Neutral grounds, but only for some teams. I guess we know which clubs aholes the RFL are up. No surprises really.

Wigan play Leeds at St Helens, whilst The DW (and Robin Park for that matter) is perfectly covid free with additional changing rooms.

Are sky going to play crowd noise? So basically every time you watch Leeds all you can hear is some trumpet and cries of foooorwaaaard.

At least the Saints fans will be muted

I was just putting together a post to show that there would be no "Home Advantage".

e.g. Warrington's first match is a "home" fixture against Hull KR, played at Headingley, followed by Huddersfield "away" at Saints
Saints have a "home" game against Catalans, also at Headingley, but then have Leeds at Headingley, followed by Wakefield at their own ground.

This should have been pïss simple.

Either all teams use their own grounds or (more likely), you have 3 or 4 grounds (as they have), but 2 grounds are used each weekend.
e.g. Saints host 3 matches on Saturday and Leeds host 3 on Sunday.
NO team is allowed to play at their home ground.
If Leeds & Saints are due to meet, it happens at Wire.
It's easy.

Typical SL/RFL half-d .

On the up-side, at least we get the game back.

Be very interested to see how the money is split though, given that we have a perfectly good stadium, certified COVID-19 free for football, that is going unused.
Do those 3 clubs get extra money that the rest don't, for the use of the stadia?

If the RFL were so worried about testing and Covid free grounds then why didn't they have the neutral grounds at Hull FC, Hudds and Wigan where they are Covid free and testing for soccer.

So simple yet they have made such a complete and utter dogs breakfast.

Without getting into the detail of every point

Have you ever thought there may be "Reasons We don't know about" behind why the grounds have been selected/Not selected
The DW for example - Maybe there are "Other issues" - Football rules/regs issues that meant Football stadia couldn't be used? Maybe by keeping it to RL owned stadia only the shared costs to all clubs may be lower & Easier to organise - You know, to make it better/Cost effective for RL as a whole

For a start I have a bit of an insight into How hard it was to get the DW up & running for Football and how much it cost etc.
Also How the areas are divided up within the stadium and categorized Red/Amber/Green etc. so each set of people can only enter each one etc. The complications are massive.

Look at what happened with Joffra Archer yesterday - 1 slip up could have put the whole series off and costs tens of Millions!!!!

The sport needs the TV Money - We need to get the game back on and we need to do it in the most cost effective/safe way we can

Can't wait for it to start again and couldn't give a Toss where they play!!!!!

Either all teams use their own grounds or (more likely), you have 3 or 4 grounds (as they have), but 2 grounds are used each weekend.
e.g. Saints host 3 matches on Saturday and Leeds host 3 on Sunday.
NO team is allowed to play at their home ground.
If Leeds & Saints are due to meet, it happens at Wire.
It's easy.

Typical SL/RFL half-d rubbish.

On the up-side, at least we get the game back.




Couldn’t agree more, every game played on a neutral field.

There may be "things we don't know about" that was bound to apply. It also doesn't mean difficulties can't be overcome.
As for the set up structures and costs, those have already been met at Hudds, Hull and Wigan and I'm sure the running costs are not small either.
I do think it could have been handled much better and I'd be interested to know if the use of the three dual use grounds had been considered which are Covid free.
How it will all pan out I don't know. Johnson has been on the tv confusing things even more. Then there's Oxford Uni and Astra Z saying their vaccine will be ready by September. A Vaccine would change everything, and for the better. For people who get vaccinated it could be back to almost normal very soon.

So your not worried about increased travel then?
What issues that may create? Saints V Wigan but we have to travel over the Headingley?
There are Hundreds of issues involved in getting the game back on - we don't know about 99% of them

Listen I am sure that all those that are "Upset" because a game that's behind closed doors, with no fans etc. because "Hypothetically" give certain teams (Leeds/Warrington/Saints are getting the stick for this) when in reality the advantage hardly exists and anyone playing in those games won't give a shiny S**t about it may want to keep harping on about it

The reality is that None of us have 5% of the info needed to make a call on why things have to be done the way they've been done. Speculating about X Y Z without knowing the background is pointless, especially over something as trivial as Home or Neutral ground Which, from the horses mouth of one of Wigan's staff "No-ones bothered about".

You say "It also doesn't mean difficulties can't be overcome."

Do you not think that they may have looked into overcoming them and maybe, just maybe the cost/risk of doing so may not be worth it or safe?
Because I know (Through conversation with Wigan Staff & other staff at SL & CHampionship level inc. a Chief Exec) that it's Nightmare!!! And they have been discussing everything, but eventually Safe & Cost efficient decisions need to be made and have been for the best of All Clubs to keep the game afloat. 90% + of these decisions/reasons won't be on the radar of the general public because it isn't our job to do it.

I'm involved in Amateur cricket - This was supposed to be back up and running last week (And indeed a couple of friendlies did go ahead last week).
Without going into detail a couple of issues have arisen and this weeks games in Liverpool & Lancs (Everything under the Lancs jurisdiction) has been called off.

I've got here the Risk Assessment etc. details that have now come out that Every club have to adhere to BEFORE they can even train never mind play & it's a Nightmare!!!

I'm not just "Sticking up for the RFL", god knows I wouldn't be that stupid, but I can Guarantee that Joe public won't have a Scooby about 99% of the issues involved. And I'm not sure why they're bothered ???

PS
Being Financially Responsibly as I am for a Cricket club & a Swimming club (And a Bar inside the cricket club) I can tell you the pressures to stay afloat are immense & difficult - To re-open a Bar and become Covid compliant etc. has taken us 4 weeks of planning

I'm just saying it's easy to criticise - Not so easy to do it

Only fly in the ointment AFAIC would probably be, would I want to go to the pub to watch the games on Sky? Maybe not - I've steered clear of pubs so far. Obviously that's a decision that's up to each individual. They'll be on Wigan TV sooner or later.

Or even Leeds play their home game v Saints at Headingley, and their away game in round 17 at TWS.

or



I'm hoping it's the first!