Evo-stik & ground share likely (Gazette latest)

[Robbie Painter]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/north-east ... -30875748/

The Gazette understands that unless a favourable deal can be struck with creditors and the owners of The Arena, a new-look club will play in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League and initially groundshare out of town while developing a new ground in Darlington.

Blackwell Meadows, alongside Darlington Rugby Club is understood to be the preferred site.

Around £350,000 has been raised to turn Darlington into a community club, but that money could quickly disappear if Quakers stayed at The Arena, with all the associated costs, while possibly having to pay substantial sums from future income to former chairman Raj Singh, who plunged the club into administration in January.

However if both Singh and The Arena owners can enable the club to continue with minimal outlay, it could be possible for Quakers to remain at their home of the last nine years.

Such a scenario looks unlikely, though further talks between Darlington 1883 Ltd - the group wanting to run the club - and administrator Harvey Madden will take place today.

[3BlackHoops]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/north-east ... -30875748/

The Gazette understands that unless a favourable deal can be struck with creditors and the owners of The Arena, a new-look club will play in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League and initially groundshare out of town while developing a new ground in Darlington.

Blackwell Meadows, alongside Darlington Rugby Club is understood to be the preferred site.

Around £350,000 has been raised to turn Darlington into a community club, but that money could quickly disappear if Quakers stayed at The Arena, with all the associated costs, while possibly having to pay substantial sums from future income to former chairman Raj Singh, who plunged the club into administration in January.

However if both Singh and The Arena owners can enable the club to continue with minimal outlay, it could be possible for Quakers to remain at their home of the last nine years.

Such a scenario looks unlikely, though further talks between Darlington 1883 Ltd - the group wanting to run the club - and administrator Harvey Madden will take place today.

Having previously been in favour of continuing the current club come whatever, it's now becoming clear to me that we need to rid ourselves of a certain former chairman who's rapidly becoming a millstone around the club's neck. As such, starting again in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League, free from having to pay substantial sums from future income to said chairman, is gradually looking like being the most viable long-term option now.

[MikeinBlack]

'New-Look' club? This better not mean Pheonix Club! Northern section of the Evo-Stick League, is that even lower than the Evo-Stick Premier? Is it Evo-Stick League 1? I read it as point of no return!

Can Blackwell Meadows be upgraded to BSP (then League standard)? Is it anywhere near BSN standard even? How will we afford to upgrade if all we have is income for gate receipts from a ground holding around 1,000 paying customers? If there is no short term future for us then how can we expect to plan for a longer term one? The interest will sadly die away quite quickly if we are lumbering around at the same or similar level as the RA etc. Will the local businesses be prepared to invest £10K each into such a low level enterprise?

The Arena is sustainable according to 1883 - well up until a couple of days ago at least! What happened to change this? I feel that if this is going to be our lot then we may as well not have bothered in the first place, and Crowdcube better have a good system in place to return invested funds.

This is becoming a surreal nightmare...

[SteveSC]

quote]

Having previously been in favour of continuing the current club come whatever, it's now becoming clear to me that we need to rid ourselves of a certain former chairman who's rapidly becoming a millstone around the club's neck. As such, starting again in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League, free from having to pay substantial sums from future income to said chairman, is gradually looking like being the most viable long-term option now.[/quote]

The problem for many people seems to be that the potential path to the long term solution involves steps that many fear will effectively kill off the club before we ever get there.

[Fibonacci0112358]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/north-east ... -30875748/

The Gazette understands that unless a favourable deal can be struck with creditors and the owners of The Arena, a new-look club will play in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League and initially groundshare out of town while developing a new ground in Darlington.

Blackwell Meadows, alongside Darlington Rugby Club is understood to be the preferred site.

Around £350,000 has been raised to turn Darlington into a community club, but that money could quickly disappear if Quakers stayed at The Arena, with all the associated costs, while possibly having to pay substantial sums from future income to former chairman Raj Singh, who plunged the club into administration in January.

However if both Singh and The Arena owners can enable the club to continue with minimal outlay, it could be possible for Quakers to remain at their home of the last nine years.

