The Offical Ebbsfleet United History Thread.

[Slartibartfast]

Originally Posted By: DarrenGNFC

But again, with the foundation: I just don't think it can be called the same team, what with the expansion in its catchment area/territory. Gravesend & Northfleet was always referred to as "Gravesham's team" (although I'm not sure how the people of Higham, Meopham, Cobham etc. felt about this...) and now we've expanded, it can't really be accurately called the same team. I don't think it's pedantic to pick up on this, as someone said Ebbsfleet will have 25,000 citizens one day, which is about a quarter of Gravesham population. So that's certainly a sizeable addition to the club.

There is no expansion in the catchment area, We have always been quite happy to take fans from Dartford, Medway, Salisbury, North Devon, Peru and even, since we are desperate, Essex.
It is the same club in the same ground with the same catchment area, the same management team, hopefully many of the same players and (mostly) the same fans.

[BustaGut]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

Originally Posted By: DarrenGNFC

But again, with the foundation: I just don't think it can be called the same team, what with the expansion in its catchment area/territory. Gravesend & Northfleet was always referred to as "Gravesham's team" (although I'm not sure how the people of Higham, Meopham, Cobham etc. felt about this...) and now we've expanded, it can't really be accurately called the same team. I don't think it's pedantic to pick up on this, as someone said Ebbsfleet will have 25,000 citizens one day, which is about a quarter of Gravesham population. So that's certainly a sizeable addition to the club.

There is no expansion in the catchment area, We have always been quite happy to take fans from Dartford, Medway, Salisbury, North Devon, Peru and even, since we are desperate, Essex.
It is the same club in the same ground with the same catchment area, the same management team, hopefully many of the same players and (mostly) the same fans.

They say that most Manchester United supporters come from London, so why should the fleet be different ??

[DarrenGNFC]

Hmm, I thought the idea of supporting the Fleet was to get away from all that "Man United fans in Surrey" culture. I mean, time and time again, lower-league fans like to bleat on about their superiority for supporting their local side...

 

I thought encroaching on Dartford's territory would be a bit of a local club faux pas...

 

I thought the Local Club Constitution stated that if a new town comes along, you let them get along with their development and if they want their own team they can form one, and if they want to support your side or someone else's they can do that also.

 

Or perhaps there have been some reforms since I last checked.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

Originally Posted By: DarrenGNFC

But again, with the foundation: I just don't think it can be called the same team, what with the expansion in its catchment area/territory. Gravesend & Northfleet was always referred to as "Gravesham's team" (although I'm not sure how the people of Higham, Meopham, Cobham etc. felt about this...) and now we've expanded, it can't really be accurately called the same team. I don't think it's pedantic to pick up on this, as someone said Ebbsfleet will have 25,000 citizens one day, which is about a quarter of Gravesham population. So that's certainly a sizeable addition to the club.

There is no expansion in the catchment area, We have always been quite happy to take fans from Dartford, Medway, Salisbury, North Devon, Peru and even, since we are desperate, Essex.
It is the same club in the same ground with the same catchment area, the same management team, hopefully many of the same players and (mostly) the same fans.

Excuse me..............Didn't you forget somebody?...........As well as Canada!

[Slartibartfast]

You are right AFF I should have mentioned Canada, Mr Smith gets to more of our games than most of the population of Gravesham.

[Stu M]

Originally Posted By: DarrenGNFC

I thought encroaching on Dartford's territory would be a bit of a local club faux pas...

Depends on how you're defining your territory. It's not like we're marching into Dartford town centre and trying to nick fans... we're looking at an area that, while part of it is nominally in the borough of Dartford, is geographically slap bang in the middle of the Fleet's home patch... it is an as-yet unmined source of potential and in my book is up for grabs to the businesses that show the most energy and ambition in exploiting it.

The moaners would soon be out in force if Dartford benefitted from, say, a thousand new residents and the investment of new businesses while the Fleet sat on their arses and said: "No thanks, nothing to do with us, most of that is Dartford Borough Council..."

[Eastside Urchin]

so why not just keep the name,a name that everyone knows but move to ebbsfleet.

[DarrenGNFC]

I admit the details of the place and the boundaries are a bit odd. To be honest, I don't really understand how one place can be in two boroughs. I suppose if we went by the old romantic view of the fan going to the club nearest to their house, all would go to The Fleet, I think. Which is a useful argument to use. But seeing as from what I've read Ebbsfleet is mostly in Dartford Borough (someone said 90%..?) and I always thought we saw Gravesend and Northfleet F.C. as Gravesham's side and Dartford F.C. as Dartford Borough's, therefore, the majority of fans should in some people's eyes be Dartford's.

 

To be honest, the Local Club rules are a bit vague at times and this is certainly not a common situation. I'm starting to think football clubs should be based on what its fans hobbies are, rather than locality. I think that would stop a lot of arguing amongst fans and a bit more solidarity. You could have teams based on political allegiances, favourite bands, favourite holiday destinations etc., with all the members funding the side and the club moving to different homes each week to satisfy the scattered locations of the fans.

 

Although, as we all know, all modern-day Premiership footballers share a mutual love of fast cars, R & B and Page 3 models so I don't think the status quo would be altered much.

 

 

[Harry J Allstars]

Originally Posted By: urchin_mentalist

so why not just keep the name,a name that everyone knows but move to ebbsfleet.

Or how about taking the name Ebbsfleet and moving to that area. A name that will be one day be known throughout Europe. Had Disney given us recognition in the Movie Pocahontas then maybe we could have kept it but the truth is nobody knows where the towns of Gravesend or Northfleet are either.

I'm not sure which part of this you are having trouble with as whether we like the name or not it's tough the decision is final and it is changing. Perhaps this is our way of dealing with it.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

You are right AFF I should have mentioned Canada, Mr Smith gets to more of our games than most of the population of Gravesham.

You still forgot the USofA! I'll get George W to bomb your fjords!........................And f**king Ebbsfleet!

[Stu M]

Originally Posted By: Harry J Allstars

I'm not sure which part of this you are having trouble with

He was clearly having trouble with the 'moving to another area' accusation, but has smartly skirted around it.

[jc]

Originally Posted By: BustaGut

A Lease for 150 years is trying to obtained did I read on our present ground ?? Makes me feel obtaining a new ground may just be way way into the future, proably past my lifetime.

Brian mentioned a 150-year rent-free lease, but he was talking about the possibility of getting this for the new ground.