It was, as usual, a one year deal for 2008.

This year the award has gone to Vilnius in Lithuania, as well as Linz in Austia.

Swings and roundabouts. Leeds CF&A were, until recently, pumping several million pounds into ensuring that next door was still capable of hosting Test cricket.

You're right in that Headingley is now a 365-day-a-year venue (RL, RU, cricket, hotel, university, etc) although much of that is down to the money that was put into the stadium complex several years ago, even if it isn't overly evident to the rugby supporters.

Absolutely, which makes comparing the various amounts spent on Headingley and what has been spent on Odsal - which some were attempting to do - like comparing apples and aardvarks.

The money is there to spend on upgrading Headingley because of the revenue it produces and the status it already holds, neither of which apply to Odsal.

Quite, Odsal is a rugby venue first and last. So up until 2003 it was not pulling any cash in outside the RL season. On since 2003 did the Bulls invest in the ground building the Coral Stand for corporate stuff. Before then the Council simply did enough to get the game on and nowt else. The club and the council simply didn't have the cash to invest in the stadium necesary for large scale developments. The ground itself is built on contaminated land making building more problematic than at other places.

It had one year with the title, as planned, during which time estimates vary as to how much investment came in, with £800M being a popular figure among the press. Whatever the number was, the area between the city centre and the water front has been redeveloped to an extent that it's barely recogniseable from the place I lived 7 years ago, with new shopping centres (like Bradford wants), at least one new museum and a new indoor arena.

I think it would have been a good thing for Bradford to have won. Shame for them really.