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Quoted from chaos33

I think that’s a decent idea.

What’s worth noting is that there will be some bigger away followings generally, at BP next season, and one of two big ones (eg, Bradford, Doncaster etc),; the Osmond isn’t likely to be available to Town fans, so there needs to be some thought given to contingency if we’re doing well and demand for tickets regularly outstrips supply. We cant afford to be missing out on significant revenue. Clearly we are very limited in terms of options and it only seems like something in the Harrington and imperial corners have scope.

I don't think the away following are going to go up that much in logistical terms. We've been putting Boreham Wood's 12 fans in the corner part of the Osmond which holds 500 seats. We could do the same to any club that won't bring more than 400 and use the rest of the Osmond for home fans. How many clubs will bring more than that and require the whole Osmond End?

Bradford, Stockport & Doncaster definitely and probably Mansfield. After that it might be the odd game here and there depending what day of the week or part of the season they fall on.

There probably needs to be some work done to properly segregate the Osmond, but it would be worth the expense so that we aren't turning GTFC fans away from BP.

Yeah you’re right. Could still be some mileage in your idea for temp seats in the corner though.

Quoted from Doctor Sanchez

Still don't think it'll be a big priority for a while yet. No need to replace the ground when we can't fill it every week. You can only replace the Main Stand with a similar sized stand, so there's no point in that. Gaining promotion to League One and continuing the trend toward sustainability would be the priorities and even then that'll likely take a few years being realistic (Look at FGR).

We just finished this season averaging nearly 6000 , that’s just about the full capacity for home fans.
I can only assume that we’ll now sell more season tickets after a promotion season than we did after a relegation season .
Our ground won’t be big enough

Quoted from grimps

We just finished this season averaging nearly 6000 , that’s just about the full capacity for home fans.
I can only assume that we’ll now sell more season tickets after a promotion season than we did after a relegation season .
Our ground won’t be big enough

Grumps is right. Forget all this “we can’t even fill BP” nonsense, it pretty much IS getting full every game now, it’s THAT small without the corners being utilised.

I think a new ground is more a plan for the future based on improving facilities (and safety) for fans, as well as a slight increase in capacity. BP is ramshackle, there’s no getting past this.

And even so, if they started the process now, and they’d have to start from scratch as all of the previous regime’s work is on the scrap heap, you’re looking at 3 years until we could move anyway.

Town need to think of the long game, rather than getting the paint tins out at BP.

Ok, so it’s probably not the time but, it’s always a point that needs addressing. So just a quick thought on the short term issues we are facing potentially

Temporary seating I believe could be an issue with regards to how the ground has changed but the club are addressing it.

Season ticket sales (COULD) top 5000 from the good will that there seems to be around at the moment.

I would say, there are probably 4 teams capable of selling their away allocation. With possibly 6 more selling well over half of it.

Is there any way of addressing the roof pitch on both the Osmond and main stand so that views are no longer only available if you lay on a lilo

I still think that extending the lower to the 6 yard box in both goals is probably the best short to medium term solution

IF we sell out first 7-8 home games (say Christmas time) I'd potentially look at getting some additional seating (ie like the green seats we had) if it continues to be above 8k then we need to consider long term. If we're not selling out, in my opinion, it'd be a waste of money when it could be spent elsewhere.

As a kid I often used to fantasise about increasing the capacity of BP - I loved Lego and simply applied the same building principals. I'm sure I built BP a few times out of the stuff.

Other than a new stadium and I totally get the pros of this - increased revenue streams, etc. In theory, would it not be possible to extend the Main Stand to the touch line by removing the police box as described elsewhere in this thread AND extend the Findus to both touch lines too? I know in practicality it's probably not worth the cost but why wasn't the Findus initially built to go along the entire length of the pitch?

Quoted from Grimsby Is Not In Yorkshire

As a kid I often used to fantasise about increasing the capacity of BP - I loved Lego and simply applied the same building principals. I'm sure I built BP a few times out of the stuff.

Other than a new stadium and I totally get the pros of this - increased revenue streams, etc. In theory, would it not be possible to extend the Main Stand to the touch line by removing the police box as described elsewhere in this thread AND extend the Findus to both touch lines too? I know in practicality it's probably not worth the cost but why wasn't the Findus initially built to go along the entire length of the pitch?

I’m sure there’s a reason the findus was built that way for a reason but I can’t for the life of me think what it was.

I guess temporary seating would be a logical fix should we need them but you’d imagine the current regime are shrewd enough to look at how ouch this benefits us.

I think we could push 4000 ST this year which would be great. I can see the osmond being full possibly 6 times so that still leaves us with seats in there for plenty of games.

I don’t think a new ground is high on the priority list however, after returning to the league straight away that may shift the thinking. I’d imagine, much like the fans, the owners were working on being in the conference at least two years perhaps…

Quoted from aldi_01

I’m sure there’s a reason the findus was built that way for a reason but I can’t for the life of me think what it was.

I guess temporary seating would be a logical fix should we need them but you’d imagine the current regime are shrewd enough to look at how ouch this benefits us.

I think we could push 4000 ST this year which would be great. I can see the osmond being full possibly 6 times so that still leaves us with seats in there for plenty of games.

I don’t think a new ground is high on the priority list however, after returning to the league straight away that may shift the thinking. I’d imagine, much like the fans, the owners were working on being in the conference at least two years perhaps…

One of the reasons I've heard is that at the time of building the plan was to turn the pitch around and the Findus was going to be behind the goal. Personally, much as it sounds plausible I can't see how that would have worked with respect of the other three stands needing to have been restructured very quickly and the need to purchase all the houses behind the Main Stand to turn the pitch.

Only thing I can think of through my own eyes is whether they'd have needed to purchase the end few houses either side of the Findus to facilitate it being built the whole way across. From that I imagine the additional cost and possibly planning permission may have factored in and resulted in the best/cheapest option at the time being what we now have.

Does irritate the OCD part of me that only the Pontoon stretches the dimensions of the pitch. If I remember right even the Osmond doesn't quite get to the corner flag (bit annoyed I can't actually remember the look of a place I've visited for 25 years!)

Quoted from Grimsby Is Not In Yorkshire

As a kid I often used to fantasise about increasing the capacity of BP - I loved Lego and simply applied the same building principals. I'm sure I built BP a few times out of the stuff.

Other than a new stadium and I totally get the pros of this - increased revenue streams, etc. In theory, would it not be possible to extend the Main Stand to the touch line by removing the police box as described elsewhere in this thread AND extend the Findus to both touch lines too? I know in practicality it's probably not worth the cost but why wasn't the Findus initially built to go along the entire length of the pitch?

I believe that the club were going to turn the ground around 90 degrees so that the findus would’ve been behind the goal. There were plans for changing rooms and a gym built underneath too

The Findus was built like that as a cheap option, and extend it sideways later. Then they found that they would never get planning permission because of the houses next to it. Originally there was an entrance on the halfway line in the lower, that didn't actually lead anywhere. The plan was to put the changing room there but it never happened.

If I remember right in the 90s and early 2000s the temp seats added around 6-700 to each corner , we could probably get a few more of the police box went too.

I honestly believe the day will come soon when the Main stand gets condemned anyway

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Knock down the PA Box/Police control room and put them in 2 small stacked portacabins (like you get on building sites) in corner between the Pontoon & Main Stand. Firstly that improves the view for a big chunk of the Main Stand. Secondly you can put a proper semi-permanent stand from where the PA Box currently sits up to the corner of the Pontoon. You could probably get 16 rows x 50 seats = 800 extra seats there and turn a chunk of the Main Stand from severely restricted view to partially restricted view. When we're finished with the new seating area we could donate it to Cleethorpes Town.

That sounds do-able without breaking the bank. Can you get covered temporary seating these days?

I'm all for redeveloping BP or a new ground. However, Stockdale did say, only a few weeks ago, that until we fill BP every week, or thereabouts, spending money on new ground facilities was not the main priority. Any ground development be it new or redevelopment has to be financially viable, would cost millions and at the moment the finances don't add up.

As he put it the "main structural investment is the new training ground, where all the work by the players is done"
JS & AP came in and at their first attempt put the club back into the football. They have a way of achieving things at their pace and priorities and that is why they are in life where they are today.

We will have to be patient and see what develops with regard to the ground.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

That sounds do-able without breaking the bank. Can you get covered temporary seating these days?

Isn’t what Bristol rovers have behind the goal at the away end temporary but been there for years

https://youtu.be/I9Uck8JF9b0

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

Isn’t what Bristol rovers have behind the goal at the away end temporary but been there for years

https://youtu.be/I9Uck8JF9b0

The seating stand behind the goal at Eastleigh is just a semi-permanent terrace built inside a roof and 3 walls of sheet metal.

[tweet]532505340412432384[/tweet]

We could do something with just the roof and back to go between the Main and Pontoon.

And like I said before, if it can be disassembled we could donate it to a non-league club when we’ve finished with it.

Behind the goal at Wealdstone was a semi-permanent stand and pretty serviceable

A new training facility is the priority at the moment. The ground is big enough for our needs at the moment I would think.

A new ground is not, I repeat, is not going to happen. And frankly I am delighted about that, because I love Blundell Park and the history around it.

But, what you will no doubt see, will be ground improvements, on the existing footprint, perhaps even including the rebuilding of the Main Stand and Osmond End.

Yes we know that parking is a nightmare at BP, but that has always been the case, even when we had significantly more fans than we do today.

I think that we have learned a very good lesson in recent months, that Blundell Park is fit for purpose and can be improved so so much. But perhaps more importantly, as the club makes improvements to BP, the real emphasis for improvement and the priority, should be for continual improvement in the way the club operates, engages with supporters and the wider community, and the manner in which it supports the manager and his staff. That is what makes success, which we are already seeing even after a relatively short period of time.

Improvement to training facilities and structure must be the priority now to advance the club, we can't go backwards on that to become a Darlington with a huge arena we can't even fill while back in the NL because we spunked everything on it and didn't invest where we needed to in the facilities and the squad.

As exciting as a new shiny ground seems it doesn't make sense to me when we only fill up our current ground on special occasions, as soon as we have a losing run in the league the attendance drops a ton too so we only get 3-4k, people will only show up when we are winning. That won't happen if we are skint and investing all money into new ground pipe dreams that don't go anywhere like the previous regime or in a 10,000-20,000 white elephant.

Quoted from ginnywings

A new training facility is the priority at the moment. The ground is big enough for our needs at the moment I would think.

Football fans will always be fickle and ticket demand will always follow club trajectory and recent success, but in the here and now I don’t think it’s too fanciful to suggest we might clear 4,000 season tickets next season, possibly for the first time ever.

I would expect away followings to average around 600 - 800, meaning individual match tickets could well be in short supply if we kick-on and have a good season (which I believe we will).

If the club continues to build on the interest and positivity surrounding GTFC I do see a time in the not too distant future whereby BP is too small. I agree there are other priorities right now, but it would surprise me if there wasn’t at least one eye on relocation, no matter what the owners say publicly.

I just don’t get it’s not needed because we don’t fill Blundell Park classic case of cause and effect the wrong way round.

Relocate the police, bulldoze the box and three good empty corners for someone to put a bit of thought into.
A new ground has been talked about for a quarter of a century now.

Quoted from Poojah

Football fans will always be fickle and ticket demand will always follow club trajectory and recent success, but in the here and now I don’t think it’s too fanciful to suggest we might clear 4,000 season tickets next season, possibly for the first time ever.

I would expect away followings to average around 600 - 800, meaning individual match tickets could well be in short supply if we kick-on and have a good season (which I believe we will).

If the club continues to build on the interest and positivity surrounding GTFC I do see a time in the not too distant future whereby BP is too small. I agree there are other priorities right now, but it would surprise me if there wasn’t at least one eye on relocation, no matter what the owners say publicly.

Agreed.

Establishing a team with better training facilities and a good youth set up is what we need right now and if success continues on the pitch, which I think it will , then we can look at the ground situation down the line.

I think people don’t realise that the ground actually puts people off coming .
We’ve made a few tweaks last season and the attendances increased

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Knock down the PA Box/Police control room and put them in 2 small stacked portacabins (like you get on building sites) in corner between the Pontoon & Main Stand. Firstly that improves the view for a big chunk of the Main Stand. Secondly you can put a proper semi-permanent stand from where the PA Box currently sits up to the corner of the Pontoon. You could probably get 16 rows x 50 seats = 800 extra seats there and turn a chunk of the Main Stand from severely restricted view to partially restricted view. When we're finished with the new seating area we could donate it to Cleethorpes Town.

There used to be temp stands in the corners of John Smiths-Pontoon and John Smiths-Osmonds. From Memory that's + 850 seats.
I'm not proposing temp seating what I'm saying JS extended.
The main stand, which is a Fire Risk and requires reassessing yearly, and anyway must have a heavy insurance premium.
And you never know ALL standing areas might just help us out as they are a much cheaper option.
With a good plan +2000 extra seats are very doable, but a new Stadium is a pipe dream.
Boston Utd have just moved to a 2000 seater + 3000 standing stadium at a cost of £11 million. New GTFC stadium is in the mid £20's million.
I know we have a promotion, but 5th to 4th Tier that is all.
We have to do some catching up in upgrades to training facilities so that we don't become a Yo Yo team, and the new owners don't have deep pockets as some think.
We are doing fine.

What would happen if we were promoted again next year? It's alright saying the ground is big enough for the next season but we should be looking at increasing capacity now so it will be ready within the next two seasons. For me waiting to see where we are isn't an option, that's what Fenty did year after year. The way things are going we are more than likely to need increased capacity either next season or the one after.

Quoted from grimps

I think people don’t realise that the ground actually puts people off coming .
We’ve made a few tweaks last season and the attendances increased

I just don't buy this. The attendance figures are directly related to results. More people will come to BP if we keep winning, and fewer if we're losing. It's as simple as that.

I just don't see the following scenario:

DAD/MUM : "Son/daughter, Town have won their last three games. Shall we go on Saturday?"

SON/DAUGHTER : "Err no Dad/Mum, there might be seagull poo on my seat and toilets are from the Ark"

People who say that the ground isn't a priority  because we dont fill BP need to look at Rotherham as an example, they  used to have
a core base of  fans lower than us, with the new ground and prudent management they have doubled their fan base.
In 2022 paying more than £20 per seat people deserve  and expect to have a degree of comfort and a decent view of the game.
I am 65 now and dont believe i will see a new ground in my lifetime, so  improvement to BP whether it be long or short term need to be made, modern stadiums dont have the multitude of steel framework we have in the main and  Osmond stands, which restricts view and
capacity.
I like the idea of demolishing the Police box, surely with new building methods we could continue the  Pontoon at the same level round to the main stand, but  in the longer term replacing the roofs of the Main and Osmond if feasible, allowing post free viewing has to happen, as i feel a new stadium is 10 years away at least.
I know  many will disagree with my views, but we  have a good reputation in the game, as congratulatory messages at our promotion suggest, unfortunately our embarrassing old  stadium doesn't meet our reputation.
Well done rplayers and management on a remarkable turnround of our season and your never say die attitude in the playoffs was probably the most inspiring  thing i have seen in 55 years as a supporter.

Quoted from Grimsby Is Not In Yorkshire

I just don't buy this. The attendance figures are directly related to results. More people will come to BP if we keep winning, and fewer if we're losing. It's as simple as that.

I just don't see the following scenario:

DAD/MUM : "Son/daughter, Town have won their last three games. Shall we go on Saturday?"

SON/DAUGHTER : "Err no Dad/Mum, there might be seagull poo on my seat and toilets are from the Ark"

Ok then look at every other club that had a new ground or a modern upgrade and you’ll see an increase in attendances .
Other than last season of attendances have been around the same figure for 20 odd years

As 2 exiles in our 60s we book separately for most home games. We usually avoid night games for various reasons.  We do not have season-tickets as not economically viable.  Ill- health occasionally means we have to miss a Sat game.

This season it was very difficult booking 2 seats together in the Upper-Findus for some games, despite booking early when tickets released.  Next season should be busier.

A new stadium will be many years away.  Trying to increase the capacity at BP looks to be a sensible compromise and will bring in more fans and income.  Any investment would surely not be extortionate and would give a good return for many years.

I have resigned myself to being at BP for probably the rest of my Town watching life and think a new stadium will be something for future generations to enjoy, but that should not stop us from making Blundell Park as good as we can in the next few years. Pettit in particular knows a lot about property/regeneration and will be looking into all avenues with architects as to how it might be possible to renew parts of BP, increase the capacity etc.

In the medium term, it might be a better thing they are doing to create a new build for training facilities - is there any reason the much-vaunted "commercial and corporate" facilities cannot be included in the training complex to bring in extra revenue in the week, whilst leaving BP and its current corporate facilities for match-days?

I am sure the owners will have it all in hand, but I hope we have exciting news about future plans sooner rather than later. I think promotion has changed things a lot; now is the time to capitalize on the goodwill and support of the fans, the business community and everyone who wants to take the club to new heights.

I’m sure the new owners will be quietly planning a new stadium in the background but the issue will always come down to money.

Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster is 15,000 capacity and is a fairly anonymous dome. Costs to build the stadium alone was £20m and total cost (including 3G pitches and athletic track stadium) was well over £30m. That was 15 years ago too so it’s going to cost much more now.

