Talks have begun on a potential groundsharing scheme for Super League neighbours Wakefield and Castleford. Both clubs are involved in separate building projects two junctions apart on the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire and Wakefield Council are hoping to persuade them to come together in one new stadium in an attempt to cut costs. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... adium.html Would this be the first time SL clubs have shared a stadium?

Talks have begun on a potential groundsharing scheme for Super League neighbours Wakefield and Castleford. Both clubs are involved in separate building projects two junctions apart on the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire and Wakefield Council are hoping to persuade them to come together in one new stadium in an attempt to cut costs. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... adium.html Would this be the first time SL clubs have shared a stadium?

Quote ="JB Down Under"Talks have begun on a potential groundsharing scheme for Super League neighbours Wakefield and Castleford. Both clubs are involved in separate building projects two junctions apart on the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire and Wakefield Council are hoping to persuade them to come together in one new stadium in an attempt to cut costs. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... adium.html Would this be the first time SL clubs have shared a stadium?'" after all the failings of the wakefied council i can see a merger / or 1 team dropping out the only option

Quote ="JB Down Under"Talks have begun on a potential groundsharing scheme for Super League neighbours Wakefield and Castleford. Both clubs are involved in separate building projects two junctions apart on the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire and Wakefield Council are hoping to persuade them to come together in one new stadium in an attempt to cut costs. www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... adium.html Would this be the first time SL clubs have shared a stadium?'" after all the failings of the wakefied council i can see a merger / or 1 team dropping out the only option

I thought both clubs were well on the way to building their own new grounds

Only in their minds!!!!

Logic should win out but this being RL and the consistant narrow minded, blinkered thinking that clubs have, it is impossible to say.

Wakefield Council seem to be saying that the cutbacks have left them way short of funds to support two new stadia within their boundaries. This may be the deciding factor. I'm sure neither club would want this solution, but it's hard to see any other reality.

the council appear to be making it look like they are being asked to build two stadiums. in reality the council funding is only a small part of the finance.

this is simply not the case, both castleford and wakefield have been working with private companies in order to get these plans off the ground.

this is not a case of, if the two teams agree to ground share then the council will build one (if only it were so simple)

the wakefield stadium facilities have already been offered to all sporting bodies in the wakefield district (this includes castleford and featherstone)

The thing is the council arent even putting direct funds into either stadium, last year they offered both clubs an area of land which they could borrow money against, in less than a year they have changed there mind and said only 1 club can have the land to borrow against.

Should they? yes.
Can they? probably not.

Location is the sticking point. Wakefield's proposal is half-way between the two centres but is thought of as Wakefield's proposal, and is in Wakefield, and so Cas fans don't want to go. Cas's proposal is in Cas and so Wakefield fans won't go. Each side fears being at the Sheffield end of the Huddersfield merger.

Cas have the advantage of a council leader in Wakefield who is a Cas season ticket holder and shareholder, who is pushing towards the Cas project. So self-interest in politics may win the day for Cas.

Expect to see Wakey playing out of the Barnsley FC ground.

There may even be a possibility that both remain steadfast and stubborn and no ground is built and both clubs suffer the same fate.

Hopefully some sensibility may break out and both team end up with a stadium they can share and be proud of.

Why not have a 'home' stand each - that way the fans can walk up to their own branded stadium by choosing that approach.

Could be worse - you could be at the Gatehead end.

no chance mate.theres no club in RL that can find 15 or 20 million to build a new stadium.any club thats says it can is telling lies.

Wakefield have already explored sharing a stadium at GH and looked at the finicial implications. It isn't possible as it probably wouldn't be for Castleford to share at NM. Neither will share as the club moving wouldn't survive regardless of what the feasability report from WMDC says.

I would love to know how they reckon it's not financially viable.

In the first year there a lot of fans would probably travel to tick off the stadium on their lists and to see what it is like.

The ground would offer better commericial facilities and more commercial facilities plus bringing in extra income. At GH, if that was the location, a few neutrals may come out to the odd game here and there to provide extra income. Don't know about Newmarket. Bigger club shop selling a wider range of merchandise etc.

Or am I just being optimistic there?

I would have thought that any ground even built with private money would require money etc from the council as part of transport, infrastructure and othere developments neccersary to build a ground.

There are a number of possible outcomes to this but it seems both clubs are determined to carry on the game of Brinkmanship. this is going to potentially leave one club in the crap. Wakey fans saying they will play out of Barnsley will see the end of a once great club.

Does anyone have a decent map showing the two towns and where the planned stadium are going to be so that the neutrals can judge what apears to be the best location.

A joint stadium would be the best outcome and would be unique as a PURE RL ground with two RL teams. Both clubs wuld be able to save on admin, ground costs etc for perpetuity. although when i have suggested it on cas and Wakey boards previously you would think i had advocated the killing of al first borns with WF postcodes.
The real reason they do not want to groundshare is not what they say as in fans wont travel we want it to be in our area etc is because they fear it will then become a fait accompli that they merge.

Cas is on J32 of M62 next to Xscape ski slope. Easy enough to find on Google

i have googled it but no Mway junctions. Normanton looks to be in the middle would that be any good

firstly,its a shame they cant find some land for a stadium which would keep both clubs happy.

secondly,if there was a merger between the clubs it would be a merger of equals and i think that would be a great addition to a real SLE competition.

thirdly,the difficult bit would be to find a name which would be suitable for both clubs.

The proposed site for Wakefield's stadium looks to be located equidistant between the two places, but no doubt it is seen as Wakefield's project so the Cas fans probably wouldn't buy into it.

In terms of pure location Glasshoughton would seem a very bad fit for Wakefield, it would probably deter some of their support from going and they wouldn't pick up any new support because they are slap bang in Cas territory.

Sadly I can't see a way out of this where both clubs survive in the top flight.

Just merge them and stop wasting time.

and the Hull sides
and Wire & widnes & Saints, and Fax & Bulls and Leigh & Wigan etc etc.



Now ducks!!!

Some real good ideas there.

from a personal point of view,im happy watching leigh in a english league.

New SL club in the district. 3 feeder clubs in Fev, Cas and Wakey. Bingo.