The English Rugby Stadium/Attendance thread

[welshglory]

Are Bedford ever going to redevelop their stadium? Can they even? Anybody have some info on this?

I know that if given the choice they would rather stay in the championship at this time since it would cost a hell of a lot of money, which they don't have (something which L Welsh does with their backer), the cost of renting a stadium like say stadium mk would cost them too much and they wouldn't be able to fill it.

So from what i've read and heard their approach is to go like Exeter, but what is the progress in their growth?

 

[ratsapprentice]

No idea about Bedford - not ideally located to do an Exeter, as Sarries and Northampton basically have that area tied up.

Seeing lots of detail (no idea how much is true) and rumour that suggest Wasps are being used as pawns to take over both the Ricoh and Coventry FC.
Utter disgrace if true.

 

[welshglory]

If Wasps can get decent attendances and build links with the local community as a "franchise" then i don't have a problem, even better if they merge with Coventry.

Although you'd think moving to Birmingham or Milton Keynes would make more sense.

 

[Peat]

But there is no stadium to buy in Birmingham or Milton Keynes. The stadium is the one thing about this that makes any sense, even if it's a bit too big for a rugby club.

 

[welshglory]

I thought that there was one in Birmingham but it has a running track

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Perry Barr?
It's there but I don't think it's for sale.
Wasps new sugar daddies want to own a place not rent one.

 

[McTallshort]

Wasps have needed a home for a long time, they nearly went under not so long ago because they are basically a franchise with no ground. There is plenty of untapped rugby support in Birmingham/Staffordshire/Warwickshire where there is a thriving club game but no obvious elite team to follow bar Worcester or Moseley so a move there would make sense on the surface but it could all go horribly wrong with crowds in the hundreds and a team of mercenaries with no connection to anything around them. I suppose the question is: are they happy with what they have or do you take a gamble on something potentially bigger? Tough call

 

[Peat]

Wasps aren't sustainable in their current form but there are other options than doing an MK Dons. There is a real possibility of securing Griffin Park a couple of years down the line. The Crystal Palace athletics stadium is also a potential option I'd have thought. I don't think their only options are leave London or die.

 

[McTallshort]

Wasps aren't sustainable in their current form but there are other options than doing an MK Dons. There is a real possibility of securing Griffin Park a couple of years down the line. The Crystal Palace athletics stadium is also a potential option I'd have thought. I don't think their only options are leave London or die.

Never said they were Peat but they do need a home. As for MK Dons have they really suffered from the move to Milton Keynes?

 

[ratsapprentice]

If the club is unworkable then it's unworkable - the only reason this is even remotely possible is because the club renamed themselves "Wasps" after the split up of Hampstead FC. If they maintained something that tied them to their traditional locale then no-one in their right mind would attempt to move them somewhere with absolutely no links to their heartland.
It's ludicrous - the owners have a responsibility to help Wasps survive as the premiere representative club of NW London, not their survival "at any cost"... something the previous owner clearly also didn't respect.

And as Peat says... there are many other sites that are eminently more sensible, for a number of reasons.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/wasps-ricoh-arena-bid-secret-7889441

 

[Peat]

I use the term MK Dons as an insult and moral judgement, not as an indication of commercial viability and sporting success.

Although it probably should be noted that MK Dons have made very little ground in terms of sporting success while AFC Wimbledon have marched all the way up the amateur leagues back to pro football and are now just a league behind them. MK Dons do have more long term potential but have yet to go about fulfilling it and and I wonder how much of that was due to the dislocation the club went through in terms of rebuilding a fanbase and academy; meanwhile fan passion has sent a much smaller club marching a very long way indeed.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

There is plenty of untapped rugby support in Birmingham/Staffordshire/Warwickshire where there is a thriving club game but no obvious elite team to follow bar Worcester or Moseley

I disagree, rugby is huge around here with Tigers have the largest fanbase and Saints/Worcester equal in second.
If Moseley, or Bees, got promoted/successful enough then they might garner more support, but moving an existing side to the area (especially one as well known as wasps) isn't going to get too many people supporting them.

 

[Patchey]

I can't remember if this has been mentioned already but Wasps did drop the 'London' prefix at the start of the season. Makes it look like a fairly considered move from the money men.

I am going to be very upset if this happens, Wasps being the club I grew up watching and supported into my teens. Peat's point about player retention as well as fan retention is a really good one. Someone like Haskell, who has a load of buisness ventures and a a strong family connection to the west of London may tire very quickly of the commute up to Coventry, despite his long history with the club. Besides, professional clubs have all sorts of links with clubs and schools and institutions local to them that help to garner support and feed into their academies. Moving their home to Cov is going to ruin that and considering how much rugby there is in the midlands I hardly think it likely they'll be able to rebuild that.

Basically their moving from one rugby rich area where they have a well established presence and long history to another rugby rich areas where they will be disliked and have no roots. The comparison to MK Dons (*shudder*) is a very sad but very apt one.

 

[Peat]

So, different stadia question - what happens if London Scottish get promotion?

 

[ratsapprentice]

They should decline.

 

[Patchey]

So, different stadia question - what happens if London Scottish get promotion?

London Welsh feel really, really stupid?

Yeah, on a serious note if there were allowed to be promoted with the Old Deer Park as is, it would hurt them.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Wasps will look to build a training centre nearby apparently.

In other news - HSBC are supposedly going to fund Tigers' new West stand.

 

[goodNumber10]

Wasps don't need a big football Stadium. They need a midsized stadium and location that will allow them to grow to 10-12,000 a week (adams park holds that but it's seldom full AFAIK).

I don't understand why they don't look East/North London way, or even south east/kent way - there is a lot of rugby in those areas and a decent club would draw a few people in, a refurbished community stadium like Saracens would meet their playing requirements and set them up in a community which is what they really need.

 

[McTallshort]

I disagree, rugby is huge around here with Tigers have the largest fanbase and Saints/Worcester equal in second.
If Moseley, or Bees, got promoted/successful enough then they might garner more support, but moving an existing side to the area (especially one as well known as wasps) isn't going to get too many people supporting them.

Leicester is miles away from Birmingham and Birmingham is the countries 2nd city and doesnt have an elite rugby club I think people would be surprised how many people would come to coventry from places like Solihull, Lichfield and Sutton Coalfield to watch the likes of Joe Launchbury play.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I really can't see it - I've lived in Lichfield all my life and every man and his dog is a tigers fan.
Their development team come to the local clubs round here to coach both kids and adults and visit schools, it really is Tigers mad - Same goes for Sutton. Can't speak for Solihull but I have a feeling Worcester do a lot of work in that area, so might be more open to a premiership, rather than championship, set up.
Cov is maybe 10mins closer than Leicester.
Like I said - a brand new (or currently existing) club might pull in new fans, but Wasps wouldn't. They'd get more away fans for Tigers/Saints (and probably Sale/Newcastle) games, but they wouldn't get many actual new fans. They're too established/the rivalries are already there for people to switch allegiance, and casual/new rugby fans would be more likely to go to the club that their mates support etc.