Ground Improvements

[David Holden]

We had the league and conference officials at the ground this week to tell us what we will have to do bring the ground up to league standard. We expect their report in the next three to four weeks, and when it arrives the details will be published in the news section of the website.

 

In the meantime, one persistant rumour needs to be laid to rest. There is nothing in the ground grading rules that say you cannot have a wooden stand. If you have one there are requirements as to stewarding and safety, such as no smoking etc, and we can comply with these.

 

We do not therefore have to build a new stand for this reason.

 

[FleetFanatic]

The info about grants even made the news shopper this week.

Mind you, they said that we would know if we were going to get the money in two weeks

and that the work would start straight away.

 

Just shows that you can't believe everything in the papers ( <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/upyours.gif" alt="" /> ) ..... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Whatever_anim.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

I tell you what they will want - the perimeter wall rebuilt and much higher, and proper walkways around the ground plus more toilets and the shed on the side of the pitch might be a problem, they tend to want the whole area covered or none at all, otherwise you get a crush when it starts raining and averyone rushes for the small bit of cover.

 

We got a grant of over £400k to rebuild our main stand, but spent half a million on top of that on the ground as a whole. Why not start a buy a brick scheme to raise money (if you have not already).

[Ronnie]

Agree with Alan's coments.

 

I think if the club went public with details of what is required and how much it will cost, and they need to raise cash, the regular fans would come up with enough fund raiseing schemes to get it done. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/bounceblue.gif" alt="" />

[David Holden]

I'm not sure that's entirely true Ronnie, we did that with the last set of improvements through the Fleet Fund 2001, which sadly did not raise the money required.

 

I like the buy a brick idea, and I also like the idea that Yeovil had in their programme of sponsor a goal.

 

But let's wait until we know what we do have to do not what we think we might have to do eh.

[Guest]

In the non-league guide to Kent, it says that the main stand is a listed building?

 

If this is the case, then it wouldn't be allowed to be knocked down or changed substantialy anyway.

 

It would also make future use of the site awkward if the lanlords ever decided to re-develop it.

 

A lot of league clubs have woodern stands, Orient, Torquay, Fulham and Stockport for starters.

 

 

[Alan ( GNFC )]

Dave , after our debate behind the goal at Margate I'm glad the wooden stand rumour has been quashed . I thought I was going mad !!

[Guest]

One thing that I can say with certainty that you will need, it a new stand, as you need 1,000 seats and an overall capacity of no less than 6,000.

 

The place looks big enoug, behind the goals in particular, but your capacity is affected by the poor quality of the steps on the terraces and the lack of walkways. We got 500 stuck on our capacity merely by sticking in better walkways - even though they reduced the size of the terracing.