Clubs on the Up

[Eddie]

Which clubs do you think will be in a stronger position in 5-10 years, on field, financially and commercially?

I like the sound of what both Barrow and Rochdale are doing, I think they’ll both be at the upper end of the Championship by 2027 if the current owners stay. Maybe Sheffield too once the new ground is in place. 

[ShropshireBull]

York, Newcastle, Sheffield, Wakefield if they sort out their hole, Toulouse will start to compete. That´s it. Maybe Salford if they can plop a 3g pitch down and grow commercial income on and off match days. 

[georgeb1]

1 minute ago, ShropshireBull said:

York, Newcastle, Sheffield, Wakefield if they sort out their hole, Toulouse will start to compete. That´s it. Maybe Salford if they can plop a 3g pitch down and grow commercial income on and off match days. 

3g maybe o k in northern spain but it,s a bit dated in the u k now, but agree with your choice of clubs

[ShropshireBull]

1 minute ago, georgeb1 said:

3g maybe o k in northern spain but it,s a bit dated in the u k now, but agree with your choice of clubs

It´s all 3g , just with different labels. Any club that is serious that can and isn´t Leeds should be putting one down. Just unleashes alot of opportunities to use and link up with schools, colleges and Universities. 

[Wanderer]

One reason I stopped watching Widnes, aswell as them serving up garbage, was that the garbage was delivered on a plastic pitch. I know it offers other benefits to whoever owns the stadium but I like my rugby played on real mud. I am just old school I am afraid. Now my rugby fix is at grass roots level, union and league. I am non-discriminatory in my loathing of the round ball game

[tim2]

17 minutes ago, Wanderer said:

One reason I stopped watching Widnes, aswell as them serving up garbage, was that the garbage was delivered on a plastic pitch. I know it offers other benefits to whoever owns the stadium but I like my rugby played on real mud. I am just old school I am afraid. Now my rugby fix is at grass roots level, union and league. I am non-discriminatory in my loathing of the round ball game

I think playing on artificial pitches all the time will end a few careers and cause post-playing problems on joints. Just a thought.

[ShropshireBull]

24 minutes ago, Wanderer said:

One reason I stopped watching Widnes, aswell as them serving up garbage, was that the garbage was delivered on a plastic pitch. I know it offers other benefits to whoever owns the stadium but I like my rugby played on real mud. I am just old school I am afraid. Now my rugby fix is at grass roots level, union and league. I am non-discriminatory in my loathing of the round ball game

I am sure if Widnes were competing or had Wire at home they could drag you back. When it comes to injuries, I´m more worried about CTE and losing participation due to negative publicity, which is why having a space you can exploit and have schools getting involved with the game and half term activities is vital. 

I get there are negatives but the positives outweigh them significantly, if you sweat the asset. 

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, ShropshireBull said:

York, Newcastle, Sheffield, Wakefield if they sort out their hole, Toulouse will start to compete. That´s it. Maybe Salford if they can plop a 3g pitch down and grow commercial income on and off match days. 

York and Newcastle, I would never have thought you had a soft spot for those two Salop!

[ShropshireBull]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

York and Newcastle, I would never have thought you had a soft spot for those two Salop!

Yeah I didn´t mention it before but thought this was the time to let everyone know. When wakefield upgrade their dump and get a 3g pitch I´ll have a soft spot for them too. 

[Eddie]

13 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

York and Newcastle, I would never have thought you had a soft spot for those two Salop!

I think Barrow and Rochdale are as progressive as those two, certainly their first teams (obv not Newcy’s community programme which is class). 

[Chris Taylor]

I think it's all about Barcelona Blues, Madrid Mavericks, Seville Stars, Paris Pirates, Amsterdam Aces and Berlin Bears.

[ShropshireBull]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I think Barrow and Rochdale are as progressive as those two, certainly their first teams (obv not Newcy’s community programme which is class). 

I guess Rochdale really depends on what kind of crowds they could draw if they go up . Guy in charge obviously thinks they have potential compared to Swinton and at least play in town. Linked up with college which is good. Averaged around a thousand which is good after a naff season and covid so if Dale run well this year maybe 1500 average . Problem is they don´t get the bar money or money from stadium sponsorship and commercially growth in Rochdale likely to be weaker than say Newcastle or York. Still,  would be good to see them in the Champ bobbing along at around 2000. 

