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Headingley

In 1888 a group of leading Leeds citizens set up the Leeds Cricket Football and Athletic club and bought Lot 17a of the Cardigan Estate, with the intention of providing the city with a major sporting venue. Like a number of other grounds which were built around this time, such as Thrum Hall Halifax, Bradford Park Avenue and Fartown in Huddersfield, Headingley was designed to host both football and cricket. As hoped, it quickly became a leading venue for test match cricket and international rugby football. In the 1930s major developments took place on two sides of the rugby ground. The South Stand was completed in 1931, with some of the work being carried out by club players, whilst the North Stand was rebuilt following a fire which burned down the old wooden construction during a match against Halifax on 25th March 1931. By the end of the following year a new North Stand had been completed and this was to be the last major development of the ground to take place until the Carnegie Stand, which was opened in 2006.