All change! This is Ebbsfleet.

[Stu M]

Leaving aside the rights or wrongs of a name change for a minute... changing a club's name for what we are assuming is part of a three-year sponsorship deal (and I accept that's pure conjecture for now) would in my mind be quite 'cheap'. Now if a sponsor offered to build a new stadium, fund the team for x number of years, etc, maybe you could see why a name change might seem on the cards... but if it's only a three-year commitment - like Gladwish - shouldn't we just be giving them the colour of our away shirts...?

 

How about, if it wasn't a name change, but a sponsor wanting us to change from our traditional red and white colours...? A bit like when Gills were rumoured to be playing in white shirts when Sea France sponsored them some years ago.

[bsmith]

Originally Posted By: American FLEET FAN No1

Gravesham United would be apt! Takes in both towns, and Ebbsfleet isn't a Town!

Far too much like Gravesend United in my view, the name Gravesham ultimately comes from Gravesend and I don't think it would be fair on the history of the club to have the name forgetting arguably the more notable side after all Northfleet United was both older and bigger. The name Fleet comes from Northfleet, the stadium is in Northfleet and the colours Red & White come from Northfleet.

[John@TheFleet]

If we want a name to represent the area howabout Sh*t-hole Utd or Lafarge Rangers to reflect the amount of cement dust they dump on my car every week........

 

 

 

Calm down, I'm joking, ok!

 

 

 

[Riverview Supporter]

A shirt change for 3 or so years to me wouldny warrant consultation .

 

until we see whats on the table then its all hearsay, Maybe there is a big big name with big money and longterm plans.

 

No matter what happens we need to remember where we were and where we are now

[John@TheFleet]

Abbramovic is jacking it in at Chelsea and coming here.We're going to be called Gravesendski und Northfleetic Dynamo with a hammer and sickle logo on the shirt. "Come on you Reds!"

 

 

[kmj]

Your description of Kent being concreted over makes me want to think twice about staying here. I have no desire to live in a suburb of an expanded Greater London. It is the green bits that keep it interesting and maintain a certain sanity and quality of life.

 

Someone mentioned Eurostar as a possible sponsor. Talk to anyone in Ashford and the surrounding area about how they feel about being virtually dumped by this company and consider how commited they may be to us beyond the short term.

[Euston100]

Originally Posted By: kmj

Your description of Kent being concreted over makes me want to think twice about staying here. I have no desire to live in a suburb of an expanded Greater London. It is the green bits that keep it interesting and maintain a certain sanity and quality of life.

Someone mentioned Eurostar as a possible sponsor. Talk to anyone in Ashford and the surrounding area about how they feel about being virtually dumped by this company and consider how commited they may be to us beyond the short term.

That is the Thames Gateway for you, I'm afraid. As for Eurostar, well they 'dumped' on Gravesend when they attempted to name Ebbsfleet station Dartford.
Whatever the merits or disadvantages there are in having the Fleet renamed, or who is sponsoring them (including Eurostar), I will back the club.
Ironically, Ashford is set to be 'concreted over' threefold, inside the next 20 years.

[Ray ellingham]

Bill,

 

you forgot the putting green

[Andy Y. (G&NFC)]

Personally I wouldn't like a name change, however if needs must than I suppose if it happens it won't stop me watching.

 

Remember that the two clubs amalgamated in 1946 so we do have a bit of history about these things, and don't forget that the local population isn't exactly drawn to San Siro Stonebridge in their thousands at the moment, so a name change and a big injection of cash "may" not be a bad thing if it kick starts the local community?

 

One thing I seriously would not be happy about though is changing the colour of our shirts. Now that WOULD get me a tad irritated!

[redowl]

I seem to recall a plaque on the wall near the Coopers which had Ebbsfleet High St.but it could have gone when the bomb landed near the Rose, and took out that part of the High St.You are quite right B.K.it was a great little park.

