Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:54 pm  

Just had a look at the Shay Stadium in Halifax and it's a cracking ground for RL and fit for SL. Halifax used to be a well-supported club with some success so I have to wonder why they now struggle and have done for over ten years.

If we had half what they have at the Shay I reckon we'd be laughing, anybody knows the reasons why they are not better than they are. I'm aware they have done ok this season and are in the playoffs but I expected them to come back years ago. Shame, a real RL town.

Re: Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:34 pm  

vastman wrote:

Just had a look at the Shay Stadium in Halifax and it's a cracking ground for RL and fit for SL. Halifax used to be a well-supported club with some success so I have to wonder why they now struggle and have done for over ten years.

If we had half what they have at the Shay I reckon we'd be laughing, anybody knows the reasons why they are not better than they are. I'm aware they have done ok this season and are in the playoffs but I expected them to come back years ago. Shame, a real RL town.

Yes it’s a cracking ground, enjoyed going there after years of visiting Thrum Hall. It did take a long time to get the Shay to where it is now. I remember it was a three sided ground for a number of years, until they received funding to build the stand down the touch line side.
I hope Belle Vue can find funding to complete our full redevelopment, quicker tha Fax did.

Re: Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:48 pm  

Dunkirk Spirit wrote:

Yes it’s a cracking ground, enjoyed going there after years of visiting Thrum Hall. It did take a long time to get the Shay to where it is now. I remember it was a three sided ground for a number of years, until they received funding to build the stand down the touch line side.
I hope Belle Vue can find funding to complete our full redevelopment, quicker tha Fax did.

That will depend on a lot of factors.

1. Fax don’t own the ground we do, so we can chase our own funding and plans without political interference.

2. We are in SL and as long as we stay there then our revenue streams will remain strong enough for further investment to make financial sense.

3. We at least have the opportunity to win things and thus increase our support and profile. Is winning SL or the CCup still looks a bit off to me but it’s a hell of a lot more likely than Fax doing it, at least for now.

Our destiny is in our own hand and maybe that’s not the case with Fax though I do not know enough about them to offer an informed opinion.

Those two factors are the key imho but it’s

Re: Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:51 pm  

vastman wrote:

Just had a look at the Shay Stadium in Halifax and it's a cracking ground for RL and fit for SL. Halifax used to be a well-supported club with some success so I have to wonder why they now struggle and have done for over ten years.

If we had half what they have at the Shay I reckon we'd be laughing, anybody knows the reasons why they are not better than they are. I'm aware they have done ok this season and are in the playoffs but I expected them to come back years ago. Shame, a real RL town.

Another club in a similar position to Halifax is Widnes, nice stadium with a decent following who were top dogs in the 70's and 80's. To see traditional clubs like these struggling when the powers that be were promoting Toronto and possibility New York in the future shows how out of touch the RL are with the fans.

[PopTart]

Re: Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:55 pm  

It's not the RL.
It's simply a matter of local money being invested elsewhere.

Re: Wonder why? : Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:12 pm  

Trinity1964 wrote:

Another club in a similar position to Halifax is Widnes, nice stadium with a decent following who were top dogs in the 70's and 80's. To see traditional clubs like these struggling when the powers that be were promoting Toronto and possibility New York in the future shows how out of touch the RL are with the fans.

They read the deluded nonsense you get on total RL from the self appointed intelligencia. This crazed desire to be a national sport like football isn’t just impossible it’s not what most fans want. I like RL being a regional game with its own unique identity. I like being in intimate grounds in crowds of less than 10k. The atmosphere is good yet never threatening, just good fun.

There is nothing wrong with being small but strong. I’d love to see Fax, Bradford, Widnes and even little old Fev back in the fold.

Re: Wonder why? : Thu Sep 30, 2021 7:44 am  

PopTart wrote:

It's not the RL.
It's simply a matter of local money being invested elsewhere.

Well there was a rather large former chair of the RFL that took halifax to the brink of financial meltdown, which was the start of their fall from grace

Re: Wonder why? : Thu Sep 30, 2021 7:48 am  

vastman wrote:

Just had a look at the Shay Stadium in Halifax and it's a cracking ground for RL and fit for SL. Halifax used to be a well-supported club with some success so I have to wonder why they now struggle and have done for over ten years.

If we had half what they have at the Shay I reckon we'd be laughing, anybody knows the reasons why they are not better than they are. I'm aware they have done ok this season and are in the playoffs but I expected them to come back years ago. Shame, a real RL town.

Both the RL side and Football side have dropped down in standard from where they were in the 80's which led to the football side going pop and the RL side moving in to their ground.
Also due to their struggles, the ground took some while to complete.

Ultimately, both of them need some on field progress to win back some fans and then prosper in what are now decent facilities.

Like you, I can remember Halifax being a decent, well supported side and on the RL side they may well be a victim of the "franchise years".
Fax were a little unlucky not to get a spot in SL (although this could have been at our expense had they got in) and languishing in the 2nd tier is never going to allow them to draw in decent crowds.

There is certainly potential there but, our sport seems hell bent on culling the number of pro clubs, rather than encouraging a more diverse and vibrant sport.

Re: Wonder why? : Thu Sep 30, 2021 7:56 am  

wrencat1873 wrote:

Both the RL side and Football side have dropped down in standard from where they were in the 80's which led to the football side going pop and the RL side moving in to their ground.
Also due to their struggles, the ground took some while to complete.

Ultimately, both of them need some on field progress to win back some fans and then prosper in what are now decent facilities.

Like you, I can remember Halifax being a decent, well supported side and on the RL side they may well be a victim of the "franchise years".
Fax were a little unlucky not to get a spot in SL (although this could have been at our expense had they got in) and languishing in the 2nd tier is never going to allow them to draw in decent crowds.

There is certainly potential there but, our sport seems hell bent on culling the number of pro clubs, rather than encouraging a more diverse and vibrant sport.

Halifax were a founder member of the original 12 Super League clubs.

Re: Wonder why? : Thu Sep 30, 2021 8:01 am  

It's a pity there can't be a SL1 and SL2, properly structured and financed the same to include such clubs as Halifax, Widnes, Bradford, (all of who have had in the fairly recent past better crowd pull than us) and Featherstone.
I think that's a better way forward than creating a smaller elite SL and sod the rest.