The Australian rugby league team were very unhappy with how shallow the in-goal area was at Old Trafford for the World Cup final a few years ago season or two ago, as a safety thing given the grass then drops away steeply.

newgroundrodney wrote:Don't rugby stadiums require a much longer pitch area than football, due to the 'dead zone' or whatever the hell they call it?
... would this rule out lots of traditional football grounds?
Or does it go by DIMENSIONS, as opposed to specific MEASUREMENTS???

Yes you are right about rugby grounds requiring longer pitch areas, 100 metres plus in goal areas, as illustrated by RP of course and the unused pitch area behind the North goal for football.

On the subject of Bath RFC re-locating even temporarily at RP, I really do not see it happening. The arms park with it's artificial pitch would be far more feasible, and no issue with pitch-wear.

Don’t think the WRU will want Bath anywhere in Wales. They will soak up any casual fans and lower attendances even lower at the sub standard pro 14 games. Non starter at RP or CAP.

Rich wrote:Don’t think the WRU will want Bath anywhere in Wales. They will soak up any casual fans and lower attendances even lower at the sub standard pro 14 games. Non starter at RP or CAP.

I agree with you on that.

I know nothing about rugby, but what sort of opponents do Bath RFC face week in, week out? What sort of crowds do they get?
The reason I ask, is because if as is often stated on here, "Newport people have very little disposable income", then obviously, moving another rugby club in, presumably a more senior rugby club than Newport RFC would have a direct affect on the latter's fortunes. By that, I mean that casual rugby fans may be more inclined to watch Dragons v Scarlets & Bath v Northampton (if they play them) than they would Newport RFC v Blackwood..... I think. assuming they only have so much spare money to spend on leisure.

newgroundrodney wrote:I know nothing about rugby, but what sort of opponents do Bath RFC face week in, week out? What sort of crowds do they get?
The reason I ask, is because if as is often stated on here, "Newport people have very little disposable income", then obviously, moving another rugby club in, presumably a more senior rugby club than Newport RFC would have a direct affect on the latter's fortunes. By that, I mean that casual rugby fans may be more inclined to watch Dragons v Scarlets & Bath v Northampton (if they play them) than they would Newport RFC v Blackwood..... I think. assuming they only have so much spare money to spend on leisure.

Tp give you a little perspective on this the game in England is extremely healthy financially, and Bath and most of the English premiership teams play in front of almost, if not full houses most weeks (between 10,000 and 20,000+) with average cost of tickets around £50 or more. Far higher than welsh football or rugby matches (internationals excepted). There is such a demand even at these prices for tickets in Bath that they seek a larger ground and have for years been prevented from doing so by their current location. I'm certain as i can be that the possibility of Bath moving to Wales to play, temporarily, will not happen.

OLDCROMWELLIAN wrote:

newgroundrodney wrote:I know nothing about rugby, but what sort of opponents do Bath RFC face week in, week out? What sort of crowds do they get?
The reason I ask, is because if as is often stated on here, "Newport people have very little disposable income", then obviously, moving another rugby club in, presumably a more senior rugby club than Newport RFC would have a direct affect on the latter's fortunes. By that, I mean that casual rugby fans may be more inclined to watch Dragons v Scarlets & Bath v Northampton (if they play them) than they would Newport RFC v Blackwood..... I think. assuming they only have so much spare money to spend on leisure.

Tp give you a little perspective on this the game in England is extremely healthy financially, and Bath and most of the English premiership teams play in front of almost, if not full houses most weeks (between 10,000 and 20,000+) with average cost of tickets around £50 or more. Far higher than welsh football or rugby matches (internationals excepted). There is such a demand even at these prices for tickets in Bath that they seek a larger ground and have for years been prevented from doing so by their current location. I'm certain as i can be that the possibility of Bath moving to Wales to play, temporarily, will not happen.

..... rugby in England sounds a bit like a rich man's sport to me in the light of what you say here. As an aside, you kind of wonder what chance football clubs like Bath City have of ever prospering against such competition. A half-full house, with tickets half that price, would see totally different Bath City...
But what's clear to me, is Newport, ('poor old run down, skint, Newport') is not the place for such an expensive extra leisure drain.

The RFU itself is skint. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... ff-members

There are calls to end promotion and relegation because of the massive gulf between the top division and all bar one or two clubs on the second tier. It's like a game of musical chairs stuck on 12 chairs with 13 people playing, currently London Irish are no 13. Sounds like a reasonable idea.

George Street-Bridge wrote:The RFU itself is skint. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... ff-members

There are calls to end promotion and relegation because of the massive gulf between the top division and all bar one or two clubs on the second tier. It's like a game of musical chairs stuck on 12 chairs with 13 people playing, currently London Irish are no 13. Sounds like a reasonable idea.

i wouldn't read to much into the RFUs last years accounts showing a loss of 31million when they have made hundreds of millions in previous years since the sport officially turned professional. Many may be surprised to learn that rugby is played by more people in England than any other country in the world despite the greater success of southern hemisphere teams internationally. As you have alluded to- !2 professional teams in the top division ( with squads between 50-60), plus most of the championship (2nd tier)

Stan A. Einstein wrote:

George Street-Bridge wrote:

Stan A. Einstein wrote: as with all things County the absurd can never be entirely written off.

I'm going to do a James O'Brien here and challenge you to back that up.

Let me see.

Five different home stadiums in our first twenty five years since reformation. A fans owned club, which the fans who formed the club had to buy back a second time. A promise to publish board minutes which has slipped again. No certainty about where we will be playing in four years. I could go on but there are only so many minutes in a day, years in a lifetime.

not a bad start!