Editing Warrington Wolves (section)

===Super league era: 1996–2002===
In 1996, the first tier of British rugby league clubs played the inaugural [[Super League]] season<ref name="slhistory">{{cite web|title=The Super League|url=http://www.warringtonwolves.org/the-super-league|publisher=Warrington Wolves|access-date=24 February 2012}}</ref> and changed from a winter to a summer season.<ref name="hadfield20-12-95">{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/rugbys-pounds-87m-deal-gives-murdoch-transfer-veto-1526582.html |work=The Independent |location=UK |title=Rugby's pounds 87m deal gives Murdoch transfer veto |author=Dave Hadfield |date=20 December 1995 |access-date=6 May 2009}}</ref> Warrington added "Wolves" to their name for the start of the 1997 season; wolf symbols had started to appear on Warrington shirts in the early nineties, and a wolf featured in the middle of the town's coat of arms. To mark this change Warrington produced a new logo.

[[John Dorahy]] took over as coach and the new era started optimistically. Their first Super League game was a 22–18 win at Leeds and Wolves finished fifth place in the inaugural Super League. This was as good as it got for Wolves a long time, Warrington became a 'selling club', first losing Iestyn Harris to Leeds, then Paul Sculthorpe to Saint Helens. Dorahy resigned in March 1997, before the end of the season with Warrington sitting on the bottom of the Super League ladder.<ref>{{cite news|format=fee required|publisher=The People (London)|title=Dorahy quits the Wolf pack |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4648886.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517000409/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4648886.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2011 |access-date=19 January 2008|date=30 March 1997}}</ref> 
 
In 1997, [[Darryl van der Velde]] took over as head coach. Plans to move from [[Wilderspool Stadium]] were announced with [[Burtonwood]] the likely site. The former brewery on Winwick Road was chosen to be the new home for Warrington and [[Tesco]] were also to develop on the land with their first ever supermarket in the town. A lengthy planning process finally ended with permission finally given for a 14,206 capacity stadium and supermarket to be built. The capacity was reduced to 13,500 on safety grounds after the first match.

Wilderspool stadium was sold to the local council for £1 million in 1998 but despite this Wolves finish the season in financial trouble with massive debts.

In 2000, retired Australian captain and scrum-half, [[Allan Langer]] came out of retirement to play in Super League for Warrington Wolves. He captained the side and took them to within one match of the Challenge Cup final in 2000.<ref>{{cite news
 | last = Hadfield
 | first = Dave
 | title = Questionnaire: ALLAN LANGER – Australian Test scrum-half and captain of Warrington
 |work=The Independent 
 | location =London, England, UK
 | date = 6 March 2000
 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5061710.html
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121102113947/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5061710.html
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-date = 2 November 2012
 |access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref>

[[Steve Anderson (rugby coach)|Steve Anderson]] succeeded van der Velde in August 2001, he was replaced by his assistant [[David Plange]] mid-season following a run of 11 defeats which threatened Warrington's record of continuous top level rugby. [[Paul Cullen (rugby league)|Paul Cullen]] was appointed head coach in 2002,<ref name=slhistory /> becoming the third coach of the season. Cullen not only achieved survival but also led Wolves to a first ever play-off appearance since the reintroduction of this format in 1998.