Such a scenario looks unlikely, though further talks between Darlington 1883 Ltd - the group wanting to run the club - and administrator Harvey Madden will take place today.

Having previously been in favour of continuing the current club come whatever, it's now becoming clear to me that we need to rid ourselves of a certain former chairman who's rapidly becoming a millstone around the club's neck. As such, starting again in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League, free from having to pay substantial sums from future income to said chairman, is gradually looking like being the most viable long-term option now.

It will still be the current club, no new club will be formed under these proposals.

[TinShedDarloFan]

It doesnt look like the Arena is the problem, it looks like it id the demands of the creditors namely Raj Singh, its simply a case of accepting the terms staying at the arena but being in debt and struggling to keep a float or drop a few leagues with no debt, no raj, a view to our own home, the best csse scenario however is that Raj keeps his demands right down which i cant see

Sent from my GT-I9100

[loan_star]

This is becoming a surreal nightmare...

Sums it up perfectly.

[davidcorks 40yard OG]

WHOA WHOA ...Northern premier division 1 north WTF
4 i repeat 4 divisions from the football league ...are you taking the piss ?
Playing out of the town ...crowds are gonna be less than 400

This is getting fucking stupid now....
reforming 4 mths ago would only have been a division or 2 lower .....

[Fibonacci0112358]

WHOA WHOA ...Northern premier division 1 north WTF
4 i repeat 4 divisions from the football league ...are you taking the piss ?
Playing out of the town ...crowds are gonna be less than 400

This is getting fucking stupid now....
reforming 4 mths ago would only have been a division or 2 lower .....

Your wrong.

Once again people panicking.

The Northern section of the Evostik is one step below BSN. FFS!

[davidcorks 40yard OG]

WHOA WHOA ...Northern premier division 1 north WTF
4 i repeat 4 divisions from the football league ...are you taking the piss ?
Playing out of the town ...crowds are gonna be less than 400

This is getting fucking stupid now....
reforming 4 mths ago would only have been a division or 2 lower .....

Your wrong.

Once again people panicking.

The Northern section of the Evostik is one step below BSN. FFS!

No your wrong the northern section of the Evostick is its division 1.... above that is the evostick premier no mention of a northern section in its title

[Hilly]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/north-east ... -30875748/

The Gazette understands that unless a favourable deal can be struck with creditors and the owners of The Arena, a new-look club will play in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League and initially groundshare out of town while developing a new ground in Darlington.

Blackwell Meadows, alongside Darlington Rugby Club is understood to be the preferred site.

Around £350,000 has been raised to turn Darlington into a community club, but that money could quickly disappear if Quakers stayed at The Arena, with all the associated costs, while possibly having to pay substantial sums from future income to former chairman Raj Singh, who plunged the club into administration in January.

However if both Singh and The Arena owners can enable the club to continue with minimal outlay, it could be possible for Quakers to remain at their home of the last nine years.

Such a scenario looks unlikely, though further talks between Darlington 1883 Ltd - the group wanting to run the club - and administrator Harvey Madden will take place today.

Having previously been in favour of continuing the current club come whatever, it's now becoming clear to me that we need to rid ourselves of a certain former chairman who's rapidly becoming a millstone around the club's neck. As such, starting again in the Northern section of the Evo-Stik League, free from having to pay substantial sums from future income to said chairman, is gradually looking like being the most viable long-term option now.

It will still be the current club, no new club will be formed under these proposals.

And I'm afraid thats the point of view that will most likely be taken when it comes to the money invested too...

I'm sure a fair few who invested in Phase 1 won't like the sound of this and will try to atempt to get their money back, but given that it's still the same club, they might be fighting a losing battle.

[Scuba74]

As you seem to know......

can you confirm that the plans being looked at as alternatives would be for Darlington to drop into the Evo-Stik Northern Premier and not the Evo-Stik Division One North?

WHOA WHOA ...Northern premier division 1 north WTF
4 i repeat 4 divisions from the football league ...are you taking the piss ?
Playing out of the town ...crowds are gonna be less than 400

This is getting fucking stupid now....
reforming 4 mths ago would only have been a division or 2 lower .....

