Look how many teams we now have in quality stadiums or making real strides to get into a quality rugby league arena. We didn't have this before super league. Now super league has become a franchise the clubs are under pressure to perform in this area.

Wigan
Hull
Huddersfield
Quins
Warrington
Widnes

We have 6 teams in quality stadiums already out of the teams who will be in super league next season. 3 of those stadiums are facilities fit for top flight football.

Saints and Salford are both currently building new grounds and both will be read for next season! See here.... they both look brilliant.




Leeds have also announced plans to renovate their current stadium with a brand new south stand and eventually a new North stand to fit the style of the carnegie stand.



Hull KR have recently extended their east stand and will finish the other end before next season I think. They have also announced plans for a new north stand which will make craven park a stadium fit for super league.


Wakefield have plans to develop Belle Vue up to the minimum requirements of super league. While this is not as impressive as the brand new stadiums, it will improve the experience for supporters. This looks much more realistic than plans for a brand new stadium and maybe the fake promises have finished from wakey?


Castleford have major plans for a new stadium, I think funding is the only problem here.

Absolutely spot on. The pressure on clubs to sort their stadiums out IS one of the good things to come out of franchising. Can't argue with that.

The first 3 you mention have nothing to do with franchising - these are soccer stadiums that rugby clubs play at. The 4th is a rugby union stadium again nothing to do with franchising.

As a Leeds fans I am embarrassed at the state of 3/4s of the ground - the new Southstand has everything to do with H&S and nothing to do with franchising. The H&SE would close the stand beyond this year - looking at the design Leeds have gone for the cheapest possible option.

Don't forget the lower leagues too. Widnes, Leigh, Sheffield, Rochdale, Doncaster and Fax play in grounds fit for Super League. Swinton, York and Barrow are all in various processes of getting new stadium. Also in Dewsbury, Batley, Keighley and Hunslet you have stadia that maybe arn't up to SL criteria, but are vastly improved on what they had 20 years ago. Fev are also redeveloping their ground and I think that may make their ground capable of being passed for SL.

The value of new grounds is in their ability to generate additional revenue from dinners,events,corporate facilities etc.Having 500 people in for dinner/lunch before a game is probably equal to an extra 2,500 on the gate.
After new grounds,I hope Clubs turn their attention to improved training facilities - I know 2/3 Clubs have state of the art facilities,but a number of other Clubs need to make significant progress.Still,small steps and I fully appreciate that sensible financial planning is another factor.

At the same time, I know for a fact that Leigh lose out massively on corporate being in the LSV compared to Hilton Park.

The danger of council owned stadia is the lease. As posted Leigh are shafted and have lost nearly all revenue streams as a result of their 'deal' with LSV, Widnes were in a similar position when SoC took over the lease being the first thing that was changed after administration. I imagine similar applies to Hull, Donny etc

Correct, these clubs fell lucky that the football club in the areas were in appalling grounds, there is no way that any of these stadiums would have been builkt had Wigan Athletic, Hull City or Huddersfield Town not needed new stadia, in fact if all three would have struggled to get licenses based on the 2008 criteria in their old grounds.

I agree...the days of p*ssing against a metal sheet at Saint's have finally ended!!

With regards to Salford, looks (unless I'm mistaken) that a couple of the stands are only one tier...maybe its budget restraints, but I'd of thought that if you're building from scratch they could have made it a 20,000 capacity at least? Still, anything is better than the Willows!

SL standards are defo moving in the right direction now....and franchises have made it happen, for years these clubs have claimed they are going to build these facilities, but before the franchise process, they didn't have the pressure to actually deliver!

Just a shame that apart from 3/4 clubs the games on it's 4rs3

I rekon that central park is still better than headingley is now, similar layout, just bigger with roofs on each end. That ground would still be better than most. Either way Wigan would have upgraded CP further i rekon, to 3/4 seating at least.

Do you think the quality of stadia in British RL, and its gradual build up in quality could be key to the eventual return of promotion and relegation?

Conversely had the Giants, Wigan and Hull FC not also needed a new ground then the corresponding soccer clubs wouldn't have got new grounds.

FWIW Hudds town didn't need a new ground, but the opportunity was there to creat a state of the art, award winning venue for the region that would benefit the SHARED OWNERS of the council, rugby and football clubs.


As for P&R the requirement for that would also be dependent on well rub, competitive and solvent clubs.

Also, P&R was a FAILED experiment for RL. All that has happened is a return to a format we know worked...

Town did need a new ground or they'd have spent a shed load getting Leeds Rd upto scratch, the timing just happened to be right with us also needing one or doing Fartown up.

Both teams, right place, right time and a council that could see that.

You cut your cloth according to both your means and your needs - why would Salford need a 20k capacity stadium, even if they take on Sale as tenants?

Similarly Leeds fans have been bitching about the slight reduction in capacity that the new South Stand will bring, yet the ground in its current form (since the Carnegie Stand was completed) has only ever sold out once or twice.