View source for The Shay

{{short description|Sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England}}
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{{Tone|article|date=February 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2010}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = The Shay
| fullname = The Shay
| nickname = 
| image = The Shay.jpg
| image_size = 
| location = Shay Syke,<br />[[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]],<br />[[West Yorkshire]],<br />England,<br />HX1 2YS
| coordinates = {{coord|53|42|58|N|1|51|33|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = 
| opened = 1921
| owner = [[Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council]]
| operator = [[FC Halifax Town]]<br>[[Halifax Panthers]]
| surface = Grass
| dimensions = {{convert|110x76|yd}}
| construction_cost = 
| architect = 
| tenants = {{ubl|'''Football'''|[[Halifax Town A.F.C.]] (1921–2008)|[[FC Halifax Town]] (2008–present)}}{{ubl|'''Rugby League'''<br />[[Halifax Panthers]] (1998–present)|[[Huddersfield Giants]] (2011)}}{{ubl|'''Speedway'''|[[Halifax Dukes]] (1949–1952, 1965–1986)}}
| capacity = 10,401 (5,108 seated) (5,293 declared as safe standing capacity for North and South stands){{cn|date=March 2022}}|
}}
'''The Shay''' is a multi-purpose sports stadium in [[Halifax, West Yorkshire|Halifax]], [[West Yorkshire]], [[England]]. It is home to the [[FC Halifax Town]] association football club and the [[Halifax Panthers]] rugby league team. 

The stadium is owned by the [[Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council]],<ref name="calderdale1">{{cite web|url=http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/venues/shay/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216163959/http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/leisure/venues/shay/index.html |title=The Shay Stadium |publisher=Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council |archive-date= 16 February 2010|date=16 February 2010|access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref> who formerly leased the stadium to the Shay Stadium Trust, a [[nonprofit organisation]] set up to preserve the ground as a sports stadium. The council agreed to sell the stadium to [[Huddersfield Giants]] owner and local businessman [[Ken Davy]] in March 2025, however the sale is yet to be completed.<ref name="DavyPurchase">{{cite news |title=Davy's purchase of The Shay approved by council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cyve2n8j4n3o |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=BBC Sport |date=18 March 2025}}</ref>

The Shay lies on the south side of Halifax, about a quarter of a mile from the town centre. The four stands at the stadium include the North Stand, the East Stand, the South Stand and the Skircoat Stand. The North and South stands were built in the mid-1990s. The Skircoat Stand is the oldest stand in the stadium.

==Etymology==
'Shay' is derived from the old English word '[[Shaw (woodland)|shaw]]', which means a small wood, thicket or grove. The two words are used interchangeably in ancient references to the property upon which the stadium was eventually constructed.

==History==
{{Original research section|date=April 2025}}
===Earliest sources===
References to the name Shay have been traced as far back as 1462,<ref>{{cite web |title=Shay Name Meaning & Shay Family History at Ancestry.com |url=https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=shay |access-date=29 September 2022 |website=www.ancestry.com}}</ref> when on 6 July of that year a wealthy local man named William Brodley recorded that upon his death, property belonging to him just west of Shaghe Lane should pass to his son, John Brodley.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} At the time of the third year of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s reign, the [[Subsidy Roll]] had recorded William Brodley junior as being assessed on goods to the value of £20, and by 1545 the property was still in his possession.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} 

The Shay descended to William Brodley's daughter and heiress Grace Hely in 1580,{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} and in turn to her husband John Booth in 1587.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} This was recorded in the Halifax Court Rolls as Booth becoming the owner of 'Shaw and Nether Shaw'. At about this time, conservation of water and the maintenance of its purity were matters of extreme importance, and in 1588 John Booth arranged for a small dam to be constructed within the Shay Estate so as to provide enough water for his needs. This supply was later diverted away from the Shaw Syke in 1602 and within two years Booth surrendered ownership of 'Over and Nether Shaw' to the use of Simon Bynnes of Broadbottom.

