The club has rivalries with neighbours Featherstone Rovers, Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity. The club's traditional home colours are black and amber, with orange also being used in recent years.
History
1896–1906: First Castleford club
Castleford Tigers memorabilia at the Castleford Forum Museum
Castleford RFC joined the Northern Rugby Football Union for the 1896–97 season, its second and remained in the ranks of the semi-professionals until the end of the 1905–06 season. Not much is known about the original Castleford club, except that they have no connection with the present Castleford Tigers RLFC.
1926–1950s: Establishment of second club
Castleford joined the league for the 1926–27 season.[1] Many official records state that they were founded at this time but they had played successfully in the lower YorkshireCounty Cup for several years before this date. They actually joined the League "code" around 1920 and played in these early years at the Sandy Desert ground, which is now used by amateur club Castleford Lock Lane youth and junior teams. The club went professional in 1926 and moved to their current home ground on Wheldon Road in 1927.
The club soon started to make a mark on northern rugby, winning their first major trophy when they topped the Yorkshire League in 1932, followed by victory in the Challenge Cup in 1935. In 1938, they made it to the Championship finals, but failed to take the cup. The Second World War meant the league was suspended soon after, and Castleford officially abstained from league competition until the 1944–45 season.
1960–1972: Success
Castleford finished fourth in the national league in the 1962/63 season. The following season they lost 7–5 to Widnes in the Challenge Cup semi-final replay at Belle Vue, Wakefield in front of a 28,700 crowd after drawing at Station Road, Swinton in the first meeting of the two clubs. Under the direction of coach George Clinton, Castleford won many fans in the '60s by playing an open and free-flowing style of rugby, earning them the nicknames "Classy Cas" and "High Speed Cas", the latter playing off the slogan for British Gas in use at the time.
Castleford picked up where they left off when they were again beaten in the Championship finals in 1969, this time conceding defeat to arch-rivals Leeds. However, this loss seemed to spur the team on, and 1969 (v. Salford) and 1970 (v. Wigan) saw Castleford win the Challenge Cup for two consecutive years, with clubs legends Alan Hardisty and Keith Hepworth leading the team.
1973–1995: Consistency
John Sheridan was appointed head coach in 1973 for a spell. Castleford finished a respectable ninth in a one-division table but Sheridan stepped down following criticism from fans. During the late 1970s, Castleford edged up the league, and in 1985 they made it to the Premiership final, where they were beaten by Hull Kingston Rovers. A Yorkshire Cup defeat at the beginning of the following season to Hull Kingston Rovers was bettered with a 15–14 triumph at Wembley, again with Hull Kingston Rovers being the opponents. They finished consistently high over the next few years, and finished in the top four clubs in the Championship for four years during 1990–1995.
Through the Darryl van der Velde and early Joyner years Castleford were lauded for their style and were labelled 'Classy Cas'. This enjoyable playing style was to come to fruition most spectacularly in 1994, when Castleford were dominating the league. As well as defeating a legendary Wigan team to take the Regal Trophy 33–2, they were also semi-finalists in the Challenge Cup and were also narrowly defeated in the Premiership final. That season, John Joyner was named Coach of the Year by the RFL. St. John Ellis scored a then club record 40 league tries over the 1993–94 season.
1996–2004: Super League era
When a Super League was suggested, Castleford resisted a merger with Wakefield Trinity and Featherstone Rovers, and became a founder member of the Super League in 1996. The team performed weakly at the start of the season causing the resignation of coach John Joyner. The team avoided relegation by a whisker in 1997 following the appointment of Stuart Raper.
The next season, they managed to frustrate the bleak predictions of pundits to move up the league, finishing sixth at the end of the season, after putting in some good performances and pleasing their fans with a sprinkling of victories.
In 1999, they continued on this upward trajectory, finishing fifth, as well as making the semi-finals of both the Challenge Cup and the Grand Final play-offs. This became one of the most famous seasons in the clubs recent past, with fans still remembering it with reverence. The team included many home grown players, such as Danny Orr, and boasted that years Man of Steel winner Adrian Vowles. In 2000, the rise seemed to stall, as they repeated their fifth-place ranking and made the play-offs for a consecutive season. Raper left Castleford midway through the 2001 campaign to take charge of Wigan and his assistant Graham Steadman took over the reins as head coach.