The area around the stadium has been hugely developed over the last few years with lots of new housing, new school, shopping and commercial sites so I’m sure it’s ticked a lot of boxes with the local council. I’m not sure how forward thinking our council are though and if they are capable of supporting such a large, long term project. How many times have we seen artists impressions of the new cinema, stadium or palm tree only to never see the thing built. It’s much easier to keep moving the bus station and changing the paving slabs.

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

Ok, so it’s probably not the time but, it’s always a point that needs addressing. So just a quick thought on the short term issues we are facing potentially

Temporary seating I believe could be an issue with regards to how the ground has changed but the club are addressing it.

Season ticket sales (COULD) top 5000 from the good will that there seems to be around at the moment.

I would say, there are probably 4 teams capable of selling their away allocation. With possibly 6 more selling well over half of it.

Is there any way of addressing the roof pitch on both the Osmond and main stand so that views are no longer only available if you lay on a lilo

I still think that extending the lower to the 6 yard box in both goals is probably the best short to medium term solution

They had problems with the foundations, when building the Findus, so on paper looks like a good idea, but reality the cost would out weigh any benefits.

Quoted from DaleH

A new ground is not, I repeat, is not going to happen. And frankly I am delighted about that, because I love Blundell Park and the history around it.

But, what you will no doubt see, will be ground improvements, on the existing footprint, perhaps even including the rebuilding of the Main Stand and Osmond End.

Yes we know that parking is a nightmare at BP, but that has always been the case, even when we had significantly more fans than we do today.

I think that we have learned a very good lesson in recent months, that Blundell Park is fit for purpose and can be improved so so much. But perhaps more importantly, as the club makes improvements to BP, the real emphasis for improvement and the priority, should be for continual improvement in the way the club operates, engages with supporters and the wider community, and the manner in which it supports the manager and his staff. That is what makes success, which we are already seeing even after a relatively short period of time.

BP is not fit for purpose even in the short to medium term. The disabled facilities are an absolute disgrace for starters. The place is slowly falling apart. The Main Stand would need completely rebuilding as would the Osmond Stand. People rightly expect unobscured views from their seat and easy and free movement when they getting to and from their seats. Most of BP provides neither of those things and it puts people off attending.

As Roy Schneider said when he first saw the shark ‘we are going to need a bigger boat’

Quoted from Kris2

Improvement to training facilities and structure must be the priority now to advance the club, we can't go backwards on that to become a Darlington with a huge arena we can't even fill while back in the NL because we spunked everything on it and didn't invest where we needed to in the facilities and the squad.

As exciting as a new shiny ground seems it doesn't make sense to me when we only fill up our current ground on special occasions, as soon as we have a losing run in the league the attendance drops a ton too so we only get 3-4k, people will only show up when we are winning. That won't happen if we are skint and investing all money into new ground pipe dreams that don't go anywhere like the previous regime or in a 10,000-20,000 white elephant.

No one is suggesting building a Darlington type stadium with 25,000 seats. But a 12-14,000 seat stadium with the scope to increase it a bit if we ever needed to expand would be good.

The sort of stadiums that Rotherham & Doncaster have and gives them a huge competitive advantage over clubs like us.

Where does the money come from to build a new stadium? The core tenant at most sites were supermarket type developments which are now out of fashion, so other money has to be sorted, but from where?

Redevelopment of BP is also going to cost a few £100K and at the moment most of the budget will be on bringing in new players and the new training ground. As I've said I'm all in favour of developments to the ground but it does have to be financed.

Quoted from DB

Where does the money come from to build a new stadium? The core tenant at most sites were supermarket type developments which are now out of fashion, so other money has to be sorted, but from where?

Redevelopment of BP is also going to cost a few £100K and at the moment most of the budget will be on bringing in new players and the new training ground. As I've said I'm all in favour of developments to the ground but it does have to be financed.

A few 100k?!?!?

Preston’s final new stand holds 3,700. That’s the sort of size stand we could fit on the Main Stand side of the ground. It cost them over £9m in 2008. It does however have an NHS walk in centre built into it. PNE did this and it increased there building costs from £6m to £9m but brings in a guaranteed rent of over £500k a year on a long lease.

Quoted from DB

Where does the money come from to build a new stadium? The core tenant at most sites were supermarket type developments which are now out of fashion, so other money has to be sorted, but from where?

Redevelopment of BP is also going to cost a few £100K and at the moment most of the budget will be on bringing in new players and the new training ground. As I've said I'm all in favour of developments to the ground but it does have to be financed.

Grants. Levelling up funds (if we put the right community assets into the development). Mortgage.

We only finished paying off the Findus Stand mortgage in 2020 didn’t we?

Quoted from GollyGTFC

No one is suggesting building a Darlington type stadium with 25,000 seats. But a 12-14,000 seat stadium with the scope to increase it a bit if we ever needed to expand would be good.

The sort of stadiums that Rotherham & Doncaster have and gives them a huge competitive advantage over clubs like us.

What competitive advantage exactly? Fleetwood have a smaller ground than us capacity wise and still don't fill it, they also drunk the NL and League Two while we struggled away and finished above Doncaster this season. If you look at the top end of the table what you find in common is these are large clubs with fantastic facilities, not just in a big ground but the infrastructure of the club, how well they look after players and more importantly what they offer players financially. Fleetwood have got away with just that last one with sub 5000 crowds in L1.

A new ground isn't a terrible idea but it needs to be the right time and right situation. When the recruitment and facilities are much better, when we are filling our current ground up and leaving money on the table by not expanding, when investment and interest is in place in a new development. Lot of issues go into a new ground, location has always been one of them since everyone wants a new ground but only not anywhere near them or in a place that inconveniences them. Investment is always an issue, we had our best chance with Great Coates, a sponsorship and commercial investment in place but taken down by a few NIMBYs. I expect it to be some time when we are in such a position again and any plans can easily be taken down if anybody near the proposed site throws a fit.

Quoted from DaleH

A new ground is not, I repeat, is not going to happen. And frankly I am delighted about that.......

Is it only me, or did this come across as a bit arrogant? It must be great to have such insightful insider knowledge?

Also love the history and Love the atmosphere at BP and would be happy to spend the rest of my days watching the Mariners climb the leagues there. But as it stands it is simply not fit for purpose. I guess we confuse its old school charm and gladly accept the antiquated toilets, various restricted views, dreadful parking and facilities in general.

I cannot see how a new ground (in the real world) can be financed.

But surely significant improvements / replacements can be made on the original BP. I’m not on about additional portaloos, portacabins, temporary seating, licks of paint here and there. How about completely new stands, fit for purpose in the 21st century? Again, I haven’t the foggiest how these changes would be financed. But I cannot see how doing nothing significant at all is an option.

Doubt we would get planning permission to build new stands at BP. It's hemmed in by houses and their owners would fight tooth and nail to stop any more building, just like the Great Coates residents did.

A few people have hinted at it without saying it outright but we need to look at the potential of the Club in every aspect and I think that a new stadium has to feature within that.

Priority wise I think it will be lower down as I agree the training facilities and providing PH the tools and resources to build, coach and maintain players will be more important. A new stadium won't get you three points on a Saturday, but good quality training facilities will most definitely help prepare the team as best possible to get them.

Regards other Clubs and new stadiums, I look at it beyond the physical structure and more what it represents; ambition. It's not a hard and fast rule that if you build a Stadium you will succeed or that teams who stay in older stadiums don't have ambition (Luton...). That said, I see it as a very deliberate way of an owner/Club to demonstrate they are trying to lay the foundations for success which can further galvanise a fanbase when doing well or hopefully provide an uplift in mood for a struggling Club.

If success can be achieved alongside a new stadium then you've also increased the capacity for support in that moment. As with most things, there's always a flip side and if the team takes a backward step then support dwindles and attendances drop (as with any Club/Stadium) which makes it seem a worthless endeavour.

For us and where we are now I don't think that move is hugely important, but if we manage to replicate an upward trajectory of success similar to Lincoln a few years back then very quickly we could find ourselves needing to re-assess what we have and what we need. In that scenario being forward thinking and ahead of the curve in terms of having plans in place might not be the worst thing we could do.

Quoted from gtfc_chris

A few people have hinted at it without saying it outright but we need to look at the potential of the Club in every aspect and I think that a new stadium has to feature within that.

Priority wise I think it will be lower down as I agree the training facilities and providing PH the tools and resources to build, coach and maintain players will be more important. A new stadium won't get you three points on a Saturday, but good quality training facilities will most definitely help prepare the team as best possible to get them.

Regards other Clubs and new stadiums, I look at it beyond the physical structure and more what it represents; ambition. It's not a hard and fast rule that if you build a Stadium you will succeed or that teams who stay in older stadiums don't have ambition (Luton...). That said, I see it as a very deliberate way of an owner/Club to demonstrate they are trying to lay the foundations for success which can further galvanise a fanbase when doing well or hopefully provide an uplift in mood for a struggling Club.

If success can be achieved alongside a new stadium then you've also increased the capacity for support in that moment. As with most things, there's always a flip side and if the team takes a backward step then support dwindles and attendances drop (as with any Club/Stadium) which makes it seem a worthless endeavour.

For us and where we are now I don't think that move is hugely important, but if we manage to replicate an upward trajectory of success similar to Lincoln a few years back then very quickly we could find ourselves needing to re-assess what we have and what we need. In that scenario being forward thinking and ahead of the curve in terms of having plans in place might not be the worst thing we could do.

We’ve needed a new ground for more than 25 years , I don’t think it should be too far from our top priorities now

Quoted from gtfc_chris

......... In that scenario being forward thinking and ahead of the curve in terms of having plans in place might not be the worst thing we could do.

Whole heartedly agree. Whatever we decide to do: New build stands, new stadium; all would be years in the waiting, even if funds magically appeared. How much longer can we afford to kick this can down the road?

What a great problem to have!!!! I never thought we’d be worried about BP being too small when we are a 4th tier club. The attendances and atmosphere at home last season were a welcome shock, because it’s been flipping drab.

Be brilliant next season and I hope that big attendances give the owners a massive headache about space. I fully expect that they’re clever enough to find a solution and a good one. I’m sure they will look at something sustainable, long term and that is a proper football ground.

Blundell Park is flipping spectacular! It’s not a soulless bowl.
With a few tweaks it could be more accessible and with some clever thinking we can really enjoying packing it out.

Just a few thoughts.

I have been coming to BP for 40+ years and used to stand on the open corner between the old Barrett stand and the Pontoon. I love the history of the ground but I recognise that we are going to need to seriously consider moving to a more suitable and modern stadium which also serves the community not just for football.

I have socialised with local planning officers and dealt with a number of commercial and domestic planning aspects and we will not get acceptance to rebuild and increase the main stand etc. It will not be contemplated as there would be a number of objections from local residents etc. In the shorter term "filling in" the open corners with seating or safe standing options may assist with the times that the ground approaches a "sell out" but there are also other options to consider. Over the past few weeks there are some ST holders that struggle to attend regularly apart from a few games but still but a ST every year. We could possibly look at a buy back option where ST holders are contacted to see if they are attending the next home game and if not the club "buys" the seat for that particular match which will increase matchday ticket availability although it will be varied.

There are also some "cosmetic" improvements which will enhance the BP experience - update and improve the toilet facilities (some of these have not really changed in the last 40 years), update the food "kiosks" by putting in more permanent structure and reviewing location of some (could they be sited more appropriately and allow better queuing as the queues sometimes cut across fans trying to access the toilets, review the entrance to the upper youngs as this gets really congested on a match day etc.

If the club continues along the longer term plan envisaged by JS & AP it is inevitable that there will come a point when BP is no longer adequate but think the current priorities such as training ground etc. is correct at this moment in time and I feel that the longer term development is already being formulated but it is too early to start discussing those aspirations currently.

Reading through the posts it would seem obvious to me that what we have now has been stretched to breaking point.
The ground as it stands is not acceptable for the present position and popularity of the club.
Police box removed and re sited and main stand with new upward roof connecting to the existing Pontoon roof shape.
We have for years been a backward thinking/acting club under the previous owner.
We have now at our disposal two owners who have been successful in both purchasing the club and improving its facilities.
The team, management and staff have all been highly successful on the field, it's now IMO down to the owners to reward their success by greatly improving the seating/ standing for we supporters, because as sure as houses the uptake of tickets this season will supprise all, and like this season gone, there will be full houses but more so, and disappointed fans both home and away.
Needs serious actions now

Quoted from Mrbump53

Just a few thoughts.

I have been coming to BP for 40+ years and used to stand on the open corner between the old Barrett stand and the Pontoon. I love the history of the ground but I recognise that we are going to need to seriously consider moving to a more suitable and modern stadium which also serves the community not just for football.

I have socialised with local planning officers and dealt with a number of commercial and domestic planning aspects and we will not get acceptance to rebuild and increase the main stand etc. It will not be contemplated as there would be a number of objections from local residents etc. In the shorter term "filling in" the open corners with seating or safe standing options may assist with the times that the ground approaches a "sell out" but there are also other options to consider. Over the past few weeks there are some ST holders that struggle to attend regularly apart from a few games but still but a ST every year. We could possibly look at a buy back option where ST holders are contacted to see if they are attending the next home game and if not the club "buys" the seat for that particular match which will increase matchday ticket availability although it will be varied.

There are also some "cosmetic" improvements which will enhance the BP experience - update and improve the toilet facilities (some of these have not really changed in the last 40 years), update the food "kiosks" by putting in more permanent structure and reviewing location of some (could they be sited more appropriately and allow better queuing as the queues sometimes cut across fans trying to access the toilets, review the entrance to the upper youngs as this gets really congested on a match day etc.

If the club continues along the longer term plan envisaged by JS & AP it is inevitable that there will come a point when BP is no longer adequate but think the current priorities such as training ground etc. is correct at this moment in time and I feel that the longer term development is already being formulated but it is too early to start discussing those aspirations currently.

How come various grounds in the country, hemmed in by residential streets have obtained pp for stadium improvements?

No doubt some would object but that doesn't mean they would stop it.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

How come various grounds in the country, hemmed in by residential streets have obtained pp for stadium improvements?

No doubt some would object but that doesn't mean they would stop it.

All my neighbours have managed to get permission for Dormer extensions over looking my garden so I’m sure they’d easy be able to get permission for a stand that over looks nothing and if built right wouldn’t affect their sun light.

We seemed to be dead set on moving grounds for 25 years , I doubt if a study has ever even been done to improve Blundell park and increase the capacity

Quoted from grimps

Ok then look at every other club that had a new ground or a modern upgrade and you’ll see an increase in attendances .
Other than last season of attendances have been around the same figure for 20 odd years

You must follow your sweeping statement with facts, and before you demand a £20+million outlay.
Avg attendance before new Stadium, v Avg attendance after new Stadium in say Tier 4 and/or 3.

Our avg attendance will go up next season due to local interest and away fans.
21-22 season 5,704, so predict avg 6704 in 22-23, or 1000 more per match at £10 per head avg = £230,000 extra gate money.
Bet you our extra wage cost will be far greater than this. This kind of calculation is what the board will be doing.
Factor in a £25 million mortgage for a spanking new stadium, and I'm not sure we can afford top players, not that we can afford them now.
Never mind history/nostalgia that 120+ years that Blundel Park evokes. Let's be honest, History/Nostalgia is the only thing that kept fans going in the last 10 years. Throw that away at your peril.

If only one of our owner was a self made multi-millionaire from financing property developments. That expertise would be useful wouldn’t it?

Quoted from grimps

All my neighbours have managed to get permission for Dormer extensions over looking my garden so I’m sure they’d easy be able to get permission for a stand that over looks nothing and if built right wouldn’t affect their sun light.

We seemed to be dead set on moving grounds for 25 years , I doubt if a study has ever even been done to improve Blundell park and increase the capacity

Isn’t that something to do with overshadowing planning?

Maybe we should ask scunny. They’ve always been in our shadow

The thing with planning is that residents can complain all they want, but it doesn't mean they will be successful.

If the council deem it's a satisfactory plan and doesn't contravene any planning laws, then it will be passed despite the protests.

I would imagine plans to build/alter any stands will be drawn up by a planning consultant, whose job it is to make sure the final plans have more than a fair chance of being accepted before they are drawn up and submitted. There is a pre existing structure in place, so they are already in a good situation.

Surely the residents would prefer a nice new shiny stadium at the bottom of their garden, than the ramshackle collection of mismatched wood, metal sheeting and barbed wire they have to look at presently.

Last summer when we dismantled the old corrugated metal sheet fence in the fan zone and built a new block wall, the residents were fine about it and why wouldn't they be.

Quoted from grimps

Ok then look at every other club that had a new ground or a modern upgrade and you’ll see an increase in attendances .
Other than last season of attendances have been around the same figure for 20 odd years

I often think we should just buy up the 10 or so houses behind the main stand and then build a new full length main stand similar to the biggish one Lincoln have

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

I often think we should just buy up the 10 or so houses behind the main stand and then build a new full length main stand similar to the biggish one Lincoln have

Or at least offer to buy the last few metres of their back gardens?

Quoted from AdamHaddock

Or at least offer to buy the last few metres of their back gardens?

There is a few metres of space behind the stand now, so it could be extended backwards to the boundary line

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

I often think we should just buy up the 10 or so houses behind the main stand and then build a new full length main stand similar to the biggish one Lincoln have

There are in fact 21 houses backing onto BP on Harrington Street so even offering £100k each to encourage people to sell will still cost over £2million, and you have to get every resident to agree to move......could be very tricky.

