It would be interesting to get Spelly’s view on Swinton sharing a ground with Salford!
Why haven’t Swinton moved into this ground? Surely it’s the perfect size and a better location than their current ground?
What a poor advert for the popularity of Super League and Rugby League in general. When is the sport going to stop kidding itself that it is a ‘big player’ and accept that it is a regional sport at best with little or no appeal outside of those boundaries. But, hey, so long as we have two French teams in the premier competition so what eh?
There are people on Twitter who believe SL should be compared to the NRL.
What a poor advert for the popularity of Super League and Rugby League in general. When is the sport going to stop kidding itself that it is a ‘big player’ and accept that it is a regional sport at best with little or no appeal outside of those boundaries. But, hey, so long as we have two French teams in the premier competition so what eh?
It isn’t a good look.How many years have Salford been in SL ? Must be 20 out of the 25 years since it began.All that Sky income and they are moving into a non league football ground with a capacity not much more than the Manchester Apollo theatre.The game passed its station long ago, trying to pretend to be something it isn’t.
This could be us if the council decide to sell the stadium, we are no better off than Salford, why criticise them ?
What a poor advert for the popularity of Super League and Rugby League in general. When is the sport going to stop kidding itself that it is a ‘big player’ and accept that it is a regional sport at best with little or no appeal outside of those boundaries. But, hey, so long as we have two French teams in the premier competition so what eh?
It isn’t a good look.How many years have Salford been in SL ? Must be 20 out of the 25 years since it began.All that Sky income and they are moving into a non league football ground with a capacity not much more than the Manchester Apollo theatre.The game passed its station long ago, trying to pretend to be something it isn’t.
This could be us if the council decide to sell the stadium, we are no better off than Salford, why criticise them ?
Why would the council decide to sell? 🤔
What a poor advert for the popularity of Super League and Rugby League in general. When is the sport going to stop kidding itself that it is a ‘big player’ and accept that it is a regional sport at best with little or no appeal outside of those boundaries. But, hey, so long as we have two French teams in the premier competition so what eh?
It isn’t a good look.How many years have Salford been in SL ? Must be 20 out of the 25 years since it began.All that Sky income and they are moving into a non league football ground with a capacity not much more than the Manchester Apollo theatre.The game passed its station long ago, trying to pretend to be something it isn’t.
This could be us if the council decide to sell the stadium, we are no better off than Salford, why criticise them ?
Why would the council decide to sell? 🤔
Sell to a developer??
What a poor advert for the popularity of Super League and Rugby League in general. When is the sport going to stop kidding itself that it is a ‘big player’ and accept that it is a regional sport at best with little or no appeal outside of those boundaries. But, hey, so long as we have two French teams in the premier competition so what eh?
It isn’t a good look.How many years have Salford been in SL ? Must be 20 out of the 25 years since it began.All that Sky income and they are moving into a non league football ground with a capacity not much more than the Manchester Apollo theatre.The game passed its station long ago, trying to pretend to be something it isn’t.
This could be us if the council decide to sell the stadium, we are no better off than Salford, why criticise them ?
Why would the council decide to sell?
Sell to a developer??
Who would wanna buy a new build situated on an old fashioned council estate? 🤣🤣🤣
Well the ICI rec was used for new houses, right next to what some people refer to as the ‘Aves’. Houses are going up on former chemical yards in industrial areas of the town. HBC would only likely sell if the Vikings went out business because without the club the stadium becomes a white elephant.
Sometimes new housing estates compliment the surrounding area, but sometimes it just ends up sticking out like a sore thumb.
The former ICI rec site was a really big piece of land ...the Stadium not so much, so not sure how they would blend it in.
Hopefully, I'm never going to get the chance to find out...
Of course the Vikings could be in the self same position, and yes, Salford must do what is right for them.
All of that goes without saying.
The point is, the damage this does to the reputation of the Super League brand and the sport in general.
When you have a SL team in effect downsizing into a smaller venue, then what kind of a message does that send out to potential sponsors, the media, and of course, the fans?
Coming so soon after the Toronto farce and the demise of London into a part-time outfit, then the omens and outlook for the sport are not good.
Add to that, the fact that the likes of Castleford and Wakefield have done nothing in 25 years to embrace the advancement of the Premier competition despite their promises to do so.
And, when you throw into the mix the fact that some clubs were denied promotion or left to wither on the vine for more than a generation for the self same reason as Salford may now find themselves in, then the long term future does not look good.
I think Swinton played there for a short time almost 20 years ago. It's pretty close to Agecroft which was mentioned as a potential site for a new Swinton ground. Its a lot closer to the Traditional heart of Salford and to the Centre of Manchester than the AJ Bell.
Listening to an interview with Sale owner it sounded like they will be the owners of the ground with Salford the tennents. All about how they wanted to own their own home
Salford FC and Sale are buying the AJ Bell, Salford RL were in talks anyway about their rental agreement there, they couldn't afford it. The council is buying that other stadium and Salford RL will lease from them. At least that's what I read in the MEN.
That’s what I heard too last week GPO.
I’ve no opinion on the location but although it’s a new stadium, size is important. However, if it is currently an all-seater, providing safe standing areas at the two ends will increase the maximum capacity.
5,106 capacity, 2,240 seats.
https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/league-two/salford-city-moor-lane.html
Thanks GPO, that kicks my suggestion into touch!
Of course the Vikings could be in the self same position, and yes, Salford must do what is right for them. All of that goes without saying. The point is, the damage this does to the reputation of the Super League brand and the sport in general. When you have a SL team in effect downsizing into a smaller venue, then what kind of a message does that send out to potential sponsors, the media, and of course, the fans? Coming so soon after the Toronto farce and the demise of London into a part-time outfit, then the omens and outlook for the sport are not good. Add to that, the fact that the likes of Castleford and Wakefield have done nothing in 25 years to embrace the advancement of the Premier competition despite their promises to do so. And, when you throw into the mix the fact that some clubs were denied promotion or left to wither on the vine for more than a generation for the self same reason as Salford may now find themselves in, then the long term future does not look good.
Outside of about 40,000 people mostly in the North of England nobody cares about Rugby League and probably wouldn’t know what the acronym RFL stands for. The RFL are way past the stage of making the game look bad ….
If one of the top tier teams is downsizing to a stadium with a capacity of 5k then there is no future for the. (professional) game.