===John Caygil===
John Caygill financed the construction of the Shay mansion and two other landmarks in Halifax. The first of these was the building of houses on a piece of land known as the Square. Construction was finished around 1758. Designed by John Carr of [[York]]. In 1923 the Halifax Corporation purchased the land and the buildings were demolished in 1959.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

John Caygill provided the land and £840 for the construction of the [[Halifax Piece Hall|Piece Hall]], a monument which still stands today as a tourist attraction.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

===Ibbetson Family===
John Caygill junior's only child, the aforementioned 'Jenny', became sole heiress to her father's estates, including the Shay. She would marry Sir James Ibbetson, Baronet of Leeds and Denton on 8 February 1768, and thus the ownership of the Shay Estate passed into the Ibbetson family. It is clear that the Ibbetson family did not live at the Shay - they did not need to, and so in the Halifax Journal of 18 April 1807, the mansion built by John Caygill was advertised for letting. The same advertisement in the Halifax Journal also gave details of the mansion itself. On the ground floor was a dining room {{convert|29|by|23|ft|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|13|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|high}}, breakfast room, and parlour, housekeeper's room, butler's pantry, servants' hall, a large kitchen and gallery 'fitted with every modern improvement for cooking on the steam principle', a spacious passage {{convert|12|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|44|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|long}}, an elegant staircase with a double flight of stone steps. There was a landing {{convert|13|ft|m|abbr=on|adj=mid|wide}} and a spacious gallery on the second floor, while the drawing room and the five 'lodging rooms' with dressing rooms adjoining, were on the same scale as the rooms below. The doors were of solid mahogany.

The addresses given to all the houses on the Shay Estate in the census returns.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} The Shay mansion's address is down as 'The Shay, Caygill's Walk' in two reports whilst addresses for the other houses are termed variably as the Shay, Shay Stable Yard, Shay Yard, Caygill's Walk and Shay Farm, though there is no doubt that they all refer to the same appropriate buildings, and are not new or separate ones. From the 1840s until 1903, there were six owners of the Shay Estate. William Boocock was the Shay mansion's last owner, though he only lived there for a few years up to 1903. By this time the Shay Estate was in the hands of the Halifax Corporation, and with the completion of the new Skircoat Road, the future of the Shay must have looked very much in doubt.

===Redevelopment of the Shay Estate===
Up until 1890 any traffic heading in the direction of [[Huddersfield]] travelled along the main route which ran from the town centre along the bottom of the Shay, up Shaw Hill to Huddersfield Road. It was the idea of John Booth to develop Caygill's Walk, which ran along the top of the Shay, into what is now Skircoat Road. At the time his scheme came under heavy criticism from local people. This dramatic period in the Shay's history continued when, two years later, on 29 August 1891, Skircoat Road was opened for traffic for the first time. In 1903, with the Shay mansion no longer being used for residential purposes, the Corporation saw fit to demolish it.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

From the time of the demolition of the mansion, what was left of the Shay Estate became the object of many schemes. On 9 November 1898, it was announced that a proposal had been put forward to run goods trains to the Shay Estate and build a goods depot there. On 31 May 1902 an agreement was made by the Midland Rail Company for the purchase of the estate, the company having sought powers to construct a loop line at [[Low Moor railway station]] and to run a part of the [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway|Lancashire and Yorkshire]] line to Halifax. However, shortly after this, "owing to the present position of railways and the condition of the money market", there was no reasonable prospect of the proposed railway being constructed in the immediate future, and all plans were abandoned.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

Work had actually been started on a tunnel to run under the newly constructed Skircoat Road,{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} on the Well Head side of the road, and this tunnel is still in evidence today. The only purpose for which it was intended for use after this was as one of many [[air raid shelter]]s in Halifax during the [[Second World War]]. Between 1908 and 1910 it was proposed to build a [[slaughterhouse]] on the Shay.

During the [[First World War]] the Shay was used by the local [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] to practice trench digging. About 1920, rumours started to circulate that the Shay could be transformed into a football ground. Even then, there was some criticism of the idea, but the board of [[Halifax Town A.F.C.|Halifax Town]] made an official approach to the Shay's owners, the Corporation, and it was accepted.

===Football ground===
[[File:FamilyStand TheShay1992.jpg|thumb|Family Stand, before demolition]]
At a public meeting on 9 July 1920, the then Halifax Town chairman Dr A.H. Muir stated: "Speaking from inside information I know that if, in February 1921, we can produce a ground that will meet league requirements, and if we can show financial backing that is worthy of a town this size, our position as members of the English League with all that means, is absolutely secure."{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

In that same speech Dr. Muir announced that the Town directors were to meet members of the Corporation's Improvements Committee with a view to the leasing of the Shay, so that they could prepare it in time for the 1921-22 season. Halifax Town, formed in 1911, had earlier played at Sandhall Lane and then Exley &ndash; an unsuitable venue. On Wednesday 4 August 1920, a recommendation was put to the committee which was passed and the [[Halifax Courier]] set up a fund to help get the Shay ready. Timber was delivered to the Shay for work to begin on Saturday 16 October 1920.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

