Two days ago — on October 3, 2026 — Wakefield Trinity made history. They defeated Warrington Wolves 23–10 at Old Trafford to win the Super League Grand Final for the first time since 1968. It was the most dramatic season in the club’s modern history.
And the man standing at the center of it all — the one who funded it, believed in it, and delivered it — was Matt Ellis, a Barnsley-born kitchen company heir who took over one of rugby league’s most troubled clubs just three years ago and turned it into champions.
Here is the complete story of who owns Wakefield Trinity and how we got here.
Who Owns Wakefield Trinity in 2026?
Wakefield Trinity is owned by Matthew (Matt) Ellis — a West Yorkshire businessman and director of DIY Kitchens, a family-owned kitchen retailer and manufacturer based in the Wakefield/Leeds area.
Matt Ellis is listed as the Owner and Chairman of Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Football Club on the club’s official staff directory, with Craig Barrass serving as Chief Executive.
Ellis completed his takeover of Wakefield Trinity in October 2023, purchasing the club after they had just been relegated from Super League — at arguably the lowest point in the club’s modern history.
In less than three full seasons under his ownership, he has led the club from the Championship back to Super League, and now all the way to the very top of the game.
Who Is Matt Ellis?
Matt Ellis is a Barnsley-born businessman who grew up in a family built on kitchens. DIY Kitchens is a long-established family business which can trace its history back to 1982 and today employs around 550 people in the Wakefield/Leeds postcode area.
Ellis inherited the company and learned it from the ground up — working in each manufacturing department, operating equipment, and delivering customer orders before eventually taking the helm.
He was primarily a football fan — a lifelong Barnsley FC supporter — before rugby league got hold of him. By the time he bought Wakefield Trinity in 2023, he had already formed a close connection with the club and the sport.
He committed to investing in excess of £1.5 million in his first year of ownership alone, pledging to rebuild the squad, the academy, the women’s team, and the club’s off-field operations. Reports from the 2026 Grand Final week suggest he has now tipped somewhere between £10 million and £12 million into Wakefield Trinity in total across his three years of ownership.
Ownership and Key Details Table
| Party | Role | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Ellis (Matthew Ellis) | Owner & Chairman | Barnsley-born; director of DIY Kitchens; took over October 2023 |
| DIY Kitchens | Ellis’s Primary Business | Family business since 1982; ~550 employees; Wakefield/Leeds area |
| Craig Barrass | Chief Executive | Day-to-day running of the club under Ellis |
| Daryl Powell | Head Coach | Appointed by Ellis; mastermind behind the 2026 Super League title win |
| Belle Vue (DIY Kitchens Stadium) | Home Ground | Capacity 9,252; owned by Wakefield Trinity; Belle Vue, Wakefield |
| Previous Owner | John Minards (Chairman pre-Ellis) | Handed club to Ellis after relegation in 2023; described Ellis as “the next custodians” |
The Origin Story: A Club Founded in 1873
Wakefield Trinity is one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world. The club’s predecessor was The Young Men’s Society, formed in 1867 by Holy Trinity Church in Wakefield to promote sports. The team itself was formally established in 1873 — making it over 150 years old.
The club was one of the founding members of the Northern Union in 1895 — the original split from the Rugby Football Union that eventually became rugby league. Their home at Belle Vue has been in use since 1895, when the ground was purchased to provide the club with a permanent base. Between 1999 and 2016, the club played under the name Wakefield Trinity Wildcats before returning to the original name.
Wakefield Trinity won their last top-division league title in 1968 — a wait of 58 years before Matt Ellis and Daryl Powell ended the drought on October 3, 2026.
How Matt Ellis Took Over — and What He Found
When Matt Ellis arrived at Wakefield Trinity in 2023, the club was in a deeply troubled state. They had just been relegated from Super League after finishing bottom of the table. The club’s fanbase was demoralised. A stadium redevelopment at Belle Vue was ongoing. Recruitment had been poor. And the atmosphere around the club was one of genuine uncertainty about its future.
John Minards, the outgoing chairman, confirmed the agreement to sell to Ellis in September 2023, describing the process as “months of discussions” and welcoming the new owner warmly. Ellis immediately made clear what he was there for. He brought in former Super League coach Daryl Powell — previously of Warrington Wolves and Castleford Tigers — to lead the on-field rebuild. He invested in the squad and pledged to retain the club’s best young talent. And he set a target: win the Grand Final within five years.
He did it in three.
From Championship to Super League Grand Final Champions
The turnaround under Matt Ellis has been one of the most remarkable stories in British rugby league in years.
In 2024, under Ellis and Powell, Wakefield Trinity won the Championship — the second tier of British rugby league — and earned promotion back to Super League with a stunning 36–0 win over Toulouse Olympique in the Championship Grand Final. The 2025 season was their first back in Super League, and they consolidated their position. By 2026, everything came together.
Wakefield finished 4th in Super League in the 2026 regular season — a position that meant nothing given what followed. In the semi-final against league leaders Wigan Warriors, they produced what commentators called one of the greatest upsets in Super League playoff history. Then they faced Warrington Wolves at Old Trafford and won 23–10 — winning the Super League Grand Final for the first time since 1968.
After the final whistle, Matt Ellis spoke of “creating a monster” — a reference to how quickly the club has grown under his leadership. A man who three years ago bought a recently relegated rugby league club for millions of pounds of his own money had just watched his team be crowned Super League champions.
Belle Vue — The DIY Kitchens Stadium
Wakefield Trinity play their home matches at Belle Vue — officially known as the DIY Kitchens Stadium for sponsorship reasons — located on the A638 Doncaster Road, approximately one mile south of Wakefield city centre. The ground has a capacity of 9,252 and has been the home of Wakefield Trinity since 1895.
The stadium was purchased by Wakefield Trinity from the 88m Group in 2019, giving the club full ownership of their home ground for the first time. Redevelopment work has been ongoing under Matt Ellis’s ownership, with plans submitted for a major revamp of the venue. With Super League Grand Final success now achieved, Ellis has spoken publicly about staging a potential World Club Challenge at either Belle Vue or Barnsley FC’s Oakwell — though Rugby League Commercial are reportedly pushing for Leeds United’s Elland Road as the venue.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Wakefield Trinity in 2026?
Wakefield Trinity is owned by Matt Ellis — a West Yorkshire businessman and director of family kitchen company DIY Kitchens, who took over the club in October 2023.
Q2. When did Matt Ellis buy Wakefield Trinity?
Matt Ellis agreed the takeover in September 2023 and completed it in October 2023, after Wakefield had just been relegated from Super League.
Q3. What business does Matt Ellis own?
Matt Ellis is a director of DIY Kitchens, a family-owned kitchen retailer and manufacturer based in the Wakefield/Leeds area that has operated since 1982 and employs around 550 people.
Q4. Did Wakefield Trinity win the Super League Grand Final in 2026?
Yes. Wakefield Trinity defeated Warrington Wolves 23–10 at Old Trafford on October 3, 2026, winning the Super League Grand Final for the first time since 1968.
Q5. Who is the head coach of Wakefield Trinity in 2026?
Daryl Powell — former coach of Warrington Wolves and Castleford Tigers — was appointed by Matt Ellis and led Wakefield Trinity to the 2026 Super League Grand Final title.
Q6. Where do Wakefield Trinity play their home games?
Wakefield Trinity play at Belle Vue, officially the DIY Kitchens Stadium, located on Doncaster Road in Wakefield, with a capacity of 9,252.
Q7. When was Wakefield Trinity founded?
Wakefield Trinity was founded in 1873 and was one of the founding clubs of the Northern Union — which became rugby league — in 1895, making it one of the oldest rugby clubs in the world.
Q8. How much has Matt Ellis invested in Wakefield Trinity?
Reports around the 2026 Grand Final suggest Matt Ellis has invested between £10 million and £12 million of his own money into Wakefield Trinity since taking over in 2023.
Wakefield Trinity is owned by Matt Ellis — a Barnsley-born businessman and director of the family-owned DIY Kitchens company.
He took over the club in October 2023 when they were freshly relegated from Super League, invested between £10–12 million of his own money, appointed Daryl Powell as head coach, and delivered the Super League Grand Final title in just three seasons — ending a 58-year wait for the club’s most loyal supporters.
From a church sports society in 1873, to one of the founding clubs of rugby league in 1895, to Super League champions in 2026 — Wakefield Trinity is living through its greatest modern chapter, and it is entirely because one man from Barnsley who loved kitchens decided to take a chance on a struggling rugby league club.
