Merger, a good idea? Head says "yes", heart says "no". Logically merging makes a heck of a lot of sense, but that doesn't mean that I actually want it.

If you look at it logically, what Andy Wilson says about the "Golden Triangle's" inability to retain talented local players is absolutely true. The three clubs need larger crowds and better sponsorship deals. The clubs do need to face up to the fact that to progress any further with Super League as it grows is to allow the clubs' business to grow. The only real way to do this is to merge.

I would say that the most sympathetic way to do this would be to drop the geographical names and use a nickname, ala Crusaders. That way you're not entirely disenfrachising two sets of fans. I can see a new stadium being eventually built along the M62 with PO Rd used as the venue for a Championship club. I think the other option would be to take big games on the road to larger stadiums at Barnsley or Sheffield to tap into those communities, similar to what some clubs do in the NRL.

I do think the talent that is produced in the "Golden Triangle" is comparable to the Wigan-Leigh area. I also think as a geographic demographic we cover a large populous who have been brought up with RL. A "Golden Triangle" club would become one of the strongest in the league.

Of course having said this my heart is dead against. I've been brought up watching Trin' and hating Cas. I want to watch Wakefield play in Wakefield in Wakefield's colours.

It would not surprise me if the RFL use the next license applications as an opportunity to push the merger agenda forward. Whether they'd go for it, I don't know. It seems that the board at Wakefield have been mature enough and logical enough to discuss ground sharing with Cas, but it seems that the Cas board have disagreed with this at all costs.

=#8040FFI remember RW saying that Wakefield hadn't come forwards with the ground share idea to him so I wouldn't know what he would do.

Another idea I had was to keep the 3 original teams names, but for the junior grades like u20s Wakefield Wildcats, u18s Castleford tigers and u16s Featherstone Rovers

So the Normanton Wildtigerovercats it is, with Norman as the hybrid dogcat mascot with a flat cap and feather in it

I've said it before and I'll say it again; Wakefield Tigers in a shiny new stadium at whichever location of the two that can be progressed the quickest is the only way to go if we want to stay in SL and be competitve. It may not be ideal, but it is reality.

Lots of hoary old timers may well boycott and threaten to immolate themselves on the pitch but frankly, who cares? The kids are the future and I guarantee they'll want to watch top flight rugby rather than cling on to historic grudges and a tribe mentality.

I'd also suggest that to succeed, this new entity needs to divest itself of one T Richardson Esq, with all possible haste, together with any hangers on; it needs to be run by competent people with proper expertise in managing a sports business - we have a small town mentality at the moment, perfectly demonstrated by Sundays embarassing debacle.

Gaslight - that youth set up sounds reasonable to me, but the issue there would be where do they play; wouldn't the old grounds need to be sold?

Wire_Yed - How about we call the new club The Dukes after the Duke of York who fell at the battle of Wakefield during the War of the Roses before the House of Lancaster went on to take Pontefract Castle and win the war?

Catalancs wrote:Genuine question to Cas fans. Would you rather have Castleford playing in the Championship or a merged club in Super League?


merge and stay in super league and be called something like trinity tigers or be a new club like Glasshoughton RL and have the Tigers and Wildcats clubs like feeder clubs playing in the championship or championship 1 still bring the good young players throught like they do in the nrl.

just think a new ground next door to xcaspe and a new squad like.

1. Richard Owen
2. Aaron Murphy
3. Michael Shenton
4. Daryl Millard
5. Damien Blanch
6. Rangi Chase
7. Sam Obst
8. Richard Moore
9. Ryan Hudson
10. Craig Huby
11. Dale Ferguson
12. Steve Snitch
13. Joe Westerman
14. Glenn Morrison
15. Brett Ferres
16. Tevita Leo-Latu
17. Ben Jeffries
18. Liam Higgins
19. Ben Gledhill
20. Stuart Jones
21. Dean Widders
22. Jordan Thompson
23. Oliver Holmes
24. Joe Arundel
25. James Davey
26. Dale Morton

Also with the loyal supports both clubs have we would be 1 of the richer clubs in the league like leeds, wigan & warrington. and we would not lose quality players to richer clubs like both team for done (shenny 4 cas and same like with atkins & brough 4 wakey). we would have money to keep this player and i think that club would be a super league winning side.

So, another Cas fan who wants the merged team to play at Cas?

Surely Broughy would be tempted to fill that seven spot?? Much better kicking game than Obsty!

=#8000FFBecause it makes the most sense? Newmarket is in the middle of nowhere, POR is in Fev, Glasshoughton is next to the 2nd most visited attraction in the UK.

