Has anyone seen the Review? New stadium?

[AFF]

I haven't seen the thing yet, but I hear that the lead story on the front page of The Review relates to the submission of plans by Oaklands College for "a £100 million re-development" of the Smallford campus at Hatfield Road. There is, I gather, reference to a major expansion of [what can simply be termed - no disrespect intended,] the educational/campus buildings and the construction of 70 new houses.

 

There is reference to the provision of five football pitches as part of the plan and, apparently, a suggestion that the Mighty Saints will train there.

 

Nothing about a new stadium within the scheme, however.

 

Is that a simple summary?

[Laz]

It says that the hockey club intend to relocate there. Why?

[AFF]

Didn't St Albans District Council spend £300,000 on a new surface for the hockey pitch a few years ago? Perhaps the hockey club weren't happy with the result.

[Laz]

It was something like that. It might be possible to move the surface to a new pitch. It's good to see that the council can spend such a large sum on a sport attended by so few.

[AFF]

You may have stumbled upon the reason for the hockey club's relocation to Oaklands, Laz.

 

The existing err.. er,, 'hockey stadium' at t'Park is too big for their fan-base.

 

I wonder whether Gibbo discusses the level of support given by the District Council to the hockey club over the years with the various Hon Councillors who have discovered the joys of Non League football over the past season, over the prawn sandwiches at half-time in the board-room.

 

Now there's a thought. Two actually. Perhaps we could build a new ground on the site of the hockey pitch at Clarence Park. And here's the second. If the hockey club is moving to the new Oaklands Sports and Educational £100 million Complex, why don't we arrange for t'lads to train on the site of the [soon-to-be] former hockey pitch at t'Park?

[Laz]

I believe the hockey club enclosed pitch has the added advantage of being able to be locked. One of the reasons for departing Clarence Park is that the ground has to be accessable during the day. I have asked someone at the Council about why it was different but never got a reply!

 

 

[AFF]

So what are you saying Laz? The hockey club wants to operate an 'open-door' policy and as they can't do that at t'Park, they are moving to the Colliseum at Oaklands?

 

That can't be it, surely.

[Laz]

The opposite: the council impose a open-door policy with the football club not to other park tenants.

 

It's strange that the football club doesn't get a mention in the article. If anything, it would show that something is happening. I expect the club's press and marketing staff will produce something for next week's edition.

[AFF]

Hang on. I haven't seen it yet but I heard that we get two mentions.

 

Doesn't it say that, firstly The Mighty Saints are expected to train at the new £100 million facility at Oaklands Leisure & Educational Dome and, secondly that we run the College's PASE set-up from Clarence Park?

[Yellow_Fox]

Report in the review is now available on-line at http://www.stalbansobserver.co.uk/news/l...ent_indepth.php

[Hatboy]

http://www.stalbansobserver.co.uk/news/l...ent_indepth.php

 

There you go AFF

[Terminal]

"St Albans City Football Club, which runs Oakland's courses in its home ground in Clarence Park, also plan to train in the college's fields."

 

Not the "Pick Your Own" strawberry fields? (Or don't they do that there any more)

 

[AFF]

Thanks for that, Hatboy - good hand thingy.

 

I became a little confused at which might be the hand and which the spokes but I get the general drift. Exciting stuff, eh? Good to see one of the City's Centres of Academic Excellence moving forward to satisfy the educational needs of the generations to come, eh?

 

So there is passing reference to The Mighty Saints, but unless the chap forgot to mention the minor detail of a 6,000 seat stadium to the intrepid hack, and it is under that central round bit, it would seem that we wont be moving to the Oaklands Superdome.

 

Perhaps Gibbo is eyeing the Hockey pitch site.

[AFF]

One more thing.

 

Interesting that the piece says that we run the College's courses at Clarence Park. I thought it was the other way round. I wonder which days t'young lads do their thing under the tutelage of UEFA Grade A coaches at Clarence Park. I might wander down and try to spot the next Wayne Rooney.

 

I'm all for making 'em run in the fields, by the way. Good for fitness. None of this carefully manicured running track stuff. Tie a tractor tyre around their waist and put 'em in a field with a couple of bulls for company. Especially on a Sunday morning after they have err.. er.. failed to achive between one and three points.

[Hatboy]

If we can get the cricket team to move to a new ground there will be ample space to build a new stadium at T'park

[Laz]

"plan to train in the college's fields"

 

I suppose they probably mean sports fields but being an agricultural college I'm picturing the chaps running around through Oil-seed Rape trying to find the ball.

[Rob_the_Saint]

Hope they manage to avoid the cow/sheep pats!

 

If I'm not mistaken, pre-season training has taken place in the college fields for a number of years now. I suppose they mean the in-season training that we gave up on last January.