200 replies to this topic

[steef]

Sheffield is a white elephant, they had a decent crack in the top flight includeing a wembley trip and never got decent crowds, 2 big football clubs doesn't help either. London 2? are you mad? we need to concentrate all interest in RL into one place not dilute it. Paris would be nice but there seems to be no foundations for it to succeed long term. As for mergers, whats the point in expansion if we lose a club in return?

[ParisSurtout]

Sheffield is a white elephant, they had a decent crack in the top flight includeing a wembley trip and never got decent crowds, 2 big football clubs doesn't help either. London 2? are you mad? we need to concentrate all interest in RL into one place not dilute it. Paris would be nice but there seems to be no foundations for it to succeed long term. As for mergers, whats the point in expansion if we lose a club in return?

In all these future SL clubs I have proposed, the existence of a strong financial base is the key to everything else. If you have plenty of money you can buy the best players and set up a top quality marketing department.

Quins are underfunded, and always have been. If they had more money then they would have better players -- and hence better on field results -- and that and a good marketing department could bring better crowds.

There will be no London II until there is a rich benefactor found. Richard Lewis is looking for one. I hope he succeeds, because a local London derby should ignite much more local interest in rugby league in London.

Paris will succeed if the money promised by Bernard Laporte for Stade Francais eventuates. Max Guazzini is an exceptional entrepreneur, who happens to like rugby league. He is thus motivated to make Paris SF succeed in Super League. If the money is there, it will succeed. After all Guazzini has built Stade Francais rugby union into a Top 14 powerhouse out of lower division insignificance.

The Harlequins current situation is not analagous to the Paris proposal. Quins are a completely separate entity financially from Harlequins RU and are struggling financially. If Paris SF RL is created, it will likely have the same President (Guazzini) as SF RU, and it will have a big bag of casino money to spend.

It will be up to the RFL to ensure that SF RL undertake junior development. But obviously it is in the interest of Guazzini and his team to do so.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 16 July 2010 - 04:12 AM.

[EastLondonMike]

merging cas and wakey would just alienate fans.. thats a given.. very few from both sets of fans would support a merged side.. the only possible way would be to create a new team in that new stadium, cas and wakey drop down to the championship with thie identities in tact and act as feeder clubs.. but even that is as big a risk as suggesting a merger. as any new team would probably struggle to attract any local support.

i do think both teams deserve a crack at getting their arses in gear in a new shared stadium though.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

We'l never ever merge but almost certainly we will share a stadium

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Tigers issue a statement around the ground share and feasibility study. A good statement IMO

http://www.castigers...icle.php?id=914

[a.n Other]

Probably the only way that both clubs can retain their Super League places.

I think they may have to re-gain SL status after the next round of licences. Widnes would appear to be nailed on, but i wouldnt be suprised if the RFL look at dropping two teams or more.

[Padge]

It's going to have to be a quick feasability study.

[Bomb Jack]

To me this seems all waffle, to make sure both Clubs are in SL come 2012.

[Hudson]

In my opinion if the Stadium is situated in the correct area then there is no reason why Castleford and Wakefield shouldn't share a stadium, this will enable valuable funds to be spent elsewhere e.g. schools etc.

However to say that they should be demoted to the championship is stupid. why? both clubs have proved that they are good enough contend in superleague. Both teams are fighting for the playoff places and to lose these teams will only cause the divide betweenoverall quality of SL to decrease.

If SL want new teams to be involved then demote the likes of salford who are always wollowing in the bottom 4.

"Quins are underfunded, and always have been. If they had more money then they would have better players -- and hence better on field results -- and that and a good marketing department could bring better crowds."

Excellent point......chuck more money at a poorly supported club to enable them to buy top austrailian players...stopping home grown tallent progressing.......give away free tickets to people who dont care about the game ----- Money pit comes to mind.

[shrek]

Seems like a logical move for all those people that think Wakefield and Castleford are the same place. Build it in Wakefield and Cas will wither, build it in Cas and the reverse will happen.

You best get a map to Richard Wright pronto!

Tigers Chief Executive Richard Wright said:
"The shared stadium is an exciting concept. We are pleased to see Wakefield MDC taking this strategic approach to stadium development in the district.
"We welcome the suggestion of an independent feasibility study approach and agree in principle that a shared stadium is the best option for both clubs and the community.