An appeal was made in the Halifax Courier that night for people to help on the following Monday. Fans, players and directors worked together to get the ground ready, and on 7 December the first grass sods were laid on the playing pitch.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

In March 1921, Halifax Town were elected to the [[Football League]], and along with clubs such as [[Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891)|Accrington Stanley]], [[Ashington A.F.C.|Ashington]], [[Durham City A.F.C.|Durham City]] and [[Nelson F.C.|Nelson]], became founder members of the newly formed [[Division Three North]]. Association football arrived at the Shay on 3 September 1921 when Halifax Town, in front of 10,000 spectators, defeated [[Darlington F.C.]] side 5–0 (avenging a 2–0 defeat by the same club the previous Saturday).

The record attendance for the Shay was 36,885 on 14 February 1953{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} in the 5th round of the [[FA Cup]] against [[Tottenham Hotspur]]. Though the Shay could once hold 40,000, the capacity put on the Shay has reduced since the early 1970s: in 1970 it was 38,000, 1972 it was 25,000, 1977 it was 23,000, 1979 it was 16,500.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

The capacity stood at 16,500 until 1985 at which time the Popplewell Report into ground safety was released following the [[Bradford City stadium fire]] in May of that year. All standing areas at the Shay were closed, and for a time, while it remained seating only, the new capacity was set at 1,777. Safety work was subsequently carried out and the capacity raised to 3,600. When Halifax Town were paired up with [[Nottingham Forest]] in the FA Cup in January 1988, in an effort to keep the tie at the Shay, more work was carried out and the capacity was raised further to 4,021. A little over four thousand people attended said Forest game. When the council took over the Shay in 1987 it became part of Calderdale Leisure Services (CLS) and in July 1988 new plans were announced for the ground. A new stand was purchased from [[Scunthorpe United]] and other major ground improvements were being made.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

===Financial troubles===
[[File:Halifax Blue Sox vs London Broncos 3.jpg|thumb|The East Stand during the early phases of construction in May 2000]]
[[File:Halifax Blue Sox vs London Broncos 4.jpg|thumb|The North Stand without a roof in May 2000]]
On 27 October 1986, then chairman John Madeley announced that the club was close to collapse.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} Many people looked to the [[Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council]] to help save the club as it still owned the lease on the ground and any plans for the Shay from private companies would have to be given the council's go-ahead. However, on 17 November it rejected two plans to save the club. One proposal was from a London property firm wanting to build shops on the Shay.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} The other, involving the development of a sports complex, including a ground for the club, was turned down because of difficulties over the conditions demanded by the [[Edinburgh]] property firm behind the move. These 'difficulties' concerned the lease of the Shay. With the council unwilling to part with the lease, the Edinburgh firm pulled out of its bid to save the club. On 26 November, the [[Inland Revenue]] gave Halifax Town just six days to come up with proposals for paying the £76,000 tax debt.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}}

The situation became so serious that Halifax Town manager [[Mick Jones (footballer, born 1947)|Mick Jones]] resigned for a more secure position at [[Peterborough United]]. On 23 December, John Madeley announced he had signed an agreement with a property company which, he said, would safeguard football at the Shay until the end of the season.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} They were prepared to put money into the club, but wanted to move it out of the Shay so they could develop it after the season's close.

In February 1987 it came to light that this property company was a local firm, Marshall Construction of [[Elland]]. They wanted to build a superstore for [[Gateway Foodmarkets]] on the Shay.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} On 4 March 1987, councillor Geoffrey Butler put forward a plan to split the Shay &ndash; one half as a football ground with the other to be developed. The scheme seemed exciting but like the plans of Marshall's and others, it was rejected by the council. Marshall's offered to build Halifax Town a 4,500 capacity stadium next to the nearby North Bridge Leisure Centre, though they still wanted to build a superstore on the Shay. On 18 March, the new plan was also rejected.