[David Holden]

Originally Posted By: Euston100

Ebbsfleet is NOT all in Dartford. The first Ebbsfleet quarter is now underway at Springhead - entirely within Gravesham. Another quarter to be called Northfleet Rise (adjacent to the actual International station itself) is also in Gravesham.

If this map is accurate then the portion of the Ebbsfleet Valley not in Dartford is very small basically the smallish areas to the right of the station.

(Sorry, the link doesn't take you striaght to the map. Skip the Intro and click on Masterplan)

[1 F in Fleet]

Nice link David ... is that FOUR footy pitches AND a running track in zone 2 ???? With ample space for us ???

[David Holden]

I do hope not, because that IS in Dartford

[Euston100]

Hi there.

Northfleet Rise is in Gravesham, as is Springhead. The running track and football pitches in Land Securities Masterplan are in EASTERN QUARRY Swanscombe - or "Ebbsfleet Valley" which is the preferred name by Land Securities. Confusing is it not? The developer naming Eastern Quarry "Ebbsfleet Valley" is laughable, but that is what they have done.

There are to be 600 homes, a surgery and a few shops at Springhead.

Medium density apartments plus retail in Northfleet Rise.

You see, all of Ebbsfleet Valley (the real one) was entirely within the former Northfleet Urban District. Local Government re-organisation in 1974 split Northfleet District in half. Northfleet formed part of the new Gravesham and Swanscombe was put into the new Dartford Borough. 65% of the Ebbsfleet stream forms the borderline for the 2 boroughs - the remainder being fully inside Gravesham.

If you notice on the Ebbsfleet Valley website, very little - if anything at all, links or mentions Northfleet and Gravesend towns. I can see the Eastern Quarry development (once built), being quite isolated from existing communities - and that's not good.

As I stated in an earlier post, I cannot see the primary developers of Ebbsfleet sitting idly by, whilst the Fleet build a new stadium in Ebbsfleet on behalf of a team called GNFC or GRAVESHAM.

I also stated that I will back the club (including a name change) if that is their way forward.

However, I should have made clear that IF any new stadium is to be built OUTSIDE Gravesham - even by a metre, then my support for the club would immediately end.

 

[kmj]

You seem to have done a lot of research Euston 100. Very interesting too.

 

Taunton Road, which was the street leading to the entrance to the former Robinsons Sacks factory was in Swanscombe UDC which was then absorbed into Dartford Borough Council. This is where the 350+ dwellings are currently being built. I assume that this development - called Pheonix Parc (sic) -is therefore also part of Dartford Council's jurisdiction.

 

Ebbsfleet Rec, where I once saw Kent County Cricket Club come to play, was in Northfleet UDC which became absorbed by the new Gravesham Council. The new station is situated further west than the park used to be from recollection, so it could in fact be in Dartford.

 

By coincidence, I am attending a meeting at the new station on Wednesday where a talk will be given by an official from Eurostar. I will try and discover whether the station and the track etc is in Gravesham or Dartford. Obviously depending upon what is revealed at the meeting on Tuesday night, I might have a number of other questions to raise!

 

I am intrigued that you would back the Club and support a change of name but only if a new stadium was built wholly within the Gravesham boundary. If any of it were to be within Dartford your support would disappear. Why exactly? Your geographical fervour in some ways rivals the several advertisements in the Morecambe programme reminding people of the existence of the County Palatine within Lancashire. You have to see examples of these to fully appreciate what I mean.

 

All of this presupposes that a new stadium would be built at "Ebbsfleet". I believe that the land is too valuable to have a stadium and all the infrastructure associated with such a development take up so much room. Therefore I think that a new stadium being built on the decommissioned and dismantled Lafarge cement works would be a possible alternative site. Lafarge would exchange one plot of land for another.

 

Oh, and then it wouldn't be situated in Ebbsfleet at all so there would be no need to tinker with the name!

[EUFC FAN]

Hope not. My grandfather stopped going when Gravesend appeared in front of Northfleet. He'll be spinning in his grave if they call them Ebbsfleet!!!