I’m ashamed every time I go to Featherstone - not by them but by us.

In the thirty years I’ve watched the game - they a small village club have managed to redevelop their ground and training facilities to what I consider modest SL standard. Certainly way beyond what we a SL side have. No bleating from them about lack of opportunity to build and expand their business blah blah blah. They have just done it and even more embarrassingly for us have done it without receiving a penny of News International cash. Post office road if anything is more hemmed in than BV and just as unattractive surroundings yet it looks and feels good enough for me whenever I visit and that’s always in the middle of winter.

In the same time period we have managed to knock half the ground down - build a toilet block - polyfiller the terraces - add some crush barriers - get the block of flats by going bust and thus by defaulting. The only items of quality at BV are the floodlights and even they are getting long in the tooth and the pitch. Oh and we have never managed to replace that light bulb in the ladies.

The comparisons look bad enough but the real shame comes when you consider that at least 20 million pounds more (conservative estimate) has passed through our coffers in the last 20 years than theirs. If that was all spent on players we was robbed.

Hindsight is a great gift and one I don’t have. So I blame nobody for chasing the new stadium dream which has on occasions appeared tantalisingly close. Yet now to me it appears to still be some way off - not dead in the water but certainly showing signs of drowning. We the fans and especially the SWAG people have continually been lied to and cheated by virtually everyone, yet we keep trying - in fact we no longer have much option but to try.

Truth is if I had a time machine I’d travel back to 2004 and try and convince Ted Richardson to allow the formation of a Stadium Trust to which he would hand over BV (which was just possible at the time) in return for a cost covering rent. The Trust would then concentrate on raising funds to gradual upgrade the ground - just like Fev.

If we had done this in 2004 I’ve no doubt that with the energy and commitment of people like TRB and many others we’d be well on the way by now. Nothing special, all basic stuff but still a massive improvement on what we have - which is frankly nothing considering we don’t own the ground anymore.

I suppose I just feel cheated that after 15 years of SL and 10 years of promises our combined efforts could have at least created something by now, had we gone down my hindsight root - Fev have.

I know some will disagree with me that stopping at the ground isn’t viable. I don’t buy it and I never have. I do accept the assertion that NM is a better option - it clearly is. However I flatly reject the theory that BV couldn’t be made to work given time and a plan. I also reject the alleged costs quoted for doing it which to me are absurdly OTT. Fev have effectively redeveloped two sides of the ground in the last 17 years without grants or insurance payout (which they got to build the main stand in 1985). I reckon combined they have spent less than 3-4 million over that period to achieve it. If we had what they have I don’t think many would not consider that money well spent - IMHO it would still be money well spent even if we eventually did move to NM.

What worries me is whether not one but both options are now lost. I’m not trying to be a pessimist or put a damper on what’s shaping up to be hopefully a much better season - however until this elephant in the room is finally sorted we remain in a dire position as regards the future no matter how well we do on the pitch under BS and MC - further still I’m certain MC knows this better than most which again is a concern.

I’d like to know what folk think, however unless you can back it up with some facts and ideas I wouldn’t bother replying - this is not a witch hunt more a brainstorming session - it’s needed IMHO because we appear to be in a rut.

I do fully understand why TRB and IA can only say so much and there may well be some great things happening that we just can’t be told. But for the sake of debate lets go with what little we know.

You are writing some good "articles" these days Vasty.
You echo my thoughts with eloquence.

The only thing I'd add to that is that I'm pretty sure some of the recent changes at POR were done by volunteers. I wonder whether we are missing a trick allowing more people in Wakefield with skills to help out. (I realise that is a tough ask and also that some of the supporters gave an incredible amount of time and skill when we needed urgent work on the ground last year)

I think there would be a lot of volunteers PT, if the people of Wakefield thought they were not wasting their time. I don't mean to be flippant in that remark it's just that as we don't own the ground and are not really likely to what's the point?
The great Peter Fox passed comment some years ago about Featherstone building a ground they could be proud of and compared it to Wakefield squandering money on players instead. How right he was!

