My first visit to Odsal was in May 1961, for the Premiership final, Leeds v Warrington. My mate and I were on the huge terrace at the Eastern end. (the end where there is now no terrace, but an unsightly pile of lego boxes). It came on to rain before the game started and pissed down hard through most of it. Just about everybody transferred to the stands. There were stands on both sides in those days, and the main stand on the (now open) Southern side was far bigger than the one which still exists. The crowd, I see on checking, was 52,177. That tells you the vast area of cover under the two stands, because there couldn't have been many more than the 177 left on the terraces at either end. We didn't have the money (an extra shilling, I think) to go in the stands and we were left in splendid isolation on the Eastern terrace. There were a few more at the other end, with umbrellas. We didn't have umbrellas or even jackets. So we got SOAKED. All we had between us was one plastic mac, the then popular "pac-a-mac". We sat on the wet concrete sharing this over our heads. The following Monday, at school, we were told "You were on tele". That was definitely STAR STATUS in those days! Apparently, at half time, the camera had scanned across the huge empty terrace and focused on us as Eddie Waring remarked "There's two lads brought their own grandstand." Never missed an opportunity to get that word in, did he? The soaking was worth it, though, not only for 15 minutes of fame at school, but because Leeds won 25-10, and secured their first ever Premiership, on top of being Champions that year (no, NOT "league leaders", a much devalued status). That was the end of my first season watching and playing rugby league, as I was a kid recently down from Scotland, where I had not even heard of the game. I had just about heard of another strange English thing called cricket, and was introduced to that, too. Both have enriched my life ever since, though being in the South and London by the time I was 17, I had no alternative but to play that 15-a-side game as an adult. All the away grounds I visited in my youth are gone now except for Belle Vue (which was always a dump) and Odsal, so it has a special place in my affections. I do hope there is rugby league there again, in the present parlous position, when the new season begins in little over 2 months now.
1985. the track was turned from Tarmac to shale for the speedway world final, then in September we had the stock car world final too.... been shale ever since although many would argue , even myself, that it was a better track when it was tarmac.
The odsal bowl is by far the best stadium in the country so why has it been let go? such a shame and shame to the owners to let it go! up to and behond 100.000 people could get in their. fantastic venue and central so why?????
I personally think that Bradford Bulls got way too big for their boots and kicked out the stockcars and speedway in 97 thinking they were big enough to run the stadium on their own... well it was proved a wrong decision and has took 24 years to get the stadium back to almost its full potential...The stadium through the hard graft of the stockcar and rugby folk since January is now looking pretty good.. I hope the future is bright.
My first visit to Odsal was in May 1961, for the Premiership final, Leeds v Warrington. My mate and I were on the huge terrace at the Eastern end. (the end where there is now no terrace, but an unsightly pile of lego boxes). It came on to rain before the game started and pissed down hard through most of it. Just about everybody transferred to the stands. There were stands on both sides in those days, and the main stand on the (now open) Southern side was far bigger than the one which still exists. The crowd, I see on checking, was 52,177. That tells you the vast area of cover under the two stands, because there couldn't have been many more than the 177 left on the terraces at either end. We didn't have the money (an extra shilling, I think) to go in the stands and we were left in splendid isolation on the Eastern terrace. There were a few more at the other end, with umbrellas. We didn't have umbrellas or even jackets. So we got SOAKED. All we had between us was one plastic mac, the then popular "pac-a-mac". We sat on the wet concrete sharing this over our heads. The following Monday, at school, we were told "You were on tele". That was definitely STAR STATUS in those days! Apparently, at half time, the camera had scanned across the huge empty terrace and focused on us as Eddie Waring remarked "There's two lads brought their own grandstand." Never missed an opportunity to get that word in, did he?
The soaking was worth it, though, not only for 15 minutes of fame at school, but because Leeds won 25-10, and secured their first ever Premiership, on top of being Champions that year (no, NOT "league leaders", a much devalued status). That was the end of my first season watching and playing rugby league, as I was a kid recently down from Scotland, where I had not even heard of the game. I had just about heard of another strange English thing called cricket, and was introduced to that, too. Both have enriched my life ever since, though being in the South and London by the time I was 17, I had no alternative but to play that 15-a-side game as an adult. All the away grounds I visited in my youth are gone now except for Belle Vue (which was always a dump) and Odsal, so it has a special place in my affections. I do hope there is rugby league there again, in the present parlous position, when the new season begins in little over 2 months now.
Sadly, odsal stadium is also gone now.
@@NiSiochainGanSaoirse It hasn't exactly gone, it's just unused, and Bradford are negotiating to play there again.
What fantastic footage of a stadium i know so very well from travelling from Hull for the speedway..
Loved the speedway their in the 70s and 80s brilliant very fast track with bankings!!!!!!
Me too
That stadium with its natural bowl.
had the potential with development to be World class multi-sports venue.
Fantastic video 👏
She's back with the stock cars!!! Woop woop!
Seen world speedway final there 1987.. Great day.
1985. the track was turned from Tarmac to shale for the speedway world final, then in September we had the stock car world final too.... been shale ever since although many would argue , even myself, that it was a better track when it was tarmac.
Is thee any one for tennis.
A klassik stadium
The haka was a very tame thing then
Those were the days
The odsal bowl is by far the best stadium in the country so why has it been let go?
such a shame and shame to the owners to let it go! up to and behond 100.000 people could get in their. fantastic venue and central so why?????
I personally think that Bradford Bulls got way too big for their boots and kicked out the stockcars and speedway in 97 thinking they were big enough to run the stadium on their own... well it was proved a wrong decision and has took 24 years to get the stadium back to almost its full potential...The stadium through the hard graft of the stockcar and rugby folk since January is now looking pretty good.. I hope the future is bright.
Not a lot of the Northern playing!
So much for the myth that Britain has always been a multicultural nation, how we've fallen.
Just what I was thinking, watching this great film.
Odsal stadium closed down due to large population of local Pakistan Muslims who not interested in sport especially rugby league.