1985 Main Stand Fire

The Fire and its Aftermath

By Donald Hunt

On the morning of Thursday 7th February 1985 I received a phone call from Bob Ashby at 7.45am to say that the Club stand had burnt down the previous night! I felt absolutely stunned at the news. We were in the midst of the worst financial crisis that the Club had ever faced and then this had to happen. I was over at the ground before 9am only to perceive the awful sight and smell that follows any major conflagration. No sight is more depressing and this left one with a feeling of abject despair. Playing wise we were cruising comfortably in mid-table, the best position we had had for many a season - but the financial side was just the opposite - and now this! 

As I went about my work that day my mind was filled with the present disaster could the Club survive this? The thought hammered round my head. Going back to the ground later that day to collect as many chairs and other items as possible for safe storage I had more time for a closer look round. The fire clearly stemmed from an electrical fault to do with the new flood-lights, which had set alight the tackling bags, full of foam, the flames soon reaching the wooden stand and seats that had been there so many years. However we had been lucky in that the Fire Brigade had done a wonderful job of containment, and a further slice of luck was that Brian Kinsey, a former winger with the club, was in charge of operations that night. He had a good knowledge of the buildings and was able to save quite a lot of playing kit and also many of the mementoes from the Boardroom that were part of the club's history.

That night a special committee meeting was held in the Hairdressing department of the Pontefract Squash Centre! This was one of the many bizarre places that meetings were to be held in the following months. Generous offers of help were received from Wakefield Trinity, Castleford, Bradford Northern and Batley. For these we were grateful, but by good fortune a let-up in the fixtures and a combination of a very cold spell, meant that we had a breathing space of three weeks.

The main points forthcoming from this meeting, were that the junior dressing rooms would be used to accommodate the players for match days and training. A delegation from the Featherstone Supporters Club joined the meeting to offer whatever help they could, and it was decided to launch a life-line appeal. This appeal was to be set up at the Purston No. I Club on Wednesday l3 February.

Tremendous support was shown at this meeting by a packed audience. Really showing, in their hour of need, the true supporters of the Club. It was announced that a target of £100,000 was needed to get the club back on a sound financial footing and pay for the debts owed by the club. It was certainly ironic that a writ for payment was received from Webster’s Brewery that day!

One result from this meeting was a dance to be held at the Girnhill Lane WMC to raise funds plus a giant raffle with the main prizes being a bedroom suite presented by John Gummerson of Featherstone Furnishing and Carpeting and a BMX bike by Roy Barker. It was heart-warming to see the generosity of people, when it must be remembered we were in the midst of the miners strike that had shocked the whole community. Another aspect of the strike had been put into action earlier in the season was a scheme to "watch now and pay later". It was felt that the least the club could do was to organise this scheme, whereby the miners, who were having such a depressing time anyhow, should not be denied their rugby, so cards were issued allowing them admission to matches and when the strike was over the admission would be deducted from their wages. The scheme worked admirably from both sides.

As mentioned earlier the target was £100,000; this was just about achieved with major contributions from West Riding County Council and our sponsors Lin-pac. Another item to raise money towards the fund, was a book written by Ian Clayton “100 years of Featherstone Rugby". A fascinating story about the early days of rugby in the town, its progress to the Rugby League up to the early 1980's, and almost a complete list of names of players that had played for the club and their performances.

Following the fire new match arrangements had to be made.  At first it was hoped to be able to re-build the stand, but when the sheeting was removed it was discovered that more serious damage had been done than at first expected, and it was declared a "write-off".

Junior changing rooms were to be used, and Portacabins purchased to entertain visiting Directors, and to act as tea-rooms on training nights. Another one was to be used at the Railway end of the ground for the use of timekeepers, press and police control point. The whole situation was very make-shift but the best that could be done under the circumstances. Players would go across to the Railway Hotel for a meal after the match.

A further blow to the Club was the Bradford Fire Disaster in April 1985. As a result of this Fire Safety regulations were tightened to almost absurd degrees in some cases, and safety rules for the new stand were now imposed, which not only put back the starting time but severely restricted the number of seats allowed in a given area. All very frustrating for the Committee, who had been hoping to have the new stand ready for the early part of the next season.