Your wrong.

Once again people panicking.

The Northern section of the Evostik is one step below BSN. FFS!

[Darlogramps]

WHOA WHOA ...Northern premier division 1 north WTF
4 i repeat 4 divisions from the football league ...are you taking the piss ?
Playing out of the town ...crowds are gonna be less than 400

This is getting fucking stupid now....
reforming 4 mths ago would only have been a division or 2 lower .....

Your wrong.

Once again people panicking.

The Northern section of the Evostik is one step below BSN. FFS!

No your wrong the northern section of the Evostick is its division 1.... above that is the evostick premier no mention of a northern section in its title

And it's just one step above the Northern League Div 1, which would be the highest division a phoenix club could play in.

[quakersam]

It'll be the Evo Stik Northern PREMIER, a two division drop. The EvoStik have a northern prem and a southern prem, we'll be in the northern section with Whitby

[Darlogramps]

Here's the ground grading for Step 3 - Evo Stik Premier.

http://www.thefa.com/Leagues/NationalLe ... 202011.pdf

Don't know if it's been posted before but it actually makes interesting reading for our situation.

[TinShedDarloFan]

We would be in the league just below BSN not 4 divisions off league 2

Sent from my GT-I9100

[super_les_mcjannet]

So if we get relegated by two divisions to Evostick North Premier, what is Raj getting out of that. This is the key for me, if he is still getting anything even if it is 2p they found in the South Stand, then I don't know if I can accept that.

Basically by the sounds of it, we are now stating that 2 relegations means the Arena would not be viable anymore either. So what happens to the arena, S&S sell and the council claim 75% profit on the land. (Does Raj not have a clause in there somewhere, saying he gets some cash - it really wouldn't surprise me.)

We will need to await the official statement but I have no positivity at all in this whole situation.

[quakersam]

Surely Bishop Auckland's ground would be the ideal place to groundshare? The facilities are second to none, and it's already got the grading needed



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JT8j0JEp1T8/T ... %2B028.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-insYTkj_vW8/T ... %2B011.JPG

[MKDarlo]

I fear this will be the end of the club we all love.

How do we purchase/build/rebuild/lease a ground when we have only the gate money LESS any rent from a (and I hate to say this) pub league club to finance our future?

How do we keep/generate the interest of the folk of the town when most of them can’t even be arse to walk along Neasham Road of a Saturday? How the hell do you tempt them to travel to, say, Shildon/Bishop/Northallerton?

Do you think business will invest in a homeless, potless, almost hopeless former professional football club? Really, in these hard economic times they are going to lob in 10k each?

How the hell do we EVER get back to where we belong? It is a long hard road back from BSN. God knows what it will be like from even lower.

We are told there are contingency plans. I hope to god they are robust!

[quakersam]

How the hell do we EVER get back to where we belong? It is a long hard road back from BSN. God knows what it will be like from even lower.

We are told there are contingency plans. I hope to god they are robust!

Chester have done it, and believe me their supporters probably felt the same when they went bust. However, they have enjoyed every minute of it. I know their situation is different as they went straight back into the Deva Stadium but if we can move into a smaller stadium after one season, everything will be our own

[Hilly]

Maybe people are thinking about this the wrong way.

Instead of saying how can we keep / generate the interest of the people who can't currently be arsed - why not think about trying to encourage people around the area which we will be groundsharing.

Then hopefully when the move back happens - they will come too.

[loan_star]

if we can move into a smaller stadium after one season, everything will be our own

This is the big problem.
The more I think about it, the more I reckon were are screwed.
Cheers Raj, you ******* ****

[MKDarlo]

How the hell do we EVER get back to where we belong? It is a long hard road back from BSN. God knows what it will be like from even lower.

We are told there are contingency plans. I hope to god they are robust!

Chester have done it, and believe me their supporters probably felt the same when they went bust. However, they have enjoyed every minute of it. I know their situation is different as they went straight back into the Deva Stadium but if we can move into a smaller stadium after one season, everything will be our own

As you say Chester did it by having a ready made football ground to walk back into!!!!!!!!!! We have one slight problem.

