blackwell meadows work !!

[AndyPark]

I'd never want to go back to watch football at the arena; the Newcastle friendly was bad enough.

[Vodka_Vic]

A question regarding the pitch at BM. Presumably the pitch would have to be relaid before the rugby season starts, will this be possible now, as it would take time to grow? If this is the case, what will the rugby club do for the start of the season?

[Emdubya]

A question regarding the pitch at BM. Presumably the pitch would have to be relaid before the rugby season starts, will this be possible now, as it would take time to grow? If this is the case, what will the rugby club do for the start of the season?

Work on the pitch has been put back to next year.

[Emdubya]

The Arena is a deadweight that would drag the club under once more.

Beyond knocking half of it down (which would be expensive in itself) I don't see how it can ever be sustainable. It will drag Mowden Park under eventually.

No one wants to watch games in a cavernous, empty bowl.

Actually I dont care, I was happy enough at the Arena, and would happily watch again.

I dont care if 500, 1000, 5000, or 10000 other people are there watching with me, as I watch the players.

I fully understand though that it might not be great for the players. (I'd be interested in their opinion of the 2 friendlies though)

And obviously wouldn't care if the place dragged us under.
On the way out last night I went past a couple of MP staff and being the nice polite kind of guy I am said to them"thanks for having us".Their reply came as a bit of a surprise when they both said,and I quote"You would be back here permanently if we had our way".
Make of that what you will!

[darlodaz]

regarding b/m pitch being put back to next year cant see being the case as its a terrible surface as it is. the ground improvements commence on the 1st of august which will put an end to all this will we? wont we?

[super_les_mcjannet]

regarding b/m pitch being put back to next year cant see being the case as its a terrible surface as it is. the ground improvements commence on the 1st of august which will put an end to all this will we? wont we?

It can't be done in the time so we just have to get through the first year from when we start, as mentioned the pitch is planned to be worked on fully next year now.

[shawry]

The Arena is a deadweight that would drag the club under once more.

Beyond knocking half of it down (which would be expensive in itself) I don't see how it can ever be sustainable. It will drag Mowden Park under eventually.

No one wants to watch games in a cavernous, empty bowl.

Actually I dont care, I was happy enough at the Arena, and would happily watch again.

I dont care if 500, 1000, 5000, or 10000 other people are there watching with me, as I watch the players.

I fully understand though that it might not be great for the players. (I'd be interested in their opinion of the 2 friendlies though)

And obviously wouldn't care if the place dragged us under.
On the way out last night I went past a couple of MP staff and being the nice polite kind of guy I am said to them"thanks for having us".Their reply came as a bit of a surprise when they both said,and I quote"You would be back here permanently if we had our way".
Make of that what you will!

If we are renting I don't see how it could drag us under. And why is me being happy watching us there the same as saying we must be there regardless of the cost.


Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[darlodaz]

next year bloody heck. long ball stuff again at a guess, mind its been effective to date and might not suit all our opponents that end up playing at b/m

[Yarblockos]

If we are renting I don't see how it could drag us under. And why is me being happy watching us there the same as saying we must be there regardless of the cost.


Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

It wouldn't drag us under, but it would leave us homeless. A problem we've been trying to solve for the past 4 years.

[liddle_4_ever]

If we are renting I don't see how it could drag us under. And why is me being happy watching us there the same as saying we must be there regardless of the cost.


Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

It wouldn't drag us under, but it would leave us homeless. A problem we've been trying to solve for the past 4 years.

Which would result in us attempting to ground share at H'pool or Boro. If this wasn't possible we would face relegation due to not having a stadium of sufficient standard. Either outcome could have a terminal effect on a number of our fans.

Ultimately I want us to be in control of our destiny, BM should give us a more stable future than the Arena. Although I was surprised at the relatively short length of our tenancy at BM.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shawry]

So why would it leave us homeless and needing a groundshare with boro?

Let's face it we will never really be in charge of our own destiny as we are doing what we have always done...renting a ground

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

[liddle_4_ever]

So why would it leave us homeless and needing a groundshare with boro?

Let's face it we will never really be in charge of our own destiny as we are doing what we have always done...renting a ground

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Where do you think we would end up playing if we were in that situation?

I agree, I wish we'd looked further into our own ground in a different area of town rather than ground share with DRFC but that's a different discussion for a different time.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jjljks]

regarding b/m pitch being put back to next year cant see being the case as its a terrible surface as it is. the ground improvements commence on the 1st of august which will put an end to all this will we? wont we?

Sorting out the pitch can only be done after the contractors have completed their work as they will have some heavy machines and loads which need access, possibly crossing the pitch which will do additional damage. Unfortunately, this then brings the other factor which is that to reseed & fix the turf, this can only be done at particular times of the year with ideal weather and soil conditions. Short of buying in a complete pitch replacement solution, like at the World Cup (Japan / Korea) - obvious non-starter due to costs, there is nothing else we can do in the short-time left this year. There is only time to do some fairly cosmetic levelling and patching, but not the 'deep clean' of drains and other major works required for an ideal playing surface. All we can do now is keep the faith, support the lads & trust in MG and the Directors to do the best for our club.

