Green light for new rugby league hub in Manchester with 900-seat spectator stand

A new rugby league hub with a 900-seat stand is set to be built in Beswick. The learning and training facility off Grey Mare Lane is the first of its kind which the Rugby Football League (RFL) is creating in the North of England.

The OuRLeague Life hubs will offer education and employability courses as well as professional development education programmes within the sport. The rugby pitch which is already located at the site opposite East Manchester Leisure Centre will be used as a training facility with a new 900-seat spectator stand to be built alongside changing rooms, six floodlights and classrooms.

The former Beswick Local Shops will also be demolished as part of the plans. The East Manchester hub which now has planning permission will be used by elite and community players alike, as well as young people who live in the area.

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It comes ahead of the national governing body for rugby league in England moving its headquarters from Salford Quays to the Etihad Campus in July. An RFL spokesman said: "Rugby League is a sport with a massive social impact and we want to make an impact in east Manchester, so we are pleased to be able to move on to the next stage of this development.

"OuRLeague Life aims to be a catalyst for aspiration and opportunity - education, training, skills and employment – complementing Manchester’s work and skills strategy for adults and young people. And as well as offering a new facility for the local community, this will be a key facility for all the England Rugby League squads such as our Men’s, Wheelchair and Women’s teams."

The RFL is working in partnership with architectural practice Holmes