Celebrating a huge milestone in the history of the The John Smith’s Stadium
Celebrating a huge milestone in the history of the The John Smith’s Stadium
The John Smith’s Stadium is turning 30 this year, and to celebrate, we’ve been taking a look at some of the most significant events that have taken place over the past three decades.
From key sporting events to spectacular concerts – The John Smith’s Stadium has seen it all!
The beginnings
Construction of the stadium began in 1993 and was, mostly, completed in time for the 1994/95 football season as one of the first modern-era stadiums to be built in England.
Opening originally with just two stands, the third stand, the South Stand was opened in December 1994, followed by the fourth stand, the North Stand which was completed in 1998 – bringing the capacity of the stadium to the approximate 24,500 that we see it at today.
Whilst we’ve proudly been The John Smith’s Stadium since 2012, prior to that we’ve been known as The Galpharm Stadium and The Alfred McAlpine Stadium as well as The Kirklees Stadium.
First Huddersfield Town game – 20th August 1994
Upon opening, Huddersfield Town vs Wycombe Wanderers was the first football game to be played at the stadium, with an attendance of 13,334 in what was then known as the ‘second division’. Whilst Town lost the match 1-0, it was the exciting beginning of a new era for the club, after moving across from the old Leeds Road ground. In their new home at the then named ‘McAlpine Stadium’, the only way was up as they concluded the season with promotion to the first division after a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers in the play off final.
Fast forward 22 years to 2017, and Huddersfield Town again found themselves play-off final winners – this time with the prize being promotion to the Premier League. With two seasons for the club in the Premier League, The John Smith’s Stadium played host to some fantastic Premier League games: with a 2-1 win for Huddersfield Town in October 2017 over José Mourinho’s Manchester United arguably among the most memorable.
First Huddersfield RLFC game – 28th August 1994
Not long after the first football game at the stadium, came the first rugby game – and back before they became Huddersfield Giants, Huddersfield RLFC played their first match at stadium on the 28th of August 1994. In a dominant display, the club beat Barrow 50-12. For the rugby league club, many successes then followed under their new roof – from their best Challenge Cup performance since 1970 in the 2006 quarter final to winning the League Leaders’ shield in 2013.
R.E.M perform first concerts – 25th & 26th July 1995
American rock group R.E.M arrived in 1995 to perform the first ever concerts at the stadium, with a sold-out crowd totalling over 70,000 across two nights. With a predicted boost of £3million for the local economy, around 150,000 pints of beer were sold, at the low price of just £2.60.
REM was the first of many concerts to come for the stadium, which has since seen the likes of The Beautiful South, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Bryan Adams, Take That, Little Mix and Greenday, Fall Out Boy and Weezer – who joined us as a trio in 2022 on their Hella Mega Tour.
The most recent band to visit the stadium, Muse arrived with their ‘Will of the People’ tour last year, putting on a high-budget show with elaborate stage production, featuring special lighting, pyrotechnics, and confetti.
International sporting events
Whilst home to two English sporting clubs – Huddersfield Town AFC and Huddersfield Giants RLFC – over the years, The John Smith’s Stadium has also played host to some fantastic international sporting events.
As one of six Yorkshire Towns and cities chosen as a venue, The John Smith’s Stadium welcomed Australia and Lebanon in the men’s quarter final of The Rugby League World Cup in 2021 (held in 2022). We were delighted to see the biggest tournament in the sport’s history not only return exclusively to England for the third time, but also return to Huddersfield – the birthplace of Rugby League.
In 2022 we also welcomed the Young Lions to Huddersfield as the England U21’s team concluded their UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign in a match against Slovenia, here at The John Smith’s Stadium. Ultimately, the team then went on to win the tournament after beating Spain 1-0 in the final, held in Georgia.
2024 and more!
With a more diverse event lineup than ever before, now including comedy events, sporting dinners, conventions and expos – here at The John Smith’s Stadium, we are looking forward to another 30 years of providing top class events for the people of Huddersfield and beyond.
Want to find out more about our upcoming events and capabilities? Have a look here or get in touch: catering@ksdl.org.uk | 01484 484 116