[Blind side johnny]

I think that the two clubs need to start thinking about a merger, because that stadium is not going to be started, let alone built, by early 2011. So both clubs face losing their SL licenses. We may see both of them in the Championship in 2012. I certainly hope so, because Widnes (somewhat) and Toulouse (massively) will bring more to the popularity and prosperity of the game from 2012 on --- as will Sheffield, London II, South Wales, Paris, and Lyon in later years.

It is still an open question as to whether Super League needs more than three West Yorkshire clubs. As I have long argued, as had Uncle Mo, as a concession to the fans, there could be a Calder United club in Super League. The compromise name could be Calder Trinity Tigers. They would then use one new 12,000 capacity stadium, as would both Wakefield and Castleford Championship teams.

<TROLL ALERT>

[Millman]

In my opinion if the Stadium is situated in the correct area then there is no reason why Castleford and Wakefield shouldn't share a stadium, this will enable valuable funds to be spent elsewhere e.g. schools etc.

I thought Wakefield's proposed stadium didn't require money from the public purse so not sure how this applies to them.

[Lobbygobbler]

I'm personally not sure about having 2 SL clubs ground sharing in a licensing environment.

It just doesn't feel like 2 separate clubs if they play at a common place. It might be palatable for the Football League if each club can still draw 40k, but then again it is less releavnt as soccer is already played almost throughout the country. RL is trying to keep afloat/develop within the heartlands, and outside in Northern areas with no-RL and also outside the north. It smacks of reductionalism.

In a P&R environment it is less an issue.

Personally I would like to see them both get a new stadium, though Cas's current ground is much superior to Wakey's (and Bradford's) and comes across better on telly

One of them would have to go until they can get separate grounds. At the moment that would be Wakey as their stadium is all-in-all worst

[PREPOSTEROUS]

I thought Wakefield's proposed stadium didn't require money from the public purse so not sure how this applies to them.

Neither are getting any direct funding from the local authority. They have both been loaned plot of land from which to raise capital against. The proposal put forward by Castleford shareholder/supporter/WMDC leader Peter Box is that these two plots of land will be combined to fund just one stadium and not two. Guess which stadium is short on the funding front?! Yep, Glasshoughton.

It is WMDC that have also delayed the Outline planning decision until September, it was due today.

By removing the plot of land from Newmarket makes that scheme unviable.

Edited by PREPOSTEROUS, 16 July 2010 - 11:43 AM.

[bowes]

I think they may have to re-gain SL status after the next round of licences. Widnes would appear to be nailed on, but i wouldnt be suprised if the RFL look at dropping two teams or more.

Widnes replacing Salford would make more sense, unless Harlequins fold then they can replace them

[bowes]

There will be no London II until there is a rich benefactor found. Richard Lewis is looking for one. I hope he succeeds, because a local London derby should ignite much more local interest in rugby league in London.

If a rich benefactor can be found to run a thriving London club then it would make more sense that they'd replace the basketcase that is Quins

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Neither are getting any direct funding from the local authority. They have both been loaned plot of land from which to raise capital against. The proposal put forward by Castleford shareholder/supporter/WMDC leader Peter Box is that these two plots of land will be combined to fund just one stadium and not two. Guess which stadium is short on the funding front?! Yep, Glasshoughton.

It is WMDC that have also delayed the Outline planning decision until September, it was due today.

By removing the plot of land from Newmarket makes that scheme unviable.

So, reading between the lines of your post, you are claiming that all this is to benefot Castleford and that's it?

[Millman]

So, reading between the lines of your post, you are claiming that all this is to benefot Castleford and that's it?

I don't read it like that because benefot is not a word I understand.

[PREPOSTEROUS]

So, reading between the lines of your post, you are claiming that all this is to benefot Castleford and that's it?

If the boot was on the other foot, GH had the funding in place subject to planning permission but all of a sudden that was taken away for a ‘review’ to chose between which stadium to back, one of which doesn’t have the funding in place, what would you think?

Quite rightly you would question the need for any such review.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

If the boot was on the other foot, GH had the funding in place subject to planning permission but all of a sudden that was taken away for a ‘review’ to chose between which stadium to back, one of which doesn’t have the funding in place, what would you think?

Quite rightly you would question the need for any such review.

If every single box was ticked from a Wakefield perspective and they were just waiting to lay the first brick then possibly but I think we all know that's not the case.

If anything I think doing this will get Wakey out of the sh*te even though it will mean them playing at Glasshoughton in Castleford, in Wakefield