To keep the main stand operational next season ,Stockwood said in his interview today .

I wonder what needs doing ?

Surely cheaper to just burn it down, it’s time to refurbish BP properly even if it takes a few stages

Surely thats a waste of money... needs pulling down and rebuilding if we are staying at BP at some point a decision will need to be made..

Get temp seats the corners . Give the full Osmond to home fans . Demolish the main stand and re build when we have money

Is there a link to the interview anywhere?

I don't know what plan 1878 has for the main stand but I also heard that figure of £350k. The capacity is 2,277 over 23 home league games means it will cost about £6.68 per seat if the stand was filled every home game next season.

Half that etc. over the following seasons, again assuming each seat is taken. So the reality is that it will take several seasons to recoup that sort of expenditure, as the stand is seldom sold out, to recover that cost. Sentiment apart surely it is better to close the stand and spend the money increasing capacity int open corners of the pontoon; with a view to replacing the main stand.

37:15 in.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0f7djql

So basically we are back to break even now , which I suspected tbh .

Quoted from Mappers

To keep the main stand operational next season ,Stockwood said in his interview today .

I wonder what needs doing ?

Never said “to keep it operational” at all.

100% waste of money, they need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve sticking plasters.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

100% waste of money, they need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve sticking plasters.

It came across a bit like
.... Don't expect any big signings we didn't realise how much money was needed to bring the club up to date

Quoted from Mappers

To keep the main stand operational next season ,Stockwood said in his interview today .

I wonder what needs doing ?

As I've stated previously, many times, the Main has had prohibition notices put on it, since Fentys tenure, think its the steelwork and roof. Honest John chose not to do anything whatsoever about it 🤷

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

100% waste of money, they need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve sticking plasters.

Get a grip ypu weapon

Quoted from It Bites

It came across a bit like
.... Don't expect any big signings we didn't realise how much money was needed to bring the club up to date

The structure was clearly end of life decades ago and its limped on,  and on, and on, and on ........

Might as just KLF that 350k.

Get over a million from the fa cup, then comes out to say it will be on player budget. Less than 1 week later we now need to take 350k off.. hmmmm

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

100% waste of money, they need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve sticking plasters.

“I would simply demolish 2300 seats along with all the changing rooms, cut the home capacity by a third and burn a massive income stream” probably isn’t viable, so maybe a sticking plaster might do the job for a couple of years until we know what we can do?

Don't really get the thinking of some comments on this thread.

We can't afford NOT to do the repair work, if that is what's required to keep the stand open, otherwise we would be losing 2200 seats for 23 games, which is a big loss of income.

Even knocking it down and doing nothing would incur costs in demolition and moving facilities elsewhere.

It could be worse. It could have happened at the end of a season where we went out of the cup at the first hurdle.

The nature of the construction of the main stand means it has to be checked regularly to meet safety targets, and it's not the fault of the owners that the latest report is going to lead to these unexpected costs, but that is the nature of the legacy the previous owner left behind.

Quoted from ginnywings

Don't really get the thinking of some comments on this thread.

We can't afford NOT to do the repair work, if that is what's required to keep the stand open, otherwise we would be losing 2200 seats for 23 games, which is a big loss of income.

Even knocking it down and doing nothing would incur costs in demolition and moving facilities elsewhere.

It could be worse. It could have happened at the end of a season where we went out of the cup at the first hurdle.

The nature of the construction of the main stand means it has to be checked regularly to meet safety targets, and it's not the fault of the owners that the latest report is going to lead to these unexpected costs, but that is the nature of the legacy the previous owner left behind.

I agree in the main but it’s surely not impossible to put temporary seating in? Think of all the major summer events that have temporary constructions brought in.

Clearly we can't afford not to do the work but what I do have a problem with is the supposition from the owners that a new ground is not a priority.

How much did they spend last year, who knows, would it have been half a million, could have been that much. Now 350k for the main and another new pitch. What else this close season. What the year after. And after that.

The ground is way beyond its expected useful life. It will likely hemorrhage money until we can move on.  That is bound to impact the playing budget.

If they're that against building a new stadium, then they'll need to keep pouring money into BP.

Personally it feels short sighted and, ultimately, self defeating.  

Knocking it down costs money, loss of seats whilst you do it costs money. temporary changing facilities, seats, toilets etc costs money...bodge it is the cheapest quickest cost-effective answer in the immediate short term.
Ground needs serious renovation or a relocation needs to happen but to achieve either needs a clear and firm mandate from the top. Bumbling along won't get us anywhere and will seriously dent the reputation/good work being done elsewhere.

Really difficult one, we can’t afford to reduce the attendance so in the short term I don’t see any other option other than to spend the cash.  However, at some point we need to either re-develop or move.  Personally I’d look at rotating the pitch 90 degrees and re-develop the main, Osmond and Pontoon.  

Dont forget us disabled supporters.
The view from wheelchairs is absolutely awful.
UTM.

Quoted from ska face

Never said “to keep it operational” at all.

Okay he didnt use that exact word , i paraphrased slightly .

But i dont think we would be throwing 350k at it if it wasnt necessary work .

Is the main stand close to condemnation ?

So new ground then, so where do we get circa £30 million it would cost to build it from?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

So new ground then, so where do we get circa £30 million it would cost to build it from?

Exactly.

It's ok people saying we need a new ground, and I'd imagine the owners would like one too, but it's a huge sum of money needed to build one.

I think 30 million may be a conservative estimate. Building costs have risen sharply over the last 2 years.

The cost of one new stand at Crystal Palace is estimated at 100 million.

Quoted from Flying Mariner

Dont forget us disabled supporters.
The view from wheelchairs is absolutely awful.
UTM.

If we were to stay at BP for the medium-term I'd love to see us utilise some of the space we have (maybe at the end of the Main or either side of the Findus) by investing in some better disability facilities. Perhaps a raised, covered platform or something similar.

Towards the end of his life, I had to take my Grandad to Hull on a semi-regular basis to get his football fix as the disability facilities at BP were so poor. After having grown up watching Town with him you can imagine how weird that was! A bit of thought went into Hull's ground re disabled supporters, what with their raised platforms about halfway up the stands all the way around the ground. It is a genuinely good experience of watching football for a disabled fan+carer (discounting the fact that it wasn't Town).

I get we're slightly hamstrung by our little old ground but it'd be nice to have some funds set aside to go along with the excellent work of our disabled supporters club. It's about time BP catered for them a little better.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

So new ground then, so where do we get circa £30 million it would cost to build it from?

Thats the main point that people forget :
Stockwood and Pettit are wealthy guys ,probably worth 50-100m between them ,but they cant bankrupt themselves can they on the club ,who would do that ? (apart from Simon Jordan)
The council and government are crap
The enabling development that our former football fortune chasing custodian hoped would help has gone .
So we are are stuck with a sticking plaster on the ground for the future it seems .

If they've got 50m between them and the ground costs 30m they could easily do it and still have 10m each. Hardly be destitute after.

I have a feeling there's something being hidden from us in terms of a major facelift or even relocation from BP. If it happens to be a move then it isn't going to be soon, and if it's a BP facelift then I don't think it'll be inside the next 4 years, but one of the bits I took away from that interview is 'where are we in 10 years time'.

These guys aren't daft. Nor are the fans (on the main!). The questions over long term viability won't evade these two and any longer term thinking will have to consider the constant drain of money that BP requires to keep it going. At some point this will need a more permanent solution and they'll know this.

Having been a huge supporter of a new stadium, I'm more and more coming around to the idea of re-developing BP and ensuring it has all the commercial elements to increase non-matchday revenue. For now, I'm willing to trust that the owners are looking at the whole club in a much more proactive manner than the previous owner and they'll have a priority list in terms of what to get sorted in order to see us progress the leagues.

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

If they've got 50m between them and the ground costs 30m they could easily do it and still have 10m each. Hardly be destitute after.

True to form here then.

The transfer window isn’t open yet we’re not going up or down so we’ll keep bleating on about a new stadium despite what the owners have said.

Invest
Our owners (as they  have said)want to stay at BP so pull it down, put up another one.

I think they have decided to stay at Blundell Park which I think is the correct decision, and why they are prepared to spend huge sums on it to keep it ticking over while they decide how to redevelop it.

There is a lot that can be done on the Blundell Park site, and it can be done over many years. They will know the Council are next to useless and they would need their help to deliver a new stadium which would cost ludicrous amounts of money which is unrealistic and they would probably prefer to be in control of events themselves as far as they can.

Anyone know how much money the old regime wasted on "Extreme Leisure" ?

Quoted from promotion plaice

Anyone know how much money the old regime wasted on "Extreme Leisure" ?

About a million

Could we not get it sponsored as the Myenergy Main Stand after a donation of £200K or so to keep the repair bill down  ;)

Is there a route through the Mariners Trust to get ideas represented to the board for possible consideration?
I think using the corners is probably the simplest and most affordable, but clearly the Main Stand is more urgent, so unless we got another 1m or so from another source, I would not think that would happen before next season. I don't believe it makes any sense to assume that because they are successful that they can or would simply turn on the money spigot.
One thing I feel fairly confident about is that these two very succesful business leaders will consider all angles and possibilities before making what they think is best for the club, they seem to be taking good care of it so far and making improvements wherever they can. I have heard Jason say on a few occasions that they are open to more investment from outside in relation to a new stadium, so they haven't ruled it out but no, right now it's not an idea that they can action for many reasons, I am ok with that. Sounded to me like there are things that need to be done to the Main stand, full stop. Again, ok with that. They have also said they will continue to invest more, personally. Great.

