When I was growing up I remember Orrell RUFC club on Edge Hall Road as we used to walk past it on the way to school (we used to go over the banana bridge), going to the Bonfire Night displays there, and also the monthly under-18s discos.
I also remember the huge fire which destroyed it back in 2002, (I saw the smoke from my mum’s back room)… but now, 23 years on it has been transformed into a first-of its kind elite facility for women’s sport, after both Wigan Warriors Women and Wigan Athletic Women took up residence in May.
Of course, it hasn’t been empty since that fire, it was rebuilt and redeveloped as a training facility for Wigan Warriors men, but had lain pretty much dormant since they left for Robin Park in 2019.
Between late 2024 and spring 2025 it underwent extensive redevelopment, with refurbishments including a new gym, medical and changing rooms, offices, modern terracing and a seating stand with a capacity of around 3,500–4,000, alongside branding that celebrates leading female athletes.
Georgia Wilson, who plays for Wigan Warriors Women, and was co-captain for the 2025 Challenge Cup winning side at Wembley, took us for a tour.
She said: “It’s a pretty special place and I’m glad the club decided to keep it. It’s a great facility to have just for women, and it’s making a huge step in the game, both for women’s rugby, and football.
“No other clubs at our levels have got a facility like this, and it’s showing that the club and the community back us, and want us to progress and become what the men have become, so hopefully we can keep developing and taking that next step.”
Georgia also pointed out the facility is a good form of recruitment too: “If we want to get the best players in the league they’re going to come to a place like this, so it’s a step in the right direction both for us, and Wigan Athletic Women.”
Warriors Women’s coach Denis Betts praised the site’s impact, saying, “They love it. You aren’t jostling for schedules; we’ve got our own tailored facility… a big stand… branding and pictures of the girls all over the stadium—it feels like their hub.”
Wigan Athletic’s Hayley Sherratt added that the project marks “a huge step forward for both squads.”
Sports commentators have hailed Edge Hall Road as a “watershed moment” for women’s sport in the UK—possibly unmatched in the country for offering a purpose‑built elite facility exclusively for female athletes.
The redevelopment is a joint venture between Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic, aimed at fostering the women & girls pathway across rugby league and football.
The facility is not just a training ground—it is also envisioned as a community health and wellbeing hub, offering partnership programmes with local bodies such as Wigan Council, NHS services, and Edge Hill University.
📌 Summary
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Orrell, Greater Manchester |
| Capacity | Approx. 3,500–4,000 |
| Teams based there | Wigan Athletic Women (home matches), Wigan Warriors Women (training and some home fixtures) |
| Facilities | Gym, medical & changing rooms, offices, stand, branded space, community partnership areas |
| Community focus | Partnerships with NHS, Wigan Council, local education, girls & women coaching, health access |
Edge Hall Road Community Stadium now stands as a powerful representation of both clubs’ commitment to elevating women’s sport, combining high-performance infrastructure with genuine community engagement. The redevelopment underscores a growing momentum in Wigan for equity in sport and the creation of visible, dedicated spaces for women athletes.
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