Wakefield Trinity’s TWO preferred World Club Challenge locations

Matt Ellis has admitted that Wakefield Trinity would want to host the World Club Challenge at their own ground or Oakwell if they were to win the Super League Grand Final on Saturday.

The Wakefield owner is refusing to get carried away as his club embarks on their first-ever trip to Old Trafford, looking to win their first major trophy in the Super League era.

If they do prevail, they will enter the World Club Challenge and would almost certainly host the winners of Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights, though the location is up for debate.

Naturally, DIY Kitchens Stadium is an obvious location given it is where Wakefield play their home games, but an alternative, and larger, facility is Oakwell, the home of English Football Club Barnsley.

Wakefield actually played their inaugural Super League home match at the stadium back in 1998. In fact, Ellis first-ever Wakefield match was played at the stadium too in 1999, when Trinity beat St Helens.

It has a capacity in excess of 23,000, double that of Wakefield’s current home, which would allow more supporters to watch the game. Ellis would like to explore that option if his club was to win.

“I’ve never thought about that,” Ellis said when asked about the World Club Challenge. “I want to stay respectful and not talk about it too much for Warrington, but yeah, there’d be two places I’d want it, here obviously, or Oakwell where I saw my first game. They’re the two.”

“Rhodri (Jones) wants me to do Elland Road, but they’re the two I’d want it at.”

Wakefield have never played the global fixture and the same can be said for Warrington, though they did feature in an ‘extended’ version of the concept in 2017, when they defeated Brisbane Broncos 27-18. The Wire have not publicly revealed their position on venue plans for the World Club Challenge if they were to prevail at Old Trafford on Saturday.