By Nick Jackson
Copyright manchestereveningnews
The Leigh Sports Village stadium – home to Leigh Leopards rugby league team and Manchester United women’s football team – is to be renamed the Progress With Unity Stadium. Councillors approved the name change at a full council meeting last night and will come into immediate effect. It comes in the same week that it was confirmed that rising local band The Lottery Winners are set to perform a headline gig at the stadium in 2026. To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE Council leader David Molyneux said: “It’s important to note that Progress With Unity isn’t just our initiative, it has partnership working and the strength of our communities at its heart. “In many ways, Leigh Sports Village encapsulates this approach; it is a complex of facilities to be proud of, hosting professional and grassroots organisations and delivering community-based services. “We believe the new name for the stadium is therefore an appropriate step to promote what we are trying to achieve here in our borough and be a figurehead for our shared values.” Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE The 12,000-capacity stadium opened in 2008. Derek Beaumont, owner of Leigh Leopards, said: “The Progress With Unity Stadium is a great facility that we are proud to call our home.” He said that the team placed third in the Super League, one place below neighbouring rivals Wigan Warriors and been ‘breaking boundaries on the pitch in recent years’. “Our partnership working with the council and wider community is stronger than it’s ever been,” he said. The wider LSV complex also hosts Leigh Harriers Athletic Club and Leigh East ARLFC. In 2023, Wigan Council opened the £2m Leigh Youth Hub adjacent to the stadium. A regular host of international rugby league fixtures, the LSV was a host venue for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 football competition. Other facilities on site include the Leigh campus of Wigan and Leigh College, Leigh Leisure Centre and Leigh Sports Hub, home of Leigh East RLFC and Leigh Harriers Athletics Facility. Progress With Unity, launched last year, was the culmination of a research project with local organisations, businesses, partners, independent experts and the community. Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE
