FRIDAY sees a 10-year milestone in Huddersfield.

On August 20, 1994, Huddersfield Town played their first game at the McAlpine stadium against Wycombe Wanderers. Wycombe won 1-0.

The idea of closing Town's old Leeds Road ground and building a new stadium was conceived in the late 1980s.

Health and safety disasters at other grounds prompted questions over the quality of the old Town ground and that of the Huddersfield Rugby League Club at Fartown, later to become The Giants.

The challenge of funding the project was huge, but doubters have been proved wrong.

Sir John Harman, chairman of Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd which runs the venue, said: "It seemed little more than a pipe dream. The vital ingredient was the commitment of the partners. It is rightly a source of local pride."

The partners were Town, Huddersfield Rugby League Club and Kirklees Council, which owned the derelict proposed site of Royds Mill.

They formed Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd and started to secure funding from businesses, Government grants and an ingenious redevelopment of the nearby old Leeds Road ground into a retail park.

Today, shops such as B&Q, Argos and Comet make the site a busy trading area.

Architects The Lobb Partnership were chosen to create the stadium's distinctive design - featuring the wonderful banana-shaped trusses - and Alfred McAlpine builders were commissioned to build the structure.

The firm bought the buildings' name rights and until recently it was known as the Alfred McAlpine Stadium.

But by the time the stadium officially opened on August 20, only the first phase of building was complete.

Only two of four planned stands were finished, giving a 15,200 capacity. However, four months later the 4,000 capacity South Stand was built at a cost of £1.5m.

The 30-bay Stadium Golf driving range opened a few months later.

The final step - creating the north stand - took a further four years and £11m.

The partners decided to incorporate the north stand with a leisure complex, housing a pool, health and fitness centre, dance studios, a business centre and the offices of Kirklees Leisure Services, later Kirklees Active Leisure.

Finally, the stadium had its 25,000 capacity and the north stand complex was opened in September 1998 by Prince Andrew.

Around the same time, the UCI Cinema opened its nine-screen complex next to the stadium.

Over the years, the stadium has witnessed the ups and downs of Town, the Giants, financial crises - and massive successes, including concerts by the likes of Bon Jovi and REM.

Sir John Harman said: "It is almost impossible to imagine the town without it."

The 10th anniversary marks the end of McAlpine name sponsorship and heralds the arrival of a new sponsor, Galpharm.

Pharmaceuticals firm Galpharm, owned by Graham Leslie, recently bought the naming rights.