Do we need the houses behind though. Modern structure same height but full length could provide a stand with around 3,500 seats. That would be 1,000 extra.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

How come various grounds in the country, hemmed in by residential streets have obtained pp for stadium improvements?

No doubt some would object but that doesn't mean they would stop it.

Once you have a licence to run something, enhancing is much much more straightforward than a new build.
We have had two applications thrown out as loads of people objected (including on this forum).
The last "proposal" was Freeman St, except nobody asked if it hadn't been earmarked for social housing.
Somebody pasted a pic on the docks map, but that was never a goer as it's earmarked for business dev., and now a Freeport.
So not only a plot of land hasn't been found, the £20+ million hasn't either. In the meantime we are at best 2/3 full.
When was the last time GTFC had ticket touts operating outside the ground?

Quoted from Barrattstander

There are in fact 21 houses backing onto BP on Harrington Street so even offering £100k each to encourage people to sell will still cost over £2million, and you have to get every resident to agree to move......could be very tricky.

Neigh on impossible I say and you can basically double those prices as the residents hold all the cards.

You could easily spunk £10m on a new, improved, larger main stand and you've still got three sides of an antiquated ground with poor access and substandard facilities.

The cost/benefit for a new stadium is against the cost/benefits of the status quo. That includes any opex and capex needed to run and maintain Blundell Park for the foreseeable. Whatever way you cut it up we are going to have to spend an eight figure sum on something at some point its unavoidable as the current set up won't last forever.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Neigh on impossible I say and you can basically double those prices as the residents hold all the cards.

You could easily spunk £10m on a new, improved, larger main stand and you've still got three sides of an antiquated ground with poor access and substandard facilities.

The cost/benefit for a new stadium is against the cost/benefits of the status quo. That includes any opex and capex needed to run and maintain Blundell Park for the foreseeable. Whatever way you cut it up we are going to have to spend an eight figure sum on something at some point its unavoidable as the current set up won't last forever.

That makes sense if we are set on building a new ground anytime soon but If someone had told us 25 years ago that we’d still be here with no improvements then I suspect most would have been up for Blundell park being developed

Quoted from Marinerdeano

Do we need the houses behind though. Modern structure same height but full length could provide a stand with around 3,500 seats. That would be 1,000 extra.

This sort of thing?

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

I often think we should just buy up the 10 or so houses behind the main stand and then build a new full length main stand similar to the biggish one Lincoln have

There are 20 houses behind the Main Stand boundary of Blundell Park. I’m not sure how much those type of terrace bourses go for in Cleethorpes but even at a conservative £100k each that is £2m before you’ve gone to the expense of bulldozing the Main Stand and the 20 houses and building the new stand.

You also need all 20 house owners to agree to sell which would never happen. And that would mean compulsory purchase orders which are expensive and far from straight forward when there are loads of more suitable locations to build a new stadium in the area.

BP isn’t suitable for redevelopment. There was a feasibility study done years ago and my memory was that it concluded a 14,000 seat stadium could be build on ythe site but without the parking that would be required to realistically achieve planning permission for such a scheme.

Everyone needs to accept. BP isn’t a viable long term home for GTFC.

A thousand plus season tickets sold in a day and now only one promotion away from BP in its present state being not fit for purpose..

I'd assume the remodelling of BP or plans for a new stadium have organically shuffled themselves higher up the to do list..

Sitting still and doing nothing when it comes our facilities and capacity is the absolutely worst thing we can do, if anything it's the type of approach and mindset that has been at the forefront of our decline over the last 20 odd years, including the inability to hold onto our Football League status just 5 years after painfully regaining it.

Paul Hurst said in his post match interview on Sunday that this club can never let it happen again, that surely doesn't just include on the pitch.  It's everything! The team, the support set-up, the facilities, the ground, the engagement with fans...

As long as we only have the ability to sell 6,000/7,000 tickets we'll always be limited by that.  That's less revenue coming through the gates, less investment in the team and a lesser chance of further success.

There's an incredible opportunity here to capitalise on interest in the club.  Over 1000 season tickets sold on Day 1 and we're talking about not maximising the options available to us?  Really!  Get that PA box knocked down and get some of those temporary stands up that loads of clubs have.

Lot of talk around the training facilities should be the priority.  I don't disagree that they're a priority, but it is possible to have more than one priority and focus on more than one thing at once.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

There are 20 houses behind the Main Stand boundary of Blundell Park. I’m not sure how much those type of terrace bourses go for in Cleethorpes but even at a conservative £100k each that is £2m before you’ve gone to the expense of bulldozing the Main Stand and the 20 houses and building the new stand.

You also need all 20 house owners to agree to sell which would never happen. And that would mean compulsory purchase orders which are expensive and far from straight forward when there are loads of more suitable locations to build a new stadium in the area.

BP isn’t suitable for redevelopment. There was a feasibility study done years ago and my memory was that it concluded a 14,000 seat stadium could be build on ythe site but without the parking that would be required to realistically achieve planning permission for such a scheme.

Everyone needs to accept. BP isn’t a viable long term home for GTFC.

Was the parking issue part of the conclusion of the study though? There are plenty of precedents for stadium redevelopment in situ with increases in capacity without parking provision - Old Trafford, St James Park, Anfield for starters - Anfield in particular is totally hemmed in by terraces streets. The capacity used to be 54k+ in the days of terracing went down 10k+ and now is back up again. Pre-all seater we had a capacity of 17k. I can't see a difference in the planning case. I agree there would need to be financial contributions for match-day shuttle bus from park and ride / station etc.

On some of the notes above, IF Blundell Park was to receive a more glamorous makeover to extend it's life by say 25 years until a new stadium is more viable, then I think that the addition of a rail stop outside the ground could be beneficial.

It would need some logistical thought in terms of mixing fans but if overcome this could alleviate the parking restrictions considerably. I'm sure it would be costly but running a shuttle train between Grimsby and the ground constantly, coupled with scheduled (existing?) stops at the likes of Great Coates, Healing etc would provide a major improvement on accessibility.

There are large train stations 3 mins either side of BP, it doesn’t need another.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

BP is not fit for purpose even in the short to medium term. The disabled facilities are an absolute disgrace for starters. The place is slowly falling apart. The Main Stand would need completely rebuilding as would the Osmond Stand. People rightly expect unobscured views from their seat and easy and free movement when they getting to and from their seats. Most of BP provides neither of those things and it puts people off attending.

As I said in my post, it's not going to happen, there will not be a new ground. There is so much that can be done to improve BP and that is where the emphasis will be.

Personally I am glad about that. So many happy memories at BP

I don't think we should look at a new stadium till we are comfortably partaking and holding on L1.

Sustaining BP I'd look to redevelopment the following:

Additional seating permanent or semi permanent corner stand.(between Pontoon and Main stand)

Resiting Police box.

Other than 4-5 teams I don't see many teams bringing many away fans so I'd look to limit them in Osmond and open the rest to home fans. (Put them in the corner)

I see the priority of investment as Squad, Training Facilities then stadium improvement. I'd rather see 3 points than a shiney new police box!

Quoted from DaleH

As I said in my post, it's not going to happen, there will not be a new ground. There is so much that can be done to improve BP and that is where the emphasis will be.

Personally I am glad about that. So many happy memories at BP

I respectfully think you’re wrong.

JS & AP have been open. They have said it’s off the table for now and would be revisited when we’re filling BP regularly. It is quite possibly that the 3 traditional home stands at BP will be sold out for every single league game next season.

And JS & AP have said how they hope to get their investment back- by Increasing the value of their shares. Footballing position is only worth so much. Infrastructure like a training ground and a modern, fit for purpose stadium will be the main driving force behind 1878 making their money back when they hand over the baton.

Will they want to plan for a new stadium with just the 2 of them? Maybe not. But they’ve said they are open to others coming on board.

Quoted from DaleH

Personally I am glad about that. So many happy memories at BP

Yes, but the Main Stand and Osmond would need knocking down and rebuilding if we wanted to stay at BP in the long term.

And the upper Findus isn’t really fit for purpose anymore is it? You’d never get planning permission for that stand now.

And the Pontoon is the mid 90s stand and not the one fans of a certain age get sentimental about.

If we stay at BP it will end up nothing like the one we have happy memories about. It will be up being a plot of land that an old fashioned ground used to be on before a more modern one was built.

Quoted from grimps

All my neighbours have managed to get permission for Dormer extensions over looking my garden so I’m sure they’d easy be able to get permission for a stand that over looks nothing and if built right wouldn’t affect their sun light.

We seemed to be dead set on moving grounds for 25 years , I doubt if a study has ever even been done to improve Blundell park and increase the capacity

If the dormer is no higher than the existing roof line then that isn't a problem regardless of whether it looks over your property or not. The only problem would be the closeness in proximity of the dormer and the gardens it overlooks . As regards BP , the Main stand could be replaced but objections could be raised if a new stand roof line was higher than the existing one.

Quoted from DaleH

As I said in my post, it's not going to happen, there will not be a new ground. There is so much that can be done to improve BP and that is where the emphasis will be.

Personally I am glad about that. So many happy memories at BP

you have been very adamant about this, which suggests a certain amount of knowledge. Perhaps you could tell us some of the ideas to improve BP?

I'm not a planner, council official or builder but I don't understand the "overlooking" aspect of building extensions etc. I work closely with the services and I've been to one central London barracks that had a craphole loads of flats built ridiculously close to their establishment. There's some really sensitive stuff that goes on there so I have no one how the block of flats got built. People could sit on their respective balconies and are 20metres max from inside the barracks, seeing everybody and everything that goes on! Madness.

While we're all talking about a new ground or developing BP we have forgotten that the major project for JS & AP is the New Training Ground. We are 1 year down the road and no announcement, although the unconfirmed rumours it's to be at Barretts Rec.

Plans, planning permission and finance have to be in place. I have no idea how long all this will take before it comes to fruition but we are probably looking at 12 months at least. The reality of this puts any plans for major ground improvement on the back burner for many years, as suggested by an interview with JS a few weeks ago.

We are left with what we have, with a few tweaks here and there, unless the main stand catches fire.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Yes, but the Main Stand and Osmond would need knocking down and rebuilding if we wanted to stay at BP in the long term.

And the upper Findus isn’t really fit for purpose anymore is it? You’d never get planning permission for that stand now.

And the Pontoon is the mid 90s stand and not the one fans of a certain age get sentimental about.

If we stay at BP it will end up nothing like the one we have happy memories about. It will be up being a plot of land that an old fashioned ground used to be on before a more modern one was built.

Agree with all that, but new stands can go up in a few months now - Leicester Tigers built a 10k all seater in not much more than the close season (not our current close season mind). BP needs a complete redevelopment but it could be done in stages to get to a circa 14k capacity. Not my preference (which is a Freemo location) but it is an option.

Notts County just about rebuilt theirs in close season if memory serves me right.

Quoted from GYinScuntland

Notts County just about rebuilt theirs in close season if memory serves me right.

Yeah I remember it only cost them 4 million and nearly all of that was grants.

We’ve messed around for 25 years awaiting a new ground and we’re still no nearer getting one .
I think we all agree long term one is still needed but until we can find a way of financing it we’re stuck at Blundell park .

We cannot now continue with an 8000 capacity ground when we found have 5-6000 season ticket holders and the other 2000 is for visiting fans .

At the very least short term the corners need to have seats added and the club staff will have to work their cars elsewhere like the rest of us.

As for the police box if it actually has any use these days then I’m sure a directors box could give the same view , if not tell the coppers to get their coats on and stick them up in the camera gantry

Earlier in the thread one or two posters mentioned that the current ground puts some people off going, only to be shot down by one or two others.

It absolutely does put some people off going. Usually the first stands to sell out at the Lower Findus, then the pontoon and upper. Its always the Main Stand where there are tickets left available in the days before a game where a big crowd is expected. And I know there are a good few people who wouldn't go purely because it'd mean sitting in the main stand, paying £20 odd to have an absolutely horrendous view, with a post almost guaranteed to be partially blocking your view of one of the goals, the roof coming down meaning if you're in the top section you can't see the ball when it's in the air, and a tiny bar.

There must be a very limited number of seats that are half decent in the main stand.

Would love to see it rebuilt if that can be done. We'd be able to go back a bit with it and have a concourse like walkway under the stand rather than behind it like it is now. That'd surely allow it to go a bit higher (more seats) too.

Love BP great memories but we've needed a new ground for years.

Can appreciate everyone starting to get itchy feet at the minute, but don’t think the owners will be moved too much from their 5-year-plan that they’ve been talking about over the past few months. The promotion might accelerate a few things, but can’t see moving grounds moving too far up the list.

The training ground is obviously top of the “big projects” agenda at the minute and I think that would have to be concluded one way or another before anything meaningful happens with a new ground. If we can’t deliver a move to a new training ground that ticks all the boxes, then this is something that might have to be incorporated into a new stadium project, for example.

Personally I’d just like to see the open corners properly filled in, not sure how feasible that is with all the stuff currently there mind. Don’t think planning permission would be too much of an issue for something of that scale.

Quoted from ska face

Can appreciate everyone starting to get itchy feet at the minute, but don’t think the owners will be moved too much from their 5-year-plan that they’ve been talking about over the past few months. The promotion might accelerate a few things, but can’t see moving grounds moving too far up the list.

The training ground is obviously top of the “big projects” agenda at the minute and I think that would have to be concluded one way or another before anything meaningful happens with a new ground. If we can’t deliver a move to a new training ground that ticks all the boxes, then this is something that might have to be incorporated into a new stadium project, for example.

Personally I’d just like to see the open corners properly filled in, not sure how feasible that is with all the stuff currently there mind. Don’t think planning permission would be too much of an issue for something of that scale.

A gentle reminder in the ear of Cllr Jackson that he, and his now disgraced deputy we’re going to invest council lonely on the sly using a convicted fraudster…tenner those secret conversations…I’m sure we’d get whatever we wanted…

Filling in the corners would add massively to the acoustics/atmosphere as well, the lads that do alot of the singing in
the corner of the pontoon wouldn't have a lot of the noise they make drowned out by the void next to them.
Town fans can make an intimidating noise for opponents, surely we have to do everything possible to utilise them

Quoted from petethemariner

Filling in the corners would add massively to the acoustics/atmosphere as well, the lads that do alot of the singing in
the corner of the pontoon wouldn't have a lot of the noise they make drowned out by the void next to them.
Town fans can make an intimidating noise for opponents, surely we have to do everything possible to utilise them

I think the best we could hope for is the temporary seats like we had in the 90s , I doubt it’ll have a roof on the corners .
I just have a feeling that the club staff would prefer them to be kept as their car park 😂

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

This sort of thing?

Something like that yes. I'm not sure it is the height and depth of the original Main Stand that is the issue, some much as the age and length. A new stand could be a similar height and depth but extend full length.

I just read the GL, we ought to talk them about a new ground, they've found £25 million for Freshney Place. £25 million would build a new ground with shops, etc., and provide the council with a nice rent.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/north-east-lincolnshire-council-announces-7188634

Quoted from GrimPol

Once you have a licence to run something, enhancing is much much more straightforward than a new build.
We have had two applications thrown out as loads of people objected (including on this forum).
The last "proposal" was Freeman St, except nobody asked if it hadn't been earmarked for social housing.
Somebody pasted a pic on the docks map, but that was never a goer as it's earmarked for business dev., and now a Freeport.
So not only a plot of land hasn't been found, the £20+ million hasn't either.

Who says the old flats site is earmarked for social housing? The council and Freemen were keen on a new Town ground there.

Why not build a stadium-sized ring of apartments at Freemo?

Quoted from DB

While we're all talking about a new ground or developing BP we have forgotten that the major project for JS & AP is the New Training Ground. We are 1 year down the road and no announcement, although the unconfirmed rumours it's to be at Barretts Rec.

Plans, planning permission and finance have to be in place. I have no idea how long all this will take before it comes to fruition but we are probably looking at 12 months at least. The reality of this puts any plans for major ground improvement on the back burner for many years, as suggested by an interview with JS a few weeks ago.

We are left with what we have, with a few tweaks here and there, unless the main stand catches fire.

New training ground is at Winteringham school. 100%

Quoted from gtfc_chris

On some of the notes above, IF Blundell Park was to receive a more glamorous makeover to extend it's life by say 25 years until a new stadium is more viable, then I think that the addition of a rail stop outside the ground could be beneficial.

It would need some logistical thought in terms of mixing fans but if overcome this could alleviate the parking restrictions considerably. I'm sure it would be costly but running a shuttle train between Grimsby and the ground constantly, coupled with scheduled (existing?) stops at the likes of Great Coates, Healing etc would provide a major improvement on accessibility.

The question beggars believe - why isn't there one?

Our old capacity was 17k? I went to see Town V Everton - 26k + there. Can't we make the Main stand two tier ( of course push it down first. The Osmand too for that matter. Surely we can make a park and ride scheme.

Simple provide seating in the corners no need to knock the main stand down

Quoted from Mayaman

Our old capacity was 17k? I went to see Town V Everton - 26k + there. Can't we make the Main stand two tier ( of course push it down first. The Osmand too for that matter. Surely we can make a park and ride scheme.

Just over 22k on the night and I was in the Pontoon.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/brolly-good-win-puts-grimsby-130884

Quoted from DB

While we're all talking about a new ground or developing BP we have forgotten that the major project for JS & AP is the New Training Ground. We are 1 year down the road and no announcement, although the unconfirmed rumours it's to be at Barretts Rec.