[m62exile]

If we have put off the pitch improvements I guess that at least helps from a cash flow perspective? I think that was planned to be quite a chunk of cash so that maybe helps get us in part through the first few months of the season at HP. Obviously it will still need to be found but hopefully only after a successful half season back in town.

[lo36789]

regarding b/m pitch being put back to next year cant see being the case as its a terrible surface as it is.

Its really not that bad. Unless the pitch has deteriorated significantly since I think it was Easter time when I went there when all other grounds were waterlogged.

It's not perfectly flat and the grass was too long but it seemed perfectly capable of having a football match played on it.

[SFG]

I thought that the playing surface at the Arena looked good on Tuesday evening. Also appreciated the good spectator view and quality facilities.

My personal view is that - if it is an option - I'd rather we played there for a season than at either Bishop Auckland or an unfinished BM. Would also address the ground grading requirements should a promotion push develop.

I appreciate the hard work put in by volunteers at the Club and that they don't need too many distractions. But sometimes it is wise to stand back and get a fresh perspective from time to time.

[darlodaz]

sfg,i like you enjoyed the view and facilities of the arena.to be fair its a superb arena just 15, 000 or so too many seats and massive overheads that come with it.
i do think you have a valid point though regarding playing at the arena for this season even for the part season we are going to be at bishop.

[dickdarlington]

It's hobsons choice (well half a season). Do you want a few months of playing on a bobbly pitch which drains well, or a flatter surface which holds more water than a lake?

Being back in the town outwieghs the expected decline in pitch quality. We can roll the pitch, and cut the grass shorter ahead of the football matches which will increase the surface a bit. But it still won't be as bad as some of the places we've been to over the past few years. You never know, it might play into our hands.

[alec.g.white7]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

[Emdubya]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

And what happens when Mowden run out of money?.What would you suggest then?.Should we have a bucket collection and buy the place?.Absulute bullshit .

[Vodka_Vic]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

But it does allow us to play in the Conference. If that time comes we have to extend the capacity to 4,000.

[Yarblockos]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

Of course there is enough room. The clubhouse will be replaced with a new main stand at some point. Enough room there for all the facilities needed.

[dickdarlington]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

Of course there is enough room. The clubhouse will be replaced with a new main stand at some point. Enough room there for all the facilities needed.

Why would the clubs replace the one piece of valuable infrastructure?
Far more sensible to construct an open terrace holding c1k in front. Make the most of the corporate facilities on offer. Potentially to expand to the east of the club house in time.

Making the most of the site will require temporary structures. But ther piece team are confident a football league ground can be constructed there.

You only have to look at places like Marine, Exeter and Raith to see how grounds can be build on an odd shaped plot.

[davidcurrieclass]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

well said couldnt agree more, nice to see someone being realistic

[JE93]

My view is quite simple, forget BM it is never going to work in the short term or the long term i.e. it will never be ready for ages and then when/if it is will be very basic and will not allow us to move up the leagues.The land does not allow us to build an infrastructure big enough to support a conference/league setup, and we don't have the money to do so,even if it was possible.With all its faults The Arena is and has always been the best option, we pay a rent to Mowden Park and get on running DFC.This is the biggest decision DFC will ever have to make, we must get it right.

well said couldnt agree more, nice to see someone being realistic

If you believe this is the best and only viable option. How would respond to the situation where we rent with DMPRC at the arena and we pay our yearly rent. They continue to make losses and cannot sustain life at that huge stadium. They go into admin like we did... what happens with the stadium and us? It's not like we'd be able to make it work if a company with £6m in the bank couldn't how can we when we will always be stretching to make ends meet.

It is a great facility, I just don't see how life there can ever be sustainable.

[quakerste]

The stadium would be sustainable if owners ran it within their means Stewart Davies proved this when he was at the helm with Hodgy.

Mowden are up the creak because they have thrown money at it with crowds of under a thousand. On a positive note one thing they have done is utilized more of the office space.

[Darlogramps]

The stadium would be sustainable if owners ran it within their means Stewart Davies proved this when he was at the helm with Hodgy.

Mowden are up the creak because they have thrown money at it with crowds of under a thousand. On a positive note one thing they have done is utilized more of the office space.

You've just outlined the paradox of your own argument.

You state the Arena can be sustainable, but there are four instances of clubs at the Arena spending large amounts of money (Mowden, and before that us under Reynolds, Houghton and Singh) to try and make it sustainable.

There's a reason we went mad with spending on the playing budget - we needed a better "product" (i.e. successful winning football) to get more fans through the door to pay for costs of the Arena. George Houghton even said this himself. (N.B. I hate calling football a "product" but it is how owners see it).

