Quote: Ste100Centurions "I LIKE WAKEY !
*it's true* have done since John Kear saved their s from the pit of Hell fire in that last game shoot out.
*Constructive*
While I believe that Wakeys attendance average is far too poor both for SL & for the standard & brand of RL they are playing currently, I also believe there are far less deserving Clubs than WT at the moment.
Wakeys ground is one of the worst facilities in modern RL at both SL & Championship level, however it didn't stop me enjoying the rugby.
Have I ever had a pop at Wakey attendances ?
Yes !
Do I believe attendances at RL grounds are important ?
Yes !
Do I believe stadium facilities are important ?
Yes !
*note that I accept Leigh were fortunate regards stadium in more buoyant times*
I would like to see all SL Clubs be set minimum standards of 6k average gates & minimum stadium standards, let's say for arguments sake 6k average by 2022 or year 3 for a newly promoted SL Club & stadium standards by 2025 given the current economic climate. These standards should be fixed to prevent an unfair Salford/Wakey/Cas type situation happening again & stop Clubs resting on their central funding while making no firm commitment to raising standards.
*just my own opinion on the whole attendance/stadium argument*
For balance I will say this. I like the way Wakefield have built on the on field performance steadily & seem to have a good plan & good recruitment, as a Leigh fan I would happily take regular 7 to 9 finishes until established & I think Wakefield have the ability as a Club to push on, do they have the drive to ? only time will tell.
I don't mind Carter, despite him voting in a self protectionist manner re the future structure, he seems to be quite stable & have a long term strategy for WT.
In summary, while WT are not ripping it in SL I would rather lose a Salford, Hudds or Widnes as though 4k gates are not great for Wakey at least the Club & it's fans show promise whereas the others show abject apathy & a disengagement.'"
Nice to have some support form outside of Wakefield
Although we would all love to see RL played the length and breadth of the country in packed stadia and for RL to be the no 1 sport in the UK, sadly, this is never going to happen.
Supporters of certain clubs love to sneer at certain attendances, I've done it myself from time to time.
Attendances only becam an issue when The RFL "demanded" that SL clubs achieve attendances of 10k which, as time has shown, is not currently realistic for all SL clubs.
Of course, Wigan, Leeds, Wire, Saints and Hull FC have no problem and Cas & KR are not too far behind.
However, the constant bashing of the smaller clubs doesn't help anyone and one of the issues is, even if the clubs with lower attendances were thrown out, just who could they be replace with.
Even Toronto, with all the hype, are nowhere near being able to achieve this mystical number and of the rest, there is only Bradford who could get close (assuming that the masses from the "Bullmania" days actually want to re-engage with the club should they make it back to the top flight.
As a sport, of course "we" should always be looking to improve standards, across the board, from players, officials, facilities and match day experience etc but, we should be focusing on the "product", the game of Rugby League, instead of looking for gimmicks.
Most folk that have a go at Trinity are envious of the things that the club has got right, from the Chairman, Coach, squad and their league standing.
Belle Vue, for all it's faults (and there are a few), is still a great place to watch a game of Rugby League.
It still has an excellent playing surface, which is full size, with no turned up corners and at some point, everyone hopes & expects either a move or redevelopment to take place, something that, with a little more political will, would have already happened.