Plans, planning permission and finance have to be in place. I have no idea how long all this will take before it comes to fruition but we are probably looking at 12 months at least. The reality of this puts any plans for major ground improvement on the back burner for many years, as suggested by an interview with JS a few weeks ago.

We are left with what we have, with a few tweaks here and there, unless the main stand catches fire.

There is no planning applications in yet either at Bradley Pitches or Cheapside. The last Cheapside application was approved and installed (2 Portacabins in the last 12 months)
There has been an application Jan 2022 , approval June 2022 for 2 x changing blocks , 3 x 3G pitches, 2 off grass pitches with car parking fencing and floodlights at Clee Fields though.
Doesn't mention GTFC but could be one of these "we use it in the daytime, you use it late noon-evening things"
Just thinking out loud.
Just a thought

Quoted from Eastendmariner

Simple provide seating in the corners no need to knock the main stand down

We have to knock the main stand down.
1 Its a yearly discussion with insurance companies for fire insurance. I know it was eyewatering some years ago.
2 One day England Heritage will stick a preservation order on it and make it a listed building. Then you will never be able to do anything.

Heck, they might make you wear a Bowler hat and tie just to sit in it. Instead of shouting the "the refs a bar-steward" you'll have to shout " I say, referee, did you actually know your pater, what?"

Must be dry as tinder these few months. ??)

Quoted from Grimsby Is Not In Yorkshire

As a kid I often used to fantasise about increasing the capacity of BP - I loved Lego and simply applied the same building principals. I'm sure I built BP a few times out of the stuff.

Other than a new stadium and I totally get the pros of this - increased revenue streams, etc. In theory, would it not be possible to extend the Main Stand to the touch line by removing the police box as described elsewhere in this thread AND extend the Findus to both touch lines too? I know in practicality it's probably not worth the cost but why wasn't the Findus initially built to go along the entire length of the pitch?

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was built with a view to turning the pitch, so it was behind the goal - how true this is I've no idea. Possibly dreamt it ;D

Quoted from White_shorts

Who says the old flats site is earmarked for social housing? The council and Freemen were keen on a new Town ground there.

Why not build a stadium-sized ring of apartments at Freemo?

Then let the Council and Freeman build it. I'm sure GTFC/1878 will play there.
If you know something and can help it along, and the club doesn't have a big mortgage around its neck, then I'm all for it. Sorted.

Quoted from Lost in Lincoln

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was built with a view to turning the pitch, so it was behind the goal - how true this is I've no idea. Possibly dreamt it ;D

At 2 feet above sea level, it could do with a crank to lift it at times of flooding. 8)

Quoted from headingly_mariner

What a great problem to have!!!! I never thought we’d be worried about BP being too small when we are a 4th tier club. The attendances and atmosphere at home last season were a welcome shock, because it’s been flipping drab.

Be brilliant next season and I hope that big attendances give the owners a massive headache about space. I fully expect that they’re clever enough to find a solution and a good one. I’m sure they will look at something sustainable, long term and that is a proper football ground.

Blundell Park is flipping spectacular! It’s not a soulless bowl.
With a few tweaks it could be more accessible and with some clever thinking we can really enjoying packing it out.

It's amazing, considering the 20 odd years of F**ty draining the life out of the club!

Quoted from DB

While we're all talking about a new ground or developing BP we have forgotten that the major project for JS & AP is the New Training Ground. We are 1 year down the road and no announcement, although the unconfirmed rumours it's to be at Barretts Rec.

Plans, planning permission and finance have to be in place. I have no idea how long all this will take before it comes to fruition but we are probably looking at 12 months at least. The reality of this puts any plans for major ground improvement on the back burner for many years, as suggested by an interview with JS a few weeks ago.

We are left with what we have, with a few tweaks here and there, unless the main stand catches fire.

I’m sure the owners said last year the new training ground location had been identified, and it would be announced early in the new year… just not this one then!

I don’t think they will be seriously considering putting seats in the corners just yet anyway. I think they’ll see how the crowds hold up first, even a bad result today would knock at least 500 home fans of the next league game.

I think the only adaptation that the main/osmond needs is the pitch of the roof so that NO seats are restricted. If this is cost effective or not, I havent a clue and it may be the case that it’s easier to knock down and start again. Yes there’s sentimental times in there for many people and great memories. But, times have to move on.

The question mark is the time period that the amount of work would take and if it would cause a situation where stands we’re unable to be used for games.

Quoted from DB

I just read the GL, we ought to talk them about a new ground, they've found £25 million for Freshney Place. £25 million would build a new ground with shops, etc., and provide the council with a nice rent.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/north-east-lincolnshire-council-announces-7188634

Taken from the GET " External professionals have now been assigned to maintain the centre as the council looks to expand on it's long-term plans. The acquisition, they stress, comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer with funds provided through grant funding and rents".
While I want a new ground for GTFC as much as the next fan, the acquisition and development of Freshney Pace is a totally different kind of investment to us needing a new football stadium.

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

I believe that the club were going to turn the ground around 90 degrees so that the findus would’ve been behind the goal.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I think that's just a rumour started by a bullsh!t merchant. I can't believe the club would be so stupid as to embark on a pitch rotation masterplan before they were able to demolish the houses behind the Main Stand.

There was no all-seater requirement in 1982, so no need to rotate the pitch to create room for bigger side stands. I assume the Findus only covers half the length of the pitch because that's all the club could get permission for.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Just over 22k on the night and I was in the Pontoon.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/brolly-good-win-puts-grimsby-130884

I thought it was 26k but according to your link 22k . What can't speak , can't lie as Del Boy would say. I was in the Pontoon on a milk crate. Saw one goal go in. What an atmosphere.

Quoted from DB

Where does the money come from to build a new stadium? The core tenant at most sites were supermarket type developments which are now out of fashion, so other money has to be sorted, but from where?

I've mentioned Grimsby West a couple of times as a new stadium enabling development. St Nicholas View will be adjacent to the A1136 and include a primary school, community hub and village store. A stadium can incorporate classrooms, meeting rooms and shops.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/3800-homes-shops-primary-school-5443612

There are several plus points:

*The stadium would be built at the same time as the houses, so no complaints from local residents;

*Visiting supporters would get in and out quickly without going near the town centre, so less potential for crowd trouble. This is especially important if we were playing in the Championship, as the big city teams can bring 2-3k fans;

*Far from the cemetery, so no need to put fast food restaurants next to the crematorium and no gridlock on Peaks Parkway at 5pm.

Quoted from White_shorts

I've mentioned Grimsby West a couple of times as a new stadium enabling development. St Nicholas View will be adjacent to the A1136 and include a primary school, community hub and village store. A stadium can incorporate classrooms, meeting rooms and shops.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/3800-homes-shops-primary-school-5443612

There are several plus points:

*The stadium would be built at the same time as the houses, so no complaints from local residents;

*Visiting supporters would get in and out quickly without going near the town centre, so less potential for crowd trouble. This is especially important if we were playing in the Championship, as the big city teams can bring 2-3k fans;

*Far from the cemetery, so no need to put fast food restaurants next to the crematorium and no gridlock on Peaks Parkway at 5pm.

oh good - a new post from white shorts

oh god - it's about the new ground (again!)

zzzzzzzzzzz

Quoted from White_shorts

I've mentioned Grimsby West a couple of times as a new stadium enabling development. St Nicholas View will be adjacent to the A1136 and include a primary school, community hub and village store. A stadium can incorporate classrooms, meeting rooms and shops.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/3800-homes-shops-primary-school-5443612

There are several plus points:

*The stadium would be built at the same time as the houses, so no complaints from local residents;

*Visiting supporters would get in and out quickly without going near the town centre, so less potential for crowd trouble. This is especially important if we were playing in the Championship, as the big city teams can bring 2-3k fans;

*Far from the cemetery, so no need to put fast food restaurants next to the crematorium and no gridlock on Peaks Parkway at 5pm.

A large-scale residential scheme like this can fund a project like a community stadium without it needing to be planted right in the middle of the housing estate.

Both JS & AP have said were not moving in the foreseeable future and want to develop BP in the short-term ( or even long-term)

Quoted from DB

Both JS & AP have said were not moving in the foreseeable future and want to develop BP in the short-term ( or even long-term)

I like JS & AP, but they are extremely selective when talking about Blundell Park attendances and the need for a new stadium.

“We’re not filling BP” being the main false justification for a new stadium not being required.

Take a look at Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and probably numerous I haven’t mentioned for clubs leaving tired old grounds and moving to a new stadium and their attendances Sky-rocketing because they can offer spacious, modern facilities, no restricted views and a modern match day experience to customers (fans).

If we had a Rotherham type stadium we could get 8-10,000 home fans to every league match even in L2.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

I like JS & AP, but they are extremely selective when talking about how Blundell Park attendances and the need for a new stadium.

“We’re not filling BP” being the main false justification for a new stadium not being required.

Take a look at Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and probably numerous I haven’t mentioned for clubs leaving tired old grounds and moving to a new stadium and their attendances Sky-rocketing because they can offer spacious, modern facilities, no restricted views and a modern match day experience to customers (fans).

If we had a Rotherham type stadium we could get 8-10,000 home fans to every league match even in L2.

I do wish Blundell Park's capacity was 3.5-4k bigger than it was now. It's anecdotal but I've seen on here, WhatsApp groups and Facebook numerous people who would go more regularly but can't because they can't sit together or get a half decent view. Ideally you'd want to be getting another 1,500-2,000 on the average attendance with similar left over dotted around the ground so we had a fair few seats available for casual fans. You'd get naturally higher attendances and build habits in more people, thus more consistent cash income.

Quoted from Mariner_09

I do wish Blundell Park's capacity was 3.5-4k bigger than it was now. It's anecdotal but I've seen on here, WhatsApp groups and Facebook numerous people who would go more regularly but can't because they can't sit together or get a half decent view. Ideally you'd want to be getting another 1,500-2,000 on the average attendance with similar left over dotted around the ground so we had a fair few seats available for casual fans. You'd get naturally higher attendances and build habits in more people, thus more consistent cash income.

Blundell Park is a cash cow. Has been for years and, whilst it has to be maintained, it bleeds money. I’m sure the owners know that.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

I like JS & AP, but they are extremely selective when talking about Blundell Park attendances and the need for a new stadium.

“We’re not filling BP” being the main false justification for a new stadium not being required.

Take a look at Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and probably numerous I haven’t mentioned for clubs leaving tired old grounds and moving to a new stadium and their attendances Sky-rocketing because they can offer spacious, modern facilities, no restricted views and a modern match day experience to customers (fans).

If we had a Rotherham type stadium we could get 8-10,000 home fans to every league match even in L2.

So far both JS & AP have not given us the figure of a 'full house' they are referring to, which is a bit disconcerting. We know the capacity is about 9,032 and somewhere around 8,000 -8,400 are the highest gates; but is 8,400 the full house figure JS & AP allude to?

If JS & AP want to stay at BP then they need to carry out some major work. As you point out other clubs have moved to new stadiums so we will have to wait and see. Talking of waiting AP spoke optimistically about the new training ground in January and we are still waiting, so any activity on a new ground/BP will probably take years.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

I like JS & AP, but they are extremely selective when talking about Blundell Park attendances and the need for a new stadium.

“We’re not filling BP” being the main false justification for a new stadium not being required.

Take a look at Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and probably numerous I haven’t mentioned for clubs leaving tired old grounds and moving to a new stadium and their attendances Sky-rocketing because they can offer spacious, modern facilities, no restricted views and a modern match day experience to customers (fans).

If we had a Rotherham type stadium we could get 8-10,000 home fans to every league match even in L2.

What a match day experience Shrewsbury offer massive car park that fans can’t use absolutely nowhere to park around the ground due to permit restrictions nearest pub miles away. these ground built on the back of a residential area are not match day friendly. I actually like Shrewsbury ground but the location is awful

Last time I went Shrewsbury, I parked on a pub carpark just over 5 mins from the ground, sat and had a nice meal and was on the A5 10 mins or so after the game finished. Agree otherwise use Town Centre carpark and catch bus :-/

Quoted from White_shorts

I've mentioned Grimsby West a couple of times as a new stadium enabling development. St Nicholas View will be adjacent to the A1136 and include a primary school, community hub and village store. A stadium can incorporate classrooms, meeting rooms and shops.

https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/3800-homes-shops-primary-school-5443612

There are several plus points:

*The stadium would be built at the same time as the houses, so no complaints from local residents;

*Visiting supporters would get in and out quickly without going near the town centre, so less potential for crowd trouble. This is especially important if we were playing in the Championship, as the big city teams can bring 2-3k fans;

*Far from the cemetery, so no need to put fast food restaurants next to the crematorium and no gridlock on Peaks Parkway at 5pm.

A bit deluded if you think away fans won't go into the town centre pre match, of course they will.
It would just mean them getting a cab or bus etc to the ground and having us pencilled in as a excrement awayday.

Talking of waiting AP spoke optimistically about the new training ground in January and we are still waiting, so any activity on a new ground/BP will probably take years.

[/quote]

Have to say any news/announcements regarding the new training ground are surprisingly very hard to come by and given this was one of the first tasks on the “to do list” I am a little surprised this hasn’t moved forward as of yet. Sure things are happening in the background but one would have thought more progress would have been made by now.

Quoted from denni266

No not needed yet , We dont fill blundell park as it is very often .

It's not just about filling the ground every week it is also the facilities such as bars in each stand and decent toilets and food outlets. Not having to watch a game with posts in your way.

Some games we are losing out on away supporters plus with great facilities I reckon we could increase our home support.

Quoted from arryarryarry

It's not just about filling the ground every week it is also the facilities such as bars in each stand and decent toilets and food outlets. Not having to watch a game with posts in your way.

Some games we are losing out on away supporters plus with great facilities I reckon we could increase our home support.

Spot on. The match day experience is better in terms of catering but the viewing and the poor sound system remain the same.

Quoted from arryarryarry

It's not just about filling the ground every week it is also the facilities such as bars in each stand and decent toilets and food outlets. Not having to watch a game with posts in your way.

Some games we are losing out on away supporters plus with great facilities I reckon we could increase our home support.

If STH no shows are disregarded - seats are already paid for, I'd be surprised if any club tops our current home area % utilisation outside the premiership apart from Luton and maybe Norwich. On top of that a couple of hundred or more seats (what's happened to the Trust survey of this?) are hardly fit for purpose. Also, we now how one of the smallest away capacities in the League. To say we don't need extra capacity is just garbage...

They'll be plenty of empty seats next season as the recession bites and people will grow tired of hurstball.

Quoted from Phil the cod

They'll be plenty of empty seats next season as the recession bites and people will grow tired of hurstball.

Hopefully something bites you.

This has been debated to death on here..The tone deafness of the new owners to the capacity issue can only mean that it’s not a problem they expected and solutions are not within the zone of funding they had earmarked to support their purchase of the club.

Quoted from HerveJosse

This has been debated to death on here..The tone deafness of the new owners to the capacity issue can only mean that it’s not a problem they expected and solutions are not within the zone of funding they had earmarked to support their purchase of the club.

Or...one swallow doesn't make a summer.
They have grown support on the back of a successful season...for the first time in my living memory the club is near capacity every week ....but it's only now...part of a single season in our history of B.P. ....hardly the foundation to spunk a load cash on a new stadium. Improve what we have for now, value the supporters...I would think 2 or 3 seasons of similar demand would be required before any true effort to relocate would be pushed up the agenda.

We definitely need a new stadium. I don't believe there's thousands of fans waiting in the wings, but we could certainly get more for bigger games- but as many have pointed out, it's about the experience. Getting in and out, having an unrestricted view etc.

I'd be surprised if owners are not starting some conversations about a new ground in the background, and wisely not saying anything about it publically

Quoted from Phil the cod

They'll be plenty of empty seats next season as the recession bites and people will grow tired of hurstball.

On the other hand promotion to League should ensure STH renew their seats.

Talk of a new ground is just that, demolish the main stand rebuild it with upward sloping roof to match the pontoon, get rid of police box and join roofing of pontoon to new main stand and fill corner with seats, then when feasible do the same with Osmond end
Extend findus stand both ends and Bobs yer uncle.
Plenty of room exists just the gumption and drive required, sadly still missing where it matters, small Town ghinking

Quoted from moosey_club

Or...one swallow doesn't make a summer.
They have grown support on the back of a successful season...for the first time in my living memory the club is near capacity every week ....but it's only now...part of a single season in our history of B.P. ....hardly the foundation to spunk a load cash on a new stadium. Improve what we have for now, value the supporters...I would think 2 or 3 seasons of similar demand would be required before any true effort to relocate would be pushed up the agenda.

I completely agree with this. I think there's no way we can build a new stadium based on one season of good attendances when a mid-table finish might see us return to 5k a week next season. If that happens and we still sell all those season tickets, then the situation changes slightly and maybe there is a need for a larger capacity. It'd just be nice to hear them say that we need to sustain high attendances rather than saying we aren't getting them.

Another problem is the funding. They aren't rich enough to build a new stadium out of their own pockets and will be fully aware of how difficult local support was to get this going over more than 20 years. We need a new home, but I struggle to see it happening in the next decade.

Quoted from Phil the cod

They'll be plenty of empty seats next season as the recession bites and people will grow tired of hurstball.

