Huddersfield set to be a ghost town on May weekend as chance for double sporting triumph beckons

Huddersfield is expected to resemble a ghost town as tens of thousands of nervous and excited fans flock to the capital for a weekend of football and rugby league.

Huddersfield Giants fans will face Wigan Warriors in the Challenge Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday May 28, while Huddersfield Town will play in the Championship play-off final on Sunday, May 29, at Wembley.

For the Giants, it represents a chance to bring the famous Cup back to the birthplace of rugby league for the first time in 60 years. The north London stadium holds over 60,000 spectators.

And for Town, promotion could mean a £170m payday and worldwide exposure. The play-off final is known as the "richest game of football" and Town, previously the 'perennial strugglers', have been here before.

Both clubs mean a huge amount to the town and the wider Kirklees area and their success can have wider ramifications, both economic and social, according to experts.

Stefanie Hopkins, founder and managing director of Brighouse-based PR agency Faith and board member of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, says sporting success can generate civic pride as well as money.

She told : "The prospect of Huddersfield Town reaching the Premier League for a second time in five years is hugely exciting for the town, its businesses and its people.

Aside from the upturn in civic pride that promotion will bring to the town, there are tangible economic and social benefits that we could potentially look forward to as a result.

“Playing in the Premier League means matches from the town are beamed to a truly global audience, building awareness of Huddersfield and putting our name on the lips of more people than ever before.

“Businesses should consider ways