When Featherstone Rovers acquired two abandoned football stands from Scarborough FC, they didn’t just salvage steel—they reignited a community spirit that many thought had gone forever. Led by former player Paul Coventry, a band of retired volunteers known as The Stand Gang poured their hearts and soul into a project fueled by camaraderie, ingenuity, and love for the game. Through treacherous weather, setbacks, and with sheer determination, they dismantled the stands and transported them 70 miles one bolt and beam at time.
More than a construction tale, this is a tribute to civic pride, working-class ingenuity, and the enduring power of place. It is the inspiring true story of how a rugby league club built more than stands—they built legacy.
Foreword by David Hobbs
Preface by Ian Clayton
Jimmy Thompson
What an excellent story, told truthfully and from the heart. Well done Paul for bringing this story to the public and well done to the Stand Gang for stepping up to the mark and completing a magnificent job.
Paul Coventry
Paul Coventry is a former professional rugby league player for Featherstone Rovers, Wakefield Trinity and Bramley. He later became Chairman of Featherstone Rovers. Drawing on his experience gained from a career in engineering, Paul led a team of volunteers in an audacious project to transfer a pair of football stands from the derelict ground of Scarborough FC to Featherstone Rovers’ home ground. He tells this inspirational story in his book Our Last Stand.