" Wakefield squandering money on players instead. How right he was!"
Think the problem with that statement is, we had the pressure of trying to compete and stay in SL, and , we are still in there !!

Regarding the ground they also have plenty of room down two sides to be able to build on the stands bought from Scarborough FC, I believe,if all sides were surrounded like Post Office road is then it wouldn't be far off looking like BV,but I agree with you Vasty,they've made a good job of it.I'm sorry to say,but my dad was one of the many volunteers

God knows who he's shouting for if Jordan plays on Sunday

Exactly right, when you're a team that's not bankrolled by a sugar father SL is a tough place to be financially; especially with a weak fanbase like ours.

Would you rather watch Trinity in poor facilities playing Super League ? or in decent facilities struggling to get promotion in the Championship ?

Super League wins the day at all costs for me.

Partly true, and I agree SL wins every time. However on the other hand without improved facilities we will never do anything other than struggle which will eventually mean championship rugby anyway. So it's a bit of a lose lose. To put it bluntly we can't have many lives left.

One thing I do believe is no serious attempt has ever been made to update BV or harness the obvious energy of some fans.

Not all the folk at fev where volunteers, there was a few dolies at least on work programs that where involved. Maybe some kind of link up with the dhss?

How about we look at setting up a register of skilled volunteers who can help, there must be hundreds who could help with this kind of thing.

Good idea mate and best of luck, i've had a horrific job getting people to sign petitions at BV in the past.

The stumbling for us for the last 10 years or so, has been the expectation of a new ground and not owning BV.
Fev have done superbly well with their facilities (especially being outside SL) but, we remain in limbo.

Best hope that one of us can scoop the lottery jackpot or that NM becomes a reality, both of which remain a dream (for now)

Perhaps if Super League hadn't been threatening to throw us out if we didn't get a new ground, then perhaps we could have spent more energy in developing Belle Vue.

I'm doing my bit.....I bought my lottery ticket

And me

It's all right having nice surroundings but a reliable source has told me there's a lot of standing water on the Rovers pitch and a possible postponement

I hope he's wrong.

I do not feel shame about my club, but I do feel sadness that we have been unable to build - on and off the field and definitely on the stadium - but we plough on!

I've found this thread quite thought provoking.

I'm a Hull FC fan who's nearer to 70 than 20, I'll let you try and guess my age. With that in mind, I've been around a bit. I went to POR, for the first in years, for a friendly. Not long after getting in the ground my partner and myself got chatting to Fev fan. He was, quite rightly in my opinion, very proud of their stadium. He spent a while giving us the run-down on changes they'd made.

I know that as a Hull fan I'm quite lucky to get to go to a fairly nice stadium to watch our home matches. However, as a kid I spent more time than I can remember running around the Boulevard with my brother while "my old man" was standing on the same spot, on the same step, in the threepenny stand. Freezing cold, soaking wet, happy days. Now we've got nice seats, a roof that doesn't leak, clean toilets (actual toilets, not the back of the stand), along with decent access to food and beer. The only thing that's missing is a bloody atmosphere.

I, along with quite a few other I know, thoroughly enjoy the games at your place. Good old fashioned rugby. It's good to be close and feel involved rather than be a distant spectator.

The grass isn't always greener.

On that note, good luck for next year. I get the feeling you're going to go a lot better this time round.

Good post.

Heard a rumour myself this week Fev's ground ground was in that bad a state after the Cas game that they were considering moving it to BV. It must have been just that as Im sure the fans would have been imformed by now if that had been the case.