Mowden are losing money, they've said so themselves. So those calling for us to go to the Arena instead of BM must outline a contingency plan for if Mowden could no longer afford the venue. It's a distinct possibility - after all it happened three times to us.

How would we, with limited spending power because of our lack of a wealthy benefactor, be able to afford the operating costs and maintenance of a 25,000+ seater venue in the instance Mowden couldn't? That's the question the likes of davidcurrieclass and alec.g.white7 must answer. They've refused to do so which tells us all we need to know.

To answer QuakerSte's point, Darlington were still losing money under Stewart Davies and the Sterling Consortium. Just not at the rate of Reynolds, Singh and Houghton because we weren't spending extravagantly on the playing budget. And our attendances were in decline, meaning reduced income. And we were playing at a higher level with better links with local businesses (who'd been shat on by just one administration at the time, rather than the three it is now).

So it's a bit more complex than QuakerSte is making out.

That's before we get to the Arena being unpopular with fans and providing a horrendous matchday experience. Being there for the two friendlies reminded me of how sterile and soulless it is. It would drive potential new fans away.

And we're too far down the road with BM anyway. It would have been too much wasted time, money and effort to chuck it all in now.

Moving to the Arena would be the short term fix. It would get us where we wanted to be quickly. But there are so many fundamental problems, and potentially catastrophic issues further down the line which would make it hugely risky.

That's why I firmly believe in moving to BM and trying our best to make it work.

Sadly, I think the best "fix" for the Arena as a sporting venue is for it be knocked down and rebuilt as a smaller stadium. That's the only way I see it being viable for any club. But that in itself would require massive investment.

[lo36789]

The stadium would be sustainable if owners ran it within their means Stewart Davies proved this when he was at the helm with Hodgy.

The arena is a viable proposition for a football league club, within its first 5 years of being built.

The money which filters through from the PL was basically enough to keep the club at the arena and sustainable. The maintenance costs on the arena won't be have been realised by this point either.

A conference club having to fund maintenance on the stadium cannot make it sustainable.

[MikeinBlack2]

I expect that the Board etc will have considered most if not all options regarding the home of DFC. Mowden Park RFC have allowed us to use The Arena for a couple of friendlies so far, but let's not forget it has taken four years to get to this stage, so ground sharing at The Arena has never seriously been on the table, until maybe recently, and the pros and cons will have been considered I'm sure.
My preferred option (although there are no options up for debate other than between fans) would be to press for a ground share at the Arena until Blackwell Meadows is up to Conference National standard, maybe at the start of the 2017/2018 season.
We must hope that all goes to plan and we are not demoted through unacceptable ground status.

[Comfortably_numb]

The stadium would be sustainable if owners ran it within their means Stewart Davies proved this when he was at the helm with Hodgy.

Mowden are up the creak because they have thrown money at it with crowds of under a thousand. On a positive note one thing they have done is utilized more of the office space.

You've just outlined the paradox of your own argument.

You state the Arena can be sustainable, but there are four instances of clubs at the Arena spending large amounts of money (Mowden, and before that us under Reynolds, Houghton and Singh) to try and make it sustainable.

There's a reason we went mad with spending on the playing budget - we needed a better "product" (i.e. successful winning football) to get more fans through the door to pay for costs of the Arena. George Houghton even said this himself. (N.B. I hate calling football a "product" but it is how owners see it).

Mowden are losing money, they've said so themselves. So those calling for us to go to the Arena instead of BM must outline a contingency plan for if Mowden could no longer afford the venue. It's a distinct possibility - after all it happened three times to us.

How would we, with limited spending power because of our lack of a wealthy benefactor, be able to afford the operating costs and maintenance of a 25,000+ seater venue in the instance Mowden couldn't? That's the question the likes of davidcurrieclass and alec.g.white7 must answer. They've refused to do so which tells us all we need to know.

To answer QuakerSte's point, Darlington were still losing money under Stewart Davies and the Sterling Consortium. Just not at the rate of Reynolds, Singh and Houghton because we weren't spending extravagantly on the playing budget. And our attendances were in decline, meaning reduced income. And we were playing at a higher level with better links with local businesses (who'd been shat on by just one administration at the time, rather than the three it is now).

So it's a bit more complex than QuakerSte is making out.

That's before we get to the Arena being unpopular with fans and providing a horrendous matchday experience. Being there for the two friendlies reminded me of how sterile and soulless it is. It would drive potential new fans away.

And we're too far down the road with BM anyway. It would have been too much wasted time, money and effort to chuck it all in now.

Moving to the Arena would be the short term fix. It would get us where we wanted to be quickly. But there are so many fundamental problems, and potentially catastrophic issues further down the line which would make it hugely risky.

That's why I firmly believe in moving to BM and trying our best to make it work.

Sadly, I think the best "fix" for the Arena as a sporting venue is for it be knocked down and rebuilt as a smaller stadium. That's the only way I see it being viable for any club. But that in itself would require massive investment.

"well said couldnt agree more, nice to see someone being realistic"....well realistic and thinking ideas through