By Jon Wilkin St Helens loose forward

It has been an exciting week for everyone connected with St Helens RLFC.

Rumours of a new ground have been circulating for a long time but the news we all wanted to hear was finally broadcast on Thursday when the club announced that it had submitted plans to the local council for a new 18,000-capacity stadium.

Wilkin is the public face of the club's stadium bid - but he could have at least washed his cheek

The news is so exciting, especially for the players.

Knowsley Road is an amazing place, full of history, tradition and memories, not to mention holes and leaks.

It is also a fantastic ground to play at and will continue to be our home until the new stadium is completed.

But we needed a new ground.

The cost of keeping the current one up and running is an expensive and time-consuming business, in many ways like trying to get our older players on the pitch each week.

You patch up the areas that are broken and turn a blind eye to the odd blemish, while the areas of total disrepair are there just to add "character".

A new stadium will help the club in so many ways.

Not only will it help attract the best players, it will also give the fans and the sponsors the modern facilities they crave.

It will also help the club improve its revenue streams by allowing it to hold bigger and better functions, not just rugby league matches.

I know for a fact that team-mate Matty Smith has already booked his wedding for the new stadium.

Congratulations, Matty, but it means you only have a few years to find and convince somebody to marry you.

If you can't find anyone, then there's always Plan B.

James Graham in a wedding dress? Not a very pretty sight!

But the image of James Graham bulging out of a white dress would haunt me forever!

The corporate opportunities a new stadium will bring will prove invaluable to the club, there's no doubt about that.

But by far the most important factor to consider when building a new stadium is making sure the fans are looked after and the atmosphere is right.

I know both the developers and the club would never consider going ahead with the project unless they were sure the atmosphere inside the new stadium rivalled that of Knowsley Road.

I honestly hope I am around to play at the new venue.

Those players who are lucky enough to christen it will immediately become part of the club's legacy and history.

In the meantime, the current Saints squad is very much focused on ensuring the club and our charming little ground continues to have success.

Expect to see a few extreme sun tans on display when we play Huddersfield on Saturday.

The international weekend gave a few players the chance to get away, among them Lee Gilmour and Paul Wellens.

Lee has by far the best tan. I hear he didn't take any clothes away with him and just had five litres of tanning oil, a pair of Speedos and a large reflective sheet to optimise his tanning time.

As for Wello, he looks like a Portuguese pool cleaner with his dark, wavy hair and bronze complexion.