Quote ="inside man"How about we look at setting up a register of skilled volunteers who can help, there must be hundreds who could help with this kind of thing.'" not as easy as that bit of DIY, there are implications that go deeper than a simple stadium refit insurance issues for a start off but yes it could be achievable if a firms like www.cbrengineering.co.uk/ who help Castleford and www.cngengineering.net/ who I believe help Featherstone you need someone to stand the insurance cover as its open to the public, I can't see why not you set up a company your self if you have the right skill set

Quote ="inside man"How about we look at setting up a register of skilled volunteers who can help, there must be hundreds who could help with this kind of thing.'" not as easy as that bit of DIY, there are implications that go deeper than a simple stadium refit insurance issues for a start off but yes it could be achievable if a firms like www.cbrengineering.co.uk/ who help Castleford and www.cngengineering.net/ who I believe help Featherstone you need someone to stand the insurance cover as its open to the public, I can't see why not you set up a company your self if you have the right skill set

That's a great perspective and even though I'm an advocate of moving to a new ground, a lot of what you've said strikes a chord with me; I developed a love for RL and WTW by attending matches at BV as a kid - and being close to the action and amongst a brilliant atmosphere was part of what got me hooked. And I'd agree that the atmosphere at supposedly top drawer stadia like Shudds and Hull FC is almost non-existent - and you feel several times removed from the action on the pitch - it's actually better to watch on TV than to watch at many modern grounds.

The problem of course is that in the modern world, we want it all - ideally, a BV experience and atmosphere, but in a clean, well designed, modern facility; I think that's doable with a new build, provided the designer has some understanding of what the supporter is actually after - unfortunately, it's not doable with a revamped BV, because of the constraints of where it's located and the fact that it's hemmed in on all but one side.

This could all be academic of course, given the total lack of news on anything stadium related, but I'd like to think that in my lifetime, we could have a good stab at getting the best of both worlds.

The points about Huddersfield and Hull stadiums are valid. I like Hull more than Huddersfield but both do seem a little removed.

Saying that, I do like Hull KR's ground and Warrington's ground. They seem to have made an effort to keep something of the old, close in ground.
Leigh to a certain extent too but looks like it's better for home than away.

I'd love BV to be developed to a better standard, but I fear that we won't get it to the standard that would make it the "nice place to attend" that we need.

