Harrogate Town

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LoidLucan
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by LoidLucan » Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:34 pm

Interesting to see that the new surface at bishop, which is top notch now, was funded with £43,000 from the legacy left to them plus £52,000 from the Football Stadia improvement Trust.

Neil Johnson
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Neil Johnson » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:32 am

Undercovered wrote:
real_darlo_85 wrote:If the relationship between DRFC and us continues the whole plan for both clubs will become unworkable. It may even get to a point where we will have to seriously consider a return to the Arena and sharing with Mowden Park RFC? At least for the friendlies in the summer they were chuffed to be hosting and very welcoming. I'm not saying abandon Blackwell but all options should remain open until if/when we have a stable partnership.
We're 5 games into a 20 year agreement FFS. I think a few people need to take a step back, making statements re things becoming 'unworkable'

You'd think they'd locked the gates and refused us entry or something....I think the trouble is that people thought we'd walk in and instantly call the shots, many thought we'd be taking over the place and now they're getting upset because we're not. Okay things could be better, but couldn't they always in a tenant/landlord situation, even Feethams had its issues. A lot of the "issues" are petty at best and bear little impact on the bigger picture.

The infrastructure we've paid for and put in place was solely needed for us, the rugby club did not need new stands, a new pitch, or a new changing room (which they paid for)

I'm just waiting for the comments along the line of "oh I'm not going to the match whilst it's at Blackwell if the rugby club are going to treat us like this..."

It's not about the rugby club, it's about the football club, we're here for the next 20 years at least unless someone wants to build us a new ground and buy us out of the lease and if we as fans can't find a way to accept our situation then THAT will be be what strangles the life out of the football club, not the rugby club.
Considering the major maltreatment of fans from DFC owners that occurred over decades the attitude, so far, of the Rugby Club isn't too despicable.

The main thing DFC need a pitch that is suitable for BOTH codes and they can't accept that the pitch is kept in a soft state to only suit the Rugby code.

If their is continued or growing hassle from the Rugby side, and no arbitration from the council, then us Football fans may need to give the Rugby Club chairman a message.

We dont HAVE to buy from Rugby branded pie stalls and their bars, instead we can buy 50:50 tickets, programmes and merchandise that is funding DFC 100%.

I hope that the Rugby side see sense and realise that DFC dont want a dispute and only want to succeed, rather than just wallow around in lower level non-league football with reduced crowds.

Darlo_Pete
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Darlo_Pete » Mon Feb 27, 2017 1:21 pm

It was good to see that the players were applauded off the pitch on Saturday, as fans appreciated the effort they had made and if it wasn't for Scott's moment of madness, we'd almost certainly have won the game.

tezza
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by tezza » Mon Feb 27, 2017 2:58 pm

onewayup wrote:Upgrading the pitch surely will be a joint effort by both clubs DRFC/ D.F.C Otherwise can't see the fans funding upgrade.
DRFC Seem quite happy with the current pitch .. why would they contribute to something they believe is suitable to their needs ?

I believe under the original proposal with Martin Jesper the pitch and its exact use-age became a major stumbling block ... seems it might again

Vodka_Vic
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Vodka_Vic » Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:45 pm

I have a slightly independent view of pitches and Darlo, probably due to supporting the team from 1983, but I'm going to throw it in there anyway. If you look back at highlights of Darlo in the 80s and early 90s at Feethams, particularly our successful Conference season, by Feb the pitches were absolute glue pots. There was no way you could play any sort of decent football on them, yet many times we won at home. Now I know that the grumble with this pitch is type/length of grass, rather than being a glue pot, but are pitches something that get talked about when teams go on a bad run as a reason for the bad run, yet if we were winning most weeks, then they wouldn't get mentioned?

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loan_star
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by loan_star » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:00 pm

Vodka_Vic wrote:I have a slightly independent view of pitches and Darlo, probably due to supporting the team from 1983, but I'm going to throw it in there anyway. If you look back at highlights of Darlo in the 80s and early 90s at Feethams, particularly our successful Conference season, by Feb the pitches were absolute glue pots. There was no way you could play any sort of decent football on them, yet many times we won at home. Now I know that the grumble with this pitch is type/length of grass, rather than being a glue pot, but are pitches something that get talked about when teams go on a bad run as a reason for the bad run, yet if we were winning most weeks, then they wouldn't get mentioned?
I know what you mean but pitch preparation has come on a lot since the 80s and 90s. You don't need a good surface for rugby but you do for football these days.

