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The Move To Basildon

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I read today in The Non-League Paper about Billericay's plan to move to a new stadium at Basildon. I was just wondering what was the feeling about this with the fans?

 

When i have visited New Lodge as a supporter of Purfleet, i have always been impressed with the size of the crowd and the atmosphere within the ground. Do you still think that you will attract the same size crowd in Basildon? After all part of the fun of supporting a local team is that they are local, you can walk to the ground have a few beers watch the game and then walk home. Something that you are not going to be able to do if you have to travel to Basildon.

 

Also an 8,000 capacity stadium will be very impressive but your not going to be able to fill it, now as a Purfleet fan i know what it's like to watch your team in a mainly empty ground. I was also wondering just how long it will be after you have built this new stadium, that Basildon will move in and start groung sharing. You will spend all the money and they will get the benefit.

 

It's a shame that the Non-League game is going the same way as the Pro-game, with the fans having less and less say in the way their club is run.

 

I look foward to hearing the views of the true fans on this matter.

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Simon BTFC Newbie

Simon BTFC

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I don't think anybody wants to leave New Lodge but unfortunately we are short on options. Given that we are unable to develop New Lodge if we stay we are effectively saying that we've reached our peak and have no ambition to progress. Clubs with no ambition lose support - look at Chesham, won the league didin't go up and their support has dwindled away. I want Billericay to be ambitious so I guess I'm supporting the move, but I wish we didn't have to go to Basildon.

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CANV EFM Newbie

CANV EFM

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BLIMEY!! sod off for a few days, come back and what happens!! the scumsters start moving closer to the emerald isle!!...

seriously tho chaps (and i do have a soft spot for the riccay after my old man dragged me to your vase finals) playing is basildon!! this is franchise football!!...

...

i dont want to see the blues playing in basildon (albeit north west very close to billericay kind of basildon) i do fear that basildon council having seen the plans want 'the stadium' in the basildon area and that they can sort out the 'name' of the team problem later.. billericay play in billericay, temporary moves like chelmsford and wealdstone (to name two higher profile non league clubs) have done have been just that , they have always looked to get back home... it may work out but is football at a higher level worth this? we watch local footy because its local.. jeff king can buy southends roots hall and call it canvey but it isnt.. still im overbleating here, i will doubly look forward to next years trip to blunts wall road knowing it may be my last (before they build a housing estate on some part of it, which they will ;-)..)

.. any chance you can visit us on boxing day for a change? makes the beer fest so much easier

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This will affect Basildon FC at Gardiner Close if not kill it. Are you going to merge with them or just be a thorn in their side!

 

Will the club be renamed to Basildon & Billericay to reflect its new local area.

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Simon BTFC Newbie

Simon BTFC

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The name will NOT be changing - we're going to secure the new ground on a very long lease that will preserve the name as Billericay Town FC - what happens to Basildon Utd. is up to them - we will not be merging. No houses will be built on new lodge as we're retaining the lease on there (another 35 years to run) and will be building training and sports facilities there.

 

CANV - i assume the bank holiday fixtures will swap round (please god not ford!) so we'll be visiting on boxing day to exact revenge for this season! Basildon is pretty local (for me at least) have walked from G.Park to Billericay before now!

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GazzaBTFC Newbie

GazzaBTFC

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CANV - You know and I know about the best laid plans of Chairmen... I joked about this move when we were first told and was made aware that my comments were not helpful (that is the polite answer). I don't wanna go. I view Basildon as the "Hole of all Evil" and consider it worse than Canvey but if the more of us "loyal" supporters turn up the more chance there is to keep Billericay Town FC, Billericay Town FC.

And Rod has assured us that this will NOT happen. As in all things, we shall have to see.

 

Simon - I'm trying to be positive here but I'm really sorry, I will always be a cynic. It just won't be the same when we play the "Yellow Scummers".

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David Holden Newbie

David Holden

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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Simon BTFC:

<strong> Me and Denise Van Outen = famous Basildonians <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="images/icons/shocked.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Don't forget Depeche Mode <img border="0" title="" alt="[big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

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Simon BTFC Newbie

Simon BTFC

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</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif"> Don't forget Depeche Mode </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Much though I may want to.....

