An announcement on the ground move...

[wh]

ealing said:

Is there any mention anywhere about training facilities e.g. a practice pitch to take some of the strain off the main one?

No ealing the practice pitch alongside the stadium is a casualty of the revised application.

Alternative training area has still to be confirmed, although I'm told the blend of grass will be of a much higher quality than that which we now use at SGL and it will be very hard wearing and durable.

[Deleted]

So there will be nowhere for me to hone my physique for Big Match 10?

[wh]

ealing said:

So there will be nowhere for me to hone my physique for Big Match 10?

there's McDonalds or Honky's?

[cg]

colinlayland said:

niels said:

Where as I would be the last person on earth to defend a conservative politician wasn't there a Tory piss-up on somewhere up North.

Or maybe the tory candidate was not invited, and Mike Foster thinks there is going to be a General Election?

Yes the Tories have a candidate - Robin Walker - and I don't suppose he will be so shy of being seen at WRFC and/or in WCCC tie (remember that joker from Wales who fought the seat 1997 and thought that's all he had to do?).

Mike Foster has also supported the football club, to be fair to him, throughout this saga. The other lot have been too busy jumping on ever passing NIMBY bandwagon and may even oppose this scheme.

Mike also atended the launch of the supporters trusts and other meetings and is a true football fan.

Neils - I know what you mean - but the Tories do 'up North' had ended the previous day and anyway to point I was making was that, despite their conference, they were feverishly flooding Ashcroft's money into marginal constituences around the country (whcih seems to have worked!!!) so why couldn't their local candidate get behind the construction of a new 6,000 capacity leisure facility in Worcester?

Answers on a postcard.

[dg]

blackpole said:

dg said:

I hope the catering will in future be kept in house, not given away for a pittance, that would be a start.

in pure English terms does that mean that not only will we advertise Pukka Pies, we'll sell them as well!?

It means do the catering for the benefit of Worcester City FC not other individuals

[worcestercityfc]

wouldnt a good sugestion for a name to the ground be to sell the name of a company on it?

like the emirates stadium im sure arsenal got paid by fly emirates to have the stadium named after them and also wouldnt this way give the club a bit more lee-way in riddening the debts??

im sure there are many companies out there who would want to "sponser" the club this way

[carsten]

cg said:

colinlayland said:

Or maybe the tory candidate was not invited, and Mike Foster thinks there is going to be a General Election?

Yes the Tories have a candidate - Robin Walker - and I don't suppose he will be so shy of being seen at WRFC and/or in WCCC tie (remember that joker from Wales who fought the seat 1997 and thought that's all he had to do?).

Mike Foster has also supported the football club, to be fair to him, throughout this saga. The other lot have been too busy jumping on ever passing NIMBY bandwagon and may even oppose this scheme.

Mike also atended the launch of the supporters trusts and other meetings and is a true football fan.

Neils - I know what you mean - but the Tories do 'up North' had ended the previous day and anyway to point I was making was that, despite their conference, they were feverishly flooding Ashcroft's money into marginal constituences around the country (whcih seems to have worked!!!) so why couldn't their local candidate get behind the construction of a new 6,000 capacity leisure facility in Worcester?

Answers on a postcard.

From his website

Robin lives in the centre of Worcester, in a flat on Sansome Walk and is a regular supporter of both the Worcester Warriors and the Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

How about questions on a postcard to

Robin Walker
Churchill House, 15 Sansome Place, Worcester WR1 1UA

See what his view is on the new ground.

Doesnt he look like his Dad.

[colinlayland]

Some would say better looking,but I could not say,ask Darrell,and any way who needs the politics it only a game.

[Tim Munslow]

Is it too early to say whether there will be a car park surrounding the stadium, a la Telford, Hednesford and Tamworth, to name but a few?

It will be a worse journey for me, and if my aged mother (now 89) is still alive when the new stadium comes into use she is likely to be in her nineties, so walking any distance would be out of the question.

[wh]

There was a few more pieces of ground news released to the shareholders at the AGM yesterday.

The stadium will have a main stand with 2000 seats and all 4 sides of the ground will be covered.

The 3 terraces will be designed in such a way that permanent seating could be easily added in the future.

The stadium designers are determined to make it a "Landmark" stadium with all the bells and whistles.

The playing area will likely be larger than that currently played on at SGL.

The stadium will have full disabled access.

[Deleted]

"with all the bells and whistles" Oh no! It's noisy enough with that half-wit and his drum.