How? How can we move into a smaller stadium? Where? With whom? How do we pay for it? How do we make the ground suitable for the level of football we want in the now longer term? How do you keep the club alive for the interim period away from our home? Can you guarantee that we will be "home" after just one year?

No one will persuade me this will be enjoyable! I already hate every minute!

[aveda]

My main point of concern reading the threads on here is MikeinBlack. He seems to be in a constant state of alarm on every thread. What's this doing to his health ? He reminds of me the Catherine Tait character who goes into a panic every time the microwave pings.

[Charlie_Darlo]

This solution is all but a phoenix club and has been forced by Raj Singh.

As for the stadium situation "we" will not get back into the conference (this includes the BSN) without a long-term lease (?10 years) on a ground that is up to the correct grade.

Effectively this is the end of Darlington Football Club as we know it.

Thank you Raj Singh!

[dickdarlington]

The ground gradings clearly hint that Bish is where any short term ground share would be.

I am deadly serious when I say that a move from the arena/town in the short term will save our club in the long term. We know that people will be curious and come along to wherever we play at least once. And (some will know this), attending games lower down the pyramid is strangely exotic and romantic. It harks back to the good old days, and reminds people of what football is really all about. Look at FCUM. A lot of their fans did it as a protest, but fell in love with football in its purest form. I guarantee that people will come back and either completely fall back in love with football and Darlo, or at the least become reattached to the club.

There is also the added bonus of some very friendly and welcoming fans. And some pretty cool away days. Blyth and Whitby spring to mind.

As long as we're looking for a swift return to the town, then it will be the best thing that has happened to the club (save for 5th May 2011) in the entire 20 years I have been attending games.

Talking of a return to the town. I mentioned this back in January. But now have a link.

http://www.stadiumsolutions.co.uk/

These sorts of stands are 'cheap' to build. Transferable should we need to move. And above all quick to erect. Any development of Blackwell (or wherever) should start here.

[ted_do]

Surely Bishop Auckland's ground would be the ideal place to groundshare? The facilities are second to none, and it's already got the grading needed



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JT8j0JEp1T8/T ... %2B028.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-insYTkj_vW8/T ... %2B011.JPG

I am losing the will to live, I really am this is crap........ but to try and find some light at the end of this long tunnel, Sams photo of Bishops ground shows us what our focus should be, They have reported to have built this for 1.5 million and it went up in less than a year. So with our half million in crowdcube (stuff the debt & go bust) + some grants and some free council land we could just about have this built by this time next year. How about involving the cricket club as the have the funds from the sale of Feethams and under the covenant they cant spend it on anything other than sport for the benefit of the people of Darlington



PMA.....PMA

[wellindarlo]

I am hoping someone from 1883 clarifies what the situation is soon. If we are to ground share for a season while the council help both DRFC and DFC with a small community stadium at Blackwell Meadows ( there were already plans for some development) then I will sponsor a seat in the main stand. Bring it on, lets get rid of all this crap from Raj and the mill stone of an arena and start again as a community club run by the people and for the people of Darlo ( I might just be going slightly insane now).

[MikeinBlack]

My main point of concern reading the threads on here is MikeinBlack. He seems to be in a constant state of alarm on every thread. What's this doing to his health ? He reminds of me the Catherine Tait character who goes into a panic every time the microwave pings.

Thanks for the concern Aveda! Luckily I get Blood Pressure tablets on prescription lol.
My worry is that with every passing day (seemingly) something new, another twist, more alarm, comes our way.
Now we are basically being asked to sit back and accept that what we've been fighting for was never achievable at all and we will likely have to play in Shildon, at a truly run down pit of a ground with minimal, at best, prospects of improvement.
If any of this was even hinted at back in January, I think that the Trust may have had it their way with the Phoenix Club thing.
Still maybe today or tomorrow or ...whenever after 4th May we might get some good news. I wait in hope.

[Hilly]

I really don't think it'll be Shildon.