I'd like the club to be reasonably ambitious and try to extend the capacity a little (say 3 or 4k). I think we should do more to try an increase our crowds, and it will help pay for the stand quicker.

I think now is a good time to re-develop the stand. Any works being done are like pouring money down the drain.

If you want to see how delaying a big investment in stadia can hurt a club, look at Bradford.

I'll offer you a scenario. Leed United get promoted, and god forbid look like going back to the Premiership. This coincides with a drop off in the Leeds Rhino's success on the field.

How do you feel this would impact the crowd figures at Headingley?

IIRC, last year the South Stand was given a safety certificate for two years. That would suggest to me that some form of work has to either commenced or be in the advanced stages of planning before the start of next season.

The cost of a new one is not the issue here. Work has to be done on the stand if it is to get another safety certificate.

As long as the debt is manageable (and with Caddick doing the work, I can't see why it wouldn't be), then I can't see the problem.

Hetherington hasn't done much wrong during his term at Leeds either on the field or development off it. Any decisions made will be in the best interests of the club.

I still think Headingley will have a new South Stand and North Stand before Odsal is re-developed or Cas get a new ground.

£10mil - payback period of 10-20years? Pretty good for a capital expense that is relatively high.

It all depends on what GH & Caddick see fit to be an ideal payback period.

After hearing several rumours regarding this Odsal Sporting Village, I do fear that it is becoming a reality once and for all...

To be fair this Odsal Sporting Village talk has been going on for as long as I have lived, 20 years in fact and still no super doper Stadium has come out of Odsal. But reports this week in the T & A state that a decision could be made in the coming weeks...

We will wait and see....

Thats possible, but I think the cost of making the ground 25k, rather than keeping it a current 22k are quite small.

It would be daft if in 5-10 years we are in a situation like Liecester Tigers where we can't get enough fans in to our ground, and would cost several more million to add a few thousand more onto capacity.

currently the capacity is fine, but I would like the club to be ambitious in the long term.

I'd be interested in seeing if Leeds Utd getting into the Prem had much effect on the Rhinos attendance

There is a hell of alot of people who do go to both clubs and can afford it, but with the current financial situation I would of thought people who choose one or the other!

No doubt there are people who go to both, I think Rhinos attendances would be affected if fortunes improve at Elland Road, but not by as much as some would think.

Well United are almost certain to go up this season...Championship Football really any better?

Prices to go up by the one and only Mr.'I am going to rob fans a little bit more' Bates

Serious question.

Would it not be better to sell Headingley and move to a new purpose built stadium.

That way you would have no reduction incapacity (and revenue) which will occur if a new South Stand is built

As it is you will probably have to redevolop the South, North and Western parts of the ground and that would in reality cost more than building a new ground.

It would be interesting to see how many people come to Leeds matches using either public transport or by foot. (I know a lot of people drive as the traffic on matchdays demonstrates.) I think a move from Headingley will A) Kill the last of the truly RL giants still loyal to what the game is about ,confirming that business is more important than the values that created RL in the first place.(Dramatic I know but still) B) Alienate a huge number of people.

I agree totally.
Flog Headingley to Yorkshire CC. Though where they'd get the funding is debatable.
They can then totally redevelop the existing shared North Stand.
Rebuild the Rugby stadium where there is better road & rail access with improved parking.
Never gonna happen though.
So we'll just have to muddle through redeveloping it piecemeal & end up with a mongrel stadium.
The difficulty with redeveloping the south stand is the loss of income while it's done.
Ditto for the North stand.

It would have been a few years ago but we're committed to it now.

I love the old place but hate the location for logistical reasons.

It does generate a lot of income for us now though and a new Southstand with seating and corporate will only benefit us further in the long run.

The Western Terrace can never be developed in reality because of the housing.

I'm still a fan of simply digging the pitch down by ten foot and increasing the rake.

I know in reality moving that much earth is not simple, but still. It's a panacea i'm quite fond of.

To some characterless box on a retail park? No thanks.

QED

Just as long as they don't start it while I'm in my current gaff, I can't be on with the noise of heavy machinery all day

Whilst the stand has to be done - H&S reasons for a start - soon the restrictions will 50% of the stand.

One thing to bear in mind - projections as to future income look good if the team maintains its current status ie winning - if that were to change all projections could look very silly.

This needs to be factored in when deciding how much is viable to invest - this is not a perfect market.

Planning permission would be a bigger factor than cost IMO.

Headingley is a busy place. Everybody knows about the traffic and parking problems on matchday, but driving through and getting parked in Headingley is still a nightmare at 1am on a Tuesday morning. LS6 is one of the most densely populated areas in the country and so traffic and building regulations tend to be somewhat more stringent.

Whilst the cost might not be excessive, the chances of getting planning permission that would potentially bring 3,000 extra people to an already over-crowded part of the city would be much slimmer IMO.

Would you care to define "Character" with regard to the current Hadingley Carnegie Stadium?
Is history the ground or the games and players who participated?
It's not a building or range of buildings with any architectural or other merit IMO.

Recent experience seems to show that a new ground can be even more difficult to get to and park near than a custom built one.
Look at the DW (JJB) or the Keepmoat or the Reebok or the KC - there is a nice dual carriageway to them but that is all there is.
As a result - traffic chaos every matchday. Headingley is surrounded by a maze of streets which usually means that there is an alternative if the normal routes are busy.

I've never had many problems parking near, or using public transport near Headingley. I've been to plenty of sports grounds, and I don't think there are many that allow you to get out quickly, and is so close to major roads, bus routes and a train station.

A plastic stadium on an industrial estate is no better option

Have you never seen 'The Great Escape'??

If we all load up our trousers before each away game, we can dump it on our rivals!

I pass the ground everyday - a fairly major project on the cricket side hasn't caused me many problems.