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Nitetime Neil Newbie

Nitetime Neil

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Doesnt come easy to me to agree with a Purfleet fan, but geezer has hit the nail on the head for me re our proposed ground move. The whole idea of supporting Billericay (or purfleet or canvey or whatever your local team are..) is based around the fact that you do not wish to travel outside your natural home town to watch a decent level of soccer. I want to watch my local team play at whatever level they may play, be it Ryman premier, division one, Essex Senior , Conference or even Nationwide League. As long as they are my LOCAL team. Moving to anywhere outside the town to achieve "progress" up the soccer ladder (even if it is only 2.9 miles) completely defeats the object of being a non-league fan. I admit 2 having lived in SWF 4 several years now, but always look forward to returning "home" and seeing BTFC, but if that means going to Bas and watching Conference football, I might as well go and watch Dagenham or even Colchester or Southend.

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GazzaBTFC Newbie

GazzaBTFC

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CANV, just think, if and when we move, You'll beable to catch the train on Boxing Day (assuming that they are running) so the beer feast will just be as enjoyable.

 

As much as I would like to disagree with Mr. Purfleet, I can't but I'm sure that most of the 'Ricay supporters would like to see the club as successful as it can be and this is the bitter pill. The move to Basildon. And it is the bitterest pill... but the club wants to progress and that is what it is all about. Progress and development to a level of football that we supporters and the club wish to compete at. The alternative is to stagnate like Harrow (for example) and I'm not too sure I like that either (not with Canvey just down the road - just to grind them into the Thames would make my day). I know there are supporters who want to stay at the level we are in but life don't happen like that, sorry. And I take it they still want good cup runs, a good showing in the FA Cup, a good league position, possibly winning it (if you don't want to win it, what is the point of being in it?) but these things come with development of the team and club. And you don't get 'em by standing still, being content and wishing of the glory days!!! (Too many supporters do that, STILL!!!). Ambition requires progress and progress comes with a cost. And the move is the cost (Bloody big cost at that!!!!).

 

As for the 8,000 capacity...no, I don't think that while we are in the Ryman Premier or Conference (if it ever happens), we would fill it but if we progress even further...who knows.

 

Personally I would prefer a smaller stadium and play at New Lodge but the deal has been done (nearly) so there is no point in bitching about it. Us supporters now have to work to keep the identity of the club intact, despite the move. And work hard to keep the spirit of Billericay Town FC alive.

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Ryan.c Newbie

Ryan.c

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MSW, I think you've missed the point a bit. Local clubs aren't there just entertain the likes of you every once in a while. Clubs like Billericay have the right to be as ambitious and successful as any other club in the country. That's what the Pyramid system is all about isn't it? I agree with Gazza. Us Billericay supporters need to make sure that in some far flung corner of Basildon, there is a piece of land that is forever Billericay!

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This move just about sums up the problem with non-league football: everybody thinks the pyramid is there to allow *their* club to progress to the Football League. So the Conference only wants League standard clubs and grounds, and sides like Bilericay in towns that can no way support a League team have to jump on the bandwagon. for those of us who just want to see NL football on a regular or occasional basis and want to support our local team without having to get in the car or on the bus, the options diminish as the admission prices increase. From a personal point of view, having watched Billericay on and off for the 20 years I've lived in the town, the last game at New Lodge will be my last ever, if I even bother to turn up. I hope someone starts a new club to play in the town so there is somewhere to go on the Saturdays when I want to watch local football, I'd rather watch football in Billericay at any level than go to Basildon for a match.

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GazzaBTFC Newbie

GazzaBTFC

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MSW, there are plenty of us who don't like the idea of moving to Basildon, believe me and all I was doing was putting a positive "spin" on the situation.

 

I was violently against all this (as are others) but if we all took that negative attitude, there wouldn't be a future for the club, eh?

 

Oh and in light of the move, I for one would like to see the name Billericay Town FC proudly displayed in the middle of Basildon. It appeals to my warped sense of humour!!!

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