Old v New : Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:18 pm  

A question I have always wanted to ask and now is probably the right time.
Lots of clubs have been re housed into new grounds over the past decade or so.
I have been to many of these grounds old and new.
So the question goes out to supporters of clubs and people who have traveled away to these grounds to watch there teams play.
The club's that spring to mind for me are Halifax, Wigan, St Helens, Leigh, Warrington, Dewsbury, Salford, Huddersfield, Hull and Widnes to some degree.
Me personally I had some great days out watching Keighley in cup competitions at these old grounds.
The bar areas after games were great, players mixed with fans and there was some great banter amongst the fans.
I understand that clubs need to generate income from these big grounds and playing surfaces are much better but me personally I loved the old ground and they what rugby league was all about.

[Fantastic Mr Catpiss]

Re: Old v New : Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:27 pm  

And the question is?

Re: Old v New : Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:30 pm  

What are other fans thoughts about the old grounds v new and which they prefer

Re: Old v New : Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:39 pm  

It's not as simple as which is better an old ground or new ground. There are many factors such as location, both getting a drink and something to eat before the game and accessibility of the stadium, Hull and Warrington are both good, Salford and Wigan are poor. Seating vs standing, I think moving to all seater stadiums is rarely a good thing for RL clubs, although I am a fan of the KC stadium. Layout of the stadium, Salford should have made their 2nd stand along the side of the pitch standing (as should saints imo). Size of stadium, Huddersfield's ground is far too big for them and lacks atmosphere, Warrington and Saints grounds are suitably sized.

Re: Old v New : Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:43 pm  

A big issue with "modern" stadia is shared use. If a RFL team share with a premier football club, then the stadium set up will be for football fans.
I personally love to stand and watch my rugby, I can choose, where and who with. And if I don't like the people around me, choose to move elsewhere.
But seating does encourage a more family friendly atmosphere, so maybe offering both options would create the ideal stadium.

Re: Old v New : Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:21 am  

The better new grounds are the likes of St Helens and Warrington which are purpose built Rugby League stadiums with a mix of terracing and seating. The bigger shared grounds like our place (DW),Huddersfield and Hull only ever come alive when there's a huge crowd on and that isn't often enough.

You'll never beat the atmosphere of places like Knowsley Road, Central Park and Wilderspool but ultimately the facilities weren't good enough. You only need to look at those clubs average attendances in the last few seasons in the old grounds compared to now in the new stadiums to see why it was needed. The new grounds have brought more families and women to games imo.

Re: Old v New : Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:27 am  

For me the New HKR ground is good but the old craven park was the place I was brought up in and will always be the best (only my opinion) If we had had the money we should of upgraded it

[Sadfish]

Re: Old v New : Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:52 am  

Knowley Road was falling apart, we still had outside toilets ffs, the ground capacity was falling year on year due to no money to fix the problems which where getting worse, the new stadium has everything we needs, trhe facilities, the location and the office space and just overall is a massive difference.

When you look at crowds for example Saints v Cas in 1998 5,887 Saints v Cas on Monday 12,499 .

Re: Old v New : Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:52 am  

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Re: Old v New : Thu Apr 20, 2017 9:00 am  

I loved the old ground but they are from the past and that's where they should stay. The biggest issue I have with a lot of new stadia is their location, many old grounds were in the heart of the community with the new ones on cheaper land elsewhere. I understand the reasons why but wish grounds like Central Park, Knowsley Rd and Wilderspool could have been brought up to modern standards.