Quote ="Mike1970"I've found this thread quite thought provoking. I'm a Hull FC fan who's nearer to 70 than 20, I'll let you try and guess my age. With that in mind, I've been around a bit. I went to POR, for the first in years, for a friendly. Not long after getting in the ground my partner and myself got chatting to Fev fan. He was, quite rightly in my opinion, very proud of their stadium. He spent a while giving us the run-down on changes they'd made. I know that as a Hull fan I'm quite lucky to get to go to a fairly nice stadium to watch our home matches. However, as a kid I spent more time than I can remember running around the Boulevard with my brother while "my old man" was standing on the same spot, on the same step, in the threepenny stand. Freezing cold, soaking wet, happy days. Now we've got nice seats, a roof that doesn't leak, clean toilets (actual toilets, not the back of the stand), along with decent access to food and beer. The only thing that's missing is a bloody atmosphere. I, along with quite a few other I know, thoroughly enjoy the games at your place. Good old fashioned rugby. It's good to be close and feel involved rather than be a distant spectator. The grass isn't always greener. On that note, good luck for next year. I get the feeling you're going to go a lot better this time round.'" Get you entirely “You can’t always get what you want - but sometimes - you just might find - you get what you need” I’m a huge Rolling Stones and for me you can stuff the rest. Anyway the above lyric is one I live my life by and is perhaps IMO more where we need to be. I feel somewhere along the way we may have lost the plot a bit in that it’s all been about new stadia and what it supposedly brings so that we can be a big club again. Yet maybe we just need to accept for now at least that’s not to be. Also maybe, just maybe that’s not what people want. What they really want is an updated version of what you describe and what we already have - you want it fancy go watch football - Ruby League is for folk who just want to enjoy a few hours fun and occasional excitement in a place that is accessible and they feel at home in. I know it’s not business savvy and I get all the arguments but sometimes bucking the trend and defying perceived wisdom is the right thing to do. Rightly or wrongly and much as I support SWAG deep down I want to stay at BV and every bit of that statement is based on emotion not common sense. TBH I just don’t think I’d like to move and would soon lose interest in the club - which oddly has come back to me after last season. STUFF BELOW IS ONLY FOR THOSE WITH A BIT OF TIME FREE AND THE SAME NERDY OBSESSIONS AS ME In terms of detail staying at BV is far more simple that people think. This FWIW is my suggestion, whether it’s practical I’m not sure without all the facts. [iForm a grounds trust partly owned by the fans (through a share offer, I’d buy £100 worth straight off) and the club and separate it from the Commercial club proper - then in some sort of lease back at a peppercorn rent type deal allow the club full tenancy at the ground. Also seek out a partner who may which to use the facilities through the week and may give us access to grant funding - an obvious choice would be Wakefield College.[/i The expensive but must do bits are 1: Either buy or lease (at a low and very long term fixed rate) BV and the Superbowl site. Then flatten the Superbowl to make a genuinely adequate car park. Cost, no idea TBH but if purchased it instantly gives the club (trust) an asset. I reckon there would be some mileage in bending Yorkcourts arm to either buy both sites for us to walk away from NM or more likely buy them and become our proxy landlords - although I’d want better Lawyers to write up the deal than the ones used at NM! 2: Buy a second hand stand (one was/is available at Rotherham) and concentrate everything related to extra revenue into there. We must do this first, what BV lacks most of all is a revenue creating hub that is fit for purpose and able to be used to sell the club to the high earners. Lets be honest so long as they are fed and watered in a modern, clean and luxurious setting they won’t give a toss what the rest of the grounds like. At the moment all we can offer them is a spruced up portacabin and they know it. Cost, frankly it depends on how good a negotiator you are - basically these unused structures are worthless and as such they only have a scarp value and that’s all you should pay. So theoretically with called in favours and volunteers move and re-erect it for 1-2 million. In good time 3: Tidy up the crumbling terracing on the North Stand. One of Snowie (sorry mate) and his gang, a volunteers job if ever there was one. 4: West terrace needs terracing raising and relaying the full length and at some point the roof extending the distance - as the roof is a “temporary structure” no planning issues. See www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/commercial/advertising for style of terrace (maybe a bit deeper) can be purchased pre-cast. 5: Remove the flats and put temporary seating behind the sticks from March to September. Leave the existing club house but make it purely for team use i.e. move the gym etc into it. www.tieredseatinghire.com/outdoo ... ating.html This could all be done in manageable chunks over a long period with much of it done by volunteers who I feel may be more plentiful than we think. All people really want is an actual plan with an end result to get them motivated it when people have to imagine about maybe’s that they lose heart. I know my argument could be ripped to shreds compared to the opportunities at NM but it’s how I feel.

