Absolutely agree but I firmly believe Ellis will have had a consultant or someone go through the detailed handbook in detail and identify opportunities like these barriers where we could not only gain points but also avoid losing points.

I would actually hope they’ve consulted Mynards as he was heavily involved in the last one where we scored quite well last year.

Totally agree about a person dealing with it. I’d certainly have someone going through it with a fine tooth comb and getting regular clarification from IMG in things like this barrier.

While we’re discussing hand rail’s I’m reliably informed that to comply with IMG requirements, the blue/purple hospitality seats are to have hand rails down the outside seats to cordon off from the none hospitality section. This work will have to be done before the grades are announced end of October.

We have been discussing that on the last page. There’s no more reliably informed than the handbook itself and it’s in there. Expected as much and I’m sure that Ellis will get it done.

I do however suspect that it won’t need to be before October announcement. It will I believe need to be done sooner before the club I assume has its IMG grading visit where it will be scrutinised against the handbook. This is when it will need to be installed for (so not much time at all).

It doesn't say hand rail it says 'physical barrier'.
They will need to clarify what that means.

Quite right, I’m just thoughtful that a handrail would be beneficial to quite a few people including me when climbing those steps.

I think the flats have served us well in the past, what 25 years or so, and have brought a lot of revenue into the club.

They do look better since they have been freshened up.

I do recall earlier in the the season what ME said about his plans for the west terrace, and the part above the covered terrace. If my memory serves me right, he said a rooftop area with hospitality there. I haven't heard anything changing on that front, so I can only presume that it is still the long term plan.

If that is the case, then could some of the hospitality side be moving from there to the west terrace, or will this be extra boxes etc.

If it is moving, I wouldn't be surprised to see something further down the line on the south end which is part hospitality, and part stand for supporters.

Exciting times ahead

Hospitality isn't really in the flats now.
The players area is there and boxes for sponsors.
There is obviously still facility to do it but I'd say the Neil Fox Stand covers what used to be there.
West stand is all about supports for me.
Clearly Ellis knows more about business than me but I'm not on board with the rooftop.
I'd either have home stand like Hull KR for the length of the area or a seating area with media area above.

Talking of stadiums.

I noticed on TRL that Cas reckon their stadium will be a grade A by the end of the season. I’m trying to be open minded but I can’t help but laugh. In what universe is this even remotely possible.

Cas have to be the greatest set of deluded bull ***** in the game of RL. If that heap is a grade A then I’m a rock star.

Like I said on a previous page Vasty, I was there 2 weeks ago and you are spot on, it’s absolutely dreadful and god knows who does the grading, probably Stevie Wonder. I know we have been way behind in the years gone by but we have done something about it, and don’t get me started on the stand we had to remove after the Bradford disaster which still grates me to this day and that thing that they call a stand is still being used

If they used the phrase "Grade A Stadium" they don't understand what they are doing.

Maybe they could get full marks on the stadium section but that doesn't give them a Grade A.

They could possibly get the 1.5 points for facilities but I can't see how they will do the sponsors and directors area.
The handbook makes a point of saying the seats have to be permanent so we'll see what they think of their new ones.

They don't have LEDs and do they have a permanent big screen I can't remember.

And its fairly impossible to get full marks on utilisation.

So I'd say they are only talking about facilities score of 1.5.

The big screen had moved from one side of the away end to the other PT but unsure if it was temporary

They have revalued the ground from just over 2m to just over 8m in the last twelve months.

The Cas ground? Wow.

The whole of Castleford is not worth 8m!

All of Cas and the surrounding areas wouldn’t come no where near that