That’s what I was thinking when I first heard it and did a quick check.
In Aussie land it’s in the top 1 or 2 but here depending on if it’s based on those who participate or those who watch, it goes down to 12th or 13th behind sports such as hockey and rounders!!

As a fan of a SL Club, I don't understand the struggles that Championship and League 1 Clubs go through. We've never had to worry about finances or attendance, attracting quality players etc. But I am curious about something...

At what point do clubs and fans have to concede that merging with other Teams might just be the only way to go?

Of course the Halifax fans here don't want to start calling themselves Huddersfield Giants fans, but what about West Yorkshire for example. A new name that includes both of you. And maybe that could even extend to Batley and Dewsbury (if they'd even be classed as 'West', I don't know). But if those 4 clubs merged into something new, you could be looking at a potential average attendance of 8,558, whilst still having something to believe in that unites all of those fans.

It does sound horrible, I know. I just don't know at what point a clubs own fanbase has to concede that there aren't enough fans to sustain a club anymore.

I'm more than happy to be educated on anything. I encourage all opinions and perspectives on the life of a Championship club. Always eager to learn and understand.

How's about you taking a degree at the university of Outer Robin Hoods Bay in The conversion of pigs to bacon sandwiches?

Well thank you so much for offering such overwhelming insight. It's greatly appreciated!

You really need to listen him on the subject of food, his better half is a dinner lady you know.

I think that could be a way to go and suggested the merger could have been with the Bulls with the name as just "Wests" but I'm not that fussy and would just as easily welcome the Huddersfield club and fans down to the Shay and call it home.

Mergers in sport cannot work. RL is not the be all and end all and if Fax "move" to Hudds then I doubt very much the fans will follow and will choose alternative Sunday entertainment like they do the other 26 non rugby sundays during the year (unless you're a partial armchair fan like me who attends about 10 home games so I'm probably not worthy of an opinion anyway!).

It never worked with Huddersfield-Sheffield and I'd bet there are zero Gareshead fans who watch Hull after the most shameless sham of a merger in the history of sport.

The decisions taken in 2003 killed this club and despite a couple of jumpstarts since then we are virtually flatliners now..With this in mind I was thinking could I support a super league side playing at the Shay with money called the west riding Panthers or similar ? The answer was a massive no,the history wouldnt allow me and I couldnt watch a home match with 50 goons shouting Fartown throughout.It's a new Gartland or nothing now....

Scenario 1. We stay in the town with a new board with some real financial clout that sorts everything out ground, on / off the field etc. No problem i’d still be going.

Scenario 2. As long as the team was Halifax based I wouldn’t care what it was called, how it had been formed or which division it was in i’d still be going. As above i’m in save me a seat.

Scenario 3. Could I follow a side still called Halifax Panthers if the home ground was outside the town. Bit of a problem with this one, probably go to start with if meant that or nothing but it would never feel the same.

Scenario 4. Could I follow a side because of a merger that was called anything else, that played anywhere else, that was winning everything going that was outside the town. No under any circumstances.

Utopia 1 please..

Merger with Giants , never ..... but .....

Buy Shay with sponsorship by Calderdale Kirklees NHS trust. Rename it the :

"NEW CALDERDALE KIRKLEES NHS TRUST SHAY STADIUM"

Bring Ken Davy in as chairman and play in dooper league with crowds of 12000.

Wayne Bennett to coach 12 Aussies and 5 fax lads.

Oh I woke up.

Not too far from the truth with Hudds looking to have their own stadium as Ken Davy’s legacy. Makes sense