Expect we are already talking to these guys just down the road from me [url]https://gleventsstadia.co.uk/[/url] - a bigger version of the Borehamwood stand would do to replace the Main. A demountable stand could be moved to a new stadium.

The thought of losing revenue if the main stand, 2200 seats, is pulled down is a good one. However the stated capacity of BP is 9,031, less the 2,200 is 6,831 seats, whereas our average gate stated by the club is 6,500.

Add some more seats in the corners for a season and redevelop the main stand. The changing rooms could be in the Findus, which was the original idea with admin moved into Porto cabins until the refurb is complete. For those who think that Poro cabins may not be right, the teams have been using them down Cheapside for donkey's years.

At the end of the day, JS did say all the cup run money, less expenses, would be used to improve the first-team squad. JS and AP are very astute business men, but regardless of the cup run £350k would have had to be found for the main stand from somewhere, so why not just do what they said, use the cup money on the player's budget?

Blackpool have had a 5000 seat 'temporary' stand (with a roof) the length of the pitch for 13 seasons. The 'opportunity cost' of doing something like that must be decreasing if the existing main stand is costing so much to keep open.

Rename the main stand the WUW stand.

Which stands for 'Wrap Up Well'.

Then lose the roof (and all the restricted views) as a temporary measure.

When the weather turns warm change the name again to the "Suntan Stand".

Quoted from HertsGTFC

True to form here then.

The transfer window isn’t open yet we’re not going up or down so we’ll keep bleating on about a new stadium despite what the owners have said.

This conversation has obviously predated the current owners, yet with every subsequent year it becomes more pressing.

Throwing 350k at the Main just to make it useable seems a good point to reassess.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Expect we are already talking to these guys just down the road from me [url]https://gleventsstadia.co.uk/[/url] - a bigger version of the Borehamwood stand would do to replace the Main. A demountable stand could be moved to a new stadium.

Just had a look , rhey have done a lot of good work.
Even one of those small stands they do could go in one of the corners , a lot better than the old temporary seating and actually has a roof ,would add a few hundred per corner .

Quoted from DB

I don't know what plan 1878 has for the main stand but I also heard that figure of £350k. The capacity is 2,277 over 23 home league games means it will cost about £6.68 per seat if the stand was filled every home game next season.

Half that etc. over the following seasons, again assuming each seat is taken. So the reality is that it will take several seasons to recoup that sort of expenditure, as the stand is seldom sold out, to recover that cost. Sentiment apart surely it is better to close the stand and spend the money increasing capacity int open corners of the pontoon; with a view to replacing the main stand.

Dont say that to Jason he seems to have a bit of love for the main ,called it  'beautiful ' i think in that interview .... i definitely have a polar opposite view (or non view when i have sat in it)of the main .

Look on the bright side, at least they’re gonna spend the money on the ground to ensure all four stands are functional, unlike the previous idiot.

At least they haven’t wasted a million quid on a project they cold never deliver with a company that never delivered…

HHHmmm ...

Everyone seems to have missed the other the expectations management part of that interview.
Money going into playing budget.
The budget we are doing is for 10 years

We need a new ground, But lets be honest we cannot afford one so thats the end of that one ,  And there is no realy suitable sites within striking distance  . They will have to revamp the ground we have  ,Still going to cost a few bob but at some point soon its going to have to be done .. For me we have two or three empty corners with burger vans nosey coppers tea hut and a over priced beer hut that could be coverd over and seating erecting  then the main can be pulled down and rebuilt . Its  a job done in stages but it needs starting asap . we dont need a 12 / 14 thousand stadium as it would only be full on the odd occation not every game even if we was in the championship . People do not have the money in todays world to spend £30 / £40 a week on football  we have to be realistic

30m for a new stadium. What's the existing burn rate for the current stadium half a million a season? You could conceivably see us spending 5m over that 10 year strategy to move absolutely no further forwards.

Add to that the opportunity cost missed from increased attendances, higher match day spend and completely new income streams.

The longer you push that evaluation horizon out the gap between doing not much really and something substantial becomes smaller and smaller.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

30m for a new stadium. What's the existing burn rate for the current stadium half a million a season? You could conceivably see us spending 5m over that 10 year strategy to move absolutely no further forwards at .

Add to that the opportunity cost missed from increased attendances, higher match day spend and completely new income streams.

The longer you push that evaluation horizon out the gap between doing not much really and something substantial becomes smaller and smaller.

You continuously post on here stating the same obvious fact but fail to acknowledge the fact that the club does not have the money for a new ground and are left with the situation they’re in now.

Where did you get the £500k per season figure from?

We are glad to see the back of the "Fenty" era and relish new horizons with new ownership who actually support "Town".
Lets be real a new Ground is what 30- 50 millions and another bone of contention  where to put it.
So refurbishments again cost money and take time and won't happen over night.
Ihope we can put faith into Stockwood & Petit into putting priorities  in order in a financial  viable way.
To be honest i have not got a clue how etc to even contemplate major changes, As i have'nt got an O-Level in art!!
So let them get on with it ...AND NO you are not  going to "Burn Down The Main Stand!" Me daft that i am would pay the club come North in a van for some wood to make a fireplace surround and have abit of BP History in my house...UTM

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

30m for a new stadium. What's the existing burn rate for the current stadium half a million a season? You could conceivably see us spending 5m over that 10 year strategy to move absolutely no further forwards.

Add to that the opportunity cost missed from increased attendances, higher match day spend and completely new income streams.

The longer you push that evaluation horizon out the gap between doing not much really and something substantial becomes smaller and smaller.

Where do they get the £30m, assuming that’s how much it costs? Happy with the club to saddled with huge swathes of debt? Happy for the club to spend obscene cash on something which doesn’t guarantee any success or improvement?

If anyone arsed themselves to ignore the rhetoric that the previous regime continually fed us about a new stadium; a rhetoric that went no further and was only such a priority because of the huge financial gains on the perceived horizon for the previous idiot, they’d see that the clubs infrastructure was copulated. Everything about the club was Sunday league in all but name. The club was a disgrace, we’ve heard them talk about additional costs that they’ve incurred due to things having not been paid, done, or maintained under the idiot…that’s taken a significant chunk of time and money.

The new stadium conversation just rumbles on, I wonder what would happen if it ever gets built, what would be the obsession then? The seats are the wrong shade of red? The location?

Whether the spaces in the car park will be future proofed for the ever expanding large car market?

Quoted from denni266

We need a new ground, But lets be honest we cannot afford one so thats the end of that one ,  And there is no realy suitable sites within striking distance  . They will have to revamp the ground we have  ,Still going to cost a few bob but at some point soon its going to have to be done .. For me we have two or three empty corners with burger vans nosey coppers tea hut and a over priced beer hut that could be coverd over and seating erecting  then the main can be pulled down and rebuilt . Its  a job done in stages but it needs starting asap . we dont need a 12 / 14 thousand stadium as it would only be full on the odd occation not every game even if we was in the championship . People do not have the money in todays world to spend £30 / £40 a week on football  we have to be realistic

I feel for the owners as they have been left with this by the previous skin flint.

Adding extra capacity now is a difficult one in can we truly say demand justifies the cost, it’s not only the seats you’d need to pay for you still have to fit in the vendors, extra toilets etc.. If you add the seats uncovered how many people would want to sit in them on a wet Tuesday (or Saturday) versus Sutton, Newport, Barrow etc?

I think what Jason said about agreeing the long term strategy to in gain understanding of the investment they need to attract is the right starting point.

Having to spend £350K on the main stand isn’t ideal but it can’t be a catalyst for “new ground at all costs brigade” to start they’re movement now that Fenty is out and Hurst has proved up to it - just feels like another thing to mosn about.

What boils my p1ss is that some posters have selective hearing, they heard Jason saying the cost will be £350k but chose to ignore he went on to say both he and Andrew will be putting money in again next season.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I feel for the owners as they have been left with this by the previous skin flint.

Adding extra capacity now is a difficult one in can we truly say demand justifies the cost, it’s not only the seats you’d need to pay for you still have to fit in the vendors, extra toilets etc.. If you add the seats uncovered how many people would want to sit in them on a wet Tuesday (or Saturday) versus Sutton, Newport, Barrow etc?

I think what Jason said about agreeing the long term strategy to in gain understanding of the investment they need to attract is the right starting point.

Having to spend £350K on the main stand isn’t ideal but it can’t be a catalyst for “new ground at all costs brigade” to start they’re movement now that Fenty is out and Hurst has proved up to it - just feels like another thing to mosn about.

What boils my p1ss is that some posters have selective hearing, they heard Jason saying the cost will be £350k but chose to ignore he went on to say both he and Andrew will be putting money in again next season.

And they actually put money in, not tell us they do but don’t actually do it…

Quoted from HertsGTFC

You continuously post on here stating the same obvious fact but fail to acknowledge the fact that the club does not have the money for a new ground and are left with the situation they’re in now.

