Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground

Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground The ground opened in 1929, constructed by the colliery company as part of a miners’ welfare scheme to provide recreation for the workers of Eppleton Colliery. It operates under the stewardship of the Hetton Town Trust.

The original tenant, Eppleton Colliery Welfare F.C., played there from 1929 until the club folded in 2005. It remains the traditional home for the Durham Challenge Cup final. Notable finals have taken place here, including Eppleton’s wins in 1990 and 1991, and the 2022 clash between Ryhope Colliery Welfare and Crook Town. The Philip Mitchell Stand, a two-tier cantilever structure installed during a redevelopment in 1993, offers about 250 seated places, while the rest of the 2,500 capacity relies on standing room on terraces and grass banks.

The surface is natural grass, worn smooth by decades of play. The ground has not been renamed, though it is often associated with the adjacent Hetton Centre.