Wakefield’s Belle Vue stadium acquires new owners

Wakefield Trinity’s home ground, Belle Vue Stadium, has been bought for an undisclosed sum by the 88m Group.

The sale of the stadium was managed on behalf of Peter O’Hara of O’Hara & Co, acting as Fixed Charge Receiver by Leeds-based chartered surveyor and property consultancy Sanderson Weatherall.

The venue will continue to serve as the Wildcats’ home, and was purchased subject to a lease to the club.

Sanderson Weatherall report that the sale came after “several months of strong interest”.

The price at which the venue was initially marketed was set at £600,000.

The chairman of the 88m Group maintained that he was optimistic about working with the club and its supporters.

“We’re delighted to have purchased the historic Belle Vue Stadium and we are looking forward to working with the local council, supporters trust and the club to ensure its future in Wakefield,” he said.

“The Wildcats, in one guise or another, have been an integral part of the city’s identity for decades and I look forward to its continued role in the area.”

Neil Bestwick, a partner in Sanderson Weatherall’s asset advisory team hinted at future development of the site.

“It’s great to see Belle View under the stewardship of an organisation that wants to see it thrive,” he said.

“There has been continued speculation about where the Wildcats will be based going forward, and, the purchase by 88m Group, not just of the stadium itself but the adjoining former Superbowl site, has revealed exciting new multi million pound plans for a new state of the art community stadium with student accommodation and retail park.”