Castleford stadium.

[Hopie]

3 hours ago, M j M said:

I think this is a poor byproduct of the IMG grading process. Cas are wasting money on short-term box ticking exercises, making some changes to the ground (esp. Princess St) that I don't think anybody really wants when that money could be much better spent on their long-term stadium rebuild.

Exactly what I posted on page 1 of this thread, people argued for this waste of money based on the theory of IMG gradings increasing facility standards, rather than the real world implications of the faults in the system as it currently applies.

[Dave T]

7 hours ago, M j M said:

I think this is a poor byproduct of the IMG grading process. Cas are wasting money on short-term box ticking exercises, making some changes to the ground (esp. Princess St) that I don't think anybody really wants when that money could be much better spent on their long-term stadium rebuild.

There is the problem though that there are still no guarantees the full scheme will go ahead. 

[Leyther_Matt]

8 hours ago, M j M said:

I think this is a poor byproduct of the IMG grading process. Cas are wasting money on short-term box ticking exercises, making some changes to the ground (esp. Princess St) that I don't think anybody really wants when that money could be much better spent on their long-term stadium rebuild.

If they’d tried ticking those boxes 25 years ago when everybody else did then they’d have had plenty of time to save up for new digs. 

[dboy]

7 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

If they’d tried ticking those boxes 25 years ago when everybody else did then they’d have had plenty of time to save up for new digs. 

Yeah, like Leigh did?

[Les Tonks Sidestep]

31 minutes ago, Dave T said:

There is the problem though that there are still no guarantees the full scheme will go ahead. 

If it doesn't then do you believe that their bodge provides a modern stadium that embraces IMG's vision of the games future, or that it is merely a box ticking exercise to game the system?

[Leyther_Matt]

10 minutes ago, dboy said:

Yeah, like Leigh did?

The Hilton Park of the mid 1990s was significantly different to the one of the mid 2000s. With more than double the seating capacity of Castleford 2024 and significantly better disabled facilities. Heck, we even had proper directors boxes. Now there’s an idea. And it may have escaped your attention that we moved grounds 15 (FIFTEEN) years ago now. 

[dboy]

You are right that Cas have owned their own ground throughout and should have invested in it properly, but don't be gloating about your gifted ground.

Hilton Park was not good.

That's the nicest thing I can say about it.

And 15 years isn't the same as 25 years, is it. Not even in Leigh.

 

Edited February 25 by dboy

[Leyther_Matt]

4 minutes ago, dboy said:

You are right that Cas have owned their own ground throughout and should have invested in it properly, but don't be gloating about your gifted ground.

Hilton Park was not good.

That's the nicest thing I can say about it.

And 15 years isn't the same as 25 years, is it. Not even in Leigh.

 

The process started 25 years ago. 

[M j M]

Leigh were gifted a new ground, they're in no position to be criticising clubs who for decades faced an actively antagonistic council.

[dboy]

1 minute ago, M j M said:

Leigh were gifted a new ground, they're in no position to be criticising clubs who for decades faced an actively antagonistic council.

Agree 100% with the first bit, but were WMDC a barrier to Cas developing Wheldon Road???

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

If it doesn't then do you believe that their bodge provides a modern stadium that embraces IMG's vision of the games future, or that it is merely a box ticking exercise to game the system?

That's for the system to flush through, but I don't think investing a couple of million in facilities should be sniffed at. 

Obviously if Cas spend it poorly, that's up to them. 

But the principle of actually investing in facilities is sound. 

[Leyther_Matt]

9 hours ago, M j M said:

Leigh were gifted a new ground, they're in no position to be criticising clubs who for decades faced an actively antagonistic council.

Wish someone would have told me that at the time or I wouldn’t have needed to be out collecting signatures in support of the development.

And, again, I will point out that more work was done in the final decade of Hilton Park than there has been at Cas, before or since. 

Edited February 26 by Leyther_Matt

[PREPOSTEROUS]

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Edited February 26 by PREPOSTEROUS

[Taffy Tiger]

On 25/02/2024 at 10:51, DoubleD said:

My understanding of the £2m WMDC grant was that it could only be used for initiatives that would benefit the wider community………..so new turnstiles, cladding etc would not qualify 

HI DD , Grant was for stadium and to benefit communtiy . WMDC have now approved and released the £2M funding

[Taffy Tiger]

On 25/02/2024 at 12:44, Agbrigg said:

Is the intention to put seats in the Princess Street stand a permanent alteration or is it just a temporary measure ? 

Hi Agbrigg . As far as I know the seating in Princess Street will be temporary as the new stand will provide the  seating requirements necessary for IMG criteria . 

How long that will be will depend on the time it takes to finalise PP , and allow Axiom to get enough investors to be able to release the £12.2M funding .

Although PP has now gone through , it could still be some time before actual work can start on WR . In the meantime Cas will make the necessary adjustments (inc. Princess St Seating) to achieve the 1 point available for minimum stadium facilities .