Where did you get the £500k per season figure from?

Without the details it's a guess. Can it really be that far away though. Do you think we spent less than half a million last season, do you think it will be less than half a million this season? See its easy to just state a question.

We don't have money for a new ground, do we have the money to progress without one? These are fundamental questions for the owners.

One of their stated aims is to ensure we have a club for another 140 years. Can we realistically see a scenario where the club plays at Blundell Park for another 140 years.  If the answer to that is no then how long do we kick the can down the road for. Down the road do those supposedly unaffordable construction costs get any cheaper?

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

30m for a new stadium. What's the existing burn rate for the current stadium half a million a season? You could conceivably see us spending 5m over that 10 year strategy to move absolutely no further forwards.

Add to that the opportunity cost missed from increased attendances, higher match day spend and completely new income streams.

The longer you push that evaluation horizon out the gap between doing not much really and something substantial becomes smaller and smaller.

That is true in a perfect world, but we haven't got 30 million pounds as a minimum for a new ground and it is just as far away as ever.

I think they will be pragmatic and develop BP over time.

The owners often refer to BP in affectionate terms and I get the feeling they believe the soul of the club lies therein and I think a good legacy would be to leave a rebuilt Blundell Park.

I agree though that a definitive decision will have to be made soon.

I think that's fine Lew if they set out a clear vision and plan for a fully developed Blundell Park, phased say over 10 years, that would be substantial progress.

Do I think a new stadium would be more advantageous, yes, but if its feasible and can be delivered for less than the cost of a new stadium, then yes let's go for that.

Ongoing sticking plasters not so much.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

That is true in a perfect world, but we haven't got 30 million pounds as a minimum for a new ground and it is just as far away as ever.

I think they will be pragmatic and develop BP over time.

The owners often refer to BP in affectionate terms and I get the feeling they believe the soul of the club lies therein and I think a good legacy would be to leave a rebuilt Blundell Park.

I agree though that a definitive decision will have to be made soon.

I have the feeling listening to Jason lately that he himself has a few contradictions himself as to where they want to take the club long term ,and whats best for us .

To 'go right through ' and 'move through the gears ' as he puts it , which would need significant outside investment ,which could then  jeopordize everything they are trying to create and what they want the club to stand for .This would undoubtedly require a new stadium .

Or a club operating within its means in league 1 at best at a revamped blundell park being a community club and institution without a need for heavy investment , but something that everyone is happy with .

Its a question open to everyone really -ambition v realism of what we all want from the club in the next couple of decades .

In an ideal world the top 2 paragraphs together are the ideal scenario ,but we dont live in an ideal world .

We are lucky we can now have these conversations , Jason and Andrew are good guys ,football needs more like them and if it did the game wouldnt be in such a mess .

Beats promised new stadium promises that Extreme will deliver 'because they will' etc

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

I think that's fine Lew if they set out a clear vision and plan for a fully developed Blundell Park, phased say over 10 years, that would be substantial progress.

Do I think a new stadium would be more advantageous, yes, but if its feasible and can be delivered for less than the cost of a new stadium, then yes let's go for that.

Ongoing sticking plasters not so much.

I don't know about anybody else but after hearing Stockwood give an interview it always seems to pose more questions than answers.

This is probably a good thing in that he is not over promising things he cannot deliver, but surely by now they must have come to a decision on whether to stay at BP?

I got the impression that is the way they are leaning with his affection for the stadium,  the agreement to spend remedial monies on the Main Stand and he also said Debbie has a list of things as long as her arm to do with the stadium.

I think if the fans were given a clear direction of travel  they could harness the fans excitement into various ways of helping the project.

Unless we get some seriously wealthy investor, and I mean net worth £100 million + in addition to 1878's worth, the only way we get a new stadium is a community project funded by lots of central government grant with GTFC as a Lessee. Basically, the Rotherham way. That needs competent project management in the public sector. I expect that's one of the reasons why 1878 are looking at improving Blundell Park for now. The revenue generating potential of an improved BP will still be very limited compared to the new stadia but i will trust 1878 to maximise it.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

I think that's fine Lew if they set out a clear vision and plan for a fully developed Blundell Park, phased say over 10 years, that would be substantial progress.

Do I think a new stadium would be more advantageous, yes, but if its feasible and can be delivered for less than the cost of a new stadium, then yes let's go for that.

Ongoing sticking plasters not so much.

Rather than by your own admission making up numbers listen to the interview again, Jason said they’re working with a strategy expert to understand what the plan needs to be and more importantly how to do it.

I know from my career experience strategists have a better understanding of what needs to be done than fish merchants.

A development of this scale is a massive capex project so we need to accrue the capital to enable the reality, it will need to be from multiple investors, grants and subsidies. It must not be from a dirty great loan.

Anyone who thinks a rise in attendances and match day income would service the debt that we would incur by moving in our current state needs to understand that it won’t.

One owner is an entrepreneur the other a property developer so just leave them to do the right thing to protect and progress the club long term and accept that for a while yet it won’t be a new ground.

Quoted from aldi_01

And they actually put money in, not tell us they do but don’t actually do it…

And unlike the fish merchant it’s not their default defence mechanism whenever someone says something, states a view or opinion that differs to theirs.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I don't know about anybody else but after hearing Stockwood give an interview it always seems to pose more questions than answers.

This is probably a good thing in that he is not over promising things he cannot deliver, but surely by now they must have come to a decision on whether to stay at BP?

I got the impression that is the way they are leaning with his affection for the stadium,  the agreement to spend remedial monies on the Main Stand and he also said Debbie has a list of things as long as her arm to do with the stadium.

I think if the fans were given a clear direction of travel  they could harness the fans excitement into various ways of helping the project.

I believe this is what happened when the Trust opened the Fans Zone. It is a way forward that the club should look be looking at be it practical or guaranteed loans, however small or large etc.

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Unless we get some seriously wealthy investor, and I mean net worth £100 million + in addition to 1878's worth, the only way we get a new stadium is a community project funded by lots of central government grant with GTFC as a Lessee. Basically, the Rotherham way. That needs competent project management in the public sector. I expect that's one of the reasons why 1878 are looking at improving Blundell Park for now. The revenue generating potential of an improved BP will still be very limited compared to the new stadia but i will trust 1878 to maximise it.

You would have to be of unsound mind to work with NELC to provide anything. Much like Fenty their expertise seems to start and end with getting a swanky artists impression done for publicity then zilch.

The councils role is emptying the bins and hopefully passing plans for redeveloping BP.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

You would have to be of unsound mind to work with NELC to provide anything. Much like Fenty their expertise seems to start and end with getting a swanky artists impression done for publicity then zilch.

The councils role is emptying the bins and hopefully passing plans for redeveloping BP.

Aye, the local council of whatever stripe have been staggeringly hopeless for years which holds us back compared to similar sized clubs in similar situations.

Let’s say a new main stand cost 4 million to build with an extra couple of thousand capacity ?
The current main stand is going to cost the club more than that over the next 10 years to keep it going , plus it’s the only stand that never sells out due to poor view and faculties .
It makes perfect sense to knock it down now and rebuild  rather than Chuck money down the drain on it

Quoted from DB

I believe this is what happened when the Trust opened the Fans Zone. It is a way forward that the club should look be looking at be it practical or guaranteed loans, however small or large etc.

No DB, Lew has asked for 100% clarity, and we’ve not had that yet after their 2 years in charge. If we are staying at BP, which in my opinion is far from ideal, then they need to put out a statement saying “we’ll not be moving into a new stadium during our tenure”. If the stadium is on the back burner, but they are working in the background to hopefully externally fund a new stadium, they should say that. If we’re staying at BP, we’d like to know what’s possible regarding development, and a timeframe.

The only option that is not viable is doing nothing, and I believe that is not their style at all, so personally I do have trust in the owners, even if the need for a new stadium is not their chosen direction of travel. But indication of a plan would be nice. The only thing that worries me is I don’t quite believe that after 2 years they’ve decided what their plan is, and the state of BP is gradually becoming a more obvious burden to them. It’s gradually becoming clear to them that their chosen option of staying at BP will be a money pit.

Also need a large sponsorship deal for any new stand

Quoted from It Bites

Also need a large sponsorship deal for any new stand

That’s where I think we’ve been quite smart in getting My Energy on board, ethically it makes the right statement but the renewals sector is massive now and set to get much bigger, our shirt sponsor is a relatively decent sized business but over time if the relationship works they’ll be a massive business supporting the club.

I completely trust the owners that the work is necessary. I fully expect them to have a long term and impressive redevelopment plan for BP.

The contrast in ownership is huge, we've gone from a thin skinned, tight bottom who nobody wanted to work with other than convicted fraudsters. Now we have genuine professionals who talk well and have taken every opportunity to raise the profile of the club.

I'd imagine they will be able to get people to work with and invest in the club. On the pitch we are on course for our highest position since 2006 and our best post war cup run.

Obviously not as simple as knock it down and rebuild BUT imo instead of throwing money at the main couldn't we completely renovate the main. It needs doing as it's very outdated and the view for the disabled is poor.

