Workington - Derwent Park

Workington AFC

Derwent Park

Workington 

Cumbria

CA14 2HG

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Ground Number: 1567

Friday 17th July 2026

Workington AFC - Carlisle United

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DERWENT PARK - A BRIEF HISTORY

Derwent Park is most well known as a Rugby League Stadium and is the home of Workington Town, who play in the third tier of their sport. They were established in 1945 and have been at the stadium since it was built in 1956. It is situated beside the Cumbrian River Derwent. It has been floodlit since 1990 and has played host to the Cumbrian County Rugby team as far back as 1963 when they played Australia, losing 21-0 in front of 8,229. The games have not been that regular against touring international sides; the last was in 2022 when they beat Jamaica 28-16 in front of around 3,000 fans. In 1995, Derwent Park was the host for the rugby union warm-up game between Italy and Ireland before the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Italy defeated Ireland 32–26 in front of 3,000 fans.

Derwent Park held its first full international match on 1 December 2000 with the Aotearoa Māori versus Samoa game in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. Samoa defeated Aotearoa Māori 21–16 in front of 4,107 fans. The stadium hosted two matches at the Rugby League World Cup 2013: Scotland's ties against Tonga on Tuesday 29 October, watched in front of 7,630, and Italy on Sunday 3 November, watched in front of 7,280. As part of the 2014 Rugby League European Cup, Derwent Park hosted the match between Scotland and Wales on 17 October. Scotland won the game 42-18. As part of the 2016 Rugby League Four Nations, the Zebra Claims Stadium hosted the match between New Zealand and Scotland on 11 November. The game ended in an 18-18 draw.

Speedway began in Workington after a successful application was made by the promotion team for a licence to race at Derwent Park for the 1970 season. The promoters included former rider Ian Thomas, and the rugby pitch required moving 25 yards sideways to accommodate the speedway track. Workington Comets raced at the stadium from 1970 until 1982. Speedway returned to the stadium in 1987 when Glasgow Tigers rebranded to Workington Tigers for a single season due to issues with their stadium. Workington Comets returned to the stadium from 1999 until 2018. They returned in 2022 and now play at the Northside Speedway stadium elsewhere in the town. On 14 July 1990, the stadium hosted the "Cumbria Rock Festival", with bands including Magnum, Saxon, Dogs D'Amour, Wolfsbane, the Almighty and Romeo's Daughter. On 13 July 1991, the second edition of the festival saw appearances by Marillion, Wolfsbane (who replaced Blackfoot on the bill as special guests), the Almighty, Atom Seed, Cheap and Nasty, FM, Jagged Edge, Sweet Addiction, Loud, Lisa Dominique, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts and Rattlesnake Kiss.

MY VISIT

Last season, I thought I had completed step 3 when I visited Morpeth Town back in January. Indeed, I had, but I thought that the record would be safe for this season as Workington were well in the relegation mire at the time. However, despite finishing in a relegation spot, it was only on goal difference, and they were given a reprieve due to teams resigning across the pyramid. Normally, Workington wouldn't be a priority for me. The stadium was only temporary whilst Borough Park, or at least that piece of land, was redeveloped for both teams in the future. I had done the Wetherspoons in the town, and understandably, deepest Cumbria was hardly a real cider haven. However, the autistic completionist in me could not let it go. So when they announced a Friday night game against Carlisle United on my birthday weekend, I was always going to go. Originally, I booked into the Travelodge as I thought I'd be going up to Scotland after. However, this was changed to an extended trip with camping in Kendal; the only drawback was having to drive to the game.

After a reasonable night's sleep, I woke around 5.30 and listened to the Heroes of HP12 podcast talking about England's mediocre performance against Argentina. I had some rocky road as an early breakfast before going across to the rugby club for a shower. I made use of the disabled shower for more privacy - the men's was the communal changing room type, and I didn't very much fancy seeing Colin with no clothes on at that time in the morning. There was lots of time to kill, so we headed to Kendal for breakfast at Wetherspoons and to pick up a few bits. The six-mile walk was pleasant and undid some of the damage that all of the junk food and drink does to me. We spent a couple of hours back at base so I could research Kendal Town tomorrow and Colin could have a sleep. We left at 1.30, the journey to Penrith took us past some beautiful views. We parked in Morrisons and walked to the Dog Beck Spoons, where I had lime cordial. Next up was Keswick, where the council wanted £3.80 for a couple of hours parking, so I parked in Booths for free. The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas was a nice pub in a very busy and touristy area.

 

From there, it was to Workington, with us there at 5.15. Annoyingly, the transport did not work out for visiting Wetherspoons in Whitehaven. Workington one was packed, so it was just a drink and a revisit for me. It was then to the Sing Kown Chinese for a salt and pepper munchie box for £12; amazingly, you could pay by card, very unusual for a Chinese takeaway. The small box was absolutely huge, and I barely made a dent in it and was full for the rest of the night. From there, we went to the ground and went in. We chatted to Paul, the Gillingham fan, and I purchased an old shirt for a tenner and a pint of Somersby. Talking of shirts, it was amazing how many brilliant Carlisle shirts were on the day; their shirt designers have smashed it out of the park so many times. Just a shame that they've had a shocking start under their 'new' owners, dropping two divisions despite big investment.

It was Workington who were well on top at the start. They took the lead on 18 minutes, smashing a shot into the bottom left-hand corner from the edge of the area. It was 2-0 on 23 minutes, the ball bundled home from a scrappy move. On 29 minutes, a cross was put in from the right, and a Carlisle defender put the ball into his own net. It was 4-0 on 40 minutes, an attack finished from wide out on the left. The onslaught continued in the second half, a ball over the top and a composed finish on 50 minutes. The hosts also hit the bar with twenty minutes to go. There were 1,357 in attendance for the first-ever football game at Derwent Park.

 

THE GROUND

DERWENT PARK is a classic old venue which is showing its age but still has lots of charm. The main stand is the only seated area; this holds around 2,000 and is strangely designed so that going from end to end is tricky with so many obstructions. Opposite is a terrace; this holds around 3,000 and is easy to get up and down. There is terracing behind both goals, though this is out of bounds for football fans. Merch, food and drink are all pretty well done. The underwhelming town is around a 10-15 minute walk away and includes a Wetherspoons.