===Council rescue and new tenants===
At a council meeting on 8 April 1987, the Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council put forward a rescue plan for both Halifax Town and the Shay; they would hand over £210,000 ({{Inflation|UK|210,000|1987|fmt=eq|r=-3|cursign=£}}) to Halifax Town, buy back the lease on the {{convert|11|acre|m2|adj=on}} Shay worth about £150,000 ({{Inflation|UK|150,000|1987|fmt=eq|r=-3|cursign=£}}), and take control of the club until the start of the following season, sacking the current board in the process. The stadium was renamed to 'The Shay Calderdale Sports Stadium' shortly after the sale.<ref name="100Years">{{cite news |last1=Meynell |first1=Johnny |title=Shaymen, speedway and ice skating: 100 years of sport at The Shay |url=https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/sport/football/shaymen-speedway-and-ice-skating-100-years-of-sport-at-the-shay-3367601 |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=Halifax Courier |date=3 September 2021}}</ref>

The Shay became a multi-purpose stadium in 1998 when the town's rugby league club, then known as the [[Halifax Blue Sox]] (later renamed Halifax Panthers), moved to the stadium after their historic home at [[Thrum Hall]] had fallen into disrepair. Redevelopment has come at a cost, the majority of which has been provided through grants.

Although Halifax Town went into [[liquidation]] in the summer of 2008, [[Phoenix club (sports)|phoenix club]] [[FC Halifax Town]] replaced them, albeit playing three levels below Halifax Town's position when they dissolved.

===Council sale===
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council announced plans in January 2024 to sell the Shay by 2026 amid a drive towards cutting around £18&nbsp;million in costs within three years. The announcement of the sale, projected to save the council £161,000 per year,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Matthew |title=Halifax Panthers outline early plans for The Shay as Council plan stadium sale |url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/halifax-panthers-outline-early-plans-28471432 |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=Yorkshire Live |date=18 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=John |title=Shay Stadium: Councillors clash over future of Halifax stadium which is home to FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers |url=https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/politics/shay-stadium-councillors-clash-over-future-of-halifax-stadium-which-is-home-to-fc-halifax-town-and-halifax-panthers-4536061 |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=Halifax Courier |date=28 February 2024}}</ref> coincided with reports that the Halifax Panthers owed £53,000 in rent, compared to £4,000 co-tenant FC Halifax Town, to the council.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Ollie |title=Yorkshire side respond to reports of unpaid rent and offers stadium update |url=https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/92017-halifax-panthers-92017/ |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=Serious About Rugby League |date=21 May 2024}}</ref>

In January 2025, local businessman and [[Huddersfield Giants]] owner [[Ken Davy]] announced plans to purchase the Shay from the Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, stating that if the sale was approved, the stadium would be brought up to [[Super League]] standard and used as the temporary home of the Huddersfield Giants from 2026 onwards while a purpose-built stadium is built for the club.<ref>{{cite news |title=Giants owner Davy proposes to buy The Shay stadium |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c9dpdq1j4l6o |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=BBC Sport |date=8 January 2025}}</ref> Despite opposition from tenants Halifax Town and the Halifax Panthers,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=John |title=Football fans beg council not to sell stadium |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7g8jpmdjyo |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=BBC News |date=6 February 2025}}</ref> in March 2025, the council approved intentions to sell the freehold and surrounding land of the Shay to Davy, with plans subsequently announced for the installation of a [[Hybrid grass|hybrid pitch]], funded through interest-free loans by Davy, during the summer.<ref name="DavyPurchase" /> As of April 2025, despite approval by the council as well as the [[Rugby Football League]] ruling body, the sale is still awaiting completion over a ruling by the [[English Football League]] on a three-team [[groundshare]] agreement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenwood |first1=John |title=Shay stadium sale: Council still awaiting key ruling before sale of Halifax stadium can go ahead |url=https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/environment/shay-stadium-sale-council-still-awaiting-key-ruling-before-sale-of-halifax-stadium-can-go-ahead-5064479 |access-date=18 April 2025 |work=Halifax Courier |date=3 April 2025}}</ref>

== Uses ==
=== Speedway ===
Before the Shay, speedway in Halifax was held at [[Thrum Hall]]. However, at the end of the 1948 season Bruce Booth had replaced [[Johnnie Hoskins]] on the board of directors at [[Odsal Boomerangs]] and in early 1949 he took control of the new Halifax venture, bringing in [[Eric Langton]] as technical director.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19490204/184/0012 |title=Langton Returns - As Director |website=Yorkshire Evening Post |date=4 February 1949 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 January 2025 }}</ref> The team would be known as the [[Halifax Dukes]] and on 8 February 1949 construction began on a new [[Motorcycle speedway]] track at the Shay.<ref name="autogenerated2001">{{cite book|last1=Bamford|first1= R. |last2= Jarvis |first2=J.|year=2001|title=Homes of British Speedway|publisher= History Press Limited |isbn= 0-7524-2210-3}}</ref> This meant that the football pitch had to be reduced in size and each goalpost was moved three yards into the playing area so an agreement was reached by the speedway and football clubs whereby the Halifax Dukes had to pay the Halifax Town AFC 10% of all speedway gate receipts.<ref name="autogenerated2001"/>