Not saying its simple but if we ain't moving from BP then I don't like the idea if just throwing 350k into a stand which in all honesty needs a complete rebuild.

Quoted from jonnyboy82

Obviously not as simple as knock it down and rebuild BUT imo instead of throwing money at the main couldn't we completely renovate the main. It needs doing as it's very outdated and the view for the disabled is poor.

Not saying its simple but if we ain't moving from BP then I don't like the idea if just throwing 350k into a stand which in all honesty needs a complete rebuild.

The view for EVERBODY is poor. It would need knocking down and a new cantilever stand building, which would probably mean less rows as the foundations behind it would need to be substantial. Not a bad thing, as the back few rows currently are awful anyway. Plus a new stand could go all the way beyond the existing police box, so the capacity could stay similar.

The thing I took from that interview is the existence of the Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP), which I wasn't aware of before. I knew FFP existed in League Two but I wasn't sure of the specifics.

It limits clubs' wage expenditure to 60% of yearly turnover in L1 and 55% in L2. Outgoing transfer fees are not counted, but "football fortune", which includes transfer profits and Cup prize money, is included in the revenue calculation.

I think that shows that growing our revenue base is crucial to any success. Given that increasing matchday revenue at BP (if we're staying) will be tricky, our best bet is to grow our commercial department and to continue to invest in the academy. That probably explains why the owners have been keen to make substantial changes to the commercial department since their arrival.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Rather than by your own admission making up numbers listen to the interview again, Jason said they’re working with a strategy expert to understand what the plan needs to be and more importantly how to do it.

Maybe you should take some of your own medicine unless you've got a feasibility report for a 30m new stadium.

A list as long as your arm with issues at Blundell Park, I'm sure he said that in the interview.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Maybe you should take some of your own medicine unless you've got a feasibility report for a 30m new stadium.

A list as long as your arm with issues at Blundell Park, I'm sure he said that in the interview.

£30 million has been previously quoted by the old and new regime. Feasibility reports tend to illustrate if something is possible not how much it costs.

I am glad its Jason and Andrew sorting this out rather than the F word or we would be watching football from a three sided ground.

Whatever they decide it will be the right one based on what is right for the club and fan base.

Maybe more like minded people with cash to invest could come on board and help out without spoiling  the applecart .

BUT

That is for 1878 to sort out not us.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

£30 million has been previously quoted by the old and new regime. Feasibility reports tend to illustrate if something is possible not how much it costs.

Where's the quote? What you're saying is my made up number is better than your  made up number. What do you want me to trawl through articles and add up 1m in backlog maintenance over last  season and this close season. Is 30m a reasonable  number, probably, is 1m backlog maintenance reasonable for last and this close season probably. We just had a quote of 350k and a further list that's so long and boring it couldn't possibly be listed in an interview.

Quoted from Mappers

Just had a look , rhey have done a lot of good work.
Even one of those small stands they do could go in one of the corners , a lot better than the old temporary seating and actually has a roof ,would add a few hundred per corner .

Looking at what they've done in their case studies my, idealistic, take for a redevelopment of BP would be:-

- Stage 1 - replace the Main Stand with a Borehamwood type stand but a bit higher to match the Main roof peak height. Run it all the length of the pitch, but in part of the Harrington corner make it unreserved safe standing - a place for walk-up sales to stand together. Use a small temporary stand structure in the Imp Corner (circa 3.75k capacity plus 0.75 in the Imp corner)

- Stage 2 - replace the Osmond with the same as the BHW type (circa 1.6k capacity)

- Stage 3 - in a few years replace the Pontoon with a 60:40 split of seats : safe standing to link up with the Harrington corner safe standing (1.7k)

- Stage 4 - probably a long way off (on promotion to Championship?) replace the Findus with an Exeter Chiefs-type stand for the whole length of the pitch but with more seats and a smaller paddock of safe standing at the front (5k)

12,050 final capacity - 9k seats and 3k safe standing. A medium-term capacity of 10.5k after replacing the Main and Osmond and with a temporary stand in the Imp corner. Enough for most League 1 games save a Derby County / Sheff Wed type fixture, or Lincoln if both clubs doing well.

When BP went all-seater in the mid-90s the Board justified demolishing the corner and not rebuilding them saying that the BP capacity would only be circa 12k and we needed a 20k new stadium instead. Here we are nearly 30 years later with absolutely zilch progress. What has progressed is modular construction kit assembly with bigger elements manufactured and partly assembled off-site, as per GLEvents, which potentially makes the redevelopment easier to manage in phases

Quoted from Heisenberg

No DB, Lew has asked for 100% clarity, and we’ve not had that yet after their 2 years in charge. If we are staying at BP, which in my opinion is far from ideal, then they need to put out a statement saying “we’ll not be moving into a new stadium during our tenure”. If the stadium is on the back burner, but they are working in the background to hopefully externally fund a new stadium, they should say that. If we’re staying at BP, we’d like to know what’s possible regarding development, and a timeframe.

The only option that is not viable is doing nothing, and I believe that is not their style at all, so personally I do have trust in the owners, even if the need for a new stadium is not their chosen direction of travel. But indication of a plan would be nice. The only thing that worries me is I don’t quite believe that after 2 years they’ve decided what their plan is, and the state of BP is gradually becoming a more obvious burden to them. It’s gradually becoming clear to them that their chosen option of staying at BP will be a money pit.

We have just had TWENTY years of false promises regarding building a new ground by the tinpot last regime and look where that's got us, only one who's benefited from the proposed Great Coates, Peakes Parkway, Freeman Street and Grimsby Docks proposals has been the bloody architects

Jason Stockwood & Andrew Pettit are not idiots and will not want to go down that route of making themselves look silly promising something that we can't in the short term deliver. I predict the conversation has gone something like this patch up a dilapidated Blundell Park while at the same time improving the training facilities, give Paul Hurst the tools required to build a solid team that can hopefully get out of L2 and start knocking at the door at the top of L1 while at the same time in private behind the scenes look at the long term plans re the ground, my prediction of location when it happens will be that we will see a new ground pop up as part of the plans for the Freshney Valley development which fits in with the ten year time scale

Lincoln City’s new redevelopment of the Stacy West stand is 1.8 million.
A similar size to the main stand i would say.

I think it's not too much to ask the club for clarity on what the direction of travel looks like but until they have done the work with the strategy group Jason spoke about it won't come and when it does I doubt there will be a specific date for a new ground.

The owners are working hard to give Paul Hurst the tools he needs to deliver success on the pitch, I'm sure everyone will agree that this has to be the priority. We know that's not just a bigger budget for players, a masseur  and a bloke with a lap top it extends to significant investment in a new training ground and several other strands that the previous leadership chose not to address.

If we have success then it could actually bring forward and facilitate a move/re-development and until that happens I doubt there would be the true demand to make such capex worthwhile if it was at the determent of the club or provided risk.

This thread seems to have gone off on a tangent.

Some are calling for a new ground, which the owners have said more than once isn't in the immediate future plans. Some are calling for additional seating in the corners, which again, the owners have addressed by saying that the demand is not yet there, but that they are looking at it. We are averaging 6500 this season, so it's hardly a pressing matter.

What is pressing is the amount of things that need to be done, just to keep BP running at it's present capacity, and the unexpected bill of 350k has to be the priority, even if it is seen by some as a sticking plaster and a waste of money. Simply put, if we don't do it, then the stand could be closed, losing revenue. Knocking it down and rebuilding is going to cost a lot of money, so getting it safe for the next few seasons until the next inspection is the quickest and cheapest way forward I would imagine.

The Osmond had to have tens of thousands spent on it after the report on it this time last year, because the metalwork was rusted to the point that it was dangerous. There are literally hundreds of jobs that need doing around the ground, some needing more immediate attention than others.

Then there is the new training ground on the horizon and the fact we need to invest more into the playing squad, all of which costs money.

They are trying to fix both the footballing side and the myriad problems with the ground at the same time. There is no bottomless pot of money to solve all the problems at once, and to be fair, they have done more in 2 years than JF did in twenty.

I'm sure the long term goal is a new ground or an updated version of BP, but for now, we just have to keep the old girl running and fit to host football matches, and some of those decisions are in the hands of outside authorities.

I wonder how much the two large stands at Barnet cost to build as they are prefabish to say the least but do a job and wouldn't have to be as big as they are at Barnet.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I wonder how much the two large stands at Barnet cost to build as they are prefabish to say the least but do a job and wouldn't have to be as big as they are at Barnet.

A lot.

https://www.barnetfc.com/news-planning-approval-for-major-expansion-of-the-hive-london

Quoted from Simon

We have just had TWENTY years of false promises regarding building a new ground by the tinpot last regime and look where that's got us, only one who's benefited from the proposed Great Coates, Peakes Parkway, Freeman Street and Grimsby Docks proposals has been the bloody architects

Jason Stockwood & Andrew Pettit are not idiots and will not want to go down that route of making themselves look silly promising something that we can't in the short term deliver. I predict the conversation has gone something like this patch up a dilapidated Blundell Park while at the same time improving the training facilities, give Paul Hurst the tools required to build a solid team that can hopefully get out of L2 and start knocking at the door at the top of L1 while at the same time in private behind the scenes look at the long term plans re the ground, my prediction of location when it happens will be that we will see a new ground pop up as part of the plans for the Freshney Valley development which fits in with the ten year time scale

The thing IMO was that the previous regime, The Leech, looked upon any ground move as what he could benefit from it and not the club. Under our new owners the emphasis is more on what benefits the club and there lies the difference. I don't know for sure but I think that if the previous regime had looked on the club first then maybe we wouldn't have wasted 20+ years in finding a new ground.

