www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 82,00.html The RFL have written to half of Super League to state the obvious - your grounds aren't up to scratch. Now why would they do that? Is it as the article states to remind them of their commitments to upgrade their stadia or (call me a cynic if you wish) that Red Shed are suddenly pooping themselves wondering how they are going to keep out Widnes and Fax. None of them will have new grounds agreed, financed and built within two years and even the RFL would struggle to justify agreeing to allowing sides in based on plans three years after allowing the same teams in based on........well plans I suppose. They also don't want us under any circumstances but would probably take Widnes if forced. How they will be hoping that Toulouse get to a Grand Final Thoughts?

www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 82,00.html The RFL have written to half of Super League to state the obvious - your grounds aren't up to scratch. Now why would they do that? Is it as the article states to remind them of their commitments to upgrade their stadia or (call me a cynic if you wish) that Red Shed are suddenly pooping themselves wondering how they are going to keep out Widnes and Fax. None of them will have new grounds agreed, financed and built within two years and even the RFL would struggle to justify agreeing to allowing sides in based on plans three years after allowing the same teams in based on........well plans I suppose. They also don't want us under any circumstances but would probably take Widnes if forced. How they will be hoping that Toulouse get to a Grand Final Thoughts?

Do they need to ?

probably not...

Good point

Sorry I went all logical and forgot it was the RFL that were in charge and might actually follow their own criteria

Nurse.........my pills please!

There will be press releases next week..

Wakey and Cas in joint new stadium venture...

Salford have clearance from long time onlooker C. Davies. 42 Wallaby street, eccles, agreeing that the new stadium will be completed by the next round of franchising

Saints will have their new stadium up and running at the start of next season (as soon as they get rid of their big earners from past years)

Celtic will again remind the RL world that they plan to move some of their games away from the suicide capital of the world and plan to build their own stadium in the next few years, albeit their money problems!!


The next round of franchises nothing will have changed with those stadiums and the RFL's press release will be..

Leigh - Pie's are too expensive for SL

Widnes - Not enough grass on the pitch

Fax - hunger hill is far too steep for SL fans to have to walk up

Celtic will move to Newport especially as the Chairman is now one David Watkins-who also is President of the Newport Gwent Dragons Rugby Union team. He also has much influence in Rugby in Wales as as Celtic have problems in Bridgend then can see Newport being their new home

Don't forget there's going to be the obvious:

Due to the impact of the Credit Crunch on SL Staium redevelopment plans, all improvements have been given a stay of execution until the next round of Franchising.

Well, the Welsh ones anyway.

Won't make any difference to Fax or Widnes but the loonies at Red Shed would happily sacrifice Wakey and / or Cas for Toulouse and Gateshead / Scotland / Cornwall / Barcelona / anywhere....................

www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ences.html good piece on it here.

www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ences.html good piece on it here.

Absolutely no chance Wakefield Council can fund it, it will take years, they are bailing out more projects than and Calderdale and Bradford. I would guess though that because Cas comes under Wakey MBC they have had some high level discussion to being seen to being making the right progress.
As for Salford, there proposed Stadium was far too big.
I would summise that RFL wont take a couple clubs on the same basis as last time, i would imagine some more modest plans will be submitted from a few clubs and they should be made to put up or shut, 1 or 2 should be booted out for sure as they will again just go out and buy a load of aussies as soon as they get there franchise and spend nothing in stadia... Wheres the Health and Safety exec when you need them?
But it is a concern that they are judge and jury and the supposed legally drafted press releases and judgements could have been done better by my fish, or the Barry and Paul on the back of a fag packet.

The Red Hall idiots have been talking out of their Harris for years...just look at the Chief Executive....Blue Sox!!!!!....what a fool! If they want to keep us and Wide Knees out they will find a way.

I just hope the people in charge at RFL get job offers elsewhere and we get some proper rugby folk back in charge who care about the current game and less about Spreadsheets and Blue Sky thinking team meetings.

Edinburgh V Dublin
Celtic V London
Catalan V Moscow

Those RFL idiots would love that.

History will mark these years with a red cross and an oh dear.

Wonder how many national league clubs they have written to advise them over the next set of licensing? Do we really think these clubs will be kicked out? their stadia were crap when they first let them into super league. It's all a cosmetic gesture to make it look like the RFL are making their chosen clubs play by the rules. Absolute rot!

As opposed to those glorious all conquering years when Fax and Leigh were playing in Superleague in front of two men and a dog. Wakey and Salford have been playing in front of small crowds in dilapidated stadiums for decades now yet they don't get the same rotten treatment from flatcappers that Cetlic do because the welsh new boys aren't part of the select few northern clubs for whom mediocrity is acceptable.