Castleford made the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in 2002, however the team was to fall down the table over the years to come. Gary Mercer guided Castleford to five wins in their last 10 games after replacing Steadman in 2004 but it was too little to save them from the drop as Castleford were relegated for the first time in the club's history. Since the introduction of two divisions for the 1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Castleford had spent 32 years in the top flight of British rugby league. Gary Mercer left the club following their relegation from Super League.
2005–2007: Life in the second tier of Rugby League
Terry Matterson joined Castleford in November 2005 in replacement of Woods. Castleford were celebrated for playing a good brand of rugby league, however it was not good enough to stop them from contesting a relegation dog fight which was to culminate in a historic match at Wakefield Trinity's Belle Vue, dubbed 'The Battle of Belle Vue'. It was a fight to stay in the league, and when Castleford lost to Wakefield Trinity, it confirmed their relegation.[2] Many Castleford fans do not accept this relegation and it became a grave point of contention with the governing body. Castleford were relegated from second bottom in front of the newly inducted French side, Catalans Dragons, who had been given immunity from relegation that season, and behind Wigan who had been found guilty of a breach of the salary cap rules.
In 2007, Castleford again made a quick return to Super League as they finished top of the Championship with only one loss all season and defeated Widnes 42–10 in the Co-operative Championship play-off final. Castleford finished bottom of Super League in 2008, but were not relegated due to the newly in place franchise rules.
2009–2012: Re-establishment in Super League
In 2009, Castleford saw a brief return to success by reaching the Grand Final play-offs for the first time since Super League VII and made the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in 2011 before being knocked out by Leeds in an 8–10 defeat after extra time. At the end of the season, standout halfback Rangi Chase was announced as the winner of the 2011 Man of Steel award.[3]
Terry Matterson stepped down at the end of the 2011 season to take up a coaching role in Australia and was replaced by former St Helens coach Ian Millward. Millward was released by mutual consent on 9 April 2013 after a poor run of results with 1 win in 18 games and with the team at the bottom of the Super League table. Daryl Powell was appointed head coach in May 2013 taking over from assistant coach Danny Orr, who had been in temporary charge of the club.
2013–2021: Daryl Powell era
Under the guidance of Daryl Powell and his assistants Danny Orr and Ryan Sheridan, the Castleford Tigers once again started to see success on and off the field.[4] The 2014 side were again lauded as 'Classy Cas' for their fast-paced and exciting style, built around home grown players such as captain Michael Shenton, Daryl Clark, and Andy Lynch. The team reached the Challenge Cup final in August 2014, losing to local rivals Leeds Rhinos 23–10 in front of a crowd of 77,914 at Wembley Stadium.[5] Castleford missed out on the League Leaders' Shield on the final day of the regular season, eventually finishing 4th after defeat to Catalans.[6] In the play-offs, they were defeated 41–0 by St Helens in their qualifying final,[7] and beaten 14–30 by Warrington in their preliminary semi-final to bring the season to a close.[8] At the end of season awards, Daryl Clark was named both Man of Steel and Young Player of the Year, and Powell was awarded Coach of the Year.[9]
On 29 September 2015, the club announced the death of chairman Jack Fulton.[10]
In 2017, the Tigers enjoyed a phenomenal 23 game regular season as they finished 10 points clear at the top of the table before the split, having won 20 and lost just 3 of their games. They went into the Super 8s having already secured a top four play-off spot and lifted the League Leaders' Shield in August, topping the table for the first time in their 91-year history.[11] In the play-off semi-final against St Helens, Luke Gale - just days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy - kicked a drop goal in golden point extra time to send Cas to their first Grand Final with a 23–22 victory. At Old Trafford, Castleford were defeated 24–6 by Leeds Rhinos with a late consolation score from Alex Foster their sole try.[12] Gale was voted Man of Steel, while Powell picked up the Coach of the Year award for the second time.[13] The Tigers were also represented by six inclusions in the Super League Dream Team.[14]
2018 saw Castleford finish the regular season in 3rd position after an injury-hit year, including the loss of key man Luke Gale for several months with a fractured knee-cap.[15]
Castleford finished the 2019 Super League season in 5th place on the table. Castleford reached the second week of the 2019 Super League play-offs where they were defeated by eventual Grand Finalists Salford Red Devils 22–0 in the elimination semi-final.[16]
