and the importance of stadium criteria. Look at some of the crap places we had to go to watch RL. www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 163226921/

and the importance of stadium criteria. Look at some of the crap places we had to go to watch RL. www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 163226921/

LOL @ Leigh calling their ground 'Hilton Park' They must have named it after the Baghdad Hilton. What a dump Looks a lovely area too doesnt it..... www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 470414707/

LOL @ Leigh calling their ground 'Hilton Park' They must have named it after the Baghdad Hilton. What a dump Looks a lovely area too doesnt it..... www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 470414707/

Some cracking pics there. Ah, the memories!

No sheddings?

Cracking pictures.

Absolutely brilliant to see the likes of Station Road and Tattersfield once again.

[url=http://www.rugby.davewareham.co.uk/sheddings.htmHere[/url

Quote ="PHIPPS"LOL @ Leigh calling their ground 'Hilton Park' They must have named it after the Baghdad Hilton. What a dump Looks a lovely area too doesnt it..... www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 470414707/'" That would be funnier if we'd not left there a few years back. Nice try, but FAIL.

Quote ="PHIPPS"LOL @ Leigh calling their ground 'Hilton Park' They must have named it after the Baghdad Hilton. What a dump Looks a lovely area too doesnt it..... www.flickr.com/photos/groundhopp ... 470414707/'" That would be funnier if we'd not left there a few years back. Nice try, but FAIL.

you bstd... that was the golden era of RL.... sigh!!

looking at those pics reminds me of seeing a pair of favourite old shoes... really comfortable.. fashionable in their day... but now tired and worn out....

still brought back some great memories...

oh and IMHO franchising has not played any part in the move away from any of the grounds pictured... professional soccer did most of that!

How dare you put Central park on there! It is better than most super league grounds now!

The Bramley pics bring back some good memories . Parties under the 'posh' stand on the Rossefield ginnel side . The shivering stand on the Barley Mow side . Watching through the windows othe Villager if it was really cold out , and sneaking in from behind where the pics were taken when we were kids. Shortly before that place closed we had an advertising hoarding behind the sticks , the photographer was probably sat on our board to get that angle.

"maurice bamford's bramley market"
great days visiting the traditional crap old grounds,
now where's that time machine

Remember my cousin playing at McLaren Field against Bramley and saying that the pitch had fag ends on it, from the market that took place the day before!

In reply to title of thread if you were at the Leigh v Widnes game or watching it ....it confirms that its wrong Widnes are and theres at least 5 teams in the Championship a lot better.

stadium criteria were introduced well before franchising

lol that photo of central park is of a dump

having been to the jjb i quite liked it

surprised how big it was in real life, on telly looks smaller

lol the boulevarde is even worse

with grounds like those and winter rugby its a surprised anyone showed up at all

the difference between all these old grounds and their new replacements is like night and day

every single one of these old grounds shouldve been destroyed long ago

even the new stand at central park was poor as well

the photo of snow on the ground at fartow explains succintly why the english club game was stuffed

ive read lots of fans talking fondly of station rd, tatterfield and thrum hall

looking at those photos i wonder why ....

This post doesn"t surprise me one bit. You'll never ever ever ever be able to understand. You understand little about the realities of the game so it's of no surprise that you are unable to connect to past histories and memories of our Great Game.

For what it's worth - these stadiums ARE best left behind but that shouldn't stop a true fan from having an emotional tie. Sadly for you Dally you're not a true fan. The AFL is calling you once again . . . . .

Aren't they just pictures of old buildings?

In 100 years time the fans of the day will likely view the JJB, KC etc the same way.

Penny farthings! Can you believe some people used to ride them? They're not as good as the bikes of today are they? You've got franchising to thank for that you know.

Absolutely and despite the obvious positives some teams completely ignored the fans and the need for new stadia, hence when franchising came in they were dragged into the 21st century ie Salford and Saints. Unfortunately despite the obvious advantages of new stadia some teams have ignored it and still play in crap stadiums.

Ahh the memories. The walk down the back alleys of Bentley down to Tattersfield to see the Dons. The touch judge up to the ankles in sludge, watch the lads getting beaten and then a pint in the Yarborough after the match. It's not quite the same as four quid to park your car at the Keepmoat and crap ale that you can't even afford to buy.

Just trying to work out the Hilton Park pictures dates.

Maybe some of the older Leythers can be more accurate, but i'll guess at 1988 with the colliery and old floodlights.

Great pictures, nice yet sad seeing the old Watersheddings.

I know hoardes of people will disagree with me but bear with me.

Over time, over many matches, over years of disappointment and victory, cheering on classy players and crap ones too, having a burger and a bovril from your favourite kiosk, meeting your mates in the same spot week in and week out..............stadiums start to have a soul.

You know what I mean? To view them as ramshackle sheds and broken terracing is being insulting.

When I go to Asda in Halifax it just doesn't feel right. I can almost still sense the drama which was played out on my beloved Thrum Hall.

Yes it might have been old, falling apart, unfit for purpose with the smelliest mens toilets known to man but it was our home. Everything from the crush behind the main stand when you were swapping ends, or the way the Scratchingshed moved and sounded will never be replicated in a modern or alternative stadium.

The Shay has no soul for me - one day it might but I'll have to witness a whole lot more triumph and disaster before it'll put a lump in my throat like I get whenever I see my beloved Thrum Hall.

Don't know if anyone on here has ever been to an Irish premiership football match but most of our grounds looks pretty similar to the ones in the photos.

Plus the Stadiums in northern Ireland are only now getting upgrade (not even all of them.) some of the stands and facilties being built aren't too dissimilar to the new rugby league grounds; although on a smaller scale.

Funny enough the Irish premiership also has a licensing type system where a second division team is only promoted if they meet strict criteria. One of the biggest clubs was actually left out just cause their application was a few minutes late. Wonder would the RFL leave out the equilivent, say Bradford if their application was late?!

That brings back memories, like the the time we drank Doncaster dry in the early eighties (the club, not the town!). Part of me's with Haggis Fax, the other part likes being able to go for a leak at half time without needing industrial grade wellies and a gas mask!!