The Wolverhampton home of youth rugby is up for sale – marking the end of an era for the sport in the city.
The grounds at Castlecroft, which have for more than 15 years been the Rugby Football Union’s schools and youth base, will close for good in July.
Wolverhampton-based property consultants First City is now marketing the site to potential buyers. First City are not asking for an overall price but are inviting offers and different parts of the ground could be sold off separately.
The grounds, off Castlecroft Lane, include a 495 seat stadium, floodlit pitch, training area, changing facilities, training room and offices.
It also has a 75-space car park.
More than 20 jobs will be lost when the operation shuts and the training base moves to the RFU’s headquarters in Twickenham, London.
The decision to close it came as part of a restructuring programme,
Facilities at Castlecroft have been the hub of youth rugby in England for the last 17 years, and were responsible for training 26 of the country’s World Cup winning heroes, including Jonny Wilkinson and Mike Tindall.
The site used to be Wolves training ground, developed by Stan Cullis in 1949 during the club’s “golden years”. It is now the home of Wolverhampton Rugby Club.
Christopher Bywater, of First City, said he was expecting the grounds would attract a lot of interest.
He said: “As well as the obvious attraction to existing sports clubs, parts of the building, particularly the first floor offices, may well be of interest to commercial organisations who would like offices overlooking a pitch on one side and attractive countryside on the other.”
Mr Bywater said any expressions of interest should be registered at First City on 01902 710999.
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