Villa Park named as Rugby World Cup venue. | Vital Football

Villa Park named as Rugby World Cup venue.

thefacehead

Vital Football Hero
Is it right that a rugby tournament needs football stadiums to help host a major tournament?

Only four recognised rugby venues will be used, while the City Of Manchester Stadium will actually hold an England match.

It's funny that a lot of sports look down their noses at football but yet when it comes to stadium issues (as with the Olympic Stadium) football is first port of call.
 
Thefacehead. The problem Rugby Union has had and still lives with is the fact that for over a hundred years Rugby Union has been an amateur sport where "money" was only paid for "appearance money" and back handers. This brought on the change to a professional code as the top players found the ever increasing demands on top players very hard to hold down a normal day job PLUS be available for training squads, matches and International call ups.

So you have to understand, as these clubs were and many are still run on an amateur basis, they cannot even dream of having wonderful stadiums like soccer clubs do. There are exceptions, such as Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints.

Now, because of Rugby Union becoming more popular - Fact, ....sorry, we now get soccer and rugby clubs ground sharing. This is due to the success of particular clubs and the increased following so they cannot accommodate all the extra supporters... for example, London Irish/Reading FC London Wasps/Wycombe Wanders FC. Strangely enough, the soccer clubs don't tend to mind because it is bringing in much needed additional income to the club too.

 
Be nice to see some honest sportsmen and proper blokes on the Villa Park pitch for a change!