Quoted from ginnywings

This thread seems to have gone off on a tangent.

Some are calling for a new ground, which the owners have said more than once isn't in the immediate future plans. Some are calling for additional seating in the corners, which again, the owners have addressed by saying that the demand is not yet there, but that they are looking at it. We are averaging 6500 this season, so it's hardly a pressing matter.

What is pressing is the amount of things that need to be done, just to keep BP running at it's present capacity, and the unexpected bill of 350k has to be the priority, even if it is seen by some as a sticking plaster and a waste of money. Simply put, if we don't do it, then the stand could be closed, losing revenue. Knocking it down and rebuilding is going to cost a lot of money, so getting it safe for the next few seasons until the next inspection is the quickest and cheapest way forward I would imagine.

The Osmond had to have tens of thousands spent on it after the report on it this time last year, because the metalwork was rusted to the point that it was dangerous. There are literally hundreds of jobs that need doing around the ground, some needing more immediate attention than others.

Then there is the new training ground on the horizon and the fact we need to invest more into the playing squad, all of which costs money.

They are trying to fix both the footballing side and the myriad problems with the ground at the same time. There is no bottomless pot of money to solve all the problems at once, and to be fair, they have done more in 2 years than JF did in twenty.

I'm sure the long term goal is a new ground or an updated version of BP, but for now, we just have to keep the old girl running and fit to host football matches, and some of those decisions are in the hands of outside authorities.

Thanks John - the legacy you've left will never be forgotten

Quoted from forza ivano

Thanks John - the legacy you've left will never be forgotten

Ok lets face it then we love BP but yes we still need to invest in the club to refurbish the "Old Lady" to keep her going.UTM

Effectively all she needs is lipo, a boob job and some botox..

On that basis I cant believe it wasn't done previously.  

The main stand is terrible shocking view no facilities.
i refuse to pay the money to sit in it.

Quoted from rancido

The thing IMO was that the previous regime, The Leech, looked upon any ground move as what he could benefit from it and not the club. Under our new owners the emphasis is more on what benefits the club and there lies the difference. I don't know for sure but I think that if the previous regime had looked on the club first then maybe we wouldn't have wasted 20+ years in finding a new ground.

Said this all along, the new ground was never about the club when it came to Fenty. It was about him, making something for him, being it the status of being someone who delivered a new ground or, and what I really think his ambition was, money.

Fenty was so obsessed with a new ground that he never arsed himself to keep on top of BP. He wasted a million quid of club money ‘exploring ideas’ that could’ve been spent on BP so perhaps it wouldn’t be quite as knackered..:

Once again, a fine example of the blokes inability to run a football club or actually give a excrement about it…

The one thing all this does reflect is the absolute lack of maintenance to BP down over the last decade to keep it in tip-top condition.

Firstly the pitch
Last year the Osmond Stand
This year the Main Stand

I wonder what will come out next year?

The sad thing is if this work had been done years ago the cost would have been far less, and today's money could have been spent on the squad.

Thing is, the previous mooted moves to Great Coates and then the Parkway just felt like some kind of money grabs via developers.

But Freemo and Garth Lane could have really revitalised the town. Home and visiting fans would be putting money into the area and they would really help businesses close by, especially pubs which have all gone near BP.

That's the biggest negative of all this, we've got a huge chance to lift the town and the Town at the same time and its being wasted.

Now we're going to spend 350k on WD40 just to stop some decrepit structure from falling on our heads. Bit wasteful.

Quoted from DB

The one thing all this does reflect is the absolute lack of maintenance to BP down over the last decade to keep it in tip-top condition.

Firstly the pitch
Last year the Osmond Stand
This year the Main Stand

I wonder what will come out next year?

The sad thing is if this work had been done years ago the cost would have been far less, and today's money could have been spent on the squad.

Reminds me of my late nans house -patch up to the minimum minimum requirement ,but when its handed over to somebody else major repairs required that if had been rectified when the problem first occured there wouldnt be such big money needing to be spent .

The problem is you fix one thing and then something else goes with these old structures , you can patch them up forever but at one cost ?

Fear BP is going to be a major cash cow in the near to medium term ,even Jason said this main stand issue came as a suprise .

I wonder how many more BP suprises will come in the next few years ?

Quoted from Yoda

The main stand is terrible shocking view no facilities.
i refuse to pay the money to sit in it.

Do you mean you refuse to ask your mum for the money to pay to sit in it?

You can see what a drain it is even without knowing the ins and outs :
-Tannoy system needs replacing (andrew said the figure i have forgotten but its not small)
-Pitch needs relaying (over a million i think Jason said )
-Turnstiles all need replacing (not cheap )
-Toilets all need replacing
-Ticketing system needs replacing

Thats just the obvious ones ,without even thinking about stadium redevelopment and all these 'unexpected' costs that are coming up to keep it running .

They have taken  on one hell of a project IF they do want to stay at BP long term .

I wonder how much JSF really put into the club. He got his loan money back  ( albeit losing interest he would have got if in bank ) but he received a lot of free perks and bragging rights. Would he have been able to claim "depreciation" value on B.P. We all know what good accountants are able to do for you.We call him the owner but was he really the owner for tax purposes ?

Quoted from aldi_01

Said this all along, the new ground was never about the club when it came to Fenty. It was about him, making something for him, being it the status of being someone who delivered a new ground or, and what I really think his ambition was, money.

Fenty was so obsessed with a new ground that he never arsed himself to keep on top of BP. He wasted a million quid of club money ‘exploring ideas’ that could’ve been spent on BP so perhaps it wouldn’t be quite as knackered..:

Once again, a fine example of the blokes inability to run a football club or actually give a excrement about it…

He had such a huge ego, he thought he could keep Blundell park running with his hands on approach to DIY! He seemed like a frustrated builder and you shudder to imagine what he would have done had the new ground ever been built.

Clambering up floodlights and onto roofs he thought he was action match saving a few quid.

Thank goodness he has gone.

Although progress might be a bit too slow for me I am sure the owners will come to the right decisions.

Quoted from Mappers

You can see what a drain it is even without knowing the ins and outs :
-Tannoy system needs replacing (andrew said the figure i have forgotten but its not small)
-Pitch needs relaying (over a million i think Jason said )
-Turnstiles all need replacing (not cheap )
-Toilets all need replacing
-Ticketing system needs replacing

Thats just the obvious ones ,without even thinking about stadium redevelopment and all these 'unexpected' costs that are coming up to keep it running .

They have taken  on one hell of a project IF they do want to stay at BP long term .

JS said that Debbie has a list as long as her arm with renovations that need to happen to BP, I'd be surprised if those that you've listed aren't all on it.

Quoted from Yoda

The main stand is terrible shocking view no facilities.
i refuse to pay the money to sit in it.

No facilities apart from the 2/3 proper bars that are inbuilt to the stand. Whereas the Pontoon merely has a serving hatch. Yes it's incredibly outdated and needs sorting, but let's not just make crap up about it - hah.

Honestly, i sit in the main more than any other stand these days and the view is absolutely fine for me - sure it's 'shocking' if you sit right at the top bit that's not something i've ever had to do.

An interesting interview with Mike Phillips from a few years back - incredible that he managed to make BP an award-winning surface with so little help.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/grimsby-town-blundell-park-groundsman-4343499

Quoted from aldi_01

Said this all along, the new ground was never about the club when it came to Fenty. It was about him, making something for him, being it the status of being someone who delivered a new ground or, and what I really think his ambition was, money.

Fenty was so obsessed with a new ground that he never arsed himself to keep on top of BP. He wasted a million quid of club money ‘exploring ideas’ that could’ve been spent on BP so perhaps it wouldn’t be quite as knackered..:

Once again, a fine example of the blokes inability to run a football club or actually give a excrement about it…

Before the Alex May fiasco I wasnt completely against Fenty as I thought he was a fish merchant doing his best ,albeit in an environment that obviously didnt fit his skill set ; i thought he was a fan who just couldnt run a football club very well .

The Alex May fiasco shows his motives were proberly more sinister than that .

Quoted from Mappers

Before the Alex May fiasco I wasnt completely against Fenty as I thought he was a fish merchant doing his best ,albeit in an environment that obviously didnt fit his skill set ; i thought he was a fan who just couldnt run a football club very well .

The Alex May fiasco shows his motives were proberly more sinister than that .

Totally agree

Quoted from MuddyWaters

An interesting interview with Mike Phillips from a few years back - incredible that he managed to make BP an award-winning surface with so little help.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/grimsby-town-blundell-park-groundsman-4343499

Thanks for the link - that’s an eye-opening article. I knew furloughing the groundsman was a bad idea but foxes running riot on the pitch, Fleming mowing it…

I wonder what Fenty made of this interview, which lays bare just how little investment there actually was in this area of the club.

Anyone know why Fenty up rooted and moved out the area ?

