “We thank Stalybrige for the last two years. However, the disappointment of relegation was tempered by our return to Oldham.

“We appreciate it has taken a while for confirmation of our home venue but that was because the Vestacare Stadium is used extensively by several other teams, each of which has league commitments.

“Avro FC have been working hard behind the scenes so that we can play there, and that’s all concluded now.”

Oldham’s first game back at the ground will be a pre-season friendly against Wakefield on Saturday January 22.

Back in Oldham

Previously known as Whitebank Stadium, the ground is located in the Limeside area of Oldham.

It holds a capacity of 1,500 and features seats acquired from Warrington’s old Wilderspool Stadium home.

Tier nine football club Avro FC took over the lease to the ground from Oldham in 2016 and it has undergone developments and improvements as they’ve moved up the football pyramid.

New coach Stu Littler said fans would most appreciate the fact that their Oldham team was back playing in its home town and the town it represents.

“We’ll be playing for Oldham IN Oldham and we’ll be trying to create a community atmosphere in which Oldham people can play a key part.

“We hope to attract them in numbers, including whole families who can enjoy themselves watching a team which, hopefully, will be playing good rugby too!

“It’s a fast pitch which should suit the way we want to play.

“Pre and early-season games could be hit by bad weather, but the Vestacare pitch should reduce the risk of that.

“On top of that, we already know the pitch to a degree because we’ve trained on there and some of the lads have played on it, either for Oldham or for other clubs.”