At the conclusion of the 2021 season, Daryl Powell - by then Super League's longest serving head coach - departed Castleford, saying "For both me and the club, it is the right time."[21][22] Alongside him, numerous long-serving and influential players moved on, including captain Michael Shenton, Grant Millington, and Oliver Holmes. The new head coach was announced as Lee Radford, ushering the club into a new era with a host of signings.[23][24] Castleford started the 2022 season poorly before climbing into the playoff places by July. The final match of the year, against Leeds, would see the winners advance to the playoffs - the Tigers conceded two late tries to lose 14–6, finishing their season in 7th place.[25]
After a bleak start to the 2023 season, Radford was terminated as head coach on 6 March and replaced by assistant coach Andy Last.[26][27] Castleford's continued poor form saw them drawn into a relegation scrap with Wakefield, and Last too was dismissed after registering just four wins from nineteen matches.[28]Danny Ward took charge for the final six rounds, with the Tigers eventually finishing in 11th place and narrowly surviving.[29]
Castleford went into the 2024 season under Craig Lingard with a large squad turnover and reduced average age.[30][31] The team operated with a reduced playing budget as the club prioritised off-field improvements to secure Super League status under the new IMG grading system.[32][33] They finished the year in 10th place, representing a marginal improvement on the previous campaign.[34] In October 2024, the club announced that board member and investor Martin Jepson had agreed to the purchase of shares owned by the Fulton family, making him majority shareholder and chairman.[35][36] In the following days, Castleford parted company with Lingard,[37] and it was announced they had achieved a Grade A score in the 2024 club gradings.[38]
Stadiums
1926–27: Sandy Desert
Sandy Desert in 2008
In February 1926, Castleford RLFC were accepted into the Northern Rugby Football League from the 1926–27 season. Within a week of their successful application, the club announced that they had agreed to the purchase of Wheldon Road for their future home. While improvements were carried out, they played their first season as professionals at the Sandy Desert ground, located on the west side of Lock Lane, which had been their home as an amateur side.[39] The site is now used by amateur club Castleford Lock Lane.
Wheldon Road was built in 1926, originally intended to be the home of association football club Castleford Town. In February 1926, within a week of Castleford RLFC's successful application to join the Northern Rugby Football League, the club announced that they had agreed to buy the ground. They had negotiated an £800 loan from the RFL to finance the purchase. The club spent a year making improvements to spectator facilities, reseeding the playing area and replacing the perimeter fencing before finally moving in from the 1927–28 season.[39]
On 9 March 1935, the ground set its record attendance when 25,449 spectators watched Castleford play a third-round Challenge Cup match against Hunslet.
Castleford installed floodlights at Wheldon Road ahead of the 1965–66 season, becoming the seventh rugby league club to do so.[40] This enabled their participation in the inaugural BBC2 Floodlit Trophy.
In the early 2000s, the stadium was renamed The Jungle as a result of sponsorship from online retailer Jungle.com. This moniker proved popular with supporters, with the club seeking to reinstate the name alongside subsequent naming rights holders.[41]
Proposed relocations
The Lateral Property group submitted a planning application for a proposed £135 million development and Five Towns Stadium in Glasshoughton. Outline planning permission was given to the development in 2015, with Reserved Matters applications to follow. In early 2018, Lateral Property Group announced that site had been renamed Axiom, working with partner Highgrove Plc,[42] a scheme which would include food, a country park and an omni-retail experience. Numerous planning applications have been submitted through Wakefield MDC Planning Department to discharge conditions as well as amend the scheme slightly, with a Reserved Matters application for Phase 1 and 2a of the work approved. The schedule provided by the developers is that work on supporting roads and groundworks will begin in Summer/Autumn 2018 with the stadium to be completed in time for the 2021 season. In July 2018, an application was submitted to increase the capacity of the proposed ground from 10,000 to 10,245.[43]
^David Smart & Andrew Howard (1 July 2000). "Images of Sport – Castleford Rugby League – A Twentieth Century History". The History Press Ltd. ISBN978-0752418957
^Garbett, Ian; Garbett, Roy (14 August 2017). Castleford Rugby League Football Club: A Ninety Years Statistical & Pictorial Record 1926-2016. In memory of Len Garbett. Scratching Shed Publishing. ISBN978-0995586109.
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