Re: Stadium Redevelopment : Thu Oct 05, 2017 6:21 pm
The Ghost of '99 wrote:
Firstly Carnegie didn't build Leeds a stand, as you misleadingly imply in your attempt to pretend that the club hasn't spent money on the stadium - Leeds built that stand out of their own funds. The Carnegie sponsorship and use of the facility made the sums add up even more but they didn't provide the initial cash to build it, that came from Leeds own reserves, bloated at the time by the sale of the cricket ground.
Secondly, your argument would have more merit if it didn't ignore the fact that the very first piece of stadium improvement the club made after Hetherington's arrival was the complete refit of the South Stand in 1999 when £1m was spent fitting the brand new roof (unlike other old stands at other old grounds it never leaked after that) provided the TV gantry and studio and refitted the bars and toilets with modern facilities. There were no river caves at Headingley.
But it is a ridiculous position to suggest that a club which generated in the late '90s around £7m a year of turnover, had a bit of historic debt and was just starting to be borderline profitable should have launched into a £20m wholesale rebuild of the ground straightaway. Initially the whole focus was on stabilising the business and to Leeds that meant securing both the test cricket and Yorkshire's future at the ground. So the company spent a lot of money on that side of the stadium which had the added bonus of further extending the corporate space for RL games.
And then, yes, the big investment in the Carnegie Stand which you so casually dismiss. A huge, huge development in the history of the stadium. And one which was possible by classic Hetherington/Caddick nous: first ensuring YCCC stayed at the ground, then ensuring it retained test match status by redevloping the East Stand and old West terrace, then once that was done selling it to the cricket club for £13m or whatever it was.
Anyway as it stands Leeds have spent more than any club other than Saints and Warrington on ground improvements in the Hetherington era. And will blow both of those out of the water in the next 12 months. It's not been easy or swift - but that's because the club chose to redevelop their existing ground and no external party be it supermarket or council or club owner was willing to pay for it - so it's 100% self funded, unique in British RL. Thanks Hetherington.
Secondly, your argument would have more merit if it didn't ignore the fact that the very first piece of stadium improvement the club made after Hetherington's arrival was the complete refit of the South Stand in 1999 when £1m was spent fitting the brand new roof (unlike other old stands at other old grounds it never leaked after that) provided the TV gantry and studio and refitted the bars and toilets with modern facilities. There were no river caves at Headingley.
But it is a ridiculous position to suggest that a club which generated in the late '90s around £7m a year of turnover, had a bit of historic debt and was just starting to be borderline profitable should have launched into a £20m wholesale rebuild of the ground straightaway. Initially the whole focus was on stabilising the business and to Leeds that meant securing both the test cricket and Yorkshire's future at the ground. So the company spent a lot of money on that side of the stadium which had the added bonus of further extending the corporate space for RL games.
And then, yes, the big investment in the Carnegie Stand which you so casually dismiss. A huge, huge development in the history of the stadium. And one which was possible by classic Hetherington/Caddick nous: first ensuring YCCC stayed at the ground, then ensuring it retained test match status by redevloping the East Stand and old West terrace, then once that was done selling it to the cricket club for £13m or whatever it was.
Anyway as it stands Leeds have spent more than any club other than Saints and Warrington on ground improvements in the Hetherington era. And will blow both of those out of the water in the next 12 months. It's not been easy or swift - but that's because the club chose to redevelop their existing ground and no external party be it supermarket or council or club owner was willing to pay for it - so it's 100% self funded, unique in British RL. Thanks Hetherington.
Stop talking sense Ghost, it's not wanted by the Rhinos Bashers Club. Please concentrate your replies on the "wooden seats" debacle!
