This is not a troll guys. Reading some of the posts on here today regarding the state of the club, how many fans would be open to a merger. Would you rather maintain the way things are and be faced with more seasons of despondancy and flirting with relegation, even NL1 football, but retain the club identity or have the possibility of a competitive side with the ability to challenge for honours. I understand this is a simplistic view (as there is no guarantee that a combined club would be competative of course) but it seems to me that it's becoming an unwinnable battle for some clubs to be competative or retain frachises etc. the way things are. Be interesting to hear the fans take on this. Is a merger still taboo?

It's something I've thought about and would be open to under the following conditions:

1. The identity of Castleford was maintained in both name and amber and black being predominant club colours (this can be the away shirt)
2. The merged clubs pool resources for a stadium at Glasshoughton

I'm sure Wakey fans would say the same, changing Castleford to Wakefield and Glasshoughton to Stanley

What resources?? (Serious question btw!).

Wakey would not be able to bring much to the table......the proposal at Stanley is funded by the private sector.

Not this old chestnut again.

Im not totally against it either. If done correctly it could be very exciting.

Wests Tigers has worked.

Yet the same thread crops up every time we run into a bad patch from the likes of people who probably wouldn't ever have to contemplate losing the identity of their club. That's an assumption by the way as I'm not clear on where you're from.


Let's rewind by 12 months. Where was the despondency and flirting with relegation then? I don't believe we have a team that's not competitive, more a squad that lacks the depth to sustain any kind of momentum when faced with the crippling injury crisis we have at the moment. That's lead to some poor performances and bad results, which in turn has reduced the confidence of the squad as a whole and so on... it's a vicious circle.


As I've said a few times today, one of the major frustrations with fans at the moment is the lack of evidence of progress with the stadium development, although we are assured that things are happening behind the scenes. Maybe this is true and the focus of the club is in that direction. Will you still be asking that question if we get to a stage where this all comes to fruition?

A merger is actually fine with me provided the club is identified as Castleford and plays at Glasshoughton. Any merger that doesn't satisfy those requirements is a complete loss of a historic club; will alienate its fans and in my opinion would be completely unacceptable. You don't say who we'd merge with but I assume you mean Wakefield, whose fans I'm pretty sure would find my requirements above, unacceptable.




The difference being that Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers still exist and play in the lower leagues. They have never merged, but instead set up Wests Tigers as a joint venture.

I'd not rule out a ground share, but no chance of merger. If that happens, I cut ties with rugby league and will go join the man with his dog at Headingley in watching YCCC.

=#8000FFWests is the merged club, the Magpies & Tigers were then reformed by the new merged club to play in the lower leagues as junior teams, this could still be done with a merged team here (Castleford Trinity works

) then have Castleford Tigers in the u18s and Wakefield Wildcats in the u20s for example.

haha as if Wakey would accept that!

I'm with you on this one Towns88, there's no way I would ever watch a merged club, I would rather go watch Lock Lane or Panthers.

[url=http://www.weststigers.com.au/default.aspx?s=weststigersDo some research[/url. It is not a merged club, it's a joint venture, as I quite correctly stated before.

lol you're like a teacher, Bonzo.

[uYawn[/u

I'm a massive Castleford fan and i think merging with Wakefield would be a great idea. Imagine how big we can be !

Yes, good idea. Sign me up for a wally lewis t shirt

Done sir!

I think the original post was impying that you merge with Featherstone and, over time, become a force in NL1.

what would we gain by agreeing to that ?

Yeah right.

although it pains me to say this you come across as a level headed kind of guys , do you really think the RFL will let us both in time and time again with empty promises? the way the sport is changing i can not see it . I have said elsewhere that i think both clubs will merge very soon and create a new club at stanley . as for the name that will create some hot debate and i dont think every one will end up happy .
i also think that castleford will retain a club at wheldon rd and play in nl2 to be a feeder for the new club.

i like the idea of retain the clubs colours in kits although a big no no on saying one is home and one is away it would be more fair to rotate on a weekly basis.

and as for the no not in a million years i can not see anyone who like me is sad enough to spend so much time on rl boards to just turn your backs on the sport forever and lets face it fev n Leeds don't quite cut the mustard.

its gonna happen i think

Trinity Tigers @ junc 30

=#8000FFThere you go

the name is decent though

then go Wests style and have 4 kits...

There would have to be incentives from both clubs. The idea of a "joint venture" where both keep there identities in the Championship is a good one.

The bottom line is that a merged team is not likely to be a better team on the field or off. Neither have any money so they would have twice the debt and neither have a good ground. So unless they get offered a stadium and a ton of money then its a none starter.

This is pretty much what I was getting at. For the poster(s) who think the original post was a troll, it defnitely wasn't. I'm not for a minute suggesting you should merge; it's not my place to say one way or the other. TBH I'm not even sure there is a right or wrong as such. I am, however interested to see if attitudes have changed since the idea was first proposed. When SL was first formed everyone had the right to think things would work out well for their club. It was a new venture and no-one had any real idea how it would pan out. 15 years on and I don't think the same can be said. There is a history to draw on and that shows us that traditionally teams like Wakefield and Castleford (or Salford, Leigh and others for that matter) haven't really challenged for honours. Now, as fans, you may be satisfied with this state of affairs. Maybe 'hanging on in there hoping for a day in the sun' is enough for some. It seems from the posts so far that it isn't for others though and there is a greater sense of wanting, even expecting, more. There's nothing wrong with either attitude. Some would be satisfied playing NL1 as long as it was 'their club'. Others want to be competitive at the highest level. I realise this is horses for courses but, with many suggesting fans will not be renewing season tickets etc. it's obvious that some are already showing that 'more of the same' is not for them.

For the posters who seem unhappy with the thread, as Mutley Cat has intimated, this is more than likely going to raise it's head sometime soon. St George-Illawarra and Wests-Tigers have shown that mergers (or joint ventures if you prefer) can work. Someone is going to be the first in this country sooner or later. Cas/Wakey, looking from the outside, looks the most likely. That's just a personal view of course and I accept I could well be wrong. Nevertheless I was just interested in the fans perspective on it. I wonder if Wests and Balmain fans, for example, were universally for the merger or not? Either way it happened and has worked extremely well to the point of Grand Finals and them curently being among the competition leaders again this time round.