Wakefield Trinity will play Warrington in their first Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford on Saturday, a remarkable rise from the brink of extinction just a few years ago. The club, relegated from Super League in 2023 and described as a 'shambles' before a takeover by boyhood fan Matt Ellis, secured their place with a stunning 33-6 semi-final victory over Wigan.
From Siddal to Old Trafford
The journey began 965 days ago on a field in Siddal on the outskirts of Halifax with just a few hundred spectators. This weekend, more than 70,000 supporters are expected to see Trinity face Warrington in their maiden Super League Grand Final.
It was late 2023 when Matt Ellis, a boyhood Wakefield Trinity fan, completed a takeover of the club. With £10m worth of investment, the results are clear on and off the field. At that time, Wakefield were a mess: relegated from Super League, their Belle Vue ground was a crumbling, leaking relic with survival seen as an achievement.
A Rapid Turnaround
Trinity sauntered to the Championship title, sealing an immediate return to Super League. Last year, they surprisingly reached the playoffs, and this time around they have reached the Grand Final for the very first time. Fifty-eight years on from their last league title and major trophy, Wakefield are on the brink of becoming the epicentre of the sport again.
The boom is already astronomical within the town. Three years ago, Trinity's average crowds were below 5,000; this year, they have been over 9,000. Ellis is already conscious that with around 20,000 supporters going to Old Trafford, Belle Vue may have to be redeveloped further to fit everyone inside in 2027.
Fans and Players Reflect on the Journey
It used to be neighbouring Leeds Rhinos and perhaps Castleford Tigers that were the talk round those parts, but now it is Trinity. Grand Final merchandise sold out before it had even arrived at the club shop.
Jay Pitts, who will retire after the Grand Final, said: "When I made my debut in 2008 they were talking about getting a new stadium back then, that's how long it's taken." Pitts returned to Wakefield in 2020 after a decade away, at a time when they were fighting for their very survival. "It wasn't a nice place to come," he said. "The stadium was broken, everything was leaking … it was hard to get people through the door to come here. We just didn't have the finances to do anything."
Tom Johnstone, who made his debut in 2015 and returned when they were promoted back to Super League last year, recalled: "In 2022, our pre-season camp was on an army base in Sheffield but the weather was bad … so it just ended up a bit of a piss-up. Nobody really seemed to care about Wakefield Trinity. Now I'm walking my son to school, I've got people leaning out of their cars wishing us good luck. The whole city has gone crazy."
A City's Pride
The story does not reach Old Trafford without the tireless work of the club's former owner, Michael Carter, who sold to Ellis in 2023 having spent the best part of a decade trying to keep the lights on at Belle Vue. He will be in the stands on Saturday evening watching on with pride.
A new class of heroes including Johnstone and Pitts, as well as Caius Faatili and Caleb Hamlin-Uele – both plucked from the Australian lower grades – have the chance to follow in the footsteps of Neil Fox, Harold Poynton and Ian Brooke and emulate those heroes of the 1960s. Since 1968, Wakefield Trinity have sat patiently in the shadows. This weekend, a remarkable sporting fairytale could have the ultimate ending, and there will not be a dry eye anywhere in the city if it comes to fruition.
