Under New Ownership - Midlands Hurricanes

[gingerjon]

Details are here: https://www.wearebigred.com/news/big-red-construction-take-over-midlands-hurricanes/

[fighting irish]

Might reduce their tax bill. 

[Eddie]

Sounds promising, especially targeting schools. 

[Jughead]

Isn’t it just the same bloke who bought them a year ago?

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

1 hour ago, Jughead said:

Isn’t it just the same bloke who bought them a year ago?

Looks like it. Old news isn't it? Are they still moving to the Commonwealth Stadium? All gone a bit quiet on that front.

[OriginalMrC]

This is old news so not sure why it was released now. As far is I know plans are still to move to the Alexander Stadium 

[Angelic Cynic]

It looks like binoculars may be required once they complete all the athletics fittings.

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50253/perry_barr_regeneration/2222/alexander_stadium_development/2

That seems to be some distance from seating to pitch.

[gingerjon]

19 minutes ago, OriginalMrC said:

This is old news so not sure why it was released now. As far is I know plans are still to move to the Alexander Stadium 

"Under Slightly Revised Ownership" might have been a fairer topic title.

[Tosh]

1 hour ago, OriginalMrC said:

This is old news so not sure why it was released now. As far is I know plans are still to move to the Alexander Stadium 

Is this true?

Do you have a link?

Thats potentially huge for RL in the midlands and Birmingham in particular if true.

[Tosh]

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

It looks like binoculars may be required once they complete all the athletics fittings.

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50253/perry_barr_regeneration/2222/alexander_stadium_development/2

That seems to be some distance from seating to pitch.

Either way that’s a fantastic stadium for a RL side. Especially for a club in the 3rd tier and in Englands second city.

[del capo]

I thought that they were going to be playing on the smaller but purpose built 'warm up' facility next to the main stadium?

A bit like when Manchester Rangers played on the Arena next to the Etihad itself, ( Great venues both by the way)

[OriginalMrC]

27 minutes ago, Tosh said:

Is this true?

Do you have a link?

Thats potentially huge for RL in the midlands and Birmingham in particular if true.

Yes it's true this was part of the plan and reason for the rebranding. Can't find original links but a move to the Alexander Stadium was the aim. Hasn't been officially confirmed but still on as far as I know 

[OriginalMrC]

1 hour ago, Angelic Cynic said:

It looks like binoculars may be required once they complete all the athletics fittings.

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50253/perry_barr_regeneration/2222/alexander_stadium_development/2

That seems to be some distance from seating to pitch.

The stadium is finished and was used for the commonwealth games. Some of the seating and fittings were temporary for the games. The view for RL will be fine 

[OriginalMrC]

11 minutes ago, del capo said:

I thought that they were going to be playing on the smaller but purpose built 'warm up' facility next to the main stadium?

A bit like when Manchester Rangers played on the Arena next to the Etihad itself, ( Great venues both by the way)

Watch this space, last I heard things were to be a bit more ambitious than that 

[Midlands hobo]

So let me get this straight. Big Al sells out to Mike. Then 6 months later mike sells to the company he owns. 

[Yorks Tim]

I see this as a positive move in that it gives the club a more solid base.

Makes no difference to us as supporters (none of us knew - or cared - out of which of his pockets the purchase funds came out of originally) but will be easier for Mike Lomas to do off-field business such as raising finance, signing contracts with local councils etc and so forth.

He/they seem genuinely committed to the aims expressed in the article linked in the first post and this feels like further confirmation of that commitment.

 

 

  

 

[The Daddy]

It sounds like they are ambitious which is very positive. Targeting schools is also the right approach. But please, please, please rename the club from Midlands to Birmingham, people in the UK do not affiliated their favourite sports teams to a region 

[Eddie]

11 minutes ago, The Daddy said:

It sounds like they are ambitious which is very positive. Targeting schools is also the right approach. But please, please, please rename the club from Midlands to Birmingham, people in the UK do not affiliated their favourite sports teams to a region 

They’ve said many times why they’re called Midlands tbf, whether or not you agree with it they have a plan. 

[Gomersall]

1 hour ago, The Daddy said:

It sounds like they are ambitious which is very positive. Targeting schools is also the right approach. But please, please, please rename the club from Midlands to Birmingham, people in the UK do not affiliated their favourite sports teams to a region 

How many people support sports teams called London?

[The Daddy]

26 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

How many people support sports teams called London?

I would have to start a separate thread to talk about all the reasons and grave mistakes that led to London not being successful.

None of these have anything to do with the fact that they are called London but mainly incompetence from the owner and the people tasked with running RL in the UK 

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, The Daddy said:

It sounds like they are ambitious which is very positive. Targeting schools is also the right approach. But please, please, please rename the club from Midlands to Birmingham, people in the UK do not affiliated their favourite sports teams to a region 

I think “Midlands” is weak as a name too. I’m sure there is a plan as @Eddie says, but I still think the name is weak.

Purely judging a book by its cover, I don’t expect the club to be much more than div 1 fodder for another 10 years, so I don’t really care what the name is. Happy to have them prove me wrong.

Edited November 25, 2022 by Sports Prophet

[RL Sutton Coldfield]

Hopefully they move to Alexander as I'd probably buy a season ticket as it's easy for me to get there. Also, agreed on the name comments you're going to be based in Birmingham so just call them the Birmingham hurricanes, it's not like people from Derby and Nottingham are going to be attending games. 

[Gomersall]

8 hours ago, The Daddy said:

I would have to start a separate thread to talk about all the reasons and grave mistakes that led to London not being successful.

None of these have anything to do with the fact that they are called London but mainly incompetence from the owner and the people tasked with running RL in the UK 

But my comment wasn’t specifically about the Broncos. Are there any other teams carrying the London name who get good support? Genuine question.

[gingerjon]

20 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

But my comment wasn’t specifically about the Broncos. Are there any other teams carrying the London name who get good support? Genuine question.

London Irish RU may be in trouble but their average attendance is around the 9k mark. London Lions basketball seem to pull in around 2k.

[Gomersall]

8 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

London Irish RU may be in trouble but their average attendance is around the 9k mark. London Lions basketball seem to pull in around 2k.

Thanks gj. I could argue that the LI name plays more on the Irish than the London in their name. I have no idea if that attendance is good, bad or indifferent for U.K. basketball. The last time I looked the London Lions were an ice hockey team