Harlequins should move here

[bowes]

not sure about modern velodromes.. they are indoors for a start.. i would think there would need to be quite a major builing project to turn it round, the seating is quite high up with the cornering etc so would need to add to that, and somehow work out how to get the pitch in and out cheaply.

More than that though i would expect with the distinct lack of velodromes in this country that part of the "legacy" would be to keep the velodrome a velodrome for our rising cycling enthusiatic country!

the hockey one sounds good though..

I would assume that whoever needs to sniff around is having a good look, its an opportunity that doesnt come along often to get a great ground with links etc.. BUT there seems to be a lot of politics around hte "legacy" idea and the cost etc so it may be that no matter how much you ask it is very difficult to get these grounds without a lot of caveats and clauses about usage etc.. you would hope that League fits nicely around these though unless it is wanted to keep a hockey legacy at which point the actual pitch would cause the most issues..

Hope it's a grass hockey pitch and not astroturf, sounds painful playing rugby league on astroturf

[RP London]

Hope it's a grass hockey pitch and not astroturf, sounds painful playing rugby league on astroturf

i would expect its a 3g one as they dont play hockey on grass anymore AFAIK.. but league has been played on 3g in russia etc..

but i did keep saying that if it was a hockey legacy etc then it wouldnt be so pratcical becuase of hte pitch

[gingerjon]

but i did keep saying that if it was a hockey legacy etc then it wouldnt be so pratcical becuase of hte pitch

Look, I hear what you're saying but I don't think you're considering the practicalites of the pitch.

[Stevo]

Think the Hockey stadium is spoken for - it's being moved after the games closer to Hackney Marshes (don't ask me why, or how...) and will be run by the Lea Valley Park people.

It's earmarked - surprisingly, perhaps - to stay as a field hockey venue. It'll have a bigger capacity than the Milton Keynes national hockey stadium - so maybe Miton Keynes will be available for a long lease post-2012.

Edit - sorry, just re-read my stuff. The hockey stadium being built for 2012 is a temporary structure; post games there will still be a hockey centre in the Olympic park adjacent to Hackney Marshes but it will be scaled down and consist of a few thousand permanent seats with temporary seating planned in upto 15,000. So contrary to what I wrote above...the stadium won't actually be physically moved. which is a shame, cos I'd like to have seen that!

Edited August 24, 2010 by Stevo

[RP London]

Look, I hear what you're saying but I don't think you're considering the practicalites of the pitch.

i'm not really sure what the biggest issue would be if they wanted to keep the ground as a hockey pitch... there is something that is in the back of my mind that may mean it wont work but i just cant think what.. maybe someone could give it some time and have a think and help me out??

[westlondonfan]

Good Call. It's interesting that you mentioned this stadium. I was on my way back from London City airport to South London in a taxi a couple of months back and went via the Olympic area. I noticed what looked several big stadium developments before seeing the main stadium. I figured one might be the velodrome, but couldn't weigh up what the other was. Perhaps this is what you are referring to? This would be ideal. Also would the Velodrome itself be another option? (like Stade Velodrome in Marseille).

QUestion is - Is anyone from the RFL doing anything whatsoever regarding this? Every other sport seems to be sniffing after summat. Would be a crying shame if Union steamrollers in - we might as well kiss goodbye to London then (and survival)

You really are an optimist arn't you?

[ArmchairRhino]

QUestion is - Is anyone from the RFL doing anything whatsoever regarding this? Every other sport seems to be sniffing after summat. Would be a crying shame if Union steamrollers in - we might as well kiss goodbye to London then (and survival)

Isn't the RFL occupying some office space somewhere on the complex?

[westlondonfan]

Greetings

3,331 was the average at the Valley 2000-2001

3,681 was the average at Griffin Park 2002-2005

3,625 is the current average at the Stoop 2005-2010

Moving or changing our name will change nothing.

According to the RFL, there are 1,000,000 people in the London area with an interest in RL. This is just one target audience. Then you have the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (2001 poulation 175,000), the surrounding areas of Ealing, Hounslow, Feltham, Brentford.

Then there's the ANZACS, who although they have proved difficult to attract, did turn up in force in 2005 (v Leeds, Griffin Park, 6,500) when the club ran a VB promo in METRO. The RFL marketed the WCC warm up game in 2009 and got nearly 7,000 to a game....Quins did SFA with this data......no change there then.

The simple fact is that unless there is a substantial injection of cash to promote the game, then all the time and effort (as well as considerable funding) that has gone into development and community work will be for nothing.