The first speedway meeting was held on Wednesday 6 April 1949,<ref name="autogenerated2001"/> and the opponents were Yarmouth Bloaters. The track was officially opened by Major R.E. Austin, commanding officer of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment at Halifax. Speedway at the Shay was not popular and poor attendances saw the club struggling financially. On 10 November 1951 speedway promoter Bruce Booth brought midget car racing to the Shay to boost funds. 15,000 spectators attended this one-off venture; 3 times higher that the average speedway gate.<ref name="autogenerated2001"/> On 31 March 1952, Booth announced the end of speedway, "while rates and taxation remains at the present levels."<ref name="autogenerated2001"/>

In November 1962, [[Middlesbrough Bears|Middlesbrough]] speedway promoter Reg Fearman saw the Shay for the first time, and in 1963 he made a formal application to Halifax Town for use of the ground to revive the sport. At the beginning of 1965 work began on constructing the ground and speedway returned. The second time around it proved successful, and remained at the ground for the next twenty years. By the 1970s people valued it greater than football for family entertainment, with the Dukes producing such renowned riders as [[Eric Boocock]] and [[Kenny Carter]]. Attendances became regularly higher than those of the football club and the Shay often hosted speedway internationals.

In 1986, after disputes over money with Halifax Town AFC, the speedway club moved out of town to neighbouring [[Bradford]] and the [[Odsal Stadium]], becoming known as the [[Bradford Dukes]].

The [[shale]] surfaced speedway track at the Shay was {{convert|370|m|yd}} long.

===Rugby League===
In 1998 [[rugby league]] club [[Halifax Blue Sox]] (now the Halifax Panthers) sold their historic home ground [[Thrum Hall]], which had been their home since 1886, for £1.5&nbsp;million to the retail chain [[Asda]] and moved to the Shay.<ref name="halifaxrlfc1">{{cite web|url=http://www.halifaxrlfc.co.uk/page.php?id=211 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421084307/http://www.halifaxrlfc.co.uk/page.php?id=211 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 April 2010 |title=The history of Halifax RLFC... |publisher=Halifax RLFC |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=9 March 2017}}</ref>

There have been many top players for Halifax over the years, including internationals, tourists and overseas stars. The leading 36 of these are featured in a "Hall of Fame" in the Weavers Bar at the Shay Stadium.<ref name="halifaxrlfc1"/>

During 2011, as a result of pitch renovation work at the [[Kirklees Stadium]] in [[Huddersfield]], the [[Huddersfield Giants]] played three home fixtures of [[Super League XVI]] at the Shay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giantsrl.com/news/article/532/key-information-ahead-of-shay |title=Key information ahead of Shay visit |publisher=Huddersfield Giants |date=3 June 2011 |access-date=9 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607031329/http://www.giantsrl.com/news/article/532/key-information-ahead-of-shay |archive-date=7 June 2011}}</ref> Subject to the completion of the purchase of the stadium by Ken Davy, it is planned for Huddersfield to temporarily occupy the Shay as their home stadium from 2026 onwards while a new stadium is built for the club.<ref name="DavyPurchase" />

====2013 Rugby League World Cup====

The Shay played host to a Group C game as part of the [[2013 Rugby League World Cup|2013 World Cup]] between Tonga and Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rlwc2013.com/matchreport/8670|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110193007/http://www.rlwc2013.com/matchreport/8670|url-status=usurped|archive-date=10 November 2013|title=Sun 10th Nov 2013, 16:00 - Group C|publisher=Rugby League International Federation|access-date=10 May 2020}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#bdb76b;"
! No. !! Date !! Winners !! Score !! Runners up !! Attendance !! Competition
|-
|1 || 10 November 2013 || {{rl|TON}} || 16-0 || {{rl|ITA}} || 10,266 || [[2013 Rugby League World Cup|2013 World Cup]]
|}

==Structure==
===North Stand===
[[Image:ShayNorthStand.jpg|thumb|right|North Stand]]
The North Stand, a terraced stand, was completed first (before the South Stand), which enabled Halifax Town to return to the Football League when it won the [[Football Conference|Conference]] in 1998. The South Stand was completed within the next year. 