Fun sponge

Just a thought and it's got no proof of anything but I wonder if we're limited to capacity due to the ground for various reasons (ie a certain amount of fire exits or some sort of health and safety regulation) surely if it was as simple as renting some green seats and wacking them up they'd have done it already? There's websites you can literally rent them from and they deliver and install them themselves... Maybe I'm wrong but maybe it isn't as simple as just taking the risk of the expense in hope we fill it each week

Quoted from lukeo

Just a thought and it's got no proof of anything but I wonder if we're limited to capacity due to the ground for various reasons (ie a certain amount of fire exits or some sort of health and safety regulation) surely if it was as simple as renting some green seats and wacking them up they'd have done it already? There's websites you can literally rent them from and they deliver and install them themselves... Maybe I'm wrong but maybe it isn't as simple as just taking the risk of the expense in hope we fill it each week

I think this time of year, we’d have to be flying high in the league or have some upturn in weather to expect open seating to be filled week in week out. The option (possibly) may Be to move the fan zone to Harrington st/imperial corner and have the temporary seating to form part of the away end

Quoted from WOZOFGRIMSBY

I think this time of year, we’d have to be flying high in the league or have some upturn in weather to expect open seating to be filled week in week out. The option (possibly) may Be to move the fan zone to Harrington st/imperial corner and have the temporary seating to form part of the away end

Move the car park outside of the Findus to Harrington St and the fan zone in the car park. As someone made the point above the supporters come first.

There no way that we could afford a new ground now and those who are daft enough to believe we’d fill it every 2nd week are bonkers.

Quoted from DB

So far both JS & AP have not given us the figure of a 'full house' they are referring to, which is a bit disconcerting. We know the capacity is about 9,032 and somewhere around 8,000 -8,400 are the highest gates; but is 8,400 the full house figure JS & AP allude to?

If JS & AP want to stay at BP then they need to carry out some major work. As you point out other clubs have moved to new stadiums so we will have to wait and see. Talking of waiting AP spoke optimistically about the new training ground in January and we are still waiting, so any activity on a new ground/BP will probably take years.

To add to these figures today's gate v Donny was 8026, of which 1194 were from donny. So is a 'Full House@ around 6,900 to 7,000? of home fans. We'll have to wait and see.

Quoted from DB

To add to these figures today's gate v Donny was 8026, of which 1194 were from donny. So is a 'Full House@ around 6,900 to 7,000? of home fans. We'll have to wait and see.

Why?. We know the answer is around 7100 from the Forest game where there were no untaken seats. 6832 home today leaves 200-300 season ticket holders missing . The only ones who don’t seem to know this are the management /owners or it doesn’t suit to say so. . In addition several hundred of these are not really fit for purpose

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Move the car park outside of the Findus to Harrington St and the fan zone in the car park. As someone made the point above the supporters come first.

There no way that we could afford a new ground now and those who are daft enough to believe we’d fill it every 2nd week are bonkers.

The fact we can't afford a new ground doesn't take away from the fact that we do need one. It's definitely a catch 22, but Blundell Park is definitely a relic and a much-loved one, but we do require a new ground with the further income revenues a new ground can supply.

After todays dross I think the ground is the last of our worries, we will be playing in front of 4K next year

Quoted from Dave Gilberts Left Peg

After todays dross I think the ground is the last of our worries, we will be playing in front of 4K next year

Totaly agree... We need a team that can win at home or fans will not come no matter what the stadium is like . I for one do not think a new stadium is needed right now especially in div two and especialy the way we play at home tis season

Quoted from denni266

Totaly agree... We need a team that can win at home or fans will not come no matter what the stadium is like . I for one do not think a new stadium is needed right now especially in div two and especialy the way we play at home tis season

Form is temporarily a new stadium is permanent.

Quoted from Plankton

The fact we can't afford a new ground doesn't take away from the fact that we do need one. It's definitely a catch 22, but Blundell Park is definitely a relic and a much-loved one, but we do require a new ground with the further income revenues a new ground can supply.

Does the fact we can’t afford it mean people should keep dragging up the topic or not?

I think focusing on the reality is probably best, listen to the owners as they’ve said (paraphrase) it’s not happening for a good while yet.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Does the fact we can’t afford it mean people should keep dragging up the topic or not?

I think focusing on the reality is probably best, listen to the owners as they’ve said (paraphrase) it’s not happening for a good while yet.

It frustrates me that we continue to chuck money at BP. I noticed today that the advertising boards have gone off the top of the Osmond. Does this mean reduced advertising revenue?

Think the team have been told not to perform at home so we don't have need of a bigger stadium due to support dropping away

Quoted from MuddyWaters

It frustrates me that we continue to chuck money at BP. I noticed today that the advertising boards have gone off the top of the Osmond. Does this mean reduced advertising revenue?

£2.50 for a cup of tea in the Findus I think there’s an all round shared expectation that people will chuck money at BP.

To be honest in the side of the ground we sit other than the red barriers in the upper being replaced by glass I can’t see any other areas where money has been spent.

When costs are squeezed for SME’s and in reality there is very little quantifiable value in local out of home sport’s sponsorship it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s less in ground advertising income.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

It frustrates me that we continue to chuck money at BP. I noticed today that the advertising boards have gone off the top of the Osmond. Does this mean reduced advertising revenue?

They've gone because they haven't been sold. We forced Dave Smith out by hiring somebody to do his job who is nowhere near as good. Then make statements in the press insinuating that people left because they couldn't perform with the higher expectations and some lies about printing issues to try and save face

Let's see how many turn up against Stevenage and the rest of the home games this season...we have had back to back games where the away end has been full and relative derbies so the home stands are full as well.

Advertising....think half of the boards have been stripped as businesses no longer exist....Mick Mcgarry Turf Accouncants and Peter Sheffield Coaches were still up there I think 🤣

Spoke with some Donny fans after the game and they said how good it was to be at an old school ground with a cracking atmosphere from the 3 home stands.

flipping hell. Ya know things aren’t going too bad when people are still going on about some advertising boards. Who flipping cares?

Aside from Covid, I’ve missed one home game in about 20 years and I couldn’t tell you a flipping single thing about any advertising board. I didn’t even spot they were missing.

People really need to stop reading in to stuff or trying to find things to moan about.

Quoted from pen penfras

They've gone because they haven't been sold. We forced Dave Smith out by hiring somebody to do his job who is nowhere near as good. Then make statements in the press insinuating that people left because they couldn't perform with the higher expectations and some lies about printing issues to try and save face

Maybe you should fork out £900 for a “Bring Back Dave Smith” advertising board, everyone’s a winner.

Quoted from ska face

Maybe you should fork out £900 for a “Bring Back Dave Smith” advertising board, everyone’s a winner.

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

Quoted from pen penfras

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

As we generally replace non playing colleagues on a 1 for 1 basis so you don’t know what the incumbent can do until they’re established in the role. You came out with the sweeping statement the other week about average office turnover being 10% but if your office is average then expect turnover to be higher.

Quite simply the new owners want to improve aspects of the club that the old wouldn’t lower himself to address, JS & AP are really experienced and if they believe they can attract better talent to improve us then that’s their choice to make as owners. It just reflects what the manager does he brings what he feels is better talent in to improve results.

Quoted from pen penfras

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

A massive influx of new staff and roles created at the Club but so far I see very few benefits? Most of us me included are pretty much most concerned about what we see on the pitch. These new owners talk a great game well let's see it then please.Where and when is this training pitch coming? How much extra revenue have you brought in aside from ticket sales massively increasing. Will you be backing the manager heavily in January when clearly we need 3-4 quality additions? The honeymoon is over

Quoted from pen penfras

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

I have no gripe with our new owners or with Dave Smith but correct me if I’m wrong but Dave only left a few weeks ago after the season was well underway. Thus given our increased feel good factor I would have expected any sale of ground advertising boards to have been done and dusted by the time he departed so not sure the removal of a number of them can be laid at the door of his replacement.

To be honest amazed that any company buys these boards as Aldi said who ever looks at them.

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

I have no gripe with our new owners or with Dave Smith but correct me if I’m wrong but Dave only left a few weeks ago after the season was well underway. Thus given our increased feel good factor I would have expected any sale of ground advertising boards to have been done and dusted by the time he departed so not sure the removal of a number of them can be laid at the door of his replacement.

To be honest amazed that any company buys these boards as Aldi said who ever looks at them.

But the department changed long before Dave left. Somebody was hired to be his boss and changed the way things are done. I've never seen black boards around the ground during the season before.

Companies buy them to support the club, it's not like they get very much out of it.

Quoted from pen penfras

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

I’d say they were part of the issue then, to realise that the previous owner was as a buffoon but they kept going and ploughing on, doing very little to try and change things.

They could’ve left, they didn’t. Now new owners are changing the shape, the direction of the club and so forth and they’re being pushed to the side or leaving, it happens. In every single profession. You can do that with honesty and transparency too. We serve notice on kids at school, we’re a trauma informed setting and we serve notice in a trauma informed way.

It’s just the usual, people trying to find something to moan about.

It’s a non story really, all the advertising boards about the Main stand were removed last year and replaced.

As I said, and I’m sure plenty would agree, I’ve barely missed a home game since 89 and I couldn’t tell you a single advertising board. How much income they generate for the businesses can’t be much.

As Ska said though, plenty of space, could always sling a couple of hundred quid in for some MDF with ‘save smudger’ on.

[b][/b]

Quoted from pen penfras

But the department changed long before Dave left. Somebody was hired to be his boss and changed the way things are done. I've never seen black boards around the ground during the season before.

Companies buy them to support the club, it's not like they get very much out of it.

Do they?

So I work for a business that involves around 1,000 SME’s across the UK and those businesses would never buy such an unquantifiable media to support a club, they’d buy it to raise the profile of their business in a location that has regular high numbers of attendees.

Maybe some businesses in what is a challenging period can’t see the value in this kind of spend rather than anything the club may or may not be doing.

You have to get your head out of small town mentality, just because someone is a nice lad or lovely lass the way of the world now sadly is that that won’t keep them in a job.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

[b][/b]

Do they?

So I work for a business that involves around 1,000 SME’s across the UK and those businesses would never buy such an unquantifiable media to support a club, they’d buy it to raise the profile of their business in a location that has regular high numbers of attendees.

Maybe some businesses in what is a challenging period can’t see the value in this kind of spend rather than anything the club may or may not be doing.

You have to get your head out of small town mentality, just because someone is a nice lad or lovely lass the way of the world now sadly is that that won’t keep them in a job.

Probably why some of those people were at BP so long, look at Fleming, hard to see any element of effectiveness in his role as CEO or impact.

May be they were nice people but that doesn’t drive a company forward. As you say, people need to relive the small town mentality and also explore why a small, local business would throw any money in to a no mark football team for little benefit and little coverage isn’t he current climate.

Plenty put money in to the club since a certain person left but we don’t talk about that, instead we’ll talk about a few empty advertising boards. Although, as I’ve said, I couldn’t actually tell you any, not because I’m not observant, quite the opposite in that area, more that it’s not really something I’m arsed about or look at.

I’ve said it before, and will beat the drum again, but if a side panel was put up at the main stand side of the pontoon, it would be prime advertising space and keep any noise inside the pontoon (plus keep people dry!)

Am I right in thinking that there used to be advertising on the roof of the main (and possibly osmond?)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.co.uk%2Fpin%2F816136763696003154%2F&psig=AOvVaw3eZhhR_5Md-ubmhJn_tPiI&ust=1668427488698000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCOiJ3vCOq_sCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAO

I also remember Glanville Tours or something like that on the mainstand roof as well.

Quoted from pen penfras

Maybe I just feel like the way that a lot of people, who have given a lot to this club over the years, have been treated is unacceptable. Especially when we hear so much publicity about the respect and values the club is supposed to hold. If we'd brought in people who were doing a great job, then it'd be somewhat justified, but most of the staff over the years did a fantastic job regardless of what you think of the owner.

You keep saying this and yet we never finished above mid table league 2 in all the years JF was at the helm. We were relegated numerous times, twice to non league (effectively three times but for points deductions) and when JF finally left (with every penny he had "invested" in the club and more) he had taken us from the Championship and left us in non league with the worst squad of players I have ever seen.

Brilliant job, well done.

Quoted from ginnywings

You keep saying this and yet we never finished above mid table league 2 in all the years JF was at the helm. We were relegated numerous times, twice to non league (effectively three times but for points deductions) and when JF finally left (with every penny he had "invested" in the club and more) he had taken us from the Championship and left us in non league with the worst squad of players I have ever seen.

Brilliant job, well done.

Bang on mate.

There are 3 of us that have not been this season we want to sit together and like the lower smiths stand but it’s all sold out now so we don’t bother going.
We watch Clee Town more there must be loads of fans like us the main stand is overpriced and rubbish view.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

A massive influx of new staff and roles created at the Club but so far I see very few benefits? Most of us me included are pretty much most concerned about what we see on the pitch. These new owners talk a great game well let's see it then please.Where and when is this training pitch coming? How much extra revenue have you brought in aside from ticket sales massively increasing. Will you be backing the manager heavily in January when clearly we need 3-4 quality additions? The honeymoon is over

I do agree with this I must say.

Last week I went in 3 stands - the upper for the Plymouth game, the Main for the Man. City game (I know, but the grandson wanted to go) and my usual pontoon seat for the league game.

Any improvements have been superficial at best; they seem extremely keen on the quality of the food, but many (most?) fans don't go for the food.

I think it is time for the directors to outline their plans, which do not include further generic references to shared values, and community ambitions, as we know how important those things are, but let's face it just about every club espouses those values endlessly on their Twitter accounts and other social media. It is very important and we were starved of such basics from seemingly the only man in football (Fenty) who did not see the benefits of such things. Now that we are running with the herd in such fundamental matters we need to have ambitious plans for the club itself.

I totally understand Stockwood's desire to use the club as a fulcrum for the town's community values, but I think they will have to outline their thoughts on how it might be achieved. That will surely involve infrastructure, at the stadium, at a new training complex or a new stadium. Stockwood has said before he has investors waiting in the wings, so surely we can utilise such commitments while interest remains relatively high?

I have heard a few complaints lately that the information coming out of the club is not updated enough; there seemed surprisingly little last week on the Doncaster game, and once again there were lots of empty seats in the Pontoon presumably due to season ticket holders not turning up. This should have been addressed with some sort of bonus scheme for fans to allow the seats to be re-sold.

I hope they are working behind the scenes on some major plans but in addition to that they also need to consider the most important thing of all - results on the pitch. It is certainly a tough gig but our expectations from the new owners are very high due to the incredible success they have had in their respective fields.

Ist there a question or a point in there somewhere, or are you just venting because we’ve lost the last 3 league games? What do you want/expect/suggest?

Quoted from chaos33

Ist there a question or a point in there somewhere, or are you just venting because we’ve lost the last 3 league games? What do you want/expect/suggest?

Has your account been hacked? You don't seem to be the same poster who for many years I thought reasonable and who I often agreed with. You have now turned into the forum's resident bully, anxious to belittle any poster who you don't agree with.

It's a football forum; nothing more nothing less. We all have differing opinions on all sorts of things and it is not your job to police them. If you cannot understand the gist of my post then what can I do? I don't want to ask a question particularly I am just commenting on my club, and the current state of play. I think going to BP as man and boy for over 60 years gives me that right.

I’m not bullying you. I just don’t get your point. What are you unhappy about? The results ? Of course. I agree. Beyond that, what…?

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I do agree with this I must say.

Last week I went in 3 stands - the upper for the Plymouth game, the Main for the Man. City game (I know, but the grandson wanted to go) and my usual pontoon seat for the league game.

Any improvements have been superficial at best; they seem extremely keen on the quality of the food, but many (most?) fans don't go for the food.

I think it is time for the directors to outline their plans, which do not include further generic references to shared values, and community ambitions, as we know how important those things are, but let's face it just about every club espouses those values endlessly on their Twitter accounts and other social media. It is very important and we were starved of such basics from seemingly the only man in football (Fenty) who did not see the benefits of such things. Now that we are running with the herd in such fundamental matters we need to have ambitious plans for the club itself.

I totally understand Stockwood's desire to use the club as a fulcrum for the town's community values, but I think they will have to outline their thoughts on how it might be achieved. That will surely involve infrastructure, at the stadium, at a new training complex or a new stadium. Stockwood has said before he has investors waiting in the wings, so surely we can utilise such commitments while interest remains relatively high?

I have heard a few complaints lately that the information coming out of the club is not updated enough; there seemed surprisingly little last week on the Doncaster game, and once again there were lots of empty seats in the Pontoon presumably due to season ticket holders not turning up. This should have been addressed with some sort of bonus scheme for fans to allow the seats to be re-sold.

I hope they are working behind the scenes on some major plans but in addition to that they also need to consider the most important thing of all - results on the pitch. It is certainly a tough gig but our expectations from the new owners are very high due to the incredible success they have had in their respective fields.

Other than a new training ground, details TBC I’m not sure the plan the owners have will deviate from “evolution not revolution”.

The empty seats bit is interesting there are half a dozen seats in a row in the Upper on row G behind where we sit I’m not sure anyone has sat in them since the season started.

I’ve missed/will miss a couple of games due to work I’d be happy to open up my ticket in exchange for say points towards a club shop voucher or a discounted table in McMenemy’s before a game etc.. but I want it to be easy, like everything I just want a self service app on my phone where I can just click release. This is something the club can do I think and they should do more on this topic.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Other than a new training ground, details TBC I’m not sure the plan the owners have will deviate from “evolution not revolution”.

