Interesting that gold membership at Cas for next season is £225, compared to our £125/ £150, which is a hell of a difference (based on 4000 s/t's)
Ok, there are kids and concessions and we do have the 1873 scheme but, approx £400k difference on s/t revenue is phenominal.

Exactly why the deal is too cheep, and only sustainable in the short term.
Plenty of pre warning and then a limited period (a month) for existing ST holders to renew at a early bird price £150, new ST holders in the same period £170 and then £190-£200 there on in for next year i'd suggest.
Chuck a few add ons in if needed, but thats as far as it goes.
If we want a successful club, time to pay for it.

The "precarious position" he alluded to was that clubs like yourself and Salford cannot keep expecting your benefactor to bank-roll you. There comes a time (like Kinley rightly says) that you (as customers) have to pay the going rate for the product. SL rugby is not a charity.

It was obvious that less focus would be on stadia once Salford showed that somewhere new isn't always as good as somewhere old, and the RFL bought that dump of a place in Bradford (by far the most soul-less, depressing place to watch rugby league I have ever been to, in an iconic fashion). They can't chuck someone out on stadium grounds when they own one of them and control over what happens to it.

So if you have got somewhere to entertain the prawn sandwich lot, you're in.

So can we stay at Belle Vue? Just keep developing it?

There was quite a bit of soul searching last night. It was refreshing to hear people asking questions relating to SL in general and not specific to Cas Tigers.

Regarding the stadium - SF made it quite clear that we wouldn't be moving to a new stadium if there was a shortfall in funds that we clearly cannot afford. A show of hands demonstrated that the audience were happy to stay at a re-developed WR. I put my hand up to this as well because I don't want us to move to GH if it will cripple us financially. I would rather see us play in NL1.

Ask yourself this (even looking at it in a Wakey's point of view):-

1. P & R will most likely be back in 2 years time therefore do you think a competative team is more important than a new stadium. (your half-way there with that one). ?

2. Can the game in general afford to loose 7,000 speccies and a club that (like Wakey) produces an above average amount of proffesional RL players of SL quality ?

Would you like to?

Personally, yes, provided it was redeveloped so that it was better. However, I think the Bank of Ireland might have something to say about that. Unfortunately, Ted's land gambles have meant that we have to move, and so in reality we have no choice.

I think Newmarket will work for us though, and GH would work for you.

We shouldn't be diverted by the trials and tribulations over t'common from how important NM is to our future; what a lot of people fail to remember when they talk about it is that it isn't the same arrangement as the Salford stadium or Castleford's proposals - it's owned and operated by a Community Trust that runs on a not for profit basis, so there will be no crippling rent or untenable arrangement around matchday revenue.

Equally, I'm not sure Mr Ferres should be naming our club in his prophecies of doom - that seems a bit Richard Wright-esque to me.

Their membership scheme looks very familiar by the way...

Don't take it to heart - he wasn't.

Not by price it doesn't!

I think he meant in not having a Sugar Daddy!

Exept for the price.

One thing that should be remembered though is that JE and i think AG have both gone on record when stating the importance of NM; that we are a dead duck as far as SL is concerned without it.
If that is the whole reason and the RL/SL landscape has now changed, that needs to be brought into the discussion.
Im not saying we should dump NM on the strength of a meeting last night at the Cas civic hall, but simply the equation has changed; and common sense dictates it needs re-evaluating.
Our circumstances are not that of Castleford's so the same things that make developing WR work for them may not work for us.
We may or may not have a choice, Castleford almost certainly appear not to, some of the talk last night may just be sweetener for the tea, who knows.
The point remains our situation appears at least to need a new set of eyes, and if it makes sense to change tack in both the short and long term then so be it. The future of the club is more important than anything.

We should not deviate from NM. It's about much more than a stadium for playing RL in 13/14 times a year - it's about the business model of the club and having the facilities to deliver it.

Cas have room at WR to do this - but it needs massive investment and a complete removal and re-building of the main stand side - the one with room behind it. This new stand could includ all the corporate facilities and offices necessary to run a SL club. That and putting a roof similar to our North stand over the railway end and some improvements to access and toilets would make WR a formidable yet functional facility. The trick is in locating the funds and they will need WMDC to help them do that. Good luck!