Like the idea to keep Wakey and Cas going as a feeder club in the championship. I would defo buy a season ticket if its less than £100

It makes the most sense if yer a Cas fan. 22 mile round trip for Wakey fans for a home game?

=#8000FFDepends where in Wakefield you come from doesn't it, from Belle Vue it's a 12 mile round trip.

Whilst it will lead to annoyance and frustration for some I think now is the time to have this debate sensibly. The economics don't add up for us as gates continue to fall and our playing resources get weaker and weaker.
All that can ever be put forward is the 'build it-they will come' strategy associated with a new stadium. That stadium remains a long way away, and time is not on our side. If the Wakefield district wants a professional RL side the best prospect may be a merger. Perhaps we all need to come to terms with that???

From Cas its about 2. Not that you have any hidden motive for wanting it in Cas eh?

I don't think quibbles about distance should be the main driver; surely the critical thing here is which site, of Newmarket and Glasshoughton, can the developer get diggers on to the quickest? Thanks to the heel-dragging of both clubs on the stadia issue, speed is very much of the essence.

=#8040FFNo, I think it's you with the hidden motive here, what is wrong about wanting a stadium next door to the 2nd most visited visitor location in the UK? that's also next door to a train station too? a stadium in a location like that is far better for the game as a whole then one in the middle of nowhere.





=#8000FFThat would also be Glasshoughton, thanks to the Leeds council. Although like already said, Nortmanton would be the best location in terms of distance.

But, if you look at Hull and Warringtons crowds before they moved to the sy new stadiums they were only averaging 6/7k. If (yes if) we move to Newmarket we should look to improve crowds like they did. In theory.

Quite simply I wouldnt support a merged team, but if I was slightly tempted the fact it was based in
Castleford would kill off any chance of me supporting them.
I very much doubt many Wakefield fans would support a team that was based in Castleford.
The travelling alone for me would put me off going there week in week out.

No hidden agenda from me just plain facts.

Its got us debating though so thats one good thing I suppose!

a few questions that would need serious answers.


1. where would the merged team play ? for me id say the most likely venue would be glasshoughton although id have no problems with somewhere in normanton maybe off the bypass,newmarket seems to have too many obsticles and problems to make it a viable option.

2.who would fund the team ? probably the most important question bar none without financial clout this venture would be dead in 5 years. it would take a massive investment to survive the initial merger until the club and team can generate the support it needs to survive.

3.would the new team get the support to be sustained ? imo cas,fev and wakey have a loyal following of around 10k between them,i would guess that many of those 10k would resent the new merged team and we could end up with around 5-6k regular following,its hardly the support of this fantasy club which some people would have us all believing a merged team would get.it would take a lot of hard work and probably the next generation before it would massively improve.

Whilst Andy Wilson makes some very valid points, at the moment this is purely conjecture by him and the fans as to what is best all round for both clubs as I dont see the need to include Fev who tbh dont really need either of us. I am one of those hoary old timers as Bren2k kindly called us who like everybody else was brought up watching their own team and would like it to stop that way,unfortunately it is not going to happen because what ever anybody says imho one of us will not get a license in 2012. If we are just having a ground share then I would not want to go to Cas and play in their ground because that is what it would be simply that, their ground whereas if it was at Stanley it would be a shared groud. On the other hand if we were forming a new club where both clubs were to an extent losing part of their identities then I could live with that and embrace the changes and go to GH reluctantly as I think for two new teams it would make more sense, unless land was available in WF6 and could be sorted out inside the time scale.

=#8000FFHow do you get that then?

I meant that in the nicest possible way; I'm quite hoary myself tbh and like you, would much prefer to see Wakey reliving past glories and smashing all comers, including Cas, in front of capacity crowds at a revitalised Belle Vue.

There is absolutely no way any of that will happen though, as you've said, so I'd rather avoid further years of depressing mediocrity and just get on with a new venture; hoary as we may be, we'll get over it.

Because Newmarket has always been a ground open for any team in the district to use where as Glasshoughton was always going to be Castlefords ground. It's only the fact that there is a shortfall that Cas would even entertain the idea of a ground share.

2 andy wilsons in RL ... One a legendary winger who certainly had the "Balls" to help us beat those pesky lioners .

one a as thick and clever as concentrated pig muck .

I'm not interested in following any side other than Wakefield Trinity. Any merged side would see my interest fade away. They can build the stadium on my doorstep, at Glasshoughton, Newmarket lane or wherever but i will never buy into a merger and that's coming from a family who have supported Wakefield Trinity since it's existence!