Sloping RL pitches - cost to fix?

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

I know Batley and Fev have it so why is it kept that way? 

Is it so expensive to be completely prohibitive to do the ground works to level? 

I vaguely remember someone telling me it was a ludicrous sum of money to level Lords cricket ground (recently ??) 

Is it £10,000s sort of prohibitive or £100,000s prohibitive ?? (Can't be more can it??)

Anyone in the game who could provide an estimate ?

Other considerations at Batley and Fev other than cost? 

Are any other grounds on a slope?

Edited December 29, 2022 by Bedfordshire Bronco

[Yorks Tim]

Did Oldham level the Vestacare pitch or have I imagined that story?

 

[Anita Bath]

58 minutes ago, Yorks Tim said:

Did Oldham level the Vestacare pitch or have I imagined that story?

 

No….they just believe the earth is flat in Oldham

[roversspud]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I know Batley and Fev have it so why is it kept that way? 

Is it so expensive to be completely prohibitive to do the ground works to level? 

I vaguely remember someone telling me it was a ludicrous sum of money to level Lords cricket ground (recently ??) 

Is it £10,000s sort of prohibitive or £100,000s prohibitive ?? (Can't be more can it??)

Anyone in the game who could provide an estimate ?

Other considerations at Batley and Fev other than cost? 

Are any other grounds on a slope?

Why? Why would Fev or Batley want to level the pitch? It's a feature we all love at Fev. The pitch isn't quite as steep as it used to be before the new stands were built and the pitch extended but it's a point of difference for us (and Batley) over all those other bland , flat pitches. It's maybe also a slight advantage for us over the away teams as we may play the slope better, but isn't that what home advantage is supposed to give you?

[Davo5]

6 minutes ago, roversspud said:

Why? Why would Fev or Batley want to level the pitch? It's a feature we all love at Fev. The pitch isn't quite as steep as it used to be before the new stands were built and the pitch extended but it's a point of difference for us (and Batley) over all those other bland , flat pitches. It's maybe also a slight advantage for us over the away teams as we may play the slope better, but isn't that what home advantage is supposed to give you?

Because your a professional club with hopes of playing in the elite comp in the Northern Hemisphere maybe.

[Davo5]

1 hour ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I know Batley and Fev have it so why is it kept that way? 

Is it so expensive to be completely prohibitive to do the ground works to level? 

I vaguely remember someone telling me it was a ludicrous sum of money to level Lords cricket ground (recently ??) 

Is it £10,000s sort of prohibitive or £100,000s prohibitive ?? (Can't be more can it??)

Anyone in the game who could provide an estimate ?

Other considerations at Batley and Fev other than cost? 

Are any other grounds on a slope?

You’ve never seen a sloping pitch unless you’ve visited Underbank.

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

19 minutes ago, roversspud said:

Why? Why would Fev or Batley want to level the pitch? It's a feature we all love at Fev. The pitch isn't quite as steep as it used to be before the new stands were built and the pitch extended but it's a point of difference for us (and Batley) over all those other bland , flat pitches. It's maybe also a slight advantage for us over the away teams as we may play the slope better, but isn't that what home advantage is supposed to give you?

Spot on, roversspud. 

It will be a sad day when a little bit of historic idiosyncrasy cannot be tolerated here and there.  Unless something seismically traumatic happens at half-time, it is, after all, the same for each side.

Likewise, I would never suggest that the likes of Castleford have to redevelop their playing surface so that there is a full ten metres between each 30 and 40 metres line, unless some wider redevelopment allows this to take place. 

In cricket, if I remember correctly, there used to be a lime tree within the boundary at the Kent CCC ground in Canterbury and when it was fatally damaged by high winds, they grew another to replace it; I like that approach! 

[del capo]

13 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

You’ve never seen a sloping pitch unless you’ve visited Underbank.

Too true and that's before you mention the farmers wall.

I remember Joe Lydon at full pace going down the brow and putting his foot on what he thought was the ground but was in fact 2 ft in the air - landed flat on his face . Not just  a brow but massively uneven as well ...

RL owned field for donkey's years.......

[Daft old hooker]

Depending on the size of slope the issue will be terracing around the pitch which have an impact on the work required. I vaguely remember a Facebook post and I don’t put a lot of faith in Facebook suggesting Fev were looking at levelling the pitch and moving to a hybrid pitch and with maintenance was going to be close to £1 million but not sure how accurate that figure is.

[Davo5]

2 minutes ago, del capo said:

Too true and that's before you mention the farmers wall.

I remember Joe Lydon at full pace going down the brow and putting his foot on what he thought was the ground but was in fact 2 ft in the air - landed flat on his face . Not just  a brow but massively uneven as well ...

RL owned field for donkey's years.......

Yeah I can remember my first visit and even after warnings about the humps & hollows I was still amazed on viewing it first hand,the only RL pitch where I’ve seen what started out as a grubbed kick turn into a bomb,always made welcome though.

