Yep. That’s fair enough.

Not that I am a civil engineer or gardener, however if you look on google earth of a picture of the shay it already looks like a patch work with the drainage showing up quite clearly, so what they have done wrong previously, and what they can do to rectify it … As far as artificial pitches go I was under the impression there are/were artificial pitches ,unless they were ripped up and grass relaid .

Yeah as Brew alluded to no plastic pitches are allowed in the football league, there have been votes about allowing them again but they never get passed. The problem we have is that there is a large layer of clay under the surface of the Shay pitch which does not help with drainage and then the drains themselves are either blocked with concrete or broken due to mistakes been made with the redevelopment years back.

The only solution really is a full strip back which you can imagine could easily run up a cost towards 1m, the other idea would be the 4G pitch which would not be ideal for Town. The other idea would be to build on top of the pitch and raise the level of the pitch which may be doable and then its a must that we went hybrid which I believe is allowed in the football league.

The cheapest option which both clubs would get the best return on would be 4G, although in the playoffs this year, Town are a long way off seeing promotion and without a money man will continue to be minnows in that division. A 4G pitch allows it to become an income stream for both clubs and the stadium owners which is a must for anyone taking on the stadium. Being nearly 1m in a hole to start with is the reason you won't see much uptake in people wanting to think about taking on the Shay.

Its catch 22 when it comes to the pitch at the moment because Town can get some grants which cover a lot of the cost but it also means Town and Fax putting some money, in to the hundreds of thousands, in to the pot for the works. I totally get Fax's stance on this, for them they have a pitch that is perfectly adequate for the use they need and it makes zero sense to spend money on the pitch. Unfortunatley as we saw this season the pitch was already ruined before we stepped foot on it but again it was still fine for Rugby. I don't know what the solution is but maybe Town should stack their fixtures in a way that means as little usage on the pitch as possible through the worst months.

I'll be honest, I really do not want our current BOD running the stadium and think it would be a total disaster but it seems that is the way it is heading and I just wonder if Town would then be forced to stack fixtures etc to protect the pitch while the bare minimum work is continued to be carried out.

Many many years ago there was a terrible patch of the pitch in front of the skircoat, worst than the rest of it and it used to be sheeted seperately to try and protect the area, this was put down to the clay foundations for the speedway track and the pitch having been moved across that way. That was dug out one summer if memory serves correct.

One story that has been around so long it may well be an urban myth is when the East Stand was finally completed, some drainage channels were filled with concrete (probably not on purpose) and the issues have perpetuated ever since.

It appears it is purely a drainage issue as even moderate rainfall can cause issues, a sudden deluge and bigger problems present, anyone remember the game a few years ago that was delayed about 45 minutes due to the south east corner of the ground suddenly been under water following a thunderstorm? I think there was photos of Ed Barber helping brush the water away.

Until the drainage issues are sorted relaying any sort of pitch isn't going to fix things. A hybrid pitch like Siddal's requires good drainage, and even they have had problems with a drain collapsing within a year, and some tears in the hybrid surface.

The delayed match was against Widnes i think. We had to have an extra pint in't København arcade waiting for the downpour to abate.

Maybe we should merge with Bradford, name the club “West’s” based on the geography and look for a site for a nice new ground somewhere in the Shelf / Brighouse area to mitigate any border issues, pool fan base / resources etc etc.

All stadia problems solved, all IMG boxes ticked for both clubs. Super League here we come for us all.

I've said this before, but for one reason or another the Shay simply hasn't worked for Fax. Regardless of what the "official" capacity is, it's a 20k stadium, far too big with 2 stands permanently empty. It'll probably be cheaper starting a new 10k stadium from scratch somewhere on the outskirts, far cheaper to run and more suited to RL.

I'd be open to this merger. We could try a club name that would be recognisable but that isn't currently in use. As Bulls and Panthers are both in use and there's already a Wests Warriors...maybe something like "Halifax RLFC" for the new merged club name might work?

The Bradford contingency could well have a issue with the name proposal with only Halifax in it although if keep heading in the current direction we might be merging with Siddal and in that scenario the name Halifax won’t be in use so could be available.

Haliford Northern Blue Fax Machines?

