The Ashington Recreation Grounds were first mooted in 1886, when the colliery managers provided a 2 1/2 acre field and appointed a committee to oversee the opening and maintenance. A secretary, treasurer, trustees and representatives were all appointed at the end of September of that year. Conversations grew from at least the May however, with a note in the Alnwick Guardian considering the field due to the rapidly growing population and need for improvements. The Duke of Portland gave the trees to be planted also.

Upon opening there was a gymnasium, a 771 yard bicycle track, bandstand, handball wall and a grandstand for the largest of the towns events. It opened on the 20th November to 3 football matches - Ashington Rising Star 1st v Dudley Weetslade Heroes 1st (2-2), the 2nd teams of the above (5-0), and the juniors of the above (0-0). Ashington Rising Star were already an established team in the town alongside Ashington Black Diamond, commencing in 1885 and putting up good fights against teams in Blyth, Choppington, Bedlington and Newcastle West End. Ashington Hotspur Juniors also played at this ground on the same day.

The formal inauguration of the grounds came in the July of 1887. The New Delaval Bicycle Club opened out the new track at the same time as the colliery band played Rule Britannia. The first athletics and bicycle tournament came not long after in September, with a local club having just been formed. Cycling heats, 110 yard footraces and football all occurred with Ashington Rising Star juniors again performing against Newcastle East End's juniors (the team to form Newcastle United).

To market and showcase the grounds, an Ashington Recreation Ground Challenge Cup was held here from 1888. It featured Ashington 1st, Alnwick, Bedlington West End, Newcastle East End Reserves, Morpeth Harriers, North Sands Rovers, Wansbeck Rovers and Mickley.

Though it's difficult to find an exact date, it appears Ashington AFC played here from 1889 against teams like Rothbury and Rendal (of Newcastle's West End). Fascinatingly the first "international" match here was Ashington against Airdrieonians FC, a now defunct team founded in 1878 at Airdrie, Scotland. Presumably the migrant ties from Scots coming to the colliery aided this fixture. The Scots beat Ashington 7-2.

Ashington AFC went on to play in the Northern Alliance in the 1890s against teams like Willington Athletic, Rendel and Blyth. At the same time the Portland Challenge Cup was hosted here as a bicycle competition between various regional clubs. Jarrow & Choppington made the visit in 1890. Quoits is also first referenced to be played here in 1902, and Rugby under the guise of the Ashington & Hirst Rugby Football Club is noted in 1907.

While Ashington moved over to their own purpose built grounds at the end of the 1900s, local clubs flourished at the site. Another two - Ashington Albion, Ashington Old Boys, Ashington Spartans and Ashington Black Watch were noted to play at home here in the early 20th century. It came with the diluting of leagues, with some playing in the Alnwick and District League and the East Northumberland League.

From the 1910s, the waters start to get slightly muddy as a whole cornucopia of recreation grounds begin to sprout around Ashington, given the boom in population due to the pits. This site remained and still does, but did not form the spine of sports in Ashington which severed to their own purpose built grounds away from the colliery. The grandstand remained for some years as did the "recreation cottage". In later years it became known officially as the Ashington Welfare Recreation Ground, with tennis courts installed along the border of the grounds with ambitions for a local league here. By the 30s, teams I can confirm who played here include the Ashington Welfare cricket team, Recreation Rovers and Ashington YMCA, the latter two playing in the Ashington Collieries Welfare League.

In the 70s, archery was played here also. The ground remains under the guise of the Hirst Welfare Centre.