[Midlands hobo]

Give it over to the royal engineers for a few months to practice trenching and barricade building. They'll probably level it free after 

[DI Keith Fowler]

I don't mind it, it adds a bit of intrigue. Obviously there should be minimum standard regarding the incline (same for pitch size) to avoid an It's a Knockout style madcap version of the sport. 

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

1 hour ago, Yorks Tim said:

Did Oldham level the Vestacare pitch or have I imagined that story?

 

Yep. It was levelled by about 8 feet, I believe. Hence the brick wall at the club end. However, because the ground is leased to Avro FC, it was a grant from the FA, again I believe, that paid for that and the artificial pitch. I don't know how much it cost. 

[del capo]

That field is truly the most challenging in the game.

Forget the incline for a moment.

On one side you are at the top of a cliff face. On the other you have a Peak district style stone wall  at times within 2 foot of the touch line.

NCL at the request of the RFL allowed entry of Underbank from the RLC years ago and became very fond of them . but there was a requirement that they place mattresses for protection in the bottom corner try line - Last of the summer wine  land at its finest........

[Griff]

51 minutes ago, roversspud said:

Why? Why would Fev or Batley want to level the pitch? It's a feature we all love at Fev. The pitch isn't quite as steep as it used to be before the new stands were built and the pitch extended but it's a point of difference for us (and Batley) over all those other bland , flat pitches. It's maybe also a slight advantage for us over the away teams as we may play the slope better, but isn't that what home advantage is supposed to give you?

Yes, it's called "home advantaģe".

[Davo5]

15 minutes ago, del capo said:

That field is truly the most challenging in the game.

Forget the incline for a moment.

On one side you are at the top of a cliff face. On the other you have a Peak district style stone wall  at times within 2 foot of the touch line.

NCL at the request of the RFL allowed entry of Underbank from the RLC years ago and became very fond of them . but there was a requirement that they place mattresses for protection in the bottom corner try line - Last of the summer wine  land at its finest........

Didn’t they play at another ground for a season after gaining NCL entry ?

[del capo]

1 minute ago, Davo5 said:

Didn’t they play at another ground for a season after gaining NCL entry ?

 The Police Rec ground down in Holmfirth. ?

The RFL unsuccessfully tried to buy it and settle them there. YML clubs now still  have the delight ( and it is a delight ) of visiting them at their century old  fortress on the top of the hill ( once they get past that farmer..).

[del capo]

2 hours ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I know Batley and Fev have it so why is it kept that way? 

Is it so expensive to be completely prohibitive to do the ground works to level? 

I vaguely remember someone telling me it was a ludicrous sum of money to level Lords cricket ground (recently ??) 

Is it £10,000s sort of prohibitive or £100,000s prohibitive ?? (Can't be more can it??)

Anyone in the game who could provide an estimate ?

Other considerations at Batley and Fev other than cost? 

Are any other grounds on a slope?

Waterhead ARLFC had their field levelled a few years ago. It still has a slope but much more playable.

You will not see any change out of £100k. If you seriously need a figure just contact them. Substantial grants were made available - not sure if non community clubs could access them though.

[Number 16]

Surely the requirement for a level pitch reduces the scope for RL's expansion. 

How would Nepal and Bhutan get involved?

[daz39]

Nowt wrong with Underbank, it's a great plce to watch rugby league.

[The Phantom Horseman]

Given we had one club playing on a pitch that was (IIRC) 52m wide last season, I'm not sure that a slope is that big a deal.

Most Championship fans LOVE going to Batley. The slope adds a different dimension and an added tactical nuance.

Fev levelled up the slope to a large degree a few years ago and it doesn't have a huge impact any more, but even if they made it like a billiard table people would still moan, just as they do about the perceived dimensions despite the fact that it's full size.

[David Shepherd]

I'd be more concerned about self declared "big" clubs playing on under 9s sized pitches.  I'm looking at you Bradford.

[Davo5]

10 minutes ago, daz39 said:

Nowt wrong with Underbank, it's a great plce to watch rugby league.

On 3 sides it is,I have enjoyed my 2 visits there,just glad I didn’t have to play on it.

[graveyard johnny]

if the Irish navvies could dig Britains canals by hand back int day - how about some fans turning up with pics and shovels during the off season? - its only a square of grass, nowt in comparison to what them fellas  did , a tell yer , folk don't want hard graft these days 

[Wiltshire Warrior Dragon]

23 minutes ago, del capo said:

Waterhead ARLFC had their field levelled a few years ago. It still has a slope but much more playable.

You will not see any change out of £100k. If you seriously need a figure just contact them. Substantial grants were made available - not sure if non community clubs could access them though.

Presumably nowadays you could ask Michael Gove's department for a grant.  He's the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, isn't he?