Quoted from kafunanapar140909

Thanks for the link - that’s an eye-opening article. I knew furloughing the groundsman was a bad idea but foxes running riot on the pitch, Fleming mowing it…

I wonder what Fenty made of this interview, which lays bare just how little investment there actually was in this area of the club.

I would think his thoughts were of pride at how tightly he gripped the finances, not allowing a penny to be spent if it could possibly be avoided or put off....

“The last major piece of kit we got was in 1998 from the Wembley money. It's something that aerates the pitch. I am still using it 22 years later – it’s a good piece of kit."

This single quote told me all i needed to know.  

Quoted from Limerick Mariner

Looking at what they've done in their case studies my, idealistic, take for a redevelopment of BP would be:-

- Stage 1 - replace the Main Stand (circa 3.75k capacity plus 0.75 in the Imp corner)

- Stage 2 - replace the Osmond (circa 1.6k capacity)

- Stage 3 - in a few years replace the Pontoon (1.7k)

- Stage 4 - Findus, probably a long way off (on promotion to Championship?) (5k)

12,050 final capacity - 9k seats and 3k safe standing.

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

To simplify it:

you do work required to put a car through an MOT. You don’t just go out and buy a new one when you can’t necessarily afford it

Quoted from White_shorts

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

That ship has sailed, football has changed massively since we were in the championship, mid table league one is probably the best we can hope for and stay sustainable

Quoted from White_shorts

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

Sorry to break it to you mate, but it’s just not happening.

Quoted from White_shorts

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

I would think 12k probably is adequate, the last time we were in the second tier from 1998 to 2003 our average home attendance over those five seasons was 6163 and the highest attendance during that time was 9528. I would think that 1878 are fully aware of the potential level of support the club could achieve in each division and from my experience fans prefer to watch a winning team rather than a struggling one in a higher division.

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

To simplify it:

you do work required to put a car through an MOT. You don’t just go out and buy a new one when you can’t necessarily afford it

You don't MOT the same car forever, sooner or later the cost of repairing an old motor means it isn't worth it and you're better off getting a new one. Doubt even Frater would have given BP the all clear in its current state.

Quoted from Barrattstander

I would think 12k probably is adequate, the last time we were in the second tier from 1998 to 2003 our average home attendance over those five seasons was 6163 and the highest attendance during that time was 9528. I would think that 1878 are fully aware of the potential level of support the club could achieve in each division and from my experience fans prefer to watch a winning team rather than a struggling one in a higher division.

Without doubt we talk of soulless grounds and this is usually the one that are far too large for the club eg: mk dons Doncaster and of course the Darlington arena

Quoted from White_shorts

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

I will give you the benefit of the doubt but NE Lincs Council stated that GTFC are no longer interested in The Freeman Street site.

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

You don't MOT the same car forever, sooner or later the cost of repairing an old motor means it isn't worth it and you're better off getting a new one. Doubt even Frater would have given BP the all clear in its current state.

But given the situation we are in, we can’t afford to have a new one. Or can we?

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

You don't MOT the same car forever, sooner or later the cost of repairing an old motor means it isn't worth it and you're better off getting a new one. Doubt even Frater would have given BP the all clear in its current state.

If we are using the car analogy,  i think our current custodians are still trying to find out if the car was ever taxed and insured .

Quoted from White_shorts

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

The Freemo land is earmarked for education development now.  The football option, which wasn't ever really on the table,  has long sailed.

What odds Immingham/Stallingborough area our next ‘home’ ?

Has anyone actually thought what is the 365k going to get us ? Padded seats ? Hot air blower to keep everyone warm. A tannoy system ? So far we have discussed everything from freemo to how big our make believe ground should be but nothing about what is actually happening

Quoted from crusty ole pie

Has anyone actually thought what is the 365k going to get us ? Padded seats ? Hot air blower to keep everyone warm. A tannoy system ? So far we have discussed everything from freemo to how big our make believe ground should be but nothing about what is actually happening

I would imagine it will be structural and to make it comply with safety and fire regulations.

No hot air blowers and padded seats unfortunately.

Quoted from It Bites

Anyone know why Fenty up rooted and moved out the area ?

Putin

Putin? Fúck all, but took out £1.5m plus another £200k stolen off the Trust

It is what it is, if it needs patching up it will have to be done to bring it up to safety standards.

Hopefully we get a new stadium before we are all dead.  We don't really have any adjacent land near a train station like Rotherham has unless you take Great Coates into consideration.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/KNobYfX.png[/img]

Quoted from White_shorts

FFS yet another ground redevelopment thread.

It would be madness to squeeze four new stands onto the site of BP when there is a bigger stadium-sized plot of land at Freemo.  Do you seriously think 12k is adequate for Grimsby Town Football Club?  Do you have no desire to see the Mariners compete in the Championship again?  I doubt the council will give permission for more than the 10k we had with those green uncovered seats.

It is tough enough to get promoted from League One as it is.  Wrexham are increasing their capacity to 15k and will likely go up again.  Notts County and Bradford should be third tier in a few years.  If we stay at BP, stagnation and apathy will set in and the club will just yo-yo between the fourth division and non-league.

I know you’re obsessed with Freemo but you are aware that permission has been granted for the building of a free school on that land? You do know that the council, and the club have said Freemo isn’t an option?

We’ll never know of Freemo would’ve been a good site but banging on about it when it’s now more dead in the water than PP and Great Coates is making you look more silly than honest John.

As for the response to the question, ‘why did John leave?’ I’d imagine there’s a raft of reasons, one being embarrassment, although I’m probably given him credit for having feelings and sadness about how flipping awful he ran the club.

I know he got into some ‘business’ over there but again, I can’t see this ending all that well.

Let’s not forget, May wasn’t just involved or trying to be with the club, there’d been off the record meetings at the council too…

Quoted from Barrattstander

I would think 12k probably is adequate, the last time we were in the second tier from 1998 to 2003 our average home attendance over those five seasons was 6163 and the highest attendance during that time was 9528. I would think that 1878 are fully aware of the potential level of support the club could achieve in each division and from my experience fans prefer to watch a winning team rather than a struggling one in a higher division.

Whilst I agree that anything north of 12,000 as an initial capacity would be foolish, I don't think the comparison to 20-25 years ago in terms of average attendance is valid.

Football and life has changed since then.  Football is more popular.  We were getting sub 4,000 games when we were ripping Wolves, Birmingham, Derby et al apart in the second tier.  Yet we've comfortably exceeded 6,000 gates in recent years when playing comparatively dull football against near pub sides.  

If we were in the Championship right now, I'd be very confident we would have the ability to easily pull five-figure gates in pretty much every home game.  Away followings in the Championship have averaged about 1,400 this season alone.  There's also a period of success required to get into the Championship, which would also see a massive uptake on the gate.  

This £350k news just helps strengthen the argument to me that we simply can't afford to stay at BP without significant investment into the infrastructure.  Its current guise is not only limiting in terms of income generation and development, but it's a massive money drain.  

I think it's also that lower league and non-league football has become more trendy these days which helps. In the years when the town had greater success during Buckley I and II from the late 80's to through the 90's supporting GTFC was really unfashionable. The PL had just started with tons of sponsorship and TV in pubs so people were more likely to gravitate to those teams, kids especially. Many of my relatives and friends supported Man Utd and Liverpool back then when I started attending games with my dad and we were a team on the up for quite a few seasons until the turn of the decade. Everybody knew who Eric Cantona was but Clive Mendonca was a cult hero known only to a few thousand who attended games at BP.

These days with Youtube, football hipster trends and so on a lot more light has shone on teams in non-league that nobody had really heard of and supporting your local team became a lot more trendy. As the PL became more overpriced and commercial, more football was being hidden behind paywalls and kits began to sell for even more extortionate prices, local football seemed a far more reasonable and accessible option. I think that's something the club are also keen to take advantage of by improving the matchday experience and connecting the club more locally into the culture to capture more of the community into backing them. The media coverage from the cup run and glowing reviews of matchday food on social media has helped too.

Quoted from Barrattstander

I would think 12k probably is adequate, the last time we were in the second tier from 1998 to 2003 our average home attendance over those five seasons was 6163 and the highest attendance during that time was 9528. I would think that 1878 are fully aware of the potential level of support the club could achieve in each division and from my experience fans prefer to watch a winning team rather than a struggling one in a higher division.

Yeah but football and fans attending it has changed a lot since then.
I often hear other fans saying “ I remember Grimsby was only getting 5000 in the old second division. “
Yeah we was but so was Bradford , Hull , Bolton etc .

Unless we build something big enough to host a championship club we’ll never be one

What was it that we previously spunked out on ‘consultancy fees’? £2m or something. Well, let’s be pleased that we’re not going to be wasting money like that on some vague white elephant knob extension

Quoted from grimps

Yeah but football and fans attending it has changed a lot since then.
I often hear other fans saying “ I remember Grimsby was only getting 5000 in the old second division. “
Yeah we was but so was Bradford , Hull , Bolton etc .

