IIRC it was a case of a new build at GH costing no more than upgrading WR to a similar standard which would be necessary to qualify for a SL license.



If, as seems inevitable, SL relax/abandon their grossly disproportionate stadium criteria we may be able to sufficiently enhance WR for infinitely less than GH would cost us. In fact did I read somewhere that a company bidding to develop the Hicksons site had indicated funding could be made available for improvements to the ground as part of a general facelift for the area?



Shame though about the money already spent on planning GH...more shame on RFL for putting us in a situation where we had to do it when most right minded people saw the lunacy of valuing a new stadium higher than such as financial stability and on-field performance.

Point taken but can you honestly say that those two clubs were more deserving of a franchise than Cas because they had a better stadium.

As if Giants fans give a toss about Halifax...



Thing is, we are where we are. Cas won and retained their franchise by jumping through the same hoops as everyone else, it's not our fault someone else lost out. Cas didn't make the rules and Cas didn't smack anyone in the face. Whether the RFL did is another matter, but imho Cas have taken a few punches from that direction themselves over the years....



But moving forward, IF we are to redevelop WR to make it "fit for purpose" I can't see it happening overnight. After years of window dressing bordering on neglect it's clear there's a helluva lot of work to be done to turn our home into a Super League ground. It'll require serious investment too, and after last night it's simply not clear to me where those funds would come from. Perhaps it's from the pocket of our potential new investor?

2 issues that grate like helll for championship clubs here, 1st Those 2 clubs have got fit for purpose stadiums while having millions less out of the game from sky than Cas, 2nd every man and his dog new years ago glasshoughton was never going to happen it has been spun along by Dickie Wright. So i would say yes those 2 clubs are more worthy of a franchise

But i shouldnt worry they havent the back bone to evict anyone from super league, then they wonder why people like me who used to follow GB everywhere, hope they get stuffed every game they play, they are a super league team or sorry England are, and it is an invitation, elitest non competitive league that has nothing to do with me. This game is slowly dieing

If I were in charge:



[uPhase 1:[/u

Demolish Railway end, move it back further onto the land behind it the club owns, extend the pitch to be full length, build a cheap all seater stand with a roof & concourse there.



[uPhase 2:[/u

Extend the Princess Street stand down towards the new Railway end so it runs the full length of the pitch (with a longer pitch it would stop at about the 10m line), put a new roof on it to freshen it up a bit.



[uPhase 3:[/u

Re-roof the WRE, add more bars into it.



[uPhase 4:[/u

Move the main stand back towards the turnstiles and make the 2 standing parts at either side of it into part of the seating area, add all the cooperate facilities etc into it. Concourse underneath it, obviously.



This would be achieved over a period of time with the aid of grants & sponsors.

I think the priority is redeveloping the main stand first. The other areas aren't much of a necessity because they're standing areas.



The main stand is integral because it incorporates corporate guests, changing rooms, gym, offices etc (not forgetting fit for purpose toilets). As a club, if this was a viable option then it would be worth doing the main stand up purely for the hospitality reasons. The cash that this would generate alone would significantly dwarf what we already have and so would increase revenue streams in the interim.



People seem to be skirting over the fact that we would only resort to this if the new stadium didn't come off.

Doing the main stand would cost the most so starting somewhere else would be better to get the ground up to scratch as quickly as possible.



The pitch also needs making full size..amongst many other problems so the new stadium really needs to happen.

What is it about you guys and Sky money? It's completely irrelevant when trying to run on a salary cap of £1.65m. Do you think we have lots of spare cash lying around? It's a nonsensical comment.



Glasshoughton is still very much in the frame. Not one person at the club could change the circumstances that we're in. Not one (unless he had £17m burning a hole in his pocket, which he wanted to offload).



Licences aren't given on those factors. They're given on numerous criteria, of which Castleford dwarf not only the Championship clubs but also fellow SL clubs in too.

It would cost the most but it would also appease the RFL and improve the business plan immediately. Don't you believe it's imperative to get the big work done first and then do the 'touching up' so to speak later.



The other stands wouldn't do anything for the business (which is what we need).



We meet dimensions for pitch. It needs to be 88m from goal-line to goal-line - ours is 92. Width from touchline to touchline - 55m, ours is 68m.



In-goal area no less than 6m and no more than 11m. Ours is 8.

But if the pitch got extended so it was 100m long and had 8m in goal areas, you get bigger side stands - which includes the main stand, more room = more boxes etc so more money.



Quick note: how much room is there (if any) to extend the Princess street stand/make it all seater with a concourse?

The research undertaken for new stadium indicated there was less interest for boxes and people preferred a pre-match meal in a restaurant before taking a nice comfy seat in the main stand.