The empty seats bit is interesting there are half a dozen seats in a row in the Upper on row G behind where we sit I’m not sure anyone has sat in them since the season started.

I’ve missed/will miss a couple of games due to work I’d be happy to open up my ticket in exchange for say points towards a club shop voucher or a discounted table in McMenemy’s before a game etc.. but I want it to be easy, like everything I just want a self service app on my phone where I can just click release. This is something the club can do I think and they should do more on this topic.

There’s got to be some incentive to release your seat. It’s also a manual task to get your disabled free ticket for a cup game through the system. The sound system remains awful, the Main Stand facilities in general are sub standard. There’s still so much money to be spent on BP that it’s bound to impact on the overall budget plus we continue to recruit for an ever increasing number of newly created back room roles. I still remain convinced that, in a football club, the football comes first. I’m all for running a solid business but surely the foundation for that has to be success in the core activities?

Just out of interest, at what point are the club allowed to spend money on anything outside the first team squad? After a Premier League win, or Champs League perhaps?

Quoted from ska face

Just out of interest, at what point are the club allowed to spend money on anything outside the first team squad? After a Premier League win, or Champs League perhaps?

At what point did I suggest that other things didn’t need improvement?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

At what point did I suggest that other things didn’t need improvement?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I still remain convinced that, in a football club, the football comes first.

Football first, everything else…mañana.

Quoted from ska face

Football first, everything else…mañana.

Not at all. Success = bums on seats (ST sales) = more money to spend across all areas

Failure = lower attendances = less money = decaying facilities and infrastructure

Bit simplistic & not necessarily backed up by the facts. Not that long ago we were getting 4-5k in the Championship with 2000 in the away end. What’s the lowest attendance we’ve had so far this season, middling in League 2, a touch under 6k on a Tuesday night?

How does the saying go, the best time to fix the roof is while the sun is shining? Football isn’t is straightforward as other businesses, you can throw endless amounts of money at a team and it doesn’t guarantee success, look at Salford, FGR were millions in the red for years before going up, even Wrexham last year.

I may not necessarily agree with all the decisions the owners are making, or know what their plans are, but they do appear to be playing the long game if you like.

There doesn't seem a lot wrong with their approach for me. A two pronged attack, targeting the squad and the dilapidated facilities at the same time. Problem is, when we don't win every game we play in, we get people saying, "I'd rather have a better No 9 than a glass panel".

We can have both, eventually. Patience is the key.

I’m on the fence with this. There’s definitely been improvements to food offerings and stuff like the glass panel on the Upper that will make a marginal gain to matchday takings. Essentially work on BP is just turd polishing and I think people would be more forgiving of lower squad investment if there were (visible or more prominent) significant changes going on.

That said: I don’t for one minute think there wasn’t attempts to bring strikers in during preseason but were we too focused on getting the perfect candidate rather than getting one that ticked most boxes? Those sort of decisions bite months down the line at renewal time when you have a big crowd in for a local game and play without a recognised forward. There is no such thing as perfection.

Y'know I'm getting a bit more disappointed with the stuff going on at the club, or perhaps I should say what appears to not be going on.

I, like most I suspect, got swept up a bit that there would be huge changes and within a few years we would be a powerhouse in English football.  That's despite 1878 preaching about incremental change.   After a whirlwind first year, it's all kinda slowed down a bit and combined with a bit of excrement start to the season at home all feels very meh.

There's things that I can't get my head round.  The stubborn approach towards the capacity at the ground, the apparent refusal to do anything about the poor views in certain seats, a few broken promises, or if I'm kinder undelivered promises, like the incentive to gift back your ST for a game or the bring a friend for a fiver, what looks like to be a stopping of the refresh of the ground (the Main Stand, for example, has had intercourse all done to it that I can see - the toilets are still a disgrace and should have been sorted years ago.  Very interesting point was made to a few weeks ago that their appalling condition was far more of a priority than the perspex screen in the Upper, but it depends on where you sit...).  In isolation it's nothing.  Collectively it adds up and there definitely feels a more negative view towards the club than since the new regime began.

But I do think we need a sense of perspective.  In terms of improvement to Blundell Park, there's only so much polishing you can do.  In its current state, the ground is crumbling and largely beyond a bit of a freshen up.  There's also a lot that we don't see.  You only see the things that urine you off.  The old scoreboard supports in the away end are gone, but there was little about this.  Bit by bit, stuff is happening.  But we want it faster and I do get this, if I'm going to criticise the club it's that they do seem to be moving slow on certain things.

On the pitch though, I'm sorry I can't really even entertain the idea that we've not made improvements.  18 months ago we were dropping out the Football League for the second time in 11 years having had to build a new squad in the January transfer window with players from the sixth-tier of the game and guys who hadn't played for two years.   Yeah, it's excrement at the minute with one win at home in the league all season but compare it to two years ago.  You can't tell me we're not in a better position now.  Within that we achieved promotion at the first time of asking out of the Conference, something that took an age to do before.  A key factor in that was the fitness levels and mental strength of the squad in the play-offs.  That doesn't happen by accident.  That comes from investing in the right support backroom staff and infrastructure.  That's some improvement from 2 years previously where we couldn't even pump a flipping football up properly!

We've spent £100k on a young talent.  Now, you can argue that we should have used the money for X,Y or Z.  But 1878 don't sign the players.  Investing that level of money in a player is some going from signing 3 strikers from the depths of non-league because a mate mentioned them.

We've definitely improved, on and off the pitch.  Improvement isn't a straight line though, the projection will always vary.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Y'know I'm getting a bit more disappointed with the stuff going on at the club, or perhaps I should say what appears to not be going on.

I, like most I suspect, got swept up a bit that there would be huge changes and within a few years we would be a powerhouse in English football.  That's despite 1878 preaching about incremental change.   After a whirlwind first year, it's all kinda slowed down a bit and combined with a bit of excrement start to the season at home all feels very meh.

There's things that I can't get my head round.  The stubborn approach towards the capacity at the ground, the apparent refusal to do anything about the poor views in certain seats, a few broken promises, or if I'm kinder undelivered promises, like the incentive to gift back your ST for a game or the bring a friend for a fiver, what looks like to be a stopping of the refresh of the ground (the Main Stand, for example, has had intercourse all done to it that I can see - the toilets are still a disgrace and should have been sorted years ago.  Very interesting point was made to a few weeks ago that their appalling condition was far more of a priority than the perspex screen in the Upper, but it depends on where you sit...).  In isolation it's nothing.  Collectively it adds up and there definitely feels a more negative view towards the club than since the new regime began.

But I do think we need a sense of perspective.  In terms of improvement to Blundell Park, there's only so much polishing you can do.  In its current state, the ground is crumbling and largely beyond a bit of a freshen up.  There's also a lot that we don't see.  You only see the things that urine you off.  The old scoreboard supports in the away end are gone, but there was little about this.  Bit by bit, stuff is happening.  But we want it faster and I do get this, if I'm going to criticise the club it's that they do seem to be moving slow on certain things.

On the pitch though, I'm sorry I can't really even entertain the idea that we've not made improvements.  18 months ago we were dropping out the Football League for the second time in 11 years having had to build a new squad in the January transfer window with players from the sixth-tier of the game and guys who hadn't played for two years.   Yeah, it's excrement at the minute with one win at home in the league all season but compare it to two years ago.  You can't tell me we're not in a better position now.  Within that we achieved promotion at the first time of asking out of the Conference, something that took an age to do before.  A key factor in that was the fitness levels and mental strength of the squad in the play-offs.  That doesn't happen by accident.  That comes from investing in the right support backroom staff and infrastructure.  That's some improvement from 2 years previously where we couldn't even pump a flipping football up properly!

We've spent £100k on a young talent.  Now, you can argue that we should have used the money for X,Y or Z.  But 1878 don't sign the players.  Investing that level of money in a player is some going from signing 3 strikers from the depths of non-league because a mate mentioned them.

We've definitely improved, on and off the pitch.  Improvement isn't a straight line though, the projection will always vary.

Yes we have improved on and off the pitch and we are all delighted with that.

I think the conversation is now turning to the speed of changes to keep the momentum going, and practical solutions to problems with the stadium in terms of capacity and facilities, and whether we are prepared to use the fans financial support to attract the players we need. Then there is the old question of whether to move or improve.

You mention the toilets in the Main stand, the same applies to the Pontoon where not even a coat of paint has been applied, and there weren't even any paper towels to dry your hands after washing them in cold water. All these things are easy wins until they lay out their plans; yes they are minor irritants but some fans are getting the impression things have stalled a little bit.

I think some are forgetting what a skip-fire the owners inherited and also that really, given that mess, we’re ahead of schedule being back in the league so soon. We were so far behind other clubs it was almost laughable. You can’t rectify 20 years of regression in 2. They’re making a good stab of it though.

I expect the striker issue will get sorted in January. I also expect the home form will improve.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Y'know I'm getting a bit more disappointed with the stuff going on at the club, or perhaps I should say what appears to not be going on.

I, like most I suspect, got swept up a bit that there would be huge changes and within a few years we would be a powerhouse in English football.  That's despite 1878 preaching about incremental change.   After a whirlwind first year, it's all kinda slowed down a bit and combined with a bit of excrement start to the season at home all feels very meh.

There's things that I can't get my head round.  The stubborn approach towards the capacity at the ground, the apparent refusal to do anything about the poor views in certain seats, a few broken promises, or if I'm kinder undelivered promises, like the incentive to gift back your ST for a game or the bring a friend for a fiver, what looks like to be a stopping of the refresh of the ground (the Main Stand, for example, has had intercourse all done to it that I can see - the toilets are still a disgrace and should have been sorted years ago.  Very interesting point was made to a few weeks ago that their appalling condition was far more of a priority than the perspex screen in the Upper, but it depends on where you sit...).  In isolation it's nothing.  Collectively it adds up and there definitely feels a more negative view towards the club than since the new regime began.

But I do think we need a sense of perspective.  In terms of improvement to Blundell Park, there's only so much polishing you can do.  In its current state, the ground is crumbling and largely beyond a bit of a freshen up.  There's also a lot that we don't see.  You only see the things that urine you off.  The old scoreboard supports in the away end are gone, but there was little about this.  Bit by bit, stuff is happening.  But we want it faster and I do get this, if I'm going to criticise the club it's that they do seem to be moving slow on certain things.

On the pitch though, I'm sorry I can't really even entertain the idea that we've not made improvements.  18 months ago we were dropping out the Football League for the second time in 11 years having had to build a new squad in the January transfer window with players from the sixth-tier of the game and guys who hadn't played for two years.   Yeah, it's excrement at the minute with one win at home in the league all season but compare it to two years ago.  You can't tell me we're not in a better position now.  Within that we achieved promotion at the first time of asking out of the Conference, something that took an age to do before.  A key factor in that was the fitness levels and mental strength of the squad in the play-offs.  That doesn't happen by accident.  That comes from investing in the right support backroom staff and infrastructure.  That's some improvement from 2 years previously where we couldn't even pump a flipping football up properly!

We've spent £100k on a young talent.  Now, you can argue that we should have used the money for X,Y or Z.  But 1878 don't sign the players.  Investing that level of money in a player is some going from signing 3 strikers from the depths of non-league because a mate mentioned them.

We've definitely improved, on and off the pitch.  Improvement isn't a straight line though, the projection will always vary.

You don't half go on but I agree with everything you have said. To add to this we have played 13 home games this season, so far. Won 5,drawn 4, lost 4, scored 24 goals and conceded 16. ( source https://thefishy.co.uk/fixtures ). Considering on the 5th May 2021 we were down but not quite out we have come a very long way in a short 18 months. Compare this with the last 18 months under the last regime.

If some posters are looking for perfection I would like them to point to the perfect club, on the other hand imperfection can be seen by a club, only a few season ago a championship club, only 20+ miles from here.

Be thankful for what we have and look to the future, make your complaints to 1878 at the end of the season in writing with a stamped addressed envelope for a reply. Then complain about the answer. The ground problem is constant neglect over the years and needs £100k's if not a few million to put right. As regards the team, Rome wasn't built in a day, we get improvements in the transfer windows, some work and some don't. You never get an instantly brilliant team, they need sourcing over time with cash injections( if available) to buy players.

Be thankfull the NL is behind us and league 1 in front.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Yes we have improved on and off the pitch and we are all delighted with that.

I think the conversation is now turning to the speed of changes to keep the momentum going, and practical solutions to problems with the stadium in terms of capacity and facilities, and whether we are prepared to use the fans financial support to attract the players we need. Then there is the old question of whether to move or improve.

You mention the toilets in the Main stand, the same applies to the Pontoon where not even a coat of paint has been applied, and there weren't even any paper towels to dry your hands after washing them in cold water. All these things are easy wins until they lay out their plans; yes they are minor irritants but some fans are getting the impression things have stalled a little bit.

But we are investing in the squad financially. Hunt came at the cost of circa. £100k. Let's not also forget that signed a new contract with Wednesday as recently as January which is a fair assumption came with a payrise. Something we would have had to got close to in order to persuade him to drop down a level permanently.

The money is there, it's down to Hurst how he uses it though.

On the small wins, especially around the ground, I completely agree. These look to be easy.

Quoted from DB

You don't half go on

Thanks! ;D

TL;DR We've made improvements, but we can still make more.

I think the lack of warm water and often lack of soap in the Main Stand toilets is disgraceful. I don't think the catering unit next to it is ever open any more so the toilets should knock through there and get a complete refurbishment. I get that it costs money to do that, but those toilets are a health and safety issue.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Y'know I'm getting a bit more disappointed with the stuff going on at the club, or perhaps I should say what appears to not be going on.

I, like most I suspect, got swept up a bit that there would be huge changes and within a few years we would be a powerhouse in English football.  That's despite 1878 preaching about incremental change.   After a whirlwind first year, it's all kinda slowed down a bit and combined with a bit of excrement start to the season at home all feels very meh.

There's things that I can't get my head round.  The stubborn approach towards the capacity at the ground, the apparent refusal to do anything about the poor views in certain seats, a few broken promises, or if I'm kinder undelivered promises, like the incentive to gift back your ST for a game or the bring a friend for a fiver, what looks like to be a stopping of the refresh of the ground (the Main Stand, for example, has had intercourse all done to it that I can see - the toilets are still a disgrace and should have been sorted years ago.  Very interesting point was made to a few weeks ago that their appalling condition was far more of a priority than the perspex screen in the Upper, but it depends on where you sit...).  In isolation it's nothing.  Collectively it adds up and there definitely feels a more negative view towards the club than since the new regime began.

But I do think we need a sense of perspective.  In terms of improvement to Blundell Park, there's only so much polishing you can do.  In its current state, the ground is crumbling and largely beyond a bit of a freshen up.  There's also a lot that we don't see.  You only see the things that urine you off.  The old scoreboard supports in the away end are gone, but there was little about this.  Bit by bit, stuff is happening.  But we want it faster and I do get this, if I'm going to criticise the club it's that they do seem to be moving slow on certain things.

On the pitch though, I'm sorry I can't really even entertain the idea that we've not made improvements.  18 months ago we were dropping out the Football League for the second time in 11 years having had to build a new squad in the January transfer window with players from the sixth-tier of the game and guys who hadn't played for two years.   Yeah, it's excrement at the minute with one win at home in the league all season but compare it to two years ago.  You can't tell me we're not in a better position now.  Within that we achieved promotion at the first time of asking out of the Conference, something that took an age to do before.  A key factor in that was the fitness levels and mental strength of the squad in the play-offs.  That doesn't happen by accident.  That comes from investing in the right support backroom staff and infrastructure.  That's some improvement from 2 years previously where we couldn't even pump a flipping football up properly!

We've spent £100k on a young talent.  Now, you can argue that we should have used the money for X,Y or Z.  But 1878 don't sign the players.  Investing that level of money in a player is some going from signing 3 strikers from the depths of non-league because a mate mentioned them.

We've definitely improved, on and off the pitch.  Improvement isn't a straight line though, the projection will always vary.

Good Post!!

What do we feel would be the ultimate seal of success come the end of the 1878 reign? Or to look at it another way, where do we realistically want to be in 10 years time?

As far as I can tell, the general consensus seems to be playing in a modern new stadium, in front of 12,000 - 15,000 fans, somewhere between the middle of League One and the middle of the Championship. My concern is that this might not be realistic at all.

I’m not talking about the crowds themselves - I actually think that’s doable in theory, in particular if we were in the second tier with the space for 3,000 - 5,000 away fans. You can point back to our previous stint at that level and that our home support was dismal compared to the purple patch we are in now, but times are different - we didn’t know how good we had it then. The idea of 10,000 Town fans regularly attending games is within the realms of possibility.

The problem is, the stadium itself. Blundell Park is a relic; the Main Stand being the single oldest structure in the football league by some margin - I believe you have to go down as far as Great Yarmouth in the Eastern Counties league to find something older. It’s only going to keep getting older, and you do wonder how much longer it can remain serviceable as safety regulations only get tighter.

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?

I read a quote last week from Luton Town CEO Gary Sweet, in relation to their new stadium at Power Court. It referenced a figure of £30m. A fúck load of money. But that’s not what it’s going to cost to build their 17,500 seater stadium; that’s how much the cost has increased since 2019.