[cg]

...and the roraring motorway in the background

.

[dave]

"with all the bells and whistles"

No wonder Mr Guy objects so strongly to the location of the new stadium, it will be very noisy if it is covered in Bells and Whistles!

Seriously though, have people seen this man's arguments against the new stadium. Talk about Mr NIMBY!!! He keeps banging the ground share drum with all his might, but fails to accept that the rules of the Guiness Premiership and the Football League would appear to scupper the possibility of this happening.

I hope this very vocal minority will not succeed in stalling the ground any further with his NIMBY whinging. Perhaps he would prefer a prison or a nuclear power station on his doorstep, both of these types of development will no doubt be on the Government agenda is the coming years.

The local plan has for years allowed for the building of a football stadium at Nunnery Way, and the enabling development envisaged by St Modwen, would appear to be much more in keeping with this use of the land.

It is time to accept Mr Guy, that our Green spaces are going to have to be eaten up as the population grows and the demand for housing and employment use increases. This little strip between the A4440 and the M5 seems ideal to me for this sort of use, and if you want trees go to Worcester Woods!

[carsten]

colinlayland said:

Some would say better looking,but I could not say,ask Darrell,and any way who needs the politics it only a game.

A fine looking man he is and his father was also a very dapper chap in his early days.

[carsten]

dave said:

"with all the bells and whistles"

No wonder Mr Guy objects so strongly to the location of the new stadium, it will be very noisy if it is covered in Bells and Whistles!

Seriously though, have people seen this man's arguments against the new stadium. Talk about Mr NIMBY!!! He keeps banging the ground share drum with all his might, but fails to accept that the rules of the Guiness Premiership and the Football League would appear to scupper the possibility of this happening.

I hope this very vocal minority will not succeed in stalling the ground any further with his NIMBY whinging. Perhaps he would prefer a prison or a nuclear power station on his doorstep, both of these types of development will no doubt be on the Government agenda is the coming years.

The local plan has for years allowed for the building of a football stadium at Nunnery Way, and the enabling development envisaged by St Modwen, would appear to be much more in keeping with this use of the land.

It is time to accept Mr Guy, that our Green spaces are going to have to be eaten up as the population grows and the demand for housing and employment use increases. This little strip between the A4440 and the M5 seems ideal to me for this sort of use, and if you want trees go to Worcester Woods!

Mr Guy has been spinning the same yarns for many years now, so many years that he obviously didnt see the changes in Primacy of Tenure rules brought in by the Guinness Premiership.
Oddly he also seems to have failed to notice the development of 50 acres of green belt along Pershore Lane by the Rugby Club which should have got his attention in the same way if he was serious about the Regional Spatial thing. He's not, he's a NIMBY.

[cg]

He told me that he thought WCFC should redevelop SGL into a 10,000 all seater stadium - which not only idplays an utter lack of knowledge and/or realism but underscores his NIMBY credentials ie: for that to happen (not that financially or practically it could) it would mean the compulsory purchase of dozens of houses and disruption to an exisiting community but, of course, not being anywhere remotely near Whittington that is okay.

When I asked him at the press conference if he thought the relative trade off of a sports club which will hopefully engage in some sort of community work to help tackle social exclusion and health problems, and have a facility the local public will be able to use, he just said 'yadda, yadda, yadda' - so he has no interest whatsoever in local community cohesion bar the preservation of his own patch - and anyway, I may be wrong, but isn't the proposed new stadium as, geographically close to Ronkswood as Whittington ao why should their views matter more than other communities living near the proposed site? ?

This is his website: www.whittingtonvillage.co.uk/people.htm

If you read the responses to the Worcester News piece he has also persuaded an inner London market campaign against a St Modwens development in East London (http://www.friendsofqueensmarket.org.uk/) to support his campaign - even though his 'yadda yadda yadda' attitude suggests he would have presumably no truck for such communial things as markets.

He was also keen to quote Gerry Boon, who produces Deloitte & Touche Sport's annual report, at me as supposed evidence that new stadia don't work. This really is a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing.... I doubt if D&T have ever had WCFC in their radar but I very much doubt if the country's primary sports business consultants would cast a dim view of a football club moving into 6000 capacity stadium and clearing their debts in one foul swoop being a bad thing. Unless you're Mr Guy.




My Guy I would suggest is not a man to change his mind.

