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.

Personally I love the Shay, at least you can sit in comfort with a good view for every game.
Take for example some of the poky little grounds that Sheffield have played at where you could barely move.
Where were they at for a night game with some sort of make do stand made out of scaffolding when Rob scored a few against us?
Grounds like that and Thrum Hall are precisely one of the reasons IMG uses to justify why their needed to sort things out.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if fans were allowed movement around the ground. I think the view from the South Stand is quite poor when we're playing towards the North Stand.

The Skircoat should be made all terracing and linked to both the North and South Stands for free movement, although Calderdale Council may not allow it because they seem obsessed that a Hillsborough type crush will happen if fans walk about (Cas and Batley seem to manage OK).

Think it’s a stewarding cost/issue , noticed loads of kids running around at the bottom of the east stand on Saturday , only takes one of them to trip n bang their chins and the club will be under fire . I can see the shay man forum headline now ‘ squatters stewards trip kids innocently playing egg chasing game ‘

I've always found the view from the North Stand to be better, It's steeper than the south and never feels as dark either. Used to enjoy watching the game from there when I did the scoreboard a few years back.

With the size of crowds we get now, I don't think it'll be long before we're only opening the East anyway. Would surely offer a cost saving

That would strengthen the case for downsizing. You don't buy a 5 bedroom house if you live on your own!

But we don't own the house and there are no other houses in the area.

Fair enough, we'll continue to live in a band H property paying higher maintenance costs despite having 4 of the bedrooms empty!

I wonder which ground will be used for the Whitehaven game. Odsal and Huddersfield are possibilities but I'm guessing Keighley. And dare I say it, it's a lovely quaint ground which is better suited to RL than the Shay. Great view of the entire pitch and close to the action.

Could follow FCHT's lead and take it to Chesterfield or Accrington!

But would expect Keighley, might actually make me want to go, can get train over, couple of pints in the Boltmakers, stop off in Bingley or Shipley on the way back, finish with a curry in Bradford. Good day out that

We’ll be going wherever it’s being played ( except Featherstone ) and if it is at Keighley just hope the ground has got their act together from last seasons away game there.
45 mins queuing to get in as they had one working card reader to share between the entire bottom end turn stiles.
No water to make a cup of tea and no water for the toilets to work or wash your hands and no surprise it stunk to high heaven.
At least it didn’t rain so missed getting ed wet through or crammed into the bottom end stand.

Anyone any idea where the Whitehaven game is going to be played?

Hoddies garden hopefully.

Someone at the match on saturday said Wakefield. They said that it had been announced in the banqueting suite at the Toulouse match.

Thought it was going to be at Keighley- would have been far better for "home" support - I'd be very suprised if they got 500 playing at Wakey

Be nice to win there 2 weeks running..

When do they intend to announce it to us peasants?

Seen a couple of Whitehaven folk on X mentioning they still don't know where it'll be played. June 2nd it was announced it'd be played elsewhere

It's a bit of a poor do, only eleven days off and we don't know where it is to be played. Has it been asked off Whitehaven if we can just switch the home/away fixtures? It's going to cost fans extra to attend this 'home' game, surely it's time to let us know where so plans can be made?

Whitehaven apparently decline to switch the fixture as it'd leave them playing their last 4 games away from Home

17 days since it was announced it would be played elsewhere, 11 days until it is played and still no announcement on where.

I completely agree.

And if you are happy to stand it is 10 quid in.

As a fellow peasant i agree it is poor from the club. And even if what i was told is wrong they should still have announced wherever it is being played by now.

I'm guessing the Council will reimburse some rent for Fax to agree to switch the haven game to Wakey, which works out at about £4k a match.