National Stadium ?

[HKR AWAY DAYS]

Wemberleeeee...

[Eddie]

3 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Everyone always envisages Twickenham when talking about this.

No one really thinks about the white elephant that is the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre.

Or the fact that the England Union team play internationals. 

[Eddie]

Terrible idea, it would cost 100s of millions and we wouldn’t even play the GF or CC finals there as it wouldn’t be big enough (unless it was 60k capacity, which would be ridiculous). Basically it would just be used for the cup semi finals. 
 

Seems preposterous but if (massive if) the NFL wanted a couple of games in the North of England every year maybe we could go in with them. 

[Eddie]

3 hours ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

It's been touched on in one of the other threads already but i'm still looking for the 'Manchester and Liverpool need a RL team' 'BT sport does RL' and 'Could next year be the WC we finally beat Australia?' before it's a full house. 

Hang on…..

[fieldofclothofgold]

Its generally agreed that the game needs a  Bradford team competing in SL . When Bradford Bulls got into financial difficulties a few years ago the RFL took the leasehold of Odsal and then a  it later Bradford moved out . I wonder why the RFL took over the lease just to hold on to it? It wont happen but if the sport was going to have it's own stadium I think Braford maybe not Odsal but develop a  new site . The sport hasn't the finances to do that independently.  

[M j M]

2 minutes ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

Its generally agreed that the game needs a  Bradford team competing in SL . When Bradford Bulls got into financial difficulties a few years ago the RFL took the leasehold of Odsal and then a  it later Bradford moved out . I wonder why the RFL took over the lease just to hold on to it? It wont happen but if the sport was going to have it's own stadium I think Braford maybe not Odsal but develop a  new site . The sport hasn't the finances to do that independently.  

I may be completely imagining it but didn't they take over the lease to cover off amounts owed by the Bulls? They've taken ownership of other club's grounds before but it wasn't as a development opportunity.

[Eddie]

46 minutes ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

Its generally agreed that the game needs a  Bradford team competing in SL . When Bradford Bulls got into financial difficulties a few years ago the RFL took the leasehold of Odsal and then a  it later Bradford moved out . I wonder why the RFL took over the lease just to hold on to it? It wont happen but if the sport was going to have it's own stadium I think Braford maybe not Odsal but develop a  new site . The sport hasn't the finances to do that independently.  

While I’d like to see it, there hasn’t been a Bradford team for years, the game doesn’t need a Bradford team in SL. 

[theswanmcr]

34 minutes ago, Eddie said:

While I’d like to see it, there hasn’t been a Bradford team for years, the game doesn’t need a Bradford team in SL. 

This comes up every off-season too. Unless, as others have said, you invest into Elland Road then it’s a non-starter.

[Mr Frisky]

I thought the RFL should have broken the bank and bought Bolton stadium a few years ago.

Ok its not massive but they and SL could have moved to the stadium and had a base for UK RL, the football club would have paid rent and they could have used it for the semis and an England match every year. Same thinking for Wigan as well last season.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

Terrible idea, it would cost 100s of millions and we wouldn’t even play the GF or CC finals there as it wouldn’t be big enough (unless it was 60k capacity, which would be ridiculous). Basically it would just be used for the cup semi finals. 
 

Seems preposterous but if (massive if) the NFL wanted a couple of games in the North of England every year maybe we could go in with them. 

If we were ever to build a National Stadium both the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final would need to be held at it along with both Challenge Cup Semi Finals and all Play off games imo, as well as England Internationals which there would need to be considerably more of. 

The only way I could see this happening would be if we had a club tenant, which could be either Rugby League or Football and for it to be based in either Leeds or Manchester. If Salford City continue their rise through the football ranks and want a 50,000 capacity stadium it could be possible. Ideally it’d have some standing capacity which really would give it a unique feel compared to other large stadiums in this country. When you factor in the stadium could also host music events, boxing, it could work financially, but it’d be a huge risk of becoming a white elephant.

[Eddie]

8 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

If we were ever to build a National Stadium both the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final would need to be held at it along with both Challenge Cup Semi Finals and all Play off games imo, as well as England Internationals which there would need to be considerably more of. 

The only way I could see this happening would be if we had a club tenant, which could be either Rugby League or Football and for it to be based in either Leeds or Manchester. If Salford City continue their rise through the football ranks and want a 50,000 capacity stadium it could be possible. Ideally it’d have some standing capacity which really would give it a unique feel compared to other large stadiums in this country. When you factor in the stadium could also host music events, boxing, it could work financially, but it’d be a huge risk of becoming a white elephant.

Salford City will never need a 10k stadium, never mind 50k. 

[Whippet13]

I understand Everton want to move into a new stadium some point. We should buy Goodison off them as a national RL stadium and put a SL club in there, that will enable us to merge this thread with the RL in Liverpool one and achieve economies of scale. Marwan Koucash could own the club as well, so that would save someone the trouble of starting an off season topic on him.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

10 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Salford City will never need a 10k stadium, never mind 50k. 

I’m sure they’d find plenty of fans if they were ever to reach the Premier League 

[fieldofclothofgold]

How would the RFL get the funds for a national RL stadium ? 