 

[JM2010]

Just now, ShropshireBull said:

I guess Rochdale really depends on what kind of crowds they could draw if they go up . Guy in charge obviously thinks they have potential compared to Swinton and at least play in town. Linked up with college which is good. Averaged around a thousand which is good after a naff season and covid so if Dale run well this year maybe 1500 average . Problem is they don´t get the bar money or money from stadium sponsorship and commercially growth in Rochdale likely to be weaker than say Newcastle or York. Still,  would be good to see them in the Champ bobbing along at around 2000. 

 

I think Rochdale does have some potential for growth. It's quite a large town and has some strong community clubs in and around

[ShropshireBull]

Just now, JM2010 said:

I think Rochdale does have some potential for growth. It's quite a large town and has some strong community clubs in and around

On the pitch but I´m thinking commercially. Population of borough 200,000 so if you always think about trying to capture 1% then 2000 is possible but it doesn´t have the same potential of others. Still, Manchester RL needs a boost so I´d like to see them do well. 

[sweaty craiq]

49 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

On the pitch but I´m thinking commercially. Population of borough 200,000 so if you always think about trying to capture 1% then 2000 is possible but it doesn´t have the same potential of others. Still, Manchester RL needs a boost so I´d like to see them do well. 

Nobody has ever cracked why Rochdale folk dont support their clubs,

[ShropshireBull]

2 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

Nobody has ever cracked why Rochdale folk dont support their clubs,

Demographics is one and proximity to Manchester is the other. I think Hornets have started brightly though. Promotion or good playoff run this year, World cup warm up game and some positivity around RL post world cup needs to be exploited. Seem to be doing alot right mind. 

[Ray Cashmere]

Good thread to share this:

https://l.messenger.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fthunderrugby%2Fstatus%2F1456663765345349635%3Fs%3D21&h=AT1pTZzdaqn8IWGqW6VvuX84tsyspdHfgph5FA-fga-N81w2tkF5Ip6bxosFfn_3wz2GUTvvlqoAXqVce2RJZGkEHgcp4QuHoorJGFbbvCmPo2bGEnsZJuO9mcLedD3oHGv_6g

 

After the events of the last week its great to see what expansion can look like when done well. Investment in the grassroots and community clubs should eventually have an impact on Thunder's gates. I really hope they reach Super League in the next few years with a couple of geordies in each matchday squad. 

[JM2010]

I really like what Newcastle are doing and it seems like Coventry/Midlands are adopting a similar approach. This should definitely be the blueprint for expansion clubs. I'd like to see Sheffield and the  London clubs grow the community game in their areas

[JM2010]

7 hours ago, Eddie said:

Which clubs do you think will be in a stronger position in 5-10 years, on field, financially and commercially?

I like the sound of what both Barrow and Rochdale are doing, I think they’ll both be at the upper end of the Championship by 2027 if the current owners stay. Maybe Sheffield too once the new ground is in place. 

Id probably add North Wales to that list too

[GUBRATS]

5 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

Yeah I didn´t mention it before but thought this was the time to let everyone know. When wakefield upgrade their dump and get a 3g pitch I´ll have a soft spot for them too. 

Do you fit plastic grass ? 

[Tabby]

7 hours ago, Wanderer said:

One reason I stopped watching Widnes, aswell as them serving up garbage, was that the garbage was delivered on a plastic pitch. I know it offers other benefits to whoever owns the stadium but I like my rugby played on real mud. I am just old school I am afraid. Now my rugby fix is at grass roots level, union and league. I am non-discriminatory in my loathing of the round ball game

Hybrid pitches contain plastic. You can’t support other stadia uses just using grass.

[Dallas Mead]

Leigh.

[Tabby]

5 minutes ago, Dallas Mead said:

Leigh.

300k a year to replace. Not that it is actually replaced just reseeded to bind with the plastic grass. 3G is a thing of the past. LSV training pitches are 5G.

Edited November 5, 2021 by Tabby

[Dallas Mead]

14 minutes ago, Tabby said:

300k a year to replace. Not that it is actually replaced just reseeded to bind with the plastic grass. 3G is a thing of the past. LSV training pitches are 5G.

Was answering the topic opening question, nowt to do with pitches?

[Northern Eel]

I think the yet to be formed Berkshire Whirlwinds and the Norfolk Cyclones have every chance of making their mark and expect Lincolnshire North Easterlies to be a growing force in the game.