Quote ="Mike1970"I've found this thread quite thought provoking. I'm a Hull FC fan who's nearer to 70 than 20, I'll let you try and guess my age. With that in mind, I've been around a bit. I went to POR, for the first in years, for a friendly. Not long after getting in the ground my partner and myself got chatting to Fev fan. He was, quite rightly in my opinion, very proud of their stadium. He spent a while giving us the run-down on changes they'd made. I know that as a Hull fan I'm quite lucky to get to go to a fairly nice stadium to watch our home matches. However, as a kid I spent more time than I can remember running around the Boulevard with my brother while "my old man" was standing on the same spot, on the same step, in the threepenny stand. Freezing cold, soaking wet, happy days. Now we've got nice seats, a roof that doesn't leak, clean toilets (actual toilets, not the back of the stand), along with decent access to food and beer. The only thing that's missing is a bloody atmosphere. I, along with quite a few other I know, thoroughly enjoy the games at your place. Good old fashioned rugby. It's good to be close and feel involved rather than be a distant spectator. The grass isn't always greener. On that note, good luck for next year. I get the feeling you're going to go a lot better this time round.'" Get you entirely “You can’t always get what you want - but sometimes - you just might find - you get what you need” I’m a huge Rolling Stones and for me you can stuff the rest. Anyway the above lyric is one I live my life by and is perhaps IMO more where we need to be. I feel somewhere along the way we may have lost the plot a bit in that it’s all been about new stadia and what it supposedly brings so that we can be a big club again. Yet maybe we just need to accept for now at least that’s not to be. Also maybe, just maybe that’s not what people want. What they really want is an updated version of what you describe and what we already have - you want it fancy go watch football - Ruby League is for folk who just want to enjoy a few hours fun and occasional excitement in a place that is accessible and they feel at home in. I know it’s not business savvy and I get all the arguments but sometimes bucking the trend and defying perceived wisdom is the right thing to do. Rightly or wrongly and much as I support SWAG deep down I want to stay at BV and every bit of that statement is based on emotion not common sense. TBH I just don’t think I’d like to move and would soon lose interest in the club - which oddly has come back to me after last season. STUFF BELOW IS ONLY FOR THOSE WITH A BIT OF TIME FREE AND THE SAME NERDY OBSESSIONS AS ME In terms of detail staying at BV is far more simple that people think. This FWIW is my suggestion, whether it’s practical I’m not sure without all the facts. [iForm a grounds trust partly owned by the fans (through a share offer, I’d buy £100 worth straight off) and the club and separate it from the Commercial club proper - then in some sort of lease back at a peppercorn rent type deal allow the club full tenancy at the ground. Also seek out a partner who may which to use the facilities through the week and may give us access to grant funding - an obvious choice would be Wakefield College.[/i The expensive but must do bits are 1: Either buy or lease (at a low and very long term fixed rate) BV and the Superbowl site. Then flatten the Superbowl to make a genuinely adequate car park. Cost, no idea TBH but if purchased it instantly gives the club (trust) an asset. I reckon there would be some mileage in bending Yorkcourts arm to either buy both sites for us to walk away from NM or more likely buy them and become our proxy landlords - although I’d want better Lawyers to write up the deal than the ones used at NM! 2: Buy a second hand stand (one was/is available at Rotherham) and concentrate everything related to extra revenue into there. We must do this first, what BV lacks most of all is a revenue creating hub that is fit for purpose and able to be used to sell the club to the high earners. Lets be honest so long as they are fed and watered in a modern, clean and luxurious setting they won’t give a toss what the rest of the grounds like. At the moment all we can offer them is a spruced up portacabin and they know it. Cost, frankly it depends on how good a negotiator you are - basically these unused structures are worthless and as such they only have a scarp value and that’s all you should pay. So theoretically with called in favours and volunteers move and re-erect it for 1-2 million. In good time 3: Tidy up the crumbling terracing on the North Stand. One of Snowie (sorry mate) and his gang, a volunteers job if ever there was one. 4: West terrace needs terracing raising and relaying the full length and at some point the roof extending the distance - as the roof is a “temporary structure” no planning issues. See www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/commercial/advertising for style of terrace (maybe a bit deeper) can be purchased pre-cast. 5: Remove the flats and put temporary seating behind the sticks from March to September. Leave the existing club house but make it purely for team use i.e. move the gym etc into it. www.tieredseatinghire.com/outdoo ... ating.html This could all be done in manageable chunks over a long period with much of it done by volunteers who I feel may be more plentiful than we think. All people really want is an actual plan with an end result to get them motivated it when people have to imagine about maybe’s that they lose heart. I know my argument could be ripped to shreds compared to the opportunities at NM but it’s how I feel.

Belle Vue could be made good but either way we need to make a decision soon

Yep I'm afraid it does - NM needs sorting or moving a hell of a lot nearer this year or we abandon it. Take the swines to court etc etc but the project is over for me - not because I want it to be but there has to come a point where you stop flogging the dead horse and move on.