What Quins need is a total change of management, to bin the community/development work they have carried out on behalf of the RFL at no expense to the RFL and concentrate on turning a profit. Who, in their right mind would be happy to invest 10,000,000 over 10 years in a business that is currently losing 30k a week and doing nothing to stop the losses apart from letting staff go?

IMO that is.

Very interesting post especially the figures at the beginning. Can I also add in regard to the bit about the ANZACS the good crowd and atmosphere at the Aus v NZ game in the four Nations?

Edited August 24, 2010 by westlondonfan

[THE RED ROOSTER]

I hate to introduce a dose of reality here but

Renting a Soccer stadium

To give you some idea of the sums of money involved Saracens pay

[RLX111]

A bit ironic!

12 months ago standing empty- Milton KEYNES national hockey stadium- EX HOME OF THE mk dons .

Modern, upto Football/Superleague standards -all seater ,great community facilities

next to railway station, on the London Euston line to North west England!,near to M1.

Now flattened to the ground and being built on as the new offices of network rail.-national HQ!

[Lobbygobbler]

Greetings

3,331 was the average at the Valley 2000-2001

3,681 was the average at Griffin Park 2002-2005

3,625 is the current average at the Stoop 2005-2010

Moving or changing our name will change nothing.

According to the RFL, there are 1,000,000 people in the London area with an interest in RL. This is just one target audience. Then you have the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (2001 poulation 175,000), the surrounding areas of Ealing, Hounslow, Feltham, Brentford.

Then there's the ANZACS, who although they have proved difficult to attract, did turn up in force in 2005 (v Leeds, Griffin Park, 6,500) when the club ran a VB promo in METRO. The RFL marketed the WCC warm up game in 2009 and got nearly 7,000 to a game....Quins did SFA with this data......no change there then.

The simple fact is that unless there is a substantial injection of cash to promote the game, then all the time and effort (as well as considerable funding) that has gone into development and community work will be for nothing.

Who, in their right mind would be happy to invest 10,000,000 over 10 years in a business that is currently losing 30k a week and doing nothing to stop the losses apart from letting staff go?

What Quins need is a total change of management, to bin the community/development work they have carried out on behalf of the RFL at no expense to the RFL and concentrate on turning a profit.

IMO that is.

What is the current average at the Stoop?

To be honest I've never thought crowds announced to be accurate at the Stoop. Many of them appear to have been inflated

After having been to all London stadiums in the last 15 years, the crowds at the Stoop have always been the worst

[EastLondonMike]

the velodrome at the olympic site looks great.. and yes there is going to be a hockey stadium and also an indoor arena to host the basketball.. was talking to a friend about this the other day, who works very close to certain people involved on the olympic build.. he suggested to me the hockey pitch would be a good idea for a RL side looking at a new home. would need a bit of work due to the sizes of the respective pitches, but the olympic comittee/goverment will be looking for as many ways as possible to maximise the usage of such things after the games (ie to sell them if possible!). if someone at the RFL hasnt been in touch with people at the olympic site, they really should. not just regarding a possible RL side based there, but also with regards to RL using the major stadia for one-off events. Essex cricket are hoping to stage certain 20/20 games there throughout the summer, so any RFL action would need to move fast.

apparently saracens are being kicked out of watfords ground.. wonder if the RFL/Quins have thought of a crosscode ground share with them somewhere..

[bowes]

apparently saracens are being kicked out of watfords ground.. wonder if the RFL/Quins have thought of a crosscode ground share with them somewhere..

Saracens Rugby League?

[RP London]

Saracens Rugby League?

would add spice to any Wrexham vs London match

Crusaders RL vs Saracens RL

[Steve May]

It's all about Publicity

Obviously some people do not spend much time walking around Twickenham. Otherwise you might have come across the advert promoting "Your Team - Your Quins". Problem is Quins was is and always will mean the Rugby Union team to the extent that it was admitted by Keith Hogg at one of the fans forums that upon seeing polo shirts with the words Harlequins RL kids were enthusiastic at meeting coaching staff from Harlequins Rugby Lessons. As I have posted previously as the League club now pays a commercial rent for the use of the Stoop and there is no talk of a merger between the two clubs so therefore - and I stand to be corrected on this - since 2009 there has been no impediment to the Club changing its name or colours to achieve brand diferentiation. Even if the end result is the MK Broncos (with Cheerleaders - "The Bucks Fizz"...).

This rather sad story was entirely predictable. I seem to be recall being called a miserable git at the time when I pointed out that losing the Broncos tag would be a disaster.

Quins RL have to start by losing the Quins RL name. Until they do that any brand building effort they put in will be wasted. It was a stupid idea in the first place.