Unless we build something big enough to host a championship club we’ll never be one

Exactly this the game has changed so much , clubs get bigger gates generally if you look back to when we where getting low crowds in the champ a few teams averages for the 2000-2001 season:
Rotherham Utd -5652
Wrexham-3952
Hull city -6676
Swansea -4913
Brentford-4645
Bournemouth -4403
Plymouth -4945


And look at what attendances those clubs get now ,its a flawed argument to say we would never get bigger crowds if we went back through now ,there are even more examples of clubs who's gates have taken a big upturn .
We can only speculate that we would get bigger crowds with a better stadium but looking at the clubs that have , on the whole its meant an upturn in both league position and attendances .

What we dont know is if a higher number of fans not attending now is :
- they dont come because of the facilities
-there arent anymore there and we have maxed out

What we do know based on this season
-we have 7k people willing to buy a ticket for  every home game (even though about 10% roughly of ST holders dont turn up per matchday )
-Over the last two seasons the home average attendance has grown roughly 25% to what it was in that championship season stated above .

Another thing we know is that as BP is now it wouldnt be possible to grow it another 10% due to lack of seats -numerically for whatever reason the capacity is out as its 8400 (every seat sold for the forrest game ) and not the official 9000 stated capacity .

Quoted from Mappers

What we dont know is if a higher number of fans not attending now is :
- they dont come because of the facilities
-there arent anymore there and we have maxed out

What we do know based on this season
-we have 7k people willing to buy a ticket for  every home game (even though about 10% roughly of ST holders dont turn up per matchday )
-Over the last two seasons the home average attendance has grown roughly 25% to what it was in that championship season stated above .

5.7k season tickets - not 7k

Someone made a good point earlier - if we get another 5 years out of the Main Stand for this £350k, then £70k a year doesn’t sound too unreasonable, especially if it reduces the chances of the thing going up in flames.

Quoted from ska face

Someone made a good point earlier - if we get another 5 years out of the Main Stand for this £350k, then £70k a year doesn’t sound too unreasonable, especially if it reduces the chances of the thing going up in flames.

What people should understand is that the Main Stand is a Fire Death Trap. The insurance goes up insanely every year, and it cannot be that long before the EFL ask Grimsby Town to shut it down.
That's before you think about how rubbish it is in viewing a game, especially on Saturdays when the sun is in your eyes.

I suspect the £350K is to get rid of Woodworm, Deathwatch Beetles and Dry Rot.(I made that up)  but I'm amazed its lasted all these years. But its time for it to go.

Quoted from ska face

Someone made a good point earlier - if we get another 5 years out of the Main Stand for this £350k, then £70k a year doesn’t sound too unreasonable, especially if it reduces the chances of the thing going up in flames.

Who knows, maybe it’ll cost 350K every season from now on?

Quoted from Mappers

Exactly this the game has changed so much , clubs get bigger gates generally if you look back to when we where getting low crowds in the champ a few teams averages for the 2000-2001 season:
Rotherham Utd -5652
Wrexham-3952
Hull city -6676
Swansea -4913
Brentford-4645
Bournemouth -4403
Plymouth -4945


And look at what attendances those clubs get now ,its a flawed argument to say we would never get bigger crowds if we went back through now ,there are even more examples of clubs who's gates have taken a big upturn .
We can only speculate that we would get bigger crowds with a better stadium but looking at the clubs that have , on the whole its meant an upturn in both league position and attendances .

I’d imagine Brighton’s attendances have grown 5-fold.

I wonder if its worth Jason and Andrew talking to Carl Ross about an investment in his home club. I know F***ty. approached him once which was rejected ( no surprise there ) but 1878 are a different kettle of fish altogether.

We could call the new ground or refurbished Blundell Park.

                                               ROSS CASTLE

Quoted from Heisenberg

I’d imagine Brighton’s attendances have grown 5-fold.

Yep averaged 6600 that season although i think that was about the capacity of the Withdean .

Quoted from grimsby pete

I wonder if its worth Jason and Andrew talking to Carl Ross about an investment in his home club. I know F***ty. approached him once which was rejected ( no surprise there ) but 1878 are a different kettle of fish altogether.

We could call the new ground or refurbished Blundell Park.

                                               ROSS CASTLE

Be impressed if they are. He died in 1986.

Quoted from psgmariner

Be impressed if they are. He died in 1986.

David Ross then, maybe?!

Quoted from Mappers

What we dont know is if a higher number of fans not attending now is :
- they dont come because of the facilities
-there arent anymore there and we have maxed out

What we do know based on this season
-we have 7k people willing to buy a ticket for  every home game (even though about 10% roughly of ST holders dont turn up per matchday )
-Over the last two seasons the home average attendance has grown roughly 25% to what it was in that championship season stated above .

The ticket system is completely broken. Me + 5 friends wanted to go to the recent home game vs Rochdale. As I went to book tickets online about 3 hours before kickoff, it showed the Osmond corner being close to completely sold out with only a select few single seats dotted about. Because of this, my 5 mates were unable to go so I ended up sitting with someone else on a borrowed season ticket in the Pontoon. Anyway, come kick-off I had a glance over to the Osmond corner and it must have been barely half full. There were rows of empty seats everywhere - 50-100 spares at a guess.

Now, if we have empty seats in other parts of the ground (which there's loads) then at least we can put it down to season tickets no shows. But there's absolutely no explanation for it in the Osmond stand. I also recently sat in the upper and there's several rows of 5/6 empty seats with no reserved stickers on them indicating ST holders? But I guess that one's harder to explain.

My guess is that we lose out on hundreds of sales per game purely due to system errors. Unless there's another explanation?

Quoted from psgmariner

Be impressed if they are. He died in 1986.

Oops my brain has gone again ( still in hospital with covid )

I meant his son not Johnathan eh      David thats the one.

Quoted from GyMariner

The ticket system is completely broken. Me + 5 friends wanted to go to the recent home game vs Rochdale. As I went to book tickets online about 3 hours before kickoff, it showed the Osmond corner being close to completely sold out with only a select few single seats dotted about. Because of this, my 5 mates were unable to go so I ended up sitting with someone else on a borrowed season ticket in the Pontoon. Anyway, come kick-off I had a glance over to the Osmond corner and it must have been barely half full. There were rows of empty seats everywhere - 50-100 spares at a guess.

Now, if we have empty seats in other parts of the ground (which there's loads) then at least we can put it down to season tickets no shows. But there's absolutely no explanation for it in the Osmond stand. I also recently sat in the upper and there's several rows of 5/6 empty seats with no reserved stickers on them indicating ST holders? But I guess that one's harder to explain.

My guess is that we lose out on hundreds of sales per game purely due to system errors. Unless there's another explanation?

I sit in the Upper, and half the seats on my row and the one below are practically empty every game.

Quoted from Heisenberg

I sit in the Upper, and half the seats on my row and the one below are practically empty every game.

Mad really, just doesn't add up.

Quoted from GyMariner

The ticket system is completely broken. Me + 5 friends wanted to go to the recent home game vs Rochdale. As I went to book tickets online about 3 hours before kickoff, it showed the Osmond corner being close to completely sold out with only a select few single seats dotted about. Because of this, my 5 mates were unable to go so I ended up sitting with someone else on a borrowed season ticket in the Pontoon. Anyway, come kick-off I had a glance over to the Osmond corner and it must have been barely half full. There were rows of empty seats everywhere - 50-100 spares at a guess.

Now, if we have empty seats in other parts of the ground (which there's loads) then at least we can put it down to season tickets no shows. But there's absolutely no explanation for it in the Osmond stand. I also recently sat in the upper and there's several rows of 5/6 empty seats with no reserved stickers on them indicating ST holders? But I guess that one's harder to explain.

My guess is that we lose out on hundreds of sales per game purely due to system errors. Unless there's another explanation?

I've been exiled to the Osmond this season and I reckon they give a few freebies out to kids clubs, especially the very first section which may explain the no shows.

It is impossible to get more than one seat in the lower for every home game. I suspect many take a look and then sack it off when they see a lack of availability. This is another reason  why we desperately need a new ground. We've outgrown BP. If only we had multi millionaire owners to make a new stadium a reality.

He New York Stadium cost 20 Million and is 12,000 capacity. I'm guessing that figure would be 30 mil now ? . Still a perfect size ground to copy if we find 39 million one day .

Quoted from It Bites

He New York Stadium cost 20 Million and is 12,000 capacity. I'm guessing that figure would be 30 mil now ? . Still a perfect size ground to copy if we find 39 million one day .

Just don't use the HS2 procurement team

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

Just don't use the HS2 procurement team

I have a bit of an insight into this, and honestly, the cost of concete and steel has sky rocketed just in the last couple of years. Last year alone, steel went up about £500 a tonne, which in some cases is about double what some products were. Imagine having a contract on a fixed rate and that happens - it sends companies to the wall.

Nobody’s getting a 12,000 seater stadium for £20m anymore, I’m afraid.

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

I've been exiled to the Osmond this season and I reckon they give a few freebies out to kids clubs, especially the very first section which may explain the no shows.

It is impossible to get more than one seat in the lower for every home game. I suspect many take a look and then sack it off when they see a lack of availability. This is another reason  why we desperately need a new ground. We've outgrown BP. If only we had multi millionaire owners to make a new stadium a reality.

Don’t waste your time the deniers will be on here saying we have lots of spare capacity and aren’t turning people away .Entrinched positions are difficult to shift.