We are living in times of hyper-inflation, especially where the construction industry is concerned. What would it cost to build a reasonable 15,000 seater stadium in Grimsby today? Through a calculated guess, I reckon you’re looking at between £40m and £50m. How does a club like Town fund that?

The original Conoco Stadium proposed at the Great Coates site was estimated to cost £14m in 2002. Even allowing for normal inflation, that’s a huge difference.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this club needs a new stadium to fulfil its potential. But is it deliverable? I’m not sure.

You can't use the Conoco stadium as a valid comparator, it was the pipe dream of a deluded c*nt.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

You can't use the Conoco stadium as a valid comparator, it was the pipe dream of a deluded c*nt.

Bit harsh on Bill Carr.

Quoted from Poojah

What do we feel would be the ultimate seal of success come the end of the 1878 reign? Or to look at it another way, where do we realistically want to be in 10 years time?

As far as I can tell, the general consensus seems to be playing in a modern new stadium, in front of 12,000 - 15,000 fans, somewhere between the middle of League One and the middle of the Championship. My concern is that this might not be realistic at all.

I’m not talking about the crowds themselves - I actually think that’s doable in theory, in particular if we were in the second tier with the space for 3,000 - 5,000 away fans. You can point back to our previous stint at that level and that our home support was dismal compared to the purple patch we are in now, but times are different - we didn’t know how good we had it then. The idea of 10,000 Town fans regularly attending games is within the realms of possibility.

The problem is, the stadium itself. Blundell Park is a relic; the Main Stand being the single oldest structure in the football league by some margin - I believe you have to go down as far as Great Yarmouth in the Eastern Counties league to find something older. It’s only going to keep getting older, and you do wonder how much longer it can remain serviceable as safety regulations only get tighter.

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?

I read a quote last week from Luton Town CEO Gary Sweet, in relation to their new stadium at Power Court. It referenced a figure of £30m. A fúck load of money. But that’s not what it’s going to cost to build their 17,500 seater stadium; that’s how much the cost has increased since 2019.

We are living in times of hyper-inflation, especially where the construction industry is concerned. What would it cost to build a reasonable 15,000 seater stadium in Grimsby today? Through a calculated guess, I reckon you’re looking at between £40m and £50m. How does a club like Town fund that?

The original Conoco Stadium proposed at the Great Coates site was estimated to cost £14m in 2002. Even allowing for normal inflation, that’s a huge difference.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this club needs a new stadium to fulfil its potential. But is it deliverable? I’m not sure.

If you're right that a new stadium is out of reach, and the Main stand is about done, then the best way for them to leave a legacy would be to fund a new Main stand the entire length on that side.

I wonder how much that would be and how much we would get from grants etc?

They obviously know the conundrum but I wonder what they will decide, if anything.

Quoted from Poojah

Bit harsh on Bill Carr.

Carr Park would’ve been better than the Fentydome.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

If you're right that a new stadium is out of reach, and the Main stand is about done, then the best way for them to leave a legacy would be to fund a new Main stand the entire length on that side.

I wonder how much that would be and how much we would get from grants etc?

They obviously know the conundrum but I wonder what they will decide, if anything.

I suspect why the owners have spoken more in terms of redeveloping BP rather than moving. It’s not the best option, but perhaps it’s the best viable one.

Quoted from Poojah

I suspect why the owners have spoken more in terms of redeveloping BP rather than moving. It’s not the best option, but perhaps it’s the best viable one.

It is probably the only option to be fair. We own the site, we can improve the stadium incrementally over time and it will hopefully retain some of its charm.

People sometimes talk about parking but a new stadium would only be allowed limited parking.

Perhaps some extra facilities could be factored in to a new training complex to help with the community aspect?

Quoted from Poojah

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?

We haven't missed the obvious Grimsby West boat yet. I imagine the club would not fund the construction of a community stadium entirely, it would pay rent as tenants.

Happy to be corrected and I'm sure it's probably even further up this thread, but isn't an issue with redevelopment of the Main Stand the height of it in regards the houses behind?  I thought I read that it can't exceed the current height, nor can it extend into what is currently the open corner between it and the Pontoon - not with a permanent fixture anyway.  Basically it can't impact on the eyeline of any of the surrounding properties.

If that's the case, it seriously limits our options.  Without doubt, redeveloped to modern standards it would be an improvement on the current situation both in terms of the actual stand and capacity.  But would it merit the outlay to start with?

If we do look at a redevelopment of the ground as a whole, because let's face it the whole thing is falling down in one way or another, I would guess it'll be a stand-by-stand basis.  Which is slow progress and whilst whatever work is going on, you're without a big chunk of your income stream as long as it's reduced capacity.

The figures banded about or a new stadium are frightening and completely out of our reach, equally so I think the longer we stay at the current version of Blundell Park the lower our capacity to improve drops.

I don't know the ideas, never mind the solution.  I don't envy whoever is tasked with finding it either.

Quoted from Poojah

What do we feel would be the ultimate seal of success come the end of the 1878 reign? Or to look at it another way, where do we realistically want to be in 10 years time?

As far as I can tell, the general consensus seems to be playing in a modern new stadium, in front of 12,000 - 15,000 fans, somewhere between the middle of League One and the middle of the Championship. My concern is that this might not be realistic at all.

For me, it depends how long that is? If we're saying 10 years then I'd atleast hope a stadium is being built ready to move in within 2-3 years. I also know there is a hell of a lot of money in english football these days, expecting championship football for a club and town our size is unrealistic. I'd settle for top end of league 2 or league 1 football. Yes it's all about progression etc but not every club can progress up the divisions year on year. Someone has to be relegated, stay in the divisions etc

Lincoln changing their redevelopment plans due to the economic situation.

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/lincoln-city-fc-scales-back-stadium-expansion-plans-due-to-weakened-economic-climate-10-11-2022/

Seems a bit drastic that just to put another 800 on the capacity. From memory, that stand isn’t constrained by restricted views either, like the Main Stand. They’d be better off sorting that higgeldy-piggedly monstrosity behind the other goal.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Lincoln changing their redevelopment plans due to the economic situation.

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/lincoln-city-fc-scales-back-stadium-expansion-plans-due-to-weakened-economic-climate-10-11-2022/

Thanks for the info. It always amazes me how diverse The Fishy base is when it comes to providing nuggets of information out of the blue.

Quoted from ska face

Seems a bit drastic that just to put another 800 on the capacity. From memory, that stand isn’t constrained by restricted views either, like the Main Stand. They’d be better off sorting that higgeldy-piggedly monstrosity behind the other goal.

Can't be certain but I think the Cathedral is probably a listed building...

Quoted from DB

Thanks for the info. It always amazes me how diverse The Fishy base is when it comes to providing nuggets of information out of the blue.

Oh I can't claim any credit for finding that.

Kieran Maguire tweeted it out earlier this morning.
[tweet]1592339840707620864[/tweet]

Quoted from diehardmariner

Can't be certain but I think the Cathedral is probably a listed building...

Decent capacity at the cathedral, they should just play there instead and build houses on sincil bank

Good acoustics and nearby pubs are decent for pre/post-game drinks, but parking isn't the best.

£30m at 4% is £1.2m interest initially say another £500 k average capital repayments over 30 years or so .Total £1.8m
3000 extra ticket sales generating say £400 a season is £1.2m a year
Extra £100 a seat revenue from price increase from existing 6000 seats is £600000.
Outgoings £1.8 m Incoming £1.8m
Ignores benefit of extra revenuE from stadium facilities on non match days etc.
Sick of hearing it’s not viable

Quoted from diehardmariner

Oh I can't claim any credit for finding that.

Kieran Maguire tweeted it out earlier this morning.
[tweet]1592339840707620864[/tweet]

Still proceeding with two tier seating faculties and just eliminated hospitality suites. Clearly that wouldn’t make such a good headline.

We're probably not going to get a new stadium for £30million though. That was just the increased costs according to the Luton CEO.

Not sure that level of cost increase on tickets is going to work either.

Quoted from HerveJosse

£30m at 4% is £1.2m interest initially say another £500 k average capital repayments over 30 years or so .Total £1.8m
3000 extra ticket sales generating say £400 a season is £1.2m a year
Extra £100 a seat revenue from price increase from existing 6000 seats is £600000.
Outgoings £1.8 m Incoming £1.8m
Ignores benefit of extra revenuE from stadium facilities on non match days etc.
Sick of hearing it’s not viable

Can you tell me who is lending Grimsby Town FC £30m? What is a stadium which cost £30m to build worth when its tenants default?

For reference, Darlington’s ground cost £18m to build in 2003, but was sold to local rugby club Mowden Park 9 years later for only £2m. Repossessing a football stadium isn’t like repossessing a house; the security just isn’t there.

Quoted from Poojah

Can you tell me who is lending Grimsby Town FC £30m? What is a stadium which cost £30m to build worth when its tenants default?

For reference, Darlington’s ground cost £18m to build in 2003, but was sold to local rugby club Mowden Park 9 years later for only £2m. Repossessing a football stadium isn’t like repossessing a house; the security just isn’t there.

At the risk of mentioning the 'F' word, we were always told that a new stadium would need to be funded by an 'enabling' development. Given Andrew Pettit's business is in property, I would imagine he's got a fairly good idea that such a development is not possible in current economic circumstances.

As a result, we are probably stuck where we are and the only way to increase capacity will be to re-develop the corners and to continue to patch up the remainder of the stadium. That said, Blundell Park remains a cash cow.

Quoted from Poojah

Can you tell me who is lending Grimsby Town FC £30m? What is a stadium which cost £30m to build worth when its tenants default?

For reference, Darlington’s ground cost £18m to build in 2003, but was sold to local rugby club Mowden Park 9 years later for only £2m. Repossessing a football stadium isn’t like repossessing a house; the security just isn’t there.

The same potential funding sources as have funded the 30- 40 other new grounds that have been developed over last 30 years. List includes
Various types of grant / loan funding from sports authority ( small version being the money borrowed from them from the recent ground ‘improvements’at Bp
Local authority support whether in hard funds or guarantees of borrowing
Developers from planning gain
Existing owners
New investors brought in for the purpose rather then turned away as not suitable or not needed as has been the case so far

Oh but sorry I forgot this is Grimsby so non of this applies

Quoted from Poojah

Can you tell me who is lending Grimsby Town FC £30m? What is a stadium which cost £30m to build worth when its tenants default?

For reference, Darlington’s ground cost £18m to build in 2003, but was sold to local rugby club Mowden Park 9 years later for only £2m. Repossessing a football stadium isn’t like repossessing a house; the security just isn’t there.

Interesting that you pick the one new stadium that’s failed to make your point rather then mention the 30 or so that have succeeded.

Tbh, the sort of stadium we should be aiming for is essentially Parc y Scarlets - 15k capacity, modern as owt, built in 2008 for £23 million.....although using an inflation calculator that's more like £33 million today.  It's part of a complex with lots of parking, a huge shed with 3 full sized all weather pitches inside it and a whole trading estate built around it on the edge of town.  It's also a stones throw from the sea.
However the major advantage there is the fact the council paid for most of it and leased it to the club for 150 years.  Can't see NELC digging into their funds to do the same....but it's the only safe way to make it happen unless anyone has a spare £30mil lying around?

Wasps rugby raised the money for their stadium lease (£35 million) by selling bonds to all the fans guaranteeing a 6% return 15 years later.  They never made enough money to pay it all back and it's a major reason they've gone pop.  I can't see that working.  Also if someone does stump up the money for a stadium, then we're essentially beholden to that one person again for the next however many years. I think we'd have to get a combined bid together with several other sports and stick it in a place where redevelopment grants are on offer-but where does that place it?

to sum up, I'm glad i'm not trying to get a new stadium sorted and that it's someone else's problem.

Quoted from Poojah

What do we feel would be the ultimate seal of success come the end of the 1878 reign? Or to look at it another way, where do we realistically want to be in 10 years time?

As far as I can tell, the general consensus seems to be playing in a modern new stadium, in front of 12,000 - 15,000 fans, somewhere between the middle of League One and the middle of the Championship. My concern is that this might not be realistic at all.

I’m not talking about the crowds themselves - I actually think that’s doable in theory, in particular if we were in the second tier with the space for 3,000 - 5,000 away fans. You can point back to our previous stint at that level and that our home support was dismal compared to the purple patch we are in now, but times are different - we didn’t know how good we had it then. The idea of 10,000 Town fans regularly attending games is within the realms of possibility.

The problem is, the stadium itself. Blundell Park is a relic; the Main Stand being the single oldest structure in the football league by some margin - I believe you have to go down as far as Great Yarmouth in the Eastern Counties league to find something older. It’s only going to keep getting older, and you do wonder how much longer it can remain serviceable as safety regulations only get tighter.

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?

I read a quote last week from Luton Town CEO Gary Sweet, in relation to their new stadium at Power Court. It referenced a figure of £30m. A fúck load of money. But that’s not what it’s going to cost to build their 17,500 seater stadium; that’s how much the cost has increased since 2019.

We are living in times of hyper-inflation, especially where the construction industry is concerned. What would it cost to build a reasonable 15,000 seater stadium in Grimsby today? Through a calculated guess, I reckon you’re looking at between £40m and £50m. How does a club like Town fund that?

The original Conoco Stadium proposed at the Great Coates site was estimated to cost £14m in 2002. Even allowing for normal inflation, that’s a huge difference.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this club needs a new stadium to fulfil its potential. But is it deliverable? I’m not sure.

We can't keep on banging this drum about inflation how do we afford it blah blah blah. They simply have to find a way to attract funding.

Inflation affects every aspect of delivery including maintenance at Blundell Park which will likely be substantially more expensive than a brand new asset. And time, well it marches on for all elements of infrastructure. What happens when one of these stands eventually fails? We'll have to spend £10m+ on one stand, or do we think structures like the main will last another 100 years.

Either way there are big sums to be paid ostrich thinking by the board doesn't alter that.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

We can't keep on banging this drum about inflation how do we afford it blah blah blah. They simply have to find a way to attract funding.

Inflation affects every aspect of delivery including maintenance at Blundell Park which will likely be substantially more expensive than a brand new asset. And time, well it marches on for all elements of infrastructure. What happens when one of these stands eventually fails? We'll have to spend £10m+ on one stand, or do we think structures like the main will last another 100 years.

Either way there are big sums to be paid ostrich thinking by the board doesn't alter that.

This surely takes us back to the regeneration Freemo/Docks scenario.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

You can't use the Conoco stadium as a valid comparator, it was the pipe dream of a deluded c*nt.

Fenty wasn’t on the board when the Conoco Stadium plans were unveiled and red caps handed out in April 2002. The ITV digital collapse and its consequences were enabled his return and him to acquire the club.

Anyone know how Shutes is getting on with the Ice House btw?

Quoted from Poojah

I suspect why the owners have spoken more in terms of redeveloping BP rather than moving. It’s not the best option, but perhaps it’s the best viable one.

If the owners can’t deliver a new stadium, like dozens of other clubs have successfully done, then they need to be honest and say why they can’t or don’t want to deliver a new stadium and explain why and what needs to change.

And while there at it maybe they could explain why after countless clubs have sold their training grounds within there town/city for residential development and moved to training grounds on the outskirts of their town/city we seem to be bucking the trend and doing the opposite? Seems really bizarre.

A new stadium and BP redeveloped into much needed social housing would be an incredible legacy given both owners are socialists and talk about paying back to the community they came from.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

If the owners can’t deliver a new stadium, like dozens of other clubs have successfully done, then they need to be honest and say why they can’t or don’t want to deliver a new stadium and explain why and what needs to change.

And while there at it maybe they could explain why after countless clubs have sold their training grounds within there town/city for residential development and moved to training grounds on the outskirts of their town/city we seem to be bucking the trend and doing the opposite? Seems really bizarre.

A new stadium and BP redeveloped into much needed social housing would be an incredible legacy given both owners are socialists and talk about paying back to the community they came from.

As I understand it, the new training ground will be as much a community project as it will a place for the team to train.

With that in mind, it wouldn't make sense to follow current trends and build it on the outskirts.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

If the owners can’t deliver a new stadium, like dozens of other clubs have successfully done, then they need to be honest and say why they can’t or don’t want to deliver a new stadium and explain why and what needs to change.

And while there at it maybe they could explain why after countless clubs have sold their training grounds within there town/city for residential development and moved to training grounds on the outskirts of their town/city we seem to be bucking the trend and doing the opposite? Seems really bizarre.

A new stadium and BP redeveloped into much needed social housing would be an incredible legacy given both owners are socialists and talk about paying back to the community they came from.

I have listened to what JS and AP have said in loads of interviews and features and can't recall that they ever said that "they" could deliver a stadium. I'll paraphrase when I say they have said we need one mid/long term but as it stands need external funding to get one.

II think the plan with the training ground is to make it a facility for the club, first team, youth, development, ladies? etc.. as well as something that other organisations can access so keeping it in the Town makes that possible, if they land that I reckon that is a decent legacy.

JS was challenged on why we didn't move a new training ground to the end of the M180 so we could attract more playing talent from larger cities and towns, his view was that we aspire to be a community club and the facility this should be in the community, makes sense that and I personally agree.

We also don't own our training ground either. So whereas other clubs have manage to capitalise on their inner city/town position and use the profits to build something purpose built, we are having to go for something with community benefits (as ginny says) which I would guess brings down a big bulk of the costs and/or issues with planning permissions.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

JS was challenged on why we didn't move a new training ground to the end of the M180 so we could attract more playing talent from larger cities and towns, his view was that we aspire to be a community club and the facility this should be in the community, makes sense that and I personally agree.