[suv]

I know that this won't go down well but.....
I Feel quite sorry for Mr Guy and his neighbours, they bought houses probably some years ago when there was no mention of developments, now the expanding city is getting ever closer to their front doors.
Easy for me to say but I'm glad I don't live in his neighbourhood with a possible waste plant, football club and new housing threatened. I wouldn't want any of them by me on the Hallow side of Worcester and I'm guessing that most other users of this message board wouldn't either!!!. I think I would oppose the Application if it were "in my back yard".
Soon there will be no divide between Worcester, Pershore, Droitwich, Ombersley which will be horrible.

[carsten]

His neighbours include David Hallmark and Anthony Glossop (chair of St modwen) In truth the development has been in the Local Plan for many years, its not as if its suddenly appeared. and anyway if you buy a house with a view you have to accept that you have no entitlement to that view.
I would have more sympathy with Mr Guy if he actually came clean and said that his objection was that he did not want a football stadium with the accompanied problems of rowdy football fans and transport on his doorstep. Instead he quotes Boon selectively. Well we can all do that

Gerry Boon - Annual Review of Football Finance 2007

Premier League clubs have spent over 15% of revenue generated
since 1992/93 on improving their facilities whereas Football
League clubs have spent over 12%. These are impressive amounts
and again illustrate the fact that stadium investment, and the
on-going financial benefits it can deliver, is a significant element
of a successful football business strategy.

Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

[cg]

So what do we do Suv - build nothing anywhere? Of course proper consultation and a planning process is necessary - and will be conducted - but the proposed football club ground is not 'in his back yard' or anyone else's in Whittington for that matter. And I would much prefer an occasionally used facility like a non league football club than a new housing estate in my back yard.

[suv]

No, carry on with the propossed building applicationin the Whittington area, like I said before
" I don't want them by me" ............. NIMBY & PROUD!!!!

[cg]

suv said:

No, carry on with the propossed building applicationin the Whittington area, like I said before
" I don't want them by me" ............. NIMBY & PROUD!!!!

This desire for peace and tranquility Suv - did you develop this watching Wolves in the old 4th division?

[suv]

"occasionally used facility like a non league football club"

Dave Boddy says " football league status is the aim" then who knows?, Premier League?
( I hope we have a option in the application for a second tier on this new ground)

people on Warndon villages & St Peters will be able to let travelling fans park in their gardens for a fiver on match days!!!!

[cg]

suv said:

"occasionally used facility like a non league football club"

Dave Boddy says " football league status is the aim" then who knows?, Premier League?
( I hope we have a option in the application for a second tier on this new ground)

people on Warndon villages & St Peters will be able to let travelling fans park in their gardens for a fiver on match days!!!!

Suv - I know you've got dodgy eyesight - we shalln't enquire into how that was caused - but I thought even you might have spotted the massive car park at County Hall which may be available on matchdays and is a tad nearer than Warndon villages or St Peters. On the other hand if I can fleece someone for a fiver to park outside my house, it being only a mere 30 minute walk to the new ground then I'll take it!!

[Deleted]

I wonder if Mr Guy ever spends a moment considering the plight of the local residents whose views and green fields were knackered when his house was built?

[cg]

Or that Whittington tump is a fake hill - maybe his ancestors moaned about that too - a vantage point to keep an eye out for marauding warmongers - now I bet they made a lot of noise!!

[colinlayland]

There will be parking at the ground,but if need be they are looking at County Hall,or the Cattle market as a over flow.

[cg]

colinlayland said:

There will be parking at the ground,but if need be they are looking at County Hall,or the Cattle market as a over flow.

Both would surely be good options.

[niels]

carsten said:

and anyway if you buy a house with a view you have to accept that you have no entitlement to that view.

Exactly. When I bought my house it had a lovely view of the Malvern Hills but by the time I moved in there was just a view of some 4 storey houses.

carsten said:

At least they've now got someone with a Worcester connection. Decent bloke Peter Walker.

How exactly was Peter Walker a decent bloke? He was a senior member of the Thatcher government for God's sake.

[Deleted]

He was Jim Slater's partner. Unforgivable.

[bobbyg]

Can I just ask and without much financial know-how. If the ground is pretty much sorted and we will be able to pay off all debts when we move would this allow the City to extend the budget for players by convincing their bankers to a temporary extention of loans for progression purposes so we are in a strong postion before we move? How long will Preece have to wait before he has an idea on what he can spend? Would extra money be given if we were in the lower half of the table come the new year? By the way this is coming from a guy who has lost 20 quid a year for 5 years or so on the grand national so a chairman I am not!