Objectively, perhaps. Subjectively, a large percentage of Fev's support see a massive part of their identity as being Fev Not Cas, so it's never going to happen. It's the same principle as, for instance, if New York, Ottawa, Toronto etc became SL powerhouses and Wigan and St helens, or Hull & Hull KR, were told they had to merge to prosper.

And it's difficult to tell a club that they should abandon hopes of being a SL team when there are teams currently in SL that they would see as having less viability long-term because they don't own their own ground or land around it and have no visible potential income streams.

Thanks for the response I am in total agreeance.

My cousin is called Brad Wright, he was going to come and play at Dudley Hill, I know of him but didn't put 2 and 2 together until one of my uncles said his nephew was at Fev. Hope it works out for him

I think it is probably true to say that, had Featherstone had the funding that Wakefield have had for the past decade, they could be where Wakefield are.

But is that the aspiration? Playing in front of 4,000 people in a ground that badly needs upgrading (Featherstone actually have a better ground than Wakefield even now!), struggling to compete, making do with players that got rejected by the top clubs etc etc. All you do is replace one failing club with another - Featherstone instead of Wakefield, Leigh instead of Salford etc.

Surely we aspire to more than that? My hopes would be that IF we ever get back to SL we can actually thrive once more. The potential is clearly there for crowds of 10K+, with a history of successful player production, engagement with the community, decent marketing etc. OK the ground is a massive issue, that's for another thread.

What Super League needs is 10/12/14 (however many) clubs who are big, thriving, forward-looking clubs on the level of a Leeds, a Wigan, or a St Helens. Not clubs that are 'just there'. And I feel that Bradford Bulls have the potential to be one those in that bracket, whereas - frankly - I don't think Featherstone do.

Hopefully the reserves will allow us to bring local players in on trial without any pressure. Especially those that are late developers.

There are literally three, maybe 4 of those clubs, and one of them is in danger of getting relegated.

There are lots of criteria towards being "what SL needs" and it will vary from supporter to supporter depending on the strengths of their club. Bradford fans will mention their support, but won't mention their ground, which most people describe in the same derogatory terms as Wakefield's. And at Fev we'll mention the ground, the fact that we own it and surrounding land and have revenue streams that could multiply, and we won't mention our attendances. And until there are 12/14 Wigan/St Helens who tick all the boxes, the debate will go on.

I thought Fev had sold the surrounding land around the ground?

That's kinda my point, mate

There's no real point in simply replacing clubs that people say 'bring nothing to the table' with other clubs who also don't bring anything to the table. We are just moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic.

We need to build up 10/12/14 clubs who have the potential to be getting big crowds, in decent stadiums, and who generate a big TV contract. Presumably that's why Toronto came in, and there's talk of New York and Ottowa. Let's be honest London vs Leeds and Toronto vs Bradford is a bit more enticing to the casual viewer than Batley vs Halifax and Leigh vs Featherstone...

You've just proved my point. You've used the phrase "decent stadiums" ...and then included Bradford in your Utopian SL vision! Like I say, fans of each club will ignore their own team's shortcomings when suggesting they deserve to be in SL.

I didn't ignore the ground issue at all, I actually highlighted it in my post above.

Having said that we have the capacity, 6000 seats and extensive corporate hospitality- so, despite the shortcomings, we do actually tick a few boxes and did back in the days of licensing.

I'm one of those who would gladly leave Odsal, if a suitable alternative were to be made available. Not much chance of that happening, unless we throw our lot in at Valley Parade - and then you have all the issues that teams like Wigan and Huddersfield have had in sharing with a football team.

Brad is a great lad. Play with him at Wibsey. Going well for the Fev reserves as well. Come along massively over the past 3 seasons.