Quoted from Heisenberg

I have a bit of an insight into this, and honestly, the cost of concete and steel has sky rocketed just in the last couple of years. Last year alone, steel went up about £500 a tonne, which in some cases is about double what some products were. Imagine having a contract on a fixed rate and that happens - it sends companies to the wall.

Nobody’s getting a 12,000 seater stadium for £20m anymore, I’m afraid.

Exactly - Parc y Scarlets 15,000 capacity , £23 mill back in 2008.  Brilliant facility, it's everything Town could want really, but adjust it for basic inflation (nevermind concrete and steel etc) and that's £34 million today, so probably more like £40million all told.  The other advantages there was wealthy benefactors, a council hell bent on delivering a new stadium for the benefit of the area, and a whole retail park being build around it as part of the plan on the edge of town as you come in from Swansea direction and the old ground Stradey park being turned into 400 homes  which contributed over £5 mill to the project. I don't see the fates aligning like that for Town unless I win the euromillions on friday and cover the entire costs.

Quoted from OddShapedBalls

Exactly - Parc y Scarlets 15,000 capacity , £23 mill back in 2008.  Brilliant facility, it's everything Town could want really, but adjust it for basic inflation (nevermind concrete and steel etc) and that's £34 million today, so probably more like £40million all told.  The other advantages there was wealthy benefactors, a council hell bent on delivering a new stadium for the benefit of the area, and a whole retail park being build around it as part of the plan on the edge of town as you come in from Swansea direction and the old ground Stradey park being turned into 400 homes  which contributed over £5 mill to the project. I don't see the fates aligning like that for Town unless I win the euromillions on friday and cover the entire costs.

The only advantage we have in Grimsby is the price of the land so much cheaper than most other places in the country

We have outgrown BP , I have put on another thread -when we do get through to league 1 we will be in a mess if its as it is now with the numbers the bigger clubs will want to bring and they will be limited to 1200 fans .

I am more and more inclined to think we desperately do need a new ground

Playing Lincoln ,Derby ,Barnsley , Ipswich , Bradford ,Sheff Weds ,Bolton and even Notts County etc .

The doubters who say 'we dont fill BP now ' need to ask themselves the questions -wouldnt we have more than 10k home fans for these games ,and is 1200 tickets enough for these clubs ?


We need 40 million quid somehow and a new stadium .

I had a dream last night - and it was vivid. I dreamt that Blundell Park was totally rebuilt with the stands being: The New Main Stand; The New Pontoon; The New Findus and the New Osmond. The architecture was brand new but the stands closely monitored the existing structures, but with a greater capacity.

Funny things dreams eh?

Quoted from Mappers

We have outgrown BP , I have put on another thread -when we do get through to league 1 we will be in a mess if its as it is now with the numbers the bigger clubs will want to bring and they will be limited to 1200 fans .

I am more and more inclined to think we desperately do need a new ground

Playing Lincoln ,Derby ,Barnsley , Ipswich , Bradford ,Sheff Weds ,Bolton and even Notts County etc .

The doubters who say 'we dont fill BP now ' need to ask themselves the questions -wouldnt we have more than 10k home fans for these games ,and is 1200 tickets enough for these clubs ?


We need 40 million quid somehow and a new stadium .

In a perfect world I am sure we would all like a new 15k stadium and all that goes with it, but it seems incredibly unlikely in the short, medium and even fairly long term.

That leaves us with making the most of what we've got, which in league 2 or even league 1 could be made to work the vast majority of the time.

The question then arises what to do, when to do it and how to afford it, but at least BP is our own, on a site big enough if we relocate the car park and generally be creative with the space we've got.

It will be very interesting to see what they decide to do.

Rotherham received a £5m loan from their council, as well as the stadium being put at the centre of a wider town centre renaissance project. NE Lincs was meant to be swimming with levelling up cash, and you have to question what the Council and local MPs are doing to get their hands on that pot of £4,800,000,000?

I don’t think they will have done, but I hope Stockwood & Petit were in Nici & Vickers’ ears about it when they came for their recent photo op.

Quoted from ska face

Rotherham received a £5m loan from their council, as well as the stadium being put at the centre of a wider town centre renaissance project. NE Lincs was meant to be swimming with levelling up cash, and you have to question what the Council and local MPs are doing to get their hands on that pot of £4,800,000,000?

I don’t think they will have done, but I hope Stockwood & Petit were in Nici & Vickers’ ears about it when they came for their recent photo op.

I seem to recall that NELC was not helpful several years ago when a vote was taken about Great Coates, several abstained because they had season tickets and others because they went (had been to) matches. The rest voted was against a move. Cllr has distanced the council saying that they don't even own the land at Freemo, LHP do.

It would therefore appear that the club may not receive any help from NELC with a new ground, unlike the Rotherham case above.

Quoted from DB

I seem to recall that NELC was not helpful several years ago when a vote was taken about Great Coates, several abstained because they had season tickets and others because they went (had been to) matches. The rest voted was against a move. Cllr has distanced the council saying that they don't even own the land at Freemo, LHP do.

It would therefore appear that the club may not receive any help from NELC with a new ground, unlike the Rotherham case above.

We wont get  help from the local council /government, they love to take the photo opportunity sporting the clubs colours when things are going well but thats about all we are going to get .

Quoted from DB

I seem to recall that NELC was not helpful several years ago when a vote was taken about Great Coates, several abstained because they had season tickets and others because they went (had been to) matches. The rest voted was against a move. Cllr has distanced the council saying that they don't even own the land at Freemo, LHP do.

It would therefore appear that the club may not receive any help from NELC with a new ground, unlike the Rotherham case above.

I think you will find that a precedent had been set as regards councillors voting on football ground expansion/developments. When it was proposed to develop Anfield in Liverpool, several councillors were excluded from voting for the proposals because they were ST holders and as such had a vested interest.

Quoted from Mappers

We wont get  help from the local council /government, they love to take the photo opportunity sporting the clubs colours when things are going well but thats about all we are going to get .

Whilst I do have my own disillusion with the NELC council and planning ....its only fair to point out that , as far as I am aware, the club havnt actually had the money, at any point,  to move forward on a ground anyway....they have all been speculative proposals that have been put forward.

The council have previously stated they wished to help as much as they could but they certainly won't be paying for it.

Everything Fenty put forward was based on needing anchor tenants, housing , affiliated developments etc none of which he had lined up.

Quoted from moosey_club

Whilst I do have my own disillusion with the NELC council and planning ....its only fair to point out that , as far as I am aware, the club havnt actually had the money, at any point,  to move forward on a ground anyway....they have all been speculative proposals that have been put forward.

The council have previously stated they wished to help as much as they could but they certainly won't be paying for it.

Everything Fenty put forward was based on needing anchor tenants, housing , affiliated developments etc none of which he had lined up.

Certainly no ' ducks in a row ' !!!  

Quoted from rancido

Certainly no ' ducks in a row ' !!!  

Fair point Mr Moosey

No ducks in a row

Just 'they will build it because they can ' (extreme)
And pointing at a plot of land around peaks parkway and saying 'I want it there ' are hardly the best presentation to potential investors are they .

Quoted from Mappers

Fair point Mr Moosey

No ducks in a row

Just 'they will build it because they can ' (extreme)
And pointing at a plot of land around peaks parkway and saying 'I want it there ' are hardly the best presentation to potential investors are they .

The peakes parkway vanity project that cost ‘the club’ £2m but ‘the club’ never got anything from.

And no, am not saying that there was something amiss and brown envelopes were exchanged or Money was swapped under any table.

But, it would be interesting to know :
how much any redevelopment of the main stand/osmond would cost or:

IF any extension to any of the stands is allowed or is indeed viable.  

The timescale for any redevelopment.

Is a change to the blueprint (main/osmond) indeed allowed

So many questions that keep being Asked without an answer hi

Quoted from rancido

I think you will find that a precedent had been set as regards councillors voting on football ground expansion/developments. When it was proposed to develop Anfield in Liverpool, several councillors were excluded from voting for the proposals because they were ST holders and as such had a vested interest.

That's an interesting point. I wonder how many NELC councillors who shop in Freshney Place voted for the council to buy it! A similar principle surely.

To be fair to Fenty if he’s actually delivered on the stadium I couldn’t have begrudged him taking a profit from the housing or retail  development attached .
Whoever is going to fund a new ground isn’t going to do it out the goodness of their heart .
Unless it’s the council or some stupidly rich Grimsby town fan we’re going to have to deal with investors looking to make money

Quoted from grimps

To be fair to Fenty if he’s actually delivered on the stadium I couldn’t have begrudged him taking a profit from the housing or retail  development attached .
Whoever is going to fund a new ground isn’t going to do it out the goodness of their heart .
Unless it’s the council or some stupidly rich Grimsby town fan we’re going to have to deal with investors looking to make money

The council & politicians though won't want to be seen spending any grants, budgets, council tax etc on what they see as a private asset, that only 6k of the voters regularly attend, that's always been their viewpoint......until of course we reach the quarter finals and they suddenly see the worth of GTFC to the community then they can't do a photo op or ask a question in  parliament quick enough.
Instead they will happily blow the budget on buying a dilapidated outdated shopping centre.