Hi i'm doing some research for my final year at university and would appreciate it if anyone would be able to answer these questions for me.

a) What does it mean to be a rugby league fan?

b) Has the relocation of stadiums changed this meaning?

Thans to anyone who is willing to take some time to answer them

1) being a Rugby League fan is both gratifying and frustrating. The community spirit surrounding the game and the brutal competition we see on the pitch fill me with an intense pride, but then we have the way the teams and RFL are actually run which often cause me to scratch my head. Rugby League is quite a pure sport, in my opinion, and I get something from it that I don't find anywhere else. To me being a Rugby League fan is a part of my identity.

2) As being from a Rugby League community where we lost the traditional ground and moved in with a footballing neighbour I recognise the impact that it can have on a supporter base. At the old ground on a Sunday afternoon, there was a buzz and vibrancy about the place, which appears lost in the new bigger all seater surroundings. However, this change did coincide with one of the many financial problems the club has faced, which lead to poor performances on the field. I think a traditionalist Rugby League fan identifies closely with the old style of ground and misses the atmospheres created within, but realistically in this day and age we need to progress to provide a match day experience in keeping with expectations of other sports or we risk losing the thing we are so proud of, the product on the pitch.
To answer the question, I don't think the relocations have altered what it means to be Rugby League fan, but it has changed the experience.

You've clearly not been in to Bradford City Centre recently, have you ...



It's like the Borg's paid a visit ....

Do you think the atmosphere for fans has changed within new stadiums?
Have you noticed a difference when travelling to away grounds?

But the before picture looked like the site of a massive Klingon-Cardassian war.

I think you need to give Invincible a break.

The questions really need to be more detailed so that people don't spend 20 minutes talking about Saints move to their new ground when the OP could be wanting a discussion of Gateshull/Shuddersfield or situations similar to that.