From Wiki-

[i...Ridsdale, the figurehad of the PLC, resigned in March 2003, leaving his 'dream' in financial tatters and the PLC was soon to follow in March 2004.

Later that year, Elland Road was sold on a 25-year lease deal with a buy-back clause to raise the required funds to pay the latest instalment of a loan to Aston Villa shareholder and former Watford chairman Jack Petchey. It emerged on December 27, 2006 that the stadium had been sold to the British Virgin Islands-based Teak Trading Corporation Ltd. some 15 months before...[/i

So Leeds United dont own it and at one point did sell it.

a) location - North East Lancashire/North West Yorkshire/Huddersfield (the birthplace)
b) capacity - 60,000
c) type of stadium - All seated (mainly so it could incorporate other events i.e. bands etc), Sliding roof, Close up to pitch, Bowl style(keeps atmosphere in)
d) other marketable events/uses - Gigs etc
e) funding - Lottery?

or if the RFL have their way......

a) location - Southern Wales/South of France
b) Capacity - 500, 000
c) Type of Stadium - All open terracing, 2 miles away from the pitch
d) other marketable events/uses - Expansionist rallies/forums
e) funding - northern rock (or....we'll think about that later)

Blackpool.

i was talking to 'the old guys' in my local a while ago and i remember them saying that they where going to build a national RL stadium in blackpool...but they picked wembley instead

I think a national RL stadium would be a massive boost to our sport and a cash cow as is Twickers for Union.

I've posted this before , but Twickers generates £25M per year from corporate hospitality alone for the Rugby Union. That does not include ticket sales or sponsorship or TV money, corporate hospitality alone!

The RFL's total income is around £12M per year.

Aside from the events that could move there straight away the administration of the RFL would move there saving on existing costs too.

So we have a total income of 12m per year, and we are going to pay for a national stadium for RL how.

Lets keep on using Wembley and use the money to grow the game shall we. Once we start selling Wembley out against france and wales never mind the Roo's and Kiwis then we can maybe just maybe build our own stadium.

spot on..

Well it won't be this week anyway, I'll give you that.

There would obviously be a number of parties involved in the funding, local, national and European government, Sport England/lottery and banks.

RL has a major advantage in that there would immediately be events which could be scheduled in a national stadium to finance loans for the construction.

I know it would not be easy to achieve and in the current climate is probably a non starter but it should be on the agenda.



Ah, that would be never then.

I see a contradiction looming for those flatcappers who want a national RL stadium in the North of England. To build a RL stadium would require growing the game to create the greater marketability needed to drive higher revenue which of course requires expansion ARGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we build it, we'll go bust.

Yeah, because Twickenham has proven to be a real millstone round the RFU's neck hasn't it?

Sorry?

Twickenham – national stadium of a sport associated for the past 100+ years with the ruling elite, hosting every year an international series in spring and another in autumn, in the capital, within easy reach of the corporate entertainment market.

Proposed RL national stadium – somewhere up north, confirming the prejudice that the corporate world already has of RL as a minor regional sport, difficult to reach from most of the country, out of sight and out mind of the national capital, for a sport with maybe three international matches a year and no entry into, or history with, the lucrative corporate entretainment market.

And you think they're somehow comparable?

We should stick with the national stadium we already have, and utilise it properly rather than indulging in pipe dreasm.