You might call them idiots, but i'd sooner see 18,000 in Barcelona for Catalans-Warrington than 3,500 at the Shay for Halifax vs Warrington.

Seem to remember our crowds holding up well until the disasterous 2003 season. Foundation SL club, plus a few top six finishes along the way.

So whats your point Dan. thinking of moving to Barca? So long then. See ya later

Are you sure? really sure? i thought we were interested in grass roots and giving youngsters the opportunity to play the game and progress.
If we carry on down this route we wont be winning the Ashes anytime soon and Aussie's, Kiwis and other south sea islanders not good enough to play in their own grade will be the only ones to benefit. We are not allowing the game to eveolve naturally, teams should be promoted and relegated by what happens on the pitch, anything other than that is absolutely crazy and if you cant see that then you are completely deluded, sport sold its soul to the devil a long time ago, it now seems ok to sell everything else too.

Well for sure bringing Welsh and French teams will help improve the appeal of the game in the South and in London in particular. The only reason I was able to convince some friends to come and watch a RL match at the Stoop was because they were playing match against a French team. The European nature of the competition is clearly a plus to raise the interest in RL down there.

So play in the french league and your friends will go to every game!

The RFL/Sky will create things to get teams in they want. Celtic were rushed in and now look at it. But the RFL will do anything to see them stay alive! London is a similar joke. The amateur scene is good but the Quins are not well run at all and have poor promotion and marketing.
Salford, Cas, Wakey, Bradford etc have been talking about doing the ground for ages and still decades later absolutely nothing. The RFL mention this but they will just ignore Odslum, Wakey and Cas poor grounds as usual come crunch time. I have no faith in the people running the game as they clearly are not impartial and want things a certain way not the 14 best run clubs.

Its a short term gimmick....Wake up!

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/castleford/8163521.stmHot air[/url



"A finger of fudge is just enough to con the RFL.........."

Reply to the rfl from TEAM X!

We at Team X welcome the reminder from the rugby football league to bring our facilities to super league grade. We can assure the fans of Team X our plans are in a very advanced stage and we will definitely be building a brand new stadium in a bit. We'll build a den, don't know where, don't know when. But we know we'll build a den some sunny day.

Anyway, I know our last 25 or so announcements have been just like this, but THIS time, we're SERIOUS. The stadium will be some sort of pitch surrounded by some stands, some with seats in, roughly half of them, with changing rooms. We've already built some toilets by shoving a portaloo in a field somewhere so we are covered already.

Have faith in us, we will deliver.

Reply from TEAM X fan in response to TEAM X:

Phew! I was worried then, but now I feel reassured that this is all going ahead. Stop worrying everyone!



I bloody hate Team X.

its quite clear and has been for a while that the RFL will say all and do nothing when it comes to crunch time!!!

they will release press statements for clubs and fans like ours to show that they are actually acting on problems with super dooper league grounds........im sad to say that bradford, wakey, celtic, st helens, and cas will all still be there come the next round of licences..

the only team they will even consider gettin shut of would be salford...and that would take alot.......seen as their in manchester.

widnes will be 1st in and that will probably involve an expansion of super league......followed closely by toulouse.

as a life long fax fan i will continue to support our bid, however im not holding my breath for 1 second!!

For all of the fans of Halifax RLFC who slated the club and for those who walked out on the club because of it's move to the Shay from Thrum Hall, these are the reasons why, or some of them. If we'd still been at Thrum Hall the crowd safety limits would probably have been down to about 500 with our friendly council safety assesment teams' calculations.
Since our move to the Shay we've realised that we're as a sporting club and joint user of the stadium that we're dealt a rough hand by our local council by comparison to those of Wakey ( inc. Cas ) and Salford's council's.
The plan is still to aim for SL, if other's fail in their aspirations that's their business, our's is more on track now than it's been since relegation and with the ground taking shape, the players will have to nail some of the major silverware that qualifies us to apply, along with that the crowds will hopefully improve.
Keep the faith.

Well said Marilloin man....when i speak to ex fans they always say that the board kept all the money from Thrum Hall or that the Shay is crap etc.....they are just plastic glory hunters who cant stick with a team when its having a bad time. When you think back only to 2004-05 the strides that the club have made with the right people on board since is a true reflection of the commitment of these people....we know who they all are. Every club has fickle fans, we just need to start getting the youth watching to improve the fan base for a super dooper application.