[idrewthehaggis]

Honestly kids.

We haven't even got a modest Centre of Excellence, nevermind a National Stadium.

If RL, especially the RFL, did have access to the millions needed, then I'd sooner it was being granted to the likes of Cas, Wakey, Haven/ Worky or SRD to improve their grounds.

 

[HullWire]

11 hours ago, HawkMan said:

A number of questions, 

1. Does RL need a national stadium?

Would it improve the image of the sport? How would it be utilised , would being in total control of a RL only stadium of say 40,000 capacity allow wondrous projects to come to fruition?

2. Where should it be? A stadium only for RL capable of hosting England games, big play off matches, MPG, ( GF would still be at OT) should it be new or could an existing stadium be expanded? Headingley is the obvious choice . Is there room for expansion there, up to 40,000 or is that too big? What size should it be ?

3. The cost ?! Enormous or possibly not, private capital required no doubt,  would it all be worth it , or does the game need a national stadium like a fish needs a bicycle?

Answers:

1. NO

2. Location: Fairyland 

3. Cost: Five magic beans

[Grand Est]

6 hours ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

It wont happen but if the sport was going to have it's own stadium I think Braford maybe not Odsal but develop a  new site . The sport hasn't the finances to do that independently.  

I agree with this.  It won't happen, but IF it did... Bradford would be the place .

Cheap

No real competition

Nothing much else in the city, so a national RL stadium would actually be an attraction there.

A council that would probably be accomodating as they are desperate for attractions in the city.

A proper "city" with a Rugby League background.

Well located within the Rugby League/M62 footprint.

 

 

Never ever going to happen though.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

11 hours ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

How would the RFL get the funds for a national RL stadium ? 

Most, if not all stadiums are built with loans. Would a bank fund it? I think England need to be playing more regularly and a club side be planning to tenant the stadium to make it financially viable. It’d be interesting to know how much we pay to use Old Trafford, Wembley and neutral Semi Final venues each year, I bet it’s a sizeable cost. Those stadiums will then keep all the food and drink revenues on top of that. If it was a success having our own National Stadium could bring a lot more money into the sport as Twickenham does for the Union lot.

[Davo5]

8 hours ago, Grand Est said:

I agree with this.  It won't happen, but IF it did... Bradford would be the place .

Cheap

No real competition

Nothing much else in the city, so a national RL stadium would actually be an attraction there.

A council that would probably be accomodating as they are desperate for attractions in the city.

A proper "city" with a Rugby League background.

Well located within the Rugby League/M62 footprint.

 

 

Never ever going to happen though.

So build a national stadium in a sh##hole because it’s cheap & there’s nothing else there

[David Shepherd]

We're just not big enough or significant enough to warrant the cost of a national stadium.

We've got a ready made facility at Wembley that we seem too scared to take events to on the back of dwindling cup final crowds.

Maybe it's time we moved that up north and instead take the main event, the Super League Final to London. As a neutral, I'd be far more tempted to attend than I am at Manchester. I can go there anytime for a few bob on the train and come home. London is a proper break-away.

London is an events city, we should show a bit of ambition and take Magic Weekend there too, especially now we have 1/6 of the league based overseas. The international dimension is something we can really market, not least to many thousands of French ex-pats in the capital.

An international or two every year at Wembley is a must too. Mid season test against France when there's no other football code in town and Aus/NZ in the autumn (if we can coax them out of their covid bubbles). Internationals are the only way we're ever going to creep back into the national consciousness. 

 

Bradford though 

[Just Browny]

While I don't think we need a national stadium (at least, our own stadium - Wembley is fine), for all the reasons set out, I do think there is a case for us having a place we can go to as RL fans and feel a shared sense of identity. It's important we get the national RL museum set up as quickly as possible.

[JohnM]

56 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

So build a national stadium in a sh##hole because it’s cheap & there’s nothing else there

Yes. That would be SO rugby league! 

[JonM]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Most, if not all stadiums are built with loans. Would a bank fund it? I think England need to be playing more regularly and a club side be planning to tenant the stadium to make it financially viable. It’d be interesting to know how much we pay to use Old Trafford, Wembley and neutral Semi Final venues each year, I bet it’s a sizeable cost. 

Don't know the current price, but Wembley with all tiers open was £750K about 5 years ago, less if you don't use the top tier and so fewer staff required. It's possible the RFL gets it for less than that because they have a long-term deal and were in from the start, but that's the ball park. Spurs paid £15 million to rent it for the season back in 2018 (~25 games).

[Black Country Wire]

On 26/10/2021 at 12:48, hunsletgreenandgold said:

It's been touched on in one of the other threads already but i'm still looking for the 'Manchester and Liverpool need a RL team' 'BT sport does RL' and 'Could next year be the WC we finally beat Australia?' before it's a full house. 

You missed out someone suggesting a 9s tournament!

 

[Black Country Wire]

20 hours ago, fieldofclothofgold said:

Its generally agreed that the game needs a  Bradford team competing in SL .

Is it? Who by?