I suppose in an ideal world with no funding and space issues, we would have a training ground better located to help attract players, like the end of the M180. With a centrally located stadium doing the community bits.

If only, eh?

Quoted from diehardmariner

I suppose in an ideal world with no funding and space issues, we would have a training ground better located to help attract players, like the end of the M180. With a centrally located stadium doing the community bits.

If only, eh?

You would think so....

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I have listened to what JS and AP have said in loads of interviews and features and can't recall that they ever said that "they" could deliver a stadium. I'll paraphrase when I say they have said we need one mid/long term but as it stands need external funding to get one.

II think the plan with the training ground is to make it a facility for the club, first team, youth, development, ladies? etc.. as well as something that other organisations can access so keeping it in the Town makes that possible, if they land that I reckon that is a decent legacy.

JS was challenged on why we didn't move a new training ground to the end of the M180 so we could attract more playing talent from larger cities and towns, his view was that we aspire to be a community club and the facility this should be in the community, makes sense that and I personally agree.

The other end of the M180 would be handier for the manager!

Quoted from GollyGTFC

If the owners can’t deliver a new stadium, like dozens of other clubs have successfully done, then they need to be honest and say why they can’t or don’t want to deliver a new stadium and explain why and what needs to change.

And while there at it maybe they could explain why after countless clubs have sold their training grounds within there town/city for residential development and moved to training grounds on the outskirts of their town/city we seem to be bucking the trend and doing the opposite? Seems really bizarre.

A new stadium and BP redeveloped into much needed social housing would be an incredible legacy given both owners are socialists and talk about paying back to the community they came from.

Nice blokes they may certainly seem, but one thing that venture capitalist Stockwood and Petit, formerly of Lehman Brothers definitely are not, is socialists.

Why would BP be redeveloped for social housing and who is going to spend that money for little to no return? The council certainly aren’t spending about a million quid for the land plus demolition of the ground, building a load of units and all the associated costs.

I think they’ve been pretty open and honest since they came in with respect to a new ground. They’ve said it’s not a priority as there hadn’t been a much of a case for a larger ground - and they weren’t wrong at the start of the season. We’ve now had 8 home league matches and a few cup games, attendances are good but we need to sustain it surely?

They’ve also said that a training ground would need to be as much for the academy, women’s teams and community as it would be for the first team. Not necessarily my preference, but you can at least marry up their approach to the ground with their overarching principals. Would also imagine it’d be easier to fund that way, with local govt contributions and goodwill of local businesses providing some funding, no local firms are going to want an advertising board in Hatfield.

I think they’re being measured against a yardstick that Fenty had used to continually buy himself more breathing space with fans.

Quoted from diehardmariner

I suppose in an ideal world with no funding and space issues, we would have a training ground better located to help attract players, like the end of the M180. With a centrally located stadium doing the community bits.

If only, eh?

How do you think the likes of Harry Clifton, Ollie Battersby and every other local player in our various teams (youth, womens etc) would feel about the prospect of having to do 90% of the work for their home town club on the outskirts of Bawtry?

I see the benefits of training out of town but there are downsides too and I am firmly on the keeping the training ground local side of this discussion.

Quoted from ska face

Nice blokes they may certainly seem, but one thing that venture capitalist Stockwood and Petit, formerly of Lehman Brothers definitely are not, is socialists.

Why would BP be redeveloped for social housing and who is going to spend that money for little to no return? The council certainly aren’t spending about a million quid for the land plus demolition of the ground, building a load of units and all the associated costs.

I think they’ve been pretty open and honest since they came in with respect to a new ground. They’ve said it’s not a priority as there hadn’t been a much of a case for a larger ground - and they weren’t wrong at the start of the season. We’ve now had 8 home league matches and a few cup games, attendances are good but we need to sustain it surely?

They’ve also said that a training ground would need to be as much for the academy, women’s teams and community as it would be for the first team. Not necessarily my preference, but you can at least marry up their approach to the ground with their overarching principals. Would also imagine it’d be easier to fund that way, with local govt contributions and goodwill of local businesses providing some funding, no local firms are going to want an advertising board in Hatfield.

I think they’re being measured against a yardstick that Fenty had used to continually buy himself more breathing space with fans.

I think Jason would be pretty upset at your comment that he is not a socialist. So would The Guardian.

Quoted from HerveJosse

I think Jason would be pretty upset at your comment that he is not a socialist. So would The Guardian.

I reckon Marx and Engels would probably agree with me though, so the Guardian can suck my balls.

Quoted from ska face

I reckon Marx and Engels would probably agree with me though, so the Guardian can suck my balls.

Bet you wouldn't say that to a Piranha! Ouch ??)

Quoted from HerveJosse

I think Jason would be pretty upset at your comment that he is not a socialist. So would The Guardian.

And Lisa Nandy would probably p!$$ herself laughing given how much money Stockwood donated to her unsuccessful Labour leadership campaign.

A training ground deep inside built up Grimsby is bizarre. It will hurt our efforts to attract players.

I guarantee every single player we make an offer to will go on Google maps and find out how long it takes to commute from their house to the training ground. The prospect of a further 15-20 minute journey each way because the training ground is at Barratt’s will hurt our recruitment compared to a site just off the A180 near Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough etc…

Look where Lincoln built their training ground. Opposite RAF Scampton 4 or 5 miles north of the city on the A15. It’s very impressive and a much bigger site than Barratts offers. And that’s without any community stuff taking up any of the footprint.

And because of the Tories anti-solar farm policy it’s fairly cheap to pick up poorer quality farmland that solar farms were being built on before the Tories virtually banned them.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

And Lisa Nandy would probably p!$$ herself laughing given how much money Stockwood donated to her unsuccessful Labour leadership campaign.

Yeah, renowned socialist Lisa Nandy (!). You don’t have talk some shíte on here.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

A training ground deep inside built up Grimsby is bizarre. It will hurt our efforts to attract players.

I guarantee every single player we make an offer to will go on Google maps and find out how long it takes to commute from their house to the training ground. The prospect of a further 15-20 minute journey each way because the training ground is at Barratt’s will hurt our recruitment compared to a site just off the A180 near Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough etc…

Look where Lincoln built their training ground. Opposite RAF Scampton 4 or 5 miles north of the city on the A15. It’s very impressive and a much bigger site than Barratts offers. And that’s without any community stuff taking up any of the footprint.

And because of the Tories anti-solar farm policy it’s fairly cheap to pick up poorer quality farmland that solar farms were being built on before the Tories virtually banned them.

You don’t actually know where GTFC intends to build a training ground, unless I’ve missed something?

Re Lincoln that end of the A15 near Lincoln isn’t exactly great if you want to attract players from big cities, maybe Nottingham but it’s not exactly accessible. You say it’s impressive, have you been inside the facilities?

Quoted from jamesgtfc

How do you think the likes of Harry Clifton, Ollie Battersby and every other local player in our various teams (youth, womens etc) would feel about the prospect of having to do 90% of the work for their home town club on the outskirts of Bawtry?

I see the benefits of training out of town but there are downsides too and I am firmly on the keeping the training ground local side of this discussion.

I was thinking this end of the M180 to be honest.

Lincoln's training set-up at Scampton is far from the standard we should aspire too.

Few pitches and then a few small dwellings that house the basic gym set-up you'll find in hotels up and down the country and well below the standard you would find in any bog standard chain gym.

Cheapside isn't great, far from it. But we can do an awful lot better than the Scampton set-up. The one thing it does have is a good location. Easily accessible from all directions without having to contend with the bulk of traffic in the city centre.

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Easily accessible from Rasen, Scunthorpe, Lincoln, even Donny and Sheffield etc but it's over an hour from Nottingham, depending on traffic at Newark and Hykeham can easily be 2 hours any given day and gives them the same issue regarding midlands/southern based players I imagine. Sticking it down near Newark would have been far better for that.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Lincoln's training set-up at Scampton is far from the standard we should aspire too.

Few pitches and then a few small dwellings that house the basic gym set-up you'll find in hotels up and down the country and well below the standard you would find in any bog standard chain gym.

Cheapside isn't great, far from it. But we can do an awful lot better than the Scampton set-up. The one thing it does have is a good location. Easily accessible from all directions without having to contend with the bulk of traffic in the city centre.

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There's some deeply uninspiring inspirational messages: "we are imps" and "victim or fighter?" - someone should have had a think about those.

But as with the issues raised regards Town building one too far out of the town, it then becomes virtually unusable as a facility for all levels at the club.

I know Lincoln's Youth team play from there, not sure about their younger age groups.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

There's some deeply uninspiring inspirational messages: "we are imps" and "victim or fighter?" - someone should have had a think about those.

I thought that too! 'impossible is just an opinion'....and? really quit flat messaging

'Impossible is just an opinion'.

That simply doesn't make sense. If something is impossible, it cannot be done. Hence the use of the word possible. Perhaps somebody there needs to be given a dictionary?

Have they got other gems on the wall such as 'I will always give 110%'?

Live, Laugh, Love.

Stenciled above the communal bath.

Pain is failure leaving the body
Dance like nobody is watching

Quoted from diehardmariner

But as with the issues raised regards Town building one too far out of the town, it then becomes virtually unusable as a facility for all levels at the club.

I know Lincoln's Youth team play from there, not sure about their younger age groups.

Their younger age groups predominantly play their matches at Gainsborough.

As far as I'm aware, our training facility is intended to be universal in terms of incorporating the first team, academy and ladies, so in addition to Stockwoods previous comments about wanting it in the Town, it just wouldn't make sense to have this universal facility out of town as you can't ask all the local kids in the Academy age groups (particularly the younger groups) to travel miles out of town several times a week.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Can't be certain but I think the Cathedral is probably a listed building...

Very good ;D

Quoted from Mrbump53

I have socialised with local planning officers and dealt with a number of commercial and domestic planning aspects and we will not get acceptance to rebuild and increase the main stand etc. It will not be contemplated as there would be a number of objections from local residents etc. In the shorter term "filling in" the open corners with seating or safe standing options may assist with the times that the ground approaches a "sell out"

Please clarify: are you saying the club would not get permission to rebuild BP at all, or just not increase the current capacity?

I assume the main reasons for refusal would be a lack of parking spaces and traffic congestion on matchdays.

Quoted from White_shorts

Please clarify: are you saying the club would not get permission to rebuild BP at all, or just not increase the current capacity?

I assume the main reasons for refusal would be a lack of parking spaces and traffic congestion on matchdays.

Each planning application will be based on its merits. If clever architects design a spanking brand new main stand the full length it surely is better for residents than the ramshackle of a stand topped with barbed wire that is there now?

As regards parking, surely park and ride would solve that? I thought councils were reluctant to allow large-scale car parking in any event as cars seem to be enemy number 1.

Would be nice to have a half decent team first , Before a new ground that would only be half full

Quoted from White_shorts

Please clarify: are you saying the club would not get permission to rebuild BP at all, or just not increase the current capacity?

I assume the main reasons for refusal would be a lack of parking spaces and traffic congestion on matchdays.

Planners are required to strike a balance between any benefit a development would bring and any detriment to others it’s not just a case of local residents would be impacted so refuse . New development would clearly give a benefit to a much larger group of people and create jobs etc.

Quoted from denni266

Would be nice to have a half decent team first , Before a new ground that would only be half full

Really, that's a bit unnecessary isn't it. This squad is one of the better ones in recent years.

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Really, that's a bit unnecessary isn't it. This squad is one of the better ones in recent years.

Bottom half of League 2 is pretty good for us, that’s true.

Quoted from White_shorts

Please clarify: are you saying the club would not get permission to rebuild BP at all, or just not increase the current capacity?

I assume the main reasons for refusal would be a lack of parking spaces and traffic congestion on matchdays.

I’m not sure how au fait mrbump is with the planning system, but objections don’t hold a great deal of weight in truth. Objections from neighbouring residents alone certainly wouldn’t be enough to have an application refused.

You’re probably right in the sense that parking would probably be the biggest obstacle to any plans to increase capacity in a meaningful sense at BP. There’s absolutely zero parking around BP and I’ve no idea how far away the nearest public car park is, Ramsdens? Grant St?

Wrexham’s new Kop is an interesting one. The redeveloped stand would put 5.5k on the current capacity but the redesign itself wouldn’t require the kind of measures you might expect from that increase, as they could, in effect, just bring the current Kop up to safety standards which would have the same capacity increase without the requirement for planning permission. That said, they will be implementing (soft) measures aimed to increase car sharing by 10% and public transport use by 5% within 5 years - https://planning.wrexham.gov.uk/civica/Resource/Civica/Handler.ashx/doc/pagestream?DocNo=5031446&pdf=true

Lincoln’s Stacey West expansion sought to increase capacity by 1500 seats, and Sincil Bank is slightly more comparable to BP given the layout of the surrounding streets. It is better served by city centre parking and public transport though, with 2km seen as an acceptable distance for people to walk. They weren’t even required to implement any measures to reduce the expected 66% increase in car journeys - https://development.lincoln.gov.uk/online-applications/files/27DDBC2287CB74F34417A785017BAB96/pdf/2019_1027_FUL-TRANSPORT_ASSESSMENT-578098.pdf

So while parking’s a problem, it’s not insurmountable given the increase in capacity you’d realistically be looking at.

Ultimately, BP is a relic and anything you can do to improve it isn’t really worth it in the long run. The best you could probably do is fill in the Main/Pontoon corner and knock the police box down. That’d put, what, 750-1000 on the capacity? One aspect limiting income is the number of restricted view seats in the Main Stand due to the pitch of the roof and all the supports holding it up. I’m no architect so no idea if a new roof would be possible, but if you were going to fill that corner in, you’d be as well making what adjustments you can to make the existing seats in the Main more attractive.

But then how much does that all cost? Would you put a stand out of use for a period? If you’re doing that work you might as well look at other things like the toilets and concourse situation in the Main. Then on top of that you’ve still got issues with pinch points in the Findus, which I’ve no idea how could be solved. Is it worth doing if you want to be out in 10/15 years time anyway?

BP looks like a money pit and the board are probably well advised to kick it into the long grass for the time being.

Great insight, thank you.

I can't believe (and don't to be honest), that someone as astute as Pettit in this area believes BP is sustainable in either the short or long-term.

It wouldn't be surprising at all if 1878 are busying away in the background looking at stadium options, conscious that they don't want to fall down the Fenty trap of having their picture taken every week whilst pointing at an empty field.  Soon as it's announced that there's interest in moving in, expectations are set.  We've already seen this with the Conoco Stadium/The Fenty Dome/The Freemo Flats Arena...and then again with some clamor for more news on the training ground, which could well be something the club are happy to throw out there something for people to focus on.

The investments at the ground in the last 18 months are relatively low-key.  The perspex screen in the Upper the big one, but in hindsight that was probably more of a health and safety need anyway wasn't it?  The rest of the stuff was either already planned or routine.  Stuff that you would expect to be done, hasn't been touched.  Why spend money or energy or something you're not going to be using for much longer?

Quoted from ska face

Yeah, renowned socialist Lisa Nandy (!). You don’t have talk some shíte on here.

Sorry, I forgot you have to be a mouth frothing, raving Bennite to be a real socialist don’t you?

Quoted from diehardmariner

Lincoln's training set-up at Scampton is far from the standard we should aspire too.

Few pitches and then a few small dwellings that house the basic gym set-up you'll find in hotels up and down the country and well below the standard you would find in any bog standard chain gym.

Cheapside isn't great, far from it. But we can do an awful lot better than the Scampton set-up. The one thing it does have is a good location. Easily accessible from all directions without having to contend with the bulk of traffic in the city centre.

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It’s been expanded massively since then. There are at least 5 pitches there and the building has trebled in size since they first moved tthere.

Edited: the video shows the expanded building.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Sorry, I forgot you have to be a mouth frothing, raving Bennite to be a real socialist don’t you?

Golly, words have meanings! Sorry, I don’t make the rules, you are welcome to try a dictionary though, or maybe a beginner’s guide to political theory. In Stockwood’s own book he calls for a form of “responsible capitalism” -

“There needs to be a greater recognition that the current model is broken, at the same time as an acceptance that we shouldn’t be destroying the fundamentals of capitalism to fix it. This is about a course correction and not an entirely new path; a reboot and not a rewrite. Not moving away from capitalism, but making sure it works better for more people, more of the time.”

Quoted from Tommy

Their younger age groups predominantly play their matches at Gainsborough.

As far as I'm aware, our training facility is intended to be universal in terms of incorporating the first team, academy and ladies, so in addition to Stockwoods previous comments about wanting it in the Town, it just wouldn't make sense to have this universal facility out of town as you can't ask all the local kids in the Academy age groups (particularly the younger groups) to travel miles out of town several times a week.

Lincoln's academies play the majority of their matches between Riseholme (Academy HQ), Gainsborough and at the training complex near Scampton.
The women's 1st team train at Sincil Bank - on the brand new 4G.

What I would say is Grimsby's Academy coaches seem excellent - my son has been there a few times and I have always been impressed. Lincoln cast their net further afield now - Sheffield and Nottingham. However, Lincolns training facilities and the quality of the pitches the players have are fantastic at L1 level. Our chairman and Chief exec have made some incredible changes to the club. This is the Final Stacey West stand development.

https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/lincoln-news/lincoln-citys-final-plans-stacey-7799035