W*nky West’s then when we were away at Fev they wouldn’t know what to sing without seeming to be supporting us.

At least so far I haven’’t been banned or received any death threats for suggesting it, as of 2024 and beyond with the RFL & IMG it’s the only way to be as sure as you can be to make progress into the 12.

Fans Forum Audio uploaded. Rent question is at 55 minutes in. https://youtu.be/NPhmo3u3_do?t=3339

Fans Forum Audio uploaded. Rent question is at 55 minutes in. https://youtu.be/NPhmo3u3_do?t=3339

I still think developing ovenden park could be an answer. the rent at the shay is just too high with no bar income . The dining package is just becoming a joke . it might be a case of start again on a low stadium and build to needs . We have ended up in a place that just doesnt give a business chance to thrive . You cant exist without income from your own bar .

Totally agree. Like I said in an earlier post, the Shay is far too big for Fax and Town. I can't see the Skircoat stand ever being used again and we don't even open the North Stand for the Bulls anymore.

The Council could raise a few million selling the Shay and split it 3 ways between themselves, Fax and Town. We could then move on to develop our own self contained smaller stadium and start a new era.

Im not sure how I would feel about moving to a new home. Let us not forget however, the Shay was redeveloped to such a size at the request of the rugby club, who then went on to not pay a penny towards it.

The biggest problem though would be finding the right location for a new stadium. Ovenden Park is a no go...even if the facilities were upgraded, it wouldnt pass planning due to a) a lack of parking and b) the traffic created on a matchday. Lowfields would have been ideal, but thats pretty much full up.

Calderdale has a very uneven landscape, with limited flat spaces empty. Youd also need good public transport links.

I think we are both stuck with the Shay and its a case of finding a way to work together

The Shay is a gold mine waiting for someone to utilise it to it's full potential. Any other rugby/football club would kill for a facility in such a prime location. Talk of going elsewhere is poppycock and shows a total lack of imagination and ambition.

We struggle to attract people to watch now. Moving to an out of town location wont help that where getting to the ground becomes more difficult for both home and away fans. And for a lot of fans those who make an afternoon of it, a shortage of local ale houses.

A winning side with a chance to get into Super League and lower admission prices are among the things needed to get people through the turnstiles wherever you play and since neither of them are likely to happen it looks like the best we can hope for in the short to medium term is to be a competitive side who plays an exciting brand of rugby and to stabilise the finances.

If we had the money to build a new stadium then we wouldn't be in this position in the first place. Its absolutely ludicrous to suggest anything along those lines.
Even if we did have the money Ovenden Park is a horrendous location, couldn't even support an amateur RU team , limited road access, no parking, nowhere near train station.

Does being near the train station make any difference? How many fans catch the train to the Shay? They're always on bloody strike anyway and if they aren't then the trains are either late or cancelled!

Is it possible to knock down Asda and rebuild Thrum Hall?

Plenty of parking at Ovenden Park if the land where moorside school used to be could be utilised along with the top training field which does not see too much use.

Makes a difference to me Tony !! As a Travelling Supporter Ovenden is a NO NO doubt if we could afford to pay for Asda to be knocked down

Well (as I'm still living in the past!) Thrum Hall was awkward being 2 miles away up the hill but it attracted more fans.

We'll all continue to be divided re the Shay. I see where the Shaysters are coming from, but it's just too big and even if we ever get to SL (not in my life time!) we'll average 6 to 8k at the very best still leaving it 2 thirds empty. And nowadays having just 1.5k fans in 2 sides of the ground doesn't make much of an atmos, only when the "loyal" barmy army bother to turn up!

I think even that 6-8k is likely optimistic. I remember in 98 with our best team for years the playoff semi final V Saints I think there was just over 5k there and the average for the year was only like 4-5k. Maybe that band that did War Chant can make a follow up and get people interested again....

Shows how unpopular the Shay has been I suppose. At Thrummers we averaged 8k in 1988/89 in ironically our relegation season and then subsequently round about 4 to 5k in the 2nd division. Even our reserves had crowds of 2k. Outskirts stadiums seem to attract better support, Headingley and the KC Stadium being good examples.