Edited February 26 by Taffy Tiger

[Agbrigg]

1 hour ago, Taffy Tiger said:

Hi Agbrigg . As far as I know the seating in Princess Street will be temporary as the new stand will provide the  seating requirements necessary for IMG criteria . 

How long that will be will depend on the time it takes to finalise PP , and allow Axiom to get enough investors to be able to release the £12.2M funding .

Although PP has now gone through , it could still be some time before actual work can start on WR . In the meantime Cas will make the necessary adjustments (inc. Princess St Seating) to achieve the 1 point available for minimum stadium facilities .

Thanks,

I realise that it's only a temporary job now. However it will still cost and it seems a shame this has to be done when funds could be used elsewhere. One of the failings of IMG I feel.

[Taffy Tiger]

45 minutes ago, Agbrigg said:

Thanks,

I realise that it's only a temporary job now. However it will still cost and it seems a shame this has to be done when funds could be used elsewhere. One of the failings of IMG I feel.

Agree , would be better spent elsewhere

[Tommygilf]

2 hours ago, Taffy Tiger said:

Hi Agbrigg . As far as I know the seating in Princess Street will be temporary as the new stand will provide the  seating requirements necessary for IMG criteria . 

How long that will be will depend on the time it takes to finalise PP , and allow Axiom to get enough investors to be able to release the £12.2M funding .

Although PP has now gone through , it could still be some time before actual work can start on WR . In the meantime Cas will make the necessary adjustments (inc. Princess St Seating) to achieve the 1 point available for minimum stadium facilities .

There's many temporary stands across sport that don't end up being that temporary...

If this is the only way Cas can improve their ground currently then its an improvement.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

3 hours ago, Taffy Tiger said:

HI DD , Grant was for stadium and to benefit communtiy . WMDC have now approved and released the £2M funding

 

On 12/09/2023 at 09:05, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

There was an inference from WMDC that the projects would be of benefit to grass roots RL and offer increased community use.

Wakefield are using the grant within the whole redevelopment project so can easily demonstrate areas suitably tagged.   Fev can probably demonstrate similar.

Castleford's plan B just utilises the £2m alone and doesn't appear to fulfil either of the requirements.

 

[Taffy Tiger]

13 minutes ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

 

Hi WWB , WMDC have released the £2M funds and so they must be satisfied that all requirements are being met by Cas . It is specifically for stadium use and improving community use at the stadium sites of all 3 teams in WMDC. 

 

 

[ATLANTISMAN]

I hate to say this but the only way ever forward would have been a shared stadium with Wakefield Trinity, too late now the horse has bolted Trinity will be the dominant club in the area.

[Agbrigg]

3 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

I hate to say this but the only way ever forward would have been a shared stadium with Wakefield Trinity, too late now the horse has bolted Trinity will be the dominant club in the area.

And rightly so 

[Taffy Tiger]

14 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

I hate to say this but the only way ever forward would have been a shared stadium with Wakefield Trinity, too late now the horse has bolted Trinity will be the dominant club in the area.

Hi Atlantisman , have to disagree . With current IMG criteria both clubs would have suffered as neither would be sole tenants or owners of ground and would consequently have lost points as a result of a groundshare.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

22 minutes ago, Taffy Tiger said:

Hi WWB , WMDC have released the £2M funds and so they must be satisfied that all requirements are being met by Cas . It is specifically for stadium use and improving community use at the stadium sites of all 3 teams in WMDC. 

They have but the conditions originally attached to the £2m, which is no longer the anticipated addon to enhance a larger project,  have been allowed to disappear. 

Edited February 26 by Wollo Wollo Wayoo

[Taffy Tiger]

15 minutes ago, Wollo Wollo Wayoo said:

They have but the conditions originally attached to the £2m, which is no longer the anticipated addon to enhance a larger project,  have been allowed to disappear. 

Hi WWB , as far as I know there still is a requirement to demonstrate how the funding will be used attached to the awarding of the £2m . From WT own website Nov 29 2021 ;

As part of the agreement clubs will need to produce and deliver a Community Use Strategy as part of the funding agreement. This would show how the clubs will increase community use and support and encourage the growth of grass roots rugby league.

As part of this, the Council will receive an annual report on the usage and the wider impact of the usage on the community.

Also at the beginning of the same article it specifically states that the money to be used for stadium

 

The funding plan will support all three clubs to meet the current, and potential future, Rugby Football League (RFL) conditions on stadium facilities as well as improving community use at the sites.

 

The above is exactly what Cas are using it for . Since this article was released IMG have put certain criteria into stadium requirements and the £2M released for Cas goes towards meeting these requirements , in the first instance Plan B , before Plan A gets the go-ahead. Wakefield Trinity used the £2M resilience fund for exactly the same thing , towards their new stand . 

 

Edited February 26 by Taffy Tiger