Wasps update February 2024

[baldpaul101]

So, only the top staff, coaches, trainers maybe.

Players? Some might sign up.

I would be amazed if any of the former staff at any level, coaches, players or back room would sign up. They will already have moved on & taken new roles (hopefully!).
Why would any of them want to be involved with a club that made them redundant in the way Wasps did? Unless they need the money & Wasps have deep pockets? After all no salary cap in the URC?
Jury is out for me until I see how much of Wasps they resurrect, who's in charge & what competition they play in. I am saying that as someone is very local to the proposed Kent site & would potentially be a season ticket holder.

[InBetweenWasp]

Jury is out for me until I see how much of Wasps they resurrect, who's in charge & what competition they play in.

Suspect that sentiment is shared by a lot of us.  A completely new team, with little to no attachment to the previous teams wouldn't be the same (for me - and many others i'm sure). 

There's lots of moving parts to this whole situation.  The bottom of the league arguments perhaps make sense in principle.  But equally, let's say Wasps do have a backer willing to put a half-decent squad together.  Most of the Championship are semi-pro, below that it's basically amateur. 

The imbalance between a professional squad, both financially and physically would be enormous and completely farcical.  The reality is that from a safety perspective alone, the lowest down a resurrected professional Wasps team should be is the Championship.

I suspect there's a lot of political posturing going on behind the scenes but the RFU, the Premiership and the other Clubs and the Championship. 

Regardless of what they say, I really don't think many (or even any) of the Championship clubs want to play in the Prem because of the financial ramifications, but want to play the 'whats it worth to us to not kick up a stick to let Wasps/Irish/Warriors back into Championship' game to try and get some (well deserved) investment from the RFU.

[Heathen]

If Wasps intentions to go for the URC start to have a lot of foundation, I suspect that the RFU will shift significantly!

[InBetweenWasp]

If Wasps intentions to go for the URC start to have a lot of foundation, I suspect that the RFU will shift significantly!

All things being equal, I wonder whether the preference from both Fans and Owners/Management would be to play in the Premiership or the URC.

My bet is that if we do come back, it'll be in whatever league loses a team next.  At this rate, my money would be on a Welsh region (long mooted) or Falcons (but perhaps they have a saviour in Steve Diamond). 

The whole Prem 1 / Prem 2 thing seems to have legs in principle, but the PRL Teams won't dilute their P-Shares and I haven't seen any news about Sponsorship/TV deals being interested in an uplift to cover 18-20 teams worth of TV coverage.  So think that's a concept that's dead and buried as no one will agree to it.  If that's the case and the Premiership remains ringfenced, it makes no sense for Wasps to come back there.

[baldpaul101]

Not new, but don't think I've seen this on here:

https://localsportsnews.co.uk/wasps-update-on-stadium-plans-as-85-of-the-public-disagree/

as part of the Local Plan, the District Council asked the public for their responses and under the option marked MX15 ? Pedlam Place the responses were quite damning for the proposed build. Of the 1,379 people who responded, 1,181 either Disagreed or Strongly Disagreed with the plans. 188 Agreed or Strongly Agreed, whilst 10 remained Neutral.

This means a whopping 85.7% of the public do not want the club or the District Council to allow plans for a new stadium on this site.

Now as we all know, this won't mean it isn't going to happen but its hardly a great way to start a new venture p1ssing off a chunk of the local population!

https://www.beesnotwasps.org/pedham-development-action-required/
Some of the links on this page detail the well thought out responses to the proposal, mainly around traffic & green belt land usage. Its the 2,500 new homes they are really campaigning against, the stadium is more of a side issue.
Personally, I can't see it ever happening, but I guess if a developer pays the council enough it might do...

[Bloke in North Dorset]

It won't happen, or at least not for a very long time because of our insane planning laws.

In this thread you can see how planning law is used to object to applications using every trick in the book.

The
@BristolCivicSoc
 are a group of NIMBYs opposed to any development in Bristol. When a proposal is not tall, they object citing the housing crisis. When a proposal is tall, it's carbon emissions. A 🧵of their insane objections.

https://x.com/jakesagt/status/1780153316552380476

In a way you have to admire their tenacity and ingenuity.

Edit: I should point out that most of the objections were eventually dismissed, but is shows the lengths people will go to.