Yeah right.

although it pains me to say this you come across as a level headed kind of guys , do you really think the RFL will let us both in time and time again with empty promises? the way the sport is changing i can not see it . I have said elsewhere that i think both clubs will merge very soon and create a new club at stanley . as for the name that will create some hot debate and i dont think every one will end up happy .
i also think that castleford will retain a club at wheldon rd and play in nl2 to be a feeder for the new club.

i like the idea of retain the clubs colours in kits although a big no no on saying one is home and one is away it would be more fair to rotate on a weekly basis.

and as for the no not in a million years i can not see anyone who like me is sad enough to spend so much time on rl boards to just turn your backs on the sport forever and lets face it fev n Leeds don't quite cut the mustard.

its gonna happen i think

Trinity Tigers @ junc 30

There would have to be incentives from both clubs. The idea of a "joint venture" where both keep there identities in the Championship is a good one.

The bottom line is that a merged team is not likely to be a better team on the field or off. Neither have any money so they would have twice the debt and neither have a good ground. So unless they get offered a stadium and a ton of money then its a none starter.

This is pretty much what I was getting at. For the poster(s) who think the original post was a troll, it defnitely wasn't. I'm not for a minute suggesting you should merge; it's not my place to say one way or the other. TBH I'm not even sure there is a right or wrong as such. I am, however interested to see if attitudes have changed since the idea was first proposed. When SL was first formed everyone had the right to think things would work out well for their club. It was a new venture and no-one had any real idea how it would pan out. 15 years on and I don't think the same can be said. There is a history to draw on and that shows us that traditionally teams like Wakefield and Castleford (or Salford, Leigh and others for that matter) haven't really challenged for honours. Now, as fans, you may be satisfied with this state of affairs. Maybe 'hanging on in there hoping for a day in the sun' is enough for some. It seems from the posts so far that it isn't for others though and there is a greater sense of wanting, even expecting, more. There's nothing wrong with either attitude. Some would be satisfied playing NL1 as long as it was 'their club'. Others want to be competitive at the highest level. I realise this is horses for courses but, with many suggesting fans will not be renewing season tickets etc. it's obvious that some are already showing that 'more of the same' is not for them.

For the posters who seem unhappy with the thread, as Mutley Cat has intimated, this is more than likely going to raise it's head sometime soon. St George-Illawarra and Wests-Tigers have shown that mergers (or joint ventures if you prefer) can work. Someone is going to be the first in this country sooner or later. Cas/Wakey, looking from the outside, looks the most likely. That's just a personal view of course and I accept I could well be wrong. Nevertheless I was just interested in the fans perspective on it. I wonder if Wests and Balmain fans, for example, were universally for the merger or not? Either way it happened and has worked extremely well to the point of Grand Finals and them curently being among the competition leaders again this time round.

the wakefield district as a mass influx of talented and gifted juniors already . the challenge cup final is always preceded by a junior match 12s 14s or what ever and it normally contains 1 and some times 2 teams from our district. the few who end up playing at sl level normally get snapped up by the leeds academy which is a shame.

and that's my main point , the future is the kids and from cas panthers to crigg and Stanley to lock lane these youngsters will not have a bigotry attitude and will try their up most to get an opportunity to play with a merged club.

I honestly don't see why current fans would be opposed to such an idea, yes it will be different at first but the older fans who are set in there ways will have to accept that a merged club will be far better on AND off the pitch and with both clubs pooling together their best resource - the youth systems then it's a super power in the making and at either J30 or 32 I'd expect to be seeing 10k+ crowds, the name doesn't need to mention CASTLEFORD or WAKEFIELD so fans can't say "well I'm not going to watch *insert city/town name*".

But my opinions on why I think a merger would work might be unrepresentative because I've probably been to just as many Wakey games as Cas ones and don't have a particulaly "strong" attachment to say no way in hell should there be a merger.

Absolutely. This is what I was alluding to as keeping your youngsters is absolutely the most vital part of keeping a competitive SL side. Moreso as quota levels come down. This could place a combined Cas/Wakefield side among the best served in this area IMO. As it stands, Leeds tend to pick up many of the best and, even when when the individual teams are able to sign the players, they often move on for the chance of success. Westerman, Shenton and Owen are all examples of good young players currently being linked with moves to other clubs.

I think this is interesting. How many more people would this apply to? Take Crusaders for example. In terms of new fans alone they have been able to attract approaching 8,000 new fans to the relocated club. There's no reason why a merged club placed in the correct location wouldn't do the same. Add to that the numbers who would prefer a successful club and would continue support from the 2 existing clubs and, as you say, there is the potential for a really vibrant club with a large fanbase. Exactly what is required to guarantee a franchise in the first instance and, more importantly to maximise the chance of competing at the highest level.

Merging the teams would make a very big club, assuming all fans stay on board, but IMO Cas and Wakey with new stadiums could be just as big as warrington. So why not grow both clubs?

If it was a case of having to merge to stay in existance, surely it would be a no brainer!

Another reason to merge, that helps the whole league not just the local area is it would instantly create one extra place in the league for expansion, then lose Salford for Widnes, then you would have 4 expansion teams on the go, a very strong Trinity Tigers side full of local players + a touch of class from the likes of Rangi Chase as well as the likes of Wigan, Leeds & Saints. Such a merger makes the whole league stronger and not just the local team (as it would be).

And we'll all live happily ever after