Unusual this?

[Belgian Saint]

I've been thinking about how to turn this negative into a positive and the idea of having a "Heritage" ground kept in SL, by that I mean a traditional stadium that keeps as much of its originality as possible. Who else misses the atmosphere of these cramped, old, brick built "stadiums" where you're so close to the pitch that you really feel a part of the action? I miss Knowsley Road for that reason. If they can keep to modern safety standards and stay financially viable, wouldn't it work? Wakefield, or Cas for that matter, don't get huge crowds anyway, but they may have to reduce the capacity to comply with safety standards (e.g. more entrance and exits, wider walkways, more toilets). That in itself would make a full house safer and more enjoyable as there would then be enough room and facilities to accommodate everyone. I know it looks like Wakey will be in the Championship next year but that still leaves Cas. It also leaves the question of who pays? Well, they'll have to pay for improvements anyway but if the RFL went for this, the cost would be reduced and SL would have a nice little chunk of its history preserved. Note to RFL: If you want to hire me as chief of ideas, I'm available

I think that the atmosphere was much better in the old type stadiums. I remember taking a Kiwi mate to his first RL game at KR, he couldn’t believe we could hear the hits from where we were stood. Nowadays I think fans want at least a roof over their heads and decent toilets and bar. I know we stand in the open at Leeds which alway annoys me when it’s raining, but I love the atmosphere there and we are not there every week. It’s more the likes of Wakey fans that suffer those facilities every home game.

[Apollo8]

After a few years of just wanting them to be relegated, I'm now feeling sorry for them.



They're a small club that's had years now of SL money and exposure, but never built their fanbase (apart from 2 years - 2012 & 2013 when they embarked on a programme of cut-price ticketing to boost interest, bringing in an ave 3k more fans... who promptly melted totally away when the discounts ended).

But there's a fanbase that's stayed loyal (even if that's just 4.5k - 5k) and they've got a lot to contend with.

On the other hand, Wakefield is a city with a population of over 100k (350k in the wider Wakefield Metropolitan Borough) with no other professional sports side in the borough (Leeds the nearest, which is about as close as St Helens is to Liverpool) so should really do far better.

exactly, they are one of the only club based in a city, with no other competition for attention. They have a huge target market to aim at - they should be one of the biggest clubs in Super League.

But realistically, other than a die hard traditional fan, who would choose to spend their leisure time in that victorian dump of a "stadium". Even if they were winning every week, they wouldn't get any more fans because its the 21st century and people don't want to spend their weekends getting soaked, peeing against a wall into an open sewer, having to climb down overgrown and dark back alleys to get to the stadium and having to stand on decades old collapsing concrete.

I don't agree with much of what Maurice Lindsay stood for, but he was on the right track with the merger there in 1995. A combined club playing in a modern stadium would be a powerhouse in the game.

[Southport Saint]

Imagine supporting a team all your life and being told your merging with your nearest rivals, no thanks I’d never go to a game again

[Penrith Plonker]

I like old style grounds and if I know there's no cover I wear a suitable coat. However, Wakey & Cas are absolute dumps, so is Fev (who may replace Wakey) and Hull KR isn't much better.

[paulscnthorpe]

Castleford and Wakey are ran under the same council, so hardly a one team city - it's population is smaller than St Helens (the City is anyway)

You're right though, the small time thinking of clubs around West Yorkshire holds the game back.. they seem to believe that being a team with good facilities making a profit and being a 'traditional heartland' are mutually exclusive..

I've read today that some of the clubs are complaining that LED floodlights shouldn't be the criteria, again having no understanding of the modern sporting world

[Brian Nazareth]

Castleford and Wakey are ran under the same council, so hardly a one team city - it's population is smaller than St Helens (the City is anyway)

You're right though, the small time thinking of clubs around West Yorkshire holds the game back.. they seem to believe that being a team with good facilities making a profit and being a 'traditional heartland' are mutually exclusive..

I've read today that some of the clubs are complaining that LED floodlights shouldn't be the criteria, again having no understanding of the modern sporting world

Just a couple of small points:

St Helens is closer to Wigan, Widnes and Warrington than Wakefield is to Castleford.

Wakefield as a city (109k) is bigger than St Helens (102k). The Wakefield Metropolitan Borough (353k) is almost twice the size of St Helens Metropolitan Borough (183k).

(figures courtesy of Wiki )