The stand is usually where away fans are housed. In recent times the stand has been left been unused during Halifax Town matches due to low numbers of away fans travelling to the stadium. For rugby league, the stand is usually open.

===South Stand===
[[Image:The Shay Stadium, FC Halifax Town (geograph 6300749).jpg|thumb|right|South Stand]]
The South Stand, also a terraced stand, is generally where the home fans stand, originally being used as the away stand. The stand has a bar in its concourse and catering facilities are situated outside.

===East Stand===
[[File:The Shay main stand.jpg|thumb|right|East Stand]]
The East Stand is now the main stand at the Shay, opening on 28 March 2010 with an all-seater capacity of 3,500, taking the overall ground capacity to over 10,000. There are 11 function rooms, ranging in size to accommodate events for up to 350 guests. Club shops for the local football and rugby teams are also built into the East Stand, as well as new home and away changing rooms, a physio room and new food and beverage kiosks for fans.<ref name="EastStandOpening">{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Stadium-set-for-East-Stand.6183723.jp |title=Stadium set for East Stand opening |work=[[The Yorkshire Post]] |location=Leeds |date=26 March 2010 |access-date=9 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007061841/http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/stadium-set-for-east-stand-opening-1-2568798 |archive-date=7 October 2012}}</ref><ref name="calderdale1" />

After the Family Stand, which stood on the site of the East Stand, had been demolished in 2000, construction on a new East Stand was stopped when Halifax Town were relegated in 2002. The stand remained in an incomplete state until late 2008, when Calderdale Council agreed to put money into completing the stand. The stand was redesigned by [[Sheffield]]-based architects Ward McHugh Associates prior to the commencement of works. Main structural work on the stand was completed in December 2009, and the stand was opened in March 2010.<ref name="EastStandOpening" />

Within the original East Stand designs there were plans for hospitality and media facilities in the south-east corner of the stadium. This stand (which is adjoined to the East Stand and of the same height) has been in a partially constructed state since work halted on the East Stand in 2002. This corner was omitted from the 2008 redesign and subsequent completion of the East Stand.

===Skircoat West Stand===
[[File:SkircoatStand.jpg|thumb|right|Skircoat (West) Stand]]
The stand used to be half-seating half-standing but became all-seater in 1998. It is the oldest part of the ground and is not the full length of the pitch. Like the North Stand it was built on the side of a slope and backs onto the main road.

Although no plans for future redevelopment have been confirmed,{{update inline|date=April 2025}} there has been talk of a new west stand, replacing the current Skircoat Stand.{{citation needed|date=April 2010}} The plan was to build a two-tier stand with shops that backed onto Skircoat Road, however nothing has been officially announced.

==Community usage==
In June 2007, Shay Stadium Community Football was formed. The community scheme was set up as a non for profit organisation using the stadium as a main hub. The leader of the project was Lee Ashforth who drove the company forwards and set up a committee based on 4 directors who previously had been involved with the Shay Stadium Trust. The company started by delivering sessions aimed at primary school children and delivering holiday courses throughout every school holiday.

There is also a 5-a-side pitch next to the southern turnstiles that can be hired.

Since the company then grew and included nurseries and adult sessions aimed at fitness and socialising. The community scheme also delivers a BTEC education course at 16–18 years of age.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|The Shay}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090310121047/http://www.shaystadium.co.uk/ The Shay Stadium official website]
*[https://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/conference/conference-premier/the-shay-halifax-town.html The Shay Stadium on the Football Ground Guide]

{{Halifax Town A.F.C.}}
{{Halifax Panthers}}
{{Football Conference}}
{{RFL Championship Venues}}
{{2013 RLWC Venues}}
{{Men's Football in West Yorkshire}}
{{Motorcycle speedway tracks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shay, The}}
[[Category:Football venues in England]]
[[Category:Rugby league stadiums in England]]
[[Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct speedway venues in England]]
[[Category:Halifax Panthers]]
[[Category:Halifax Town A.F.C.]]
[[Category:FC Halifax Town]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Halifax, West Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Sports venues in West Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1921]]
[[Category:English Football League venues]]
[[Category:Sport in Halifax, West Yorkshire]]