The Ironbridge is in SWC. It makes it superior.

It does depend on which division they are in, as if they go down, playing at Otley, Morley, South Leeds, even West Park are all possibles.

I think if they do stay up and assuming that if we are at Elland Road and Mr Bates is not going to want three sides playing on the pitch (I wouldn't), South Leeds with temporary stand seating would be a good bet. It has modern facilities and with a temporary stand along the other touch line to bring the capacity up to something like reasonable it would be a good temporary home for them an possibly our academy games?

What is the capacity at South Leeds at the mo?

Mr Bates would have a team playing at ER everyday if he had more money to stash in his back pocket surely?

Wherever they choose to play would I think need approval from Premier Rugby Ltd, who weren't going to allow Rotherham to use Millmoor a few years ago IIRC because it didn't have the required number of seats - unless the rules have changed that would rule out the likes of Morley, Otley and West Park.

South Leeds would seem a sensible solution - not sure how many temporary seats would need to be put in to meet PRL standards though.

My recollection of Rotherham and Millmoor not having enough seats is the same as yours, and I would suspect you would be correct about them having to have permission from Premier Rugby. However, at Millmoor you did not have room to put up a temporary seating stand, which would be all-seater because of safety regulations on this type of stand, but at some of these grounds you do and as such I could not see them turning down permission for the few months it would be required.

Now, I was assitant structural engineer and design resident engineer on South Leeds Stadium, many, many years ago and I think (don't believe I can't actually remember!) the capacity is 2500?

no matter how early the new stand gets started i cant see it being completed in time for the 2011 season.
So would we play at an alternative venue for part of the season ?
if so where?
or do we play at headingleywith just 3 sides open?

It's somewhere between 2,000 and 2.500 capacity at the SLS I think?

The problem particularly with Morley is that there is nowhere to put temporary stands. The side opposite the main/only stand houses the cricket pavillion, the left hand side as you look from the stand backs onto houses and the right hand side is a grassy slope backing onto Scatcherd Lane.

Not sure how the main pitch at West Park is configured, haven't been up there since they did all the building work on it but would parking be an issue up there?

Otley would just be a complete non-starter IMO - you wouldn't get the committee up there to consider anything involving Leeds.

Elland road looks favourite, if the market it right they should be looking to beat the individual Super League record crowd

Guys, we are almost taking it as read that the Rhinos will be at Elland Road for the first couple of months of the season, as that is what most people think, but we are taking about Carnegie!

All that said then Andy and with SLS still being in the City, then it would have to be the best choice if Mr Bates does not also let them play at Elland Road (which I doubt). It would put the running track out of order for a short time for Leeds athletic club, but I am sure something could be done to appease them for a few months over winter.

PS. The more I think about it, I think it is just short of 2500. IIRC it was supposed to be 2500 on the nose but some of the seats turned out to be too tight when fitted and some were re-configured in agreement with Hunslet and the safety officer.

in answer to an earlier question last time Tykes won 3 league games in a row was in the 2004/5 'great escape' when we beat Gloucester, Leicester, Harlequins and Bath in the last 4 games of the season to stay up. We also beat bath a second time in the Powergen Cup Final, the club's first piece of silverware.

As for which ground, I'd imagine the club would stay at Headingley, as Quins did when one side of their ground was a building site in 2006. With lowest crowds of the season around 4k, and minimum capacity for GP at 8k, South Leeds is way too small. So either Headingley, Elland Road or one of the Bradford grounds...

there is a new pitch also getting relayed surely it must be given time to bed in

But Carnegie can't stay at headingley as Hetherington has stated that the pitch will be relaid as it will be turned into a building site anyway and i don't think LUFC will allow them to play at Elland Rd especially if they are in the Championship, what other options do th RU side have?

otley?

I doubt whether Otley would allow it but defo a possibility, Farsley Celtic have just gone in to administration? otherwise SLS or odslum seems the likely options

whatever happens we must give the new pitch a chance .i dont want a repeat of starting a new season with an awful mess like the pitch that greeted us

It is possible that they could stay at Headingley to probably Christmas 2010, if they don't use the pitch to erect the steel and planks from the front on the new stand, but at some point they are going to have to quit Headingley for a few months because of the full deep relaying of the pitch and possibly new undersoil heating system. As I have already stated, I think both sides will start 2011 playing away from Headingley with a return for the Rhinos to a big home fixture at Easter (but not quite sure when it is in 2011). This means they will have the new turf fully down by early March (about now in fact) and give it all of March and early April to grow and bed down (which I understand is a good time to put new grass down, because it is growing again and gets a good mix of sun and rain and it is not too hot).

The smart money seems to be on the Rhinos playing at Elland Road and the Tykes playing somewhere else (possibly along with the Rhinos Academy) and I think SLS stadium with a temp-a-stand along the other touch line and possibly both ends, will be the way to go. However, all these deals will need to be done and Mr Bates for instance, might have other ideas!

can't see SLS being tripled in capacity, or 5500 of temporary seating being accepted by the RFU. Cross Green might do

You might be right and Mr Bates might still let them play at Elland Road as well, but I am sure you know why I think possibly not... in fact he might say no the Rhinos yet! They both might have to head out of the city for a short while otherwise... but not sure where?

Good Friday is April 22nd
Easter Monday is April 25th

If the fixtures go to form, we're also due to be away at Bradford for the Maundy Thursday/Good Friday fixture.

That's good, those dates must be almost the latest possible dates for the Easter weekend.

The actual latest Easter Sunday can fall is the 25th April, so it's a day short of that.

It'll be a very long spring term at school, nearly 4 months.
The summer term for O & A level students or whatever they have these days will be almost non-existent.
PS I did say "almost" the latest, safe in the knowledge that some pub quiz specialist would know the very last date on which Easter Sunday could fall.

The last time Easter Sunday fell on April 25 was 1943, the next time is 2038