Hound calm down fella, I don't really care if they are there or not, and didn't say the 500k isn't useful, of course it is.
It just sounds a little low to me personally, even with the help with the upkeep of the pitch.
Realistically does anyone doubt playing Rugby on the pitch damages it? The money they give certainly isn't free money - it does come at the cost of the surface. Do RFC also need to employ additional people to cater for Irish playing there - i.e. additional groundsmen? I don't know the answer on that.
How much the damaged surface affects the ability for RFC to play football on it is a different debate though
30k a game is 'low' ? Why ? That's about £10 per person on current LI crowds.
The rugby certainly adds to the wear and tear. To me the problem hits when the fixture list throws up lots of games close together. 4 games in 8 days in mid Jan must be a nightmare. Expect Cardiff to be played on a threadbare pitch. Not having rugby would reduce that, not having the rugby pay pitch costs would probably make the pitch worse.
The club don't have special groundstaffjust for rugby. Obviously the ground staff work extra hours when there is rugby, same as all the staff do. I know one of the groundsmen and he works stupid hours and keeping the pitch half decent is a nightmare.
This is heading off into territory rather off topic and we'll discussed previously. As has been pointed out LI may move in a couple of years anyway. Hopefully we'll be earning millions from REP by then so won't miss the cash !!