But clubs therefore shouldn't be promising new stadiums they can't deliver - council funded or not. The problem is partly to do with the RFL as you say - they shouldn't be considering awarding ANY criteria points for stadia if there isn't a new stadium in place - bricks 'n 'all.

Even before the Council got invloved and funded the East Stand, the ground was better than 4 or 5 teams in SL Wakefield included. The ground was improved in stages as both the football club and rugby club were funding it at the time. Thats why the East Stand didnt get finished for 10 years - both clubs run out of money. So for you to suggest that the stadium is like it is soley due to our Council is incorrect.


Why shouldnt Wakefield take a hit on the playing side? They were safe from relegation for 3 years? Some of that money could have been invested in the facilities couldnt it?

Its hard for any team in the CC unless they have a big money backer to run full youth set ups. As you will find out.

Your are right they should not be promising new stadiums they can not deliver. The RFL will have know full well that these stadiums were not likely to be delivered, however they still chose to keep the teams they wanted. The whole point here is that the RFL will keep the teams they want to keep, And or course clubs will play the game to make it look like they are towing the line and I am with you that its is time that some other teams were given the chance to play for nothing at the bottom of SL. And I would agree with anybody that Wakefield are the least proactive Club with regards there ground.

Its far from easy, thats why it has taken so long, the main source of funding is selling our ground something that we couldnt do due to the health and safety executive dragging there feat on the blast zone, which is why it is so frustrating when the ill informed act as if we havent done anything becuase we cant be bothered, we have already put alot of hardwork and money into this stadium, which is now coming close to fruition, its a shame so many people are desperate to see us a fail. I will be glad when we dissapoint those people.

And people seem to think the only criteria that matters is stadia, we have improved across the board since we were given a franchise- we've increased sponsorship significantly despite the recesion, have one of the smallest anmounts of overseas players in sl, got one of the best youth set ups in rl with players representing england at 3 levels and built a competative squad that finished in the play offs in 09 and just missed out in 2010 and still have better attendances than 4 other teams in the league despite a poor start to the year, many of our big home games being on sky and two matches being hastily rearranged causing thousands of fans to miss them. We are also one of the most financialy stable teams in sl with no large debts, we dont rely on a sugar daddy and we were one of only 4 sl teams to make a (small) profit in 2009.

In your opinion would we have been better off rebuilding one stand, be massivley in debt, not bother investing in youth and having a bucket load of aussies in our team like hull kr? As you seem to have no critiscism of them.

The only criteria that matters for me is STADIA. All the other strengths you mention (sponsorship, home grown players etc.) are not unique to Cas unfortunately. If you take that Widnes and Fax franchise bid all these strengths exist, just stadia sets them apart from Cas and Wakey.

So although stadia is not the ONLY criteria it appears to be the one differentiating the franchise bids as Cas and Wakey can't tick this box.

The root of the whole problem lies with Super League. The whole franchise system has become a bit of a joke to be honest. The main aims of franchising were to create a set of teams that are financially stable, playing in modern stadia, and provide an environmment free from the pressures of relegation for at least 3 years to enable clubs to develop and promote home grown players through the system, and to increase the fan bases

Lets face it, clubs fall down on stadia - Wakey, Cas, Salford, Bradford, Saints and Hull KR (even though progress is being made in the case of Saints and Hull KR); Financial stability - Crusaders, Harlequins, and, if the rumours were to be believed Wakefield; Clubs still import over the hill or disgraced Aussies and Kiwis in preference to home grown talent, like Hull KR and Warrington, and some clubs fan bases are not increasing as required. How many teams have I not mentioned - Leeds, Wigan, Catalans (dont get me started on expansion!!)

At the end of the day, the whole system is corrupt, and if your face fits you are in. It shouldn't come down to that. The system should be fair and consistent across all levels, and the biggest factor should be on field performance. Yes, there should be financial stabilty. Yes, there should be modern stadia. Yes, there should be youth development, but at the end of the day the ability of a club to compete to a satisfactory level should be the defining factor. Franchising is not helping develop the game at all - although all is well if you listen to the propaganda coming out of Red Hall. Clubs are dying, or have died like Blackpool or have struggled like Whitehaven - where were the RL rescue squads and loans to help save them??

I would love to see Fax back in Super League - that is the whole point of sport - to have the ambitiion to be the best you can be. But if we don't get there I wont be too disappointed. To me, the Championship is more like proper RL, people not only in it for the money, but for the love of the game. There is passion for the game at this level that some SL clubs can only dream of, and long may it continue.

Hey touchy here mate, we like Cas honest a true RL town. Our only grumble over the years has been a Cas bias on Radio Leeds and other media when you had your 'wonder years' down with the minnows!
Thing is at the moment we cannot see a stadium rising although we do appreciate it all takes time. But I must add that most sports fans just think that all the boffins should waive their rulebook just for them and let clubs have stadiums wherever they want, which is unfair we do have rules to protect people from unsuitable developments.
As I said good luck, I must say though will a stadium out of town be your saviour? I think Cas is a community club and is better at the heart of that community like where you are now, but that won't tick any boxes will it sadly?

I'm sorry as much as i like fax (and i really do, always been my favorite away game and my father played for fax many moons ago) i havent seen any evidence that you could come close to cas on any of the other criteria (though feel free to provide evidence regarding crowds, youth development, commercial development, financial stability and ability to build a competative sl team) the only area that fax beat cas is stadia, which is why presumably your praying cas stadium plans go t*ts up as when we get our new stadium there will no longer be anything to critiscise.

