Slough Town FC: Please Read

[Chris]

Massive month for the football club

 

Slough Town possibly face their biggest challenge in their 100+ year history throughout this week as Slough Borough Council have been involved in a number of open meetings this week encouraging Slough residents to give their views on the proposed new stadium plans.

 

VERY IMPORTANT

 

We need ALL of you to write as many emails or letters as possible to the council giving your reasons why Slough Town FC SHOULD get a new stadium – explaning all the benefits it would bring to the community of Slough.

 

Once you have written these letters either:

 

e-mail them to: stfc.consultation@slough.gov.uk

 

Post them to: STFC consultation, The Centre, Farnham Road, Slough, SL1 4YP

 

If you are would rather speak to somebody about the proposals then either:

 

Phone: 01753 875572

 

Or you can visit members of the Council to discuss the proposed stadium plans on the following dates:

 

Tuesday August 27 Britwell Library 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm

Wednesday August 28 Central Library 10am – 5pm

Thursday August 29 Langley Library 10am – 5pm

Friday August 30 Cippenham Library 10.30am – 5pm

Thursday September 4 Wexham Court Parish Hall 10am – 3pm

 

Please be aware this decision could make or break Slough Town’s future, and with the football club planning to post an eight page document to 48,000 households in Slough very soon September promises to be a big month for Slough Town FC off the Park.

 

[mats]

Chris, I wrote a long email in the Save our Slough campaign at the official site(it was in the first guestbook). Will it possible for you to forward it to the council email address?

 

Mats

Swedish Rebel Branch

[Guest]

Absolutely, we must remember that IF (and at this stage of the season it is a big if) we have a successful season it could prove worthless if we have no home.

I do not know if this is allowed but when the 48,000 document goes out are we allowed to knock on doors encouraging people to support the club and return the document? There is a danger that many will be thrown away and if each Slough fan who attended Monday knocks on 20 doors we will have seen over 8,000 households.

Speaking of attendance according to teletext Slough had 46 more than Margate in the Conference! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/bounceblue.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

Chris,

 

it can be difficult to get your head around the many points in favour which can be made in a letter or email, so I wonder if we can give some pointers to help people. On the other hand, Councils are never very keen if they get a series of identical letters - it looks as if someone is trying to rig the consultation process.

 

I wonder if it would be worth while publishing in the website, or here in the Forum a list of all the points which can been made in favour, so that people can have a memory jogger to help them to write to the Council in their own words.

 

Here is my contribution for starters:

 

1. The Club has been an essential part of the Slough Sports and Communicty scene for over 100 years and in that time has brough much good publicity to the town.

 

2. Local football is the heart of the national game - it is from here that many star players have had their careers launched.

 

3. Strong local teams provide the facilities and a focus for local youngsters and a useful activity to keep them healthy and out of trouble.

 

4. Slough is an important and good sized town and deserves to be a centre of excellence in local football, something which it has been for all of the last century, and there are still many supporters who have watched and supported the club for 50 years or more, so this is a long tradition of excellence, which we must not lose.

 

5. The Club needs to return to its roots in Slough, so that it can flower and provide the facilities needed, not just for current players and youngsters but for those in the future.

 

6. In the longer term, this new site will be a gain for the Town and the Club must make sure that this is the case, by returning to the top of local football again and by developing and nurturing its links with the local community and with local youngsters to whom it can offer opportunities to progress in the sport.

 

7. A successful football club brings good publicity for the Town and helps to generate a successful image in the country and overseas, a plus point for investors being persuaded to come to Slough.

 

I am sure there are many people who can add a lot of extra and better points to this list, so let's collect some together and help encourage people to support the club by writing or emailing in.

 

I have already done so and got an acknowledgement from the council. I suspect that a Slough address will help though!

 

 

[Guest]

In my e-mail to the council I mentioned the following points.

 

The general Stoke Rd/Baylis/Manor Park areas are seedy and run down. A new sporting/social facility will encourage other local businesses and enterprises to enhance and rejuvinate their facilities, thus leading to a renwed prosperity for the area.

 

In the past the council, with the exception of the Farnham Rd Community Centre, has built sporting and leisure facilities on too small a scale. Further they have not had the finances available to properly maintan and upgrade the facilities. This is an oppertunaty to have a worthy complex at minimal expense to the local tax payers. Smaller towns such as Maidenhead, Bracknell, Guildford and High Wycombe have much better recreational centres than Slough.

[Guest]

Just been to the Langley display. Not a huge amount to see, as plans are still outline, but what is there is quite informative, and the council staff are very helpful.

 

I learned that far from it being a stadium supported by income from hotels etc, it is a self contained development in that the plan is not for a hotel, but a lodge which would accomodate only people using the facilities--a hotel gives the impression that people could just drop in. The lodge idea is that only people using the training facilities (impressive) would stay. The office facilities would be to support the development and would not be for long term lease, though would support conferences etc. I learned quite a lot by asking about the display, and the staff were knowledgeable. Very useful, if still only an outline.