JE93
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by JE93 » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:10 pm

I think there is a difference even there though. Last year we won the league on an absolute cabage patch, playing at HP every other week. While the pitch got boggy and cut up... It was a very flat basis from which to start. The pitch at BM isn't flat to begin with. Add to this softer soils and it presents a big challenge. Although saying this, I don't think it's to blame for any of the results we've had at BM.

Quakerz
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Quakerz » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:12 pm

The pitch is the same for both teams. Footballers are spoiled these days.
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“Everybody knows where that club is going now, so I’m out of the way. They can carry on, it’s their club, they can keep it." - Raj Singh, 2017

bga
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by bga » Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:54 pm

Quakerz wrote:The pitch is the same for both teams. Footballers are spoiled these days.
Totally spot on, and I agree with JE93 last sentence as well.

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QuakerPete
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by QuakerPete » Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:31 pm

Don't think anyone is saying the pitch quality is having an adverse effect on one team only (Darlo). The challenge is that MG wanted a good pitch, which doesn't come cheap even with grants, plus the other ground improvements needed. Funding these together will be interesting


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Craig09
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Craig09 » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:25 pm

Im all for a new pitch but when your sharing with a rugby club it will always be churned up no matter how much you spend on it.

Undercovered
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Undercovered » Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:41 pm

Craig09 wrote:Im all for a new pitch but when your sharing with a rugby club it will always be churned up no matter how much you spend on it.
It's not churned up though. It's just a crap surface. Once it's sorted it'll be fine even with rugby and football played on it
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Craig09
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Craig09 » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:10 pm

Yeah but it will never be the pitch/carpet that we want it to be. Before the move we knew we would be sharing the main pitch with the rugby team so we just have to get used to playing on a crapy surface every season

Craig09
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by Craig09 » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:10 pm

Yeah but it will never be the pitch/carpet that we want it to be. Before the move we knew we would be sharing the main pitch with the rugby team so we just have to get used to playing on a crapy surface every season

princes town
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by princes town » Mon Feb 27, 2017 10:24 pm

I think there are much higher priorities than the pitch. The balance between servicing the team and developing a proper infrastructure will no doubt be a major challenge. For me, the lowering of the dugouts and a working relationship with the rugby club are far higher financial priorities than even the team requirements at the moment. I don't even think the name change is the biggest thing either although it seems to be dominating everybody's attention. I'm still nervous that anybody going into the ground outside match days wouldn't actually know there was a football club there.

tezza
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by tezza » Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:27 am

QuakerPete wrote:Don't think anyone is saying the pitch quality is having an adverse effect on one team only (Darlo). The challenge is that MG wanted a good pitch, which doesn't come cheap even with grants, plus the other ground improvements needed. Funding these together will be interesting


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Think you will find back in 2015 £43K was earmarked for pitch improvement, to be done at the end of 14/15 season. More than likely this has ebbed away and original cost inflated.

lo36789
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by lo36789 » Tue Feb 28, 2017 10:07 am

princes town wrote:For me, the lowering of the dugouts
Why are you still standing behind the dugouts when there are only 1700 people in attendance?

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loan_star
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by loan_star » Tue Feb 28, 2017 12:16 pm

lo36789 wrote:
princes town wrote:For me, the lowering of the dugouts
Why are you still standing behind the dugouts when there are only 1700 people in attendance?
What a stupid question! The fact is that the way the dugouts are situated at present means that viewing down that whole side of the ground is restricted, one of the reasons so many people complained at the first home match. Standing 4 deep on that side is a non starter because of the dugouts.

lo36789
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by lo36789 » Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:54 pm

don't deny that but how often do we need people to be 4 deep along that side?

We have 1,000 in the tin she'd surely we are able to fit 700 around the 'away' end and along the far touchline.

I always class priorities as things which absolutely need to be don't first, so are critical.

Moving the dugouts is on the list but to be number 1?

jjljks
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Re: Harrogate Town

Post by jjljks » Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:55 pm

I can forgive the dugouts, but who designed the stand opposite? They obviously had never had any experience or thought about the needs of fans (most of whom have put a load of cash into the club - so why upset them?). This needs to be sorted for next season.

Another thought, could the the 'spoil' from the pitch redevelopment and also the relaying of drains be used around the side of the pitch to create better vantage points rather than the flat paving stones?

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