£11.5 million? Thats a lot to find as I doubt your old ground is worth a lot as the housing market has slumped, even then my guess is £2 or £3 million at most, who will own the new stadium by the way?

Excellent post.

Our ground covers alot of land, in an area that is set for major redevolpment, just before the housing slump it was valued as just short of 7 million, now around 5 million.

cas will own the new stadium with the developer owning a smaller share equal to the money they have put in (thought to be about 1 million).

I'm sorry if i appear touchy, just sick of people saying we have sat back and done nothing when they dont even know the half of whats been going on.

The stadium will still be in cas, about a mile from the dead centre of town, and for many cas fans (including myself) will actually be nearer to get to.

In the past Faxs crowds have been as big and bigger than Cas's - they could be again. Halifax is a hotbed of RL talent - 3 players from the last 4Nations England squad come from Halifax - with the extra money being in SL will bring, players of this calibre will come through at Fax.

Comercial development? I would say that Faxs game day coperate sales are bigger and more lucrative than Cas's - no evidence other than my opinion - unless you can provide evidence to show that is not the case.

Competative SL team? We finished 3rd in 98 is that competivie enough?

Nah we are [unot[/u expecting to get a sniff of SL as we know the Fat Controller and his sidekick PR Man will decide who gets in based on whatever they say, not any rules come on how naive are you?






Thing is how can we compete with a SL club on all of the above? Come on there is no way a non SL club can afford a youth set up compared to a SL club unless they have a Sugar Daddy like Widnes plus how can you compare crowds for goodness sake when no offence teams bring about 50 fans tops Leigh, Fev (currently) and Widnes apart when in SL you get an [uaverage[/u 1K away support. This also helps with finances when you can rely on several thousand Leeds, Wigan or Hull FC fans like what you get in SL.
apples with pears mate. You also rarely get a mention in the press other than the local and the YP and a tiny bit on Sky who give wall to wall SL coverage .

Blimey if they have paid that they will need a very good development to get their money back, what they planning to build?
Thing is it can be 'valued' at whatever but market forces dictate what you pay and at the moment nobody is building very much, you been to Leeds recently for example?

I thought it was over in Glasshoughton?

....What he says

Spot on that Michael! I personally dont have a problem with Cas or Wakey but it certainly does look like from the lower echelons of RL that they have both sat and done very little until they had to, in particular, Wakefield. The bottom line is we all want to be at the big table and i sincerly wish that all the clubs in question were, but as Inoffski and others have put it, it all comes down to the RFL....whoever they want in will be in...regardless! Its all a smoke screen of BS. Harlequins and Crusaders are a total laughable joke IMO and anyone who follows RL can see that, the only problem being is that in reality they will both be in SL and at least one TRUE rugby league club will not be. If current SL chairmen keep jumping into bed with the RFL power brokers and continue to pander to their ego then nothing will change.

I am no fan of Redhall BUT if you were in charge of professional Rugby League what would you do?

Expansion seems a reasonable strategy to follow, whats not right with spreading the game across the country?

Whats not right in 'working with' SKY the major source of funding for our game?

Whats not right on insisting super league clubs have some decent standing to have a franchise?

Its all too easy to slate the establishment but WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Promotion and relegation is the only way. Im not against expansion, im against the way they go about it. Neglecting the heartland clubs for the fast buck will never work long term. As i have stated, the whole scenario is a joke and so are the RFL.

if waky dnt ave a staydiam dey shud b relygated!!!11!!

..and that's all i've got to say on the matter in hand

nuff said

And so should Cas!

Wereyoutherein1987

The sport of Rugby League was never broken until the introduction of Franchise. There is quite simply is no need for it and it does not bring anything to the game other than create a closed shop for the so called elite teams. Rugby League will never be anything other than a Northern Game - always has been always will be. For 'Expansion' to work then the game at grass roots needs to be played in these areas for example the London Side should only ever be allowed to play Southern players if not they become a Northern team playing down South.

The only way forward is to bring back promotion and relegation with the aid of a 'parachute payment' if required. I know it will never happen but how are Championship Clubs ever going to expand when we as fans know we are only ever playing for a place in the Grand Final with no real reward whether we win or lose, other than a good day out.

Take todays announcement with the Marketing Director, this surely must be one of the hardest jobs at the club because yes we have a fantastic product but no new level to take it to. I do however wish him and the club every success and myself being involved in the club do want us to move forward.

On the Wakefield front I do believe that somehow they will be allowed to continue in Super League largely because if they are excluded due to the situation regarding their ground they would have grounds for legal action against any other clubs / RFL that have not laid a brick in anger. I think that from 2012 superleague will increase by two places making room for Widnes and hopefully Halifax but more than likely Toulouse as we push on with the great Expansion masterplan.

Cas and the rest have had around 15 yrars to do something about the stadium and most have done nothing except make up nice pretty designs.

Cas have had a couple of pretty designs over the years. But has any builders ever got close to laying a foundation down on any design? No and why i do not believe Cas will have a new stadium READY for 2013.

Fax like other championship clubs have been lucky that the council have helped but often it took a lot ofeffort to get this help. Fax also put ina wad of cash as well. I believe Fax put in around half a milluon over the years after selling Thrum Hall etc. Halifax Town and the Football Trust also put thousands of pounds in.

And anyone who genuinely thinks occupancy of a legoland facility is the be all and end all of a club's eligibility for the top echelon has already been lobotomised. Which I sense is the point you've made.

Who needs a lego land stadium when there is Belle Vue....



Solvency is also an important criteria.. a one which Wakey will be more worried about.