That is just temporary on field form. It has nothing to do with the social and economic strength of the club.
The fact of the matter is that Hull FC are a massive rugby league club, with great tradition, with a much more substantial fan base than Wakefield. That is why they were able, in cooperation with the Hull City football club, to have the KC built -- a wonderful purpose built stadium that I enjoy attending as a visiting fan, and that that they can actually fill with people from the city of Hull!
Hull FC also happens to have a great junior set up and the best club website in Super League.
The city and the developers knew that Hull FC could back up its claims. Wakefield just doesn't have the community strike power or national presence that Hull FC has.
Those from Wakefield who want to compare themselves favourably with Hull FC are living in a fantasy world.
But once again, the bottom line is the economic climate. It is hard to see it happening in time for the 2011 franchise decision. With all its other problems, Wakefield could see itself back in the championships, battling it out with Leigh, Halifax, and Whitehaven.
The only realistic solution is to have a Calder United Super League club, with Wakefield, Castleford, and Featherstone in the Championship division functioning as feeder clubs with their own hard core club supporters. Then the money and the fan base will be there for a 15,000 seater Calder stadium! This is not my original idea, I am happy to admit. Sir Maurice Lindsay, one of the most astute judges in the game, proposed this 15 years ago!
That is just temporary on field form. It has nothing to do with the social and economic strength of the club.
The fact of the matter is that Hull FC are a massive rugby league club, with great tradition, with a much more substantial fan base than Wakefield. That is why they were able, in cooperation with the Hull City football club, to have the KC built -- a wonderful purpose built stadium that I enjoy attending as a visiting fan, and that that they can actually fill with people from the city of Hull!
Hull FC also happens to have a great junior set up and the best club website in Super League.
The city and the developers knew that Hull FC could back up its claims. Wakefield just doesn't have the community strike power or national presence that Hull FC has.
Those from Wakefield who want to compare themselves favourably with Hull FC are living in a fantasy world.
But once again, the bottom line is the economic climate. It is hard to see it happening in time for the 2011 franchise decision. With all its other problems, Wakefield could see itself back in the championships, battling it out with Leigh, Halifax, and Whitehaven.
The only realistic solution is to have a Calder United Super League club, with Wakefield, Castleford, and Featherstone in the Championship division functioning as feeder clubs with their own hard core club supporters. Then the money and the fan base will be there for a 15,000 seater Calder stadium! This is not my original idea, I am happy to admit. Sir Maurice Lindsay, one of the most astute judges in the game, proposed this 15 years ago!
i can't beleive that anybody would take the time and effort to sit down and concoct such a load of B0ll0cks!
Last edited by The Clan on Thu Apr 16, 2009 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Luck is a combination of preparation and opportunity
Just to avoid confusion Starbug is the username of Steven Pike
SOMEBODY SAID that it couldn’t be done But he with a chuckle replied That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin On his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
You have show there you no nothing. At the formation of British telecom many years ago every local council bar one, hull sold the rights to telephone exchanges to the newly formed bt. Fast forward to 98/99 and Hull council have Kingston communications valued as part of an audit, they had it on their books at about £50million. They were more than a little surprised when it was valued at £2-3 Billion! so they sold it sharpish and spent massively in hull. This included the KC (Kingston Communications) stadium. They could afford to throw £20 million or so at it, what was it to them at the time? Peanuts. Hull football club and Hull f.c were gifted the stadium without any investment on their behalf. You got lucky, really really lucky
I said on a different thread that I was a bit worried about some of the ideas of the way rugby league would 'progress'; All this talk of clubs with long and individual traditions in the sport having to merge into one (supposed) super-club is exactly the kind of thing that worries me!
I know some people are anally concerned with expanding the game outside of it's traditional homelands of West Yorks, Lancs and Cumbria, but that should definitely NOT be done at the expense of clubs and fans in the traditional rugby league areas, who have kept the sport going through thick and thin over the years.
Being a small club does not mean being a worthless club. It probably just means that you are a small (and distinct) community, and that should be respected.
There's a lot more to rugby league than sky sports, new clubs, and Superleague!