FGR stadium plans unveiled

[chairboyexile]

Can't be as bad as some of places we've had to go to sholing merthyr Mangotsfield bridgewater

 

[Clem Fandango]

Forest Green has never felt like a derby. Think your (FGR) fans take it a lot more seriously than we do. At the game last season you were singing stand up if you hate Gloucester, we were singing about Cheltenham.

 

[chairboyexile]

Thats our opening fixture away at bishops cleeve whats the best way to get there from Chelt Spa? Si Robin

nope was wrong its some tinpot team from oxford

 

[rudebwoyben]

I'm going to be in a position to ask Dale Vince some questions about this as he's going to be speaking at a tent at the Womad festival and I'm there.

 

[Greenacres]

At the game last season you were singing stand up if you hate Gloucester, we were singing about Cheltenham.

Could barely hear your singing, very muffled, but now it makes sense...I thought that you were singing about hating "Cheese and Ham"

 

[Southend Seasider]

If there's one team that I didn't think could ever move to a worse location it would be Forest Green but this would do it!

Try Scunthorpe

 

[Chris FGR]

Outline planning application submitted.

http://www.forestgreenroversfc.com/news/first-team-news/2016/eco-park-planning-application-submitted

 

[SomeMightShay]

Enough room for the first ever carbon neutral McDonalds drive through.

 

[UTS]

What's the point of building a ground that only holds 5,000

 

[Greenacres]

What's the point of building a ground that only holds 5,000

Unusually for anything associated with football these days it is down to being realistic. Our current home gates average something like 1700, and have been rising over the past few seasons, in a ground of a similar size. Attendances could reasonably be expected to increase, by even a modest amount, if we were to be promoted to the Football League. I understand the plans allow for the ground to be doubled in capacity should demand ever require it. Far better this approach than doing a Darlo and ending up with a white elephant of a stadium that holds something like twenty thousand.

 

[UTS]

Unusually for anything associated with football these days it is down to being realistic. Our current home gates average something like 1700, and have been rising over the past few seasons, in a ground of a similar size. Attendances could reasonably be expected to increase, by even a modest amount, if we were to be promoted to the Football League. I understand the plans allow for the ground to be doubled in capacity should demand ever require it. Far better this approach than doing a Darlo and ending up with a white elephant of a stadium that holds something like twenty thousand.

Yeah but 5,000 is well small. You'll have to give about 1,500 to away fans if you reach L2 and 3,500 home capacity is tiny. How will you ever make enough money to pay your players

 

[rudebwoyben]

Yeah but 5,000 is well small. You'll have to give about 1,500 to away fans if you reach L2 and 3,500 home capacity is tiny. How will you ever make enough money to pay your players

They haven't for the past few years. Have you seen their profit/loss figures? At the moment Vince is making up the difference but I don't think he wants that to last forever, hence the new stadium which like any new build will have lots of other revenue streams other than match-day income.

 

[Si Robin]

Why will they have to give 1500 to away fans?

Isn't the minimum amount to be given to away fans something like 15% of capacity? If that's the case then they only need to provide 750.

 

[rudebwoyben]

There wouldn't be much point giving away 1500 tickets to Accrington Stanley!

 

[Greenacres]

Why will they have to give 1500 to away fans?

Isn't the minimum amount to be given to away fans something like 15% of capacity? If that's the case then they only need to provide 750.

Yeah, don't get that either and think your percentage may apply to the FA Cup but probably not league games. Because of the construction of our present ground, which makes it difficult to segregate the open terrace, we have on occasion given the away team two sides of the ground. Last season when we played Bristol Rovers in the league they probably outnumbered us as the stands allocated to them held more than those for the home fans...however, they were not too pleased when we only let them have the terrace behind the goal in the play-offs.

 

[Southern Shayman]

I think UTS's point still stands... ish.

5000 isn't enough IMO - surely the plan should be a 7/8000 stadium with the ability to expand to 12/15000 if required?

Just seems a bit out of kilter with the ambition that's evident in everything else FGR do.

 

[B2TF]

Yeah but 5,000 is well small. You'll have to give about 1,500 to away fans if you reach L2 and 3,500 home capacity is tiny. How will you ever make enough money to pay your players

Welcome to the party, albeit 10 years too late. You don't get it yet do you? They're not interested in answering that question, you see, that question only applies to real football clubs like ours that are sustained by the interest of their communities, who by and large live and breathe their local team. FGR, Eastleigh and clubs like them are a new model unimagined by the FA when they deigned to allow deserving non league teams access to the promised land. That worthy aim has been hi-jacked by a swarm of rich, mainly southern tossers in need of a hobby. They take over tiny tin pot enterprises watched by one man and his dog and plough money into their playing budgets and in doing so elbow aside bigger, self sustaining clubs who can't compete with the cash they're throwing around without putting their own continued existence in jeopardy. This new breed of clubs are basically penis extensions for their millionaire owners (if you doubt that, tell me how many of these clubs are owned by women?). So, making "enough money to pay your players" isn't even in their business plan. They'll just keep writing more and more cheques until they reach a level where it starts to eat into their personal fortunes. At that point they'll walk away and hand the club over to their paltry support who soon discover their club has been built on sand. Rushden and Diamonds? Grays Athletic? Anyone? Meanwhile, while the FA do nothing and allow this nonsense to go on, real, great & historic football clubs are condemned to tread water, leeching support with every year that passes in the non league graveyard. Thanks for asking.

 

[Greenacres]

I think UTS's point still stands... ish.

5000 isn't enough IMO - surely the plan should be a 7/8000 stadium with the ability to expand to 12/15000 if required?

Just seems a bit out of kilter with the ambition that's evident in everything else FGR do.

I accept your point about it being enough, and agree that 5k isn't a large stadium, particularly for a new build. This is slightly smaller than our current stadium was planned to be, had the stand been completed on the open side. It could be argued that it is pointless leaving one stadium for another of a similar size, but clearly the opportunities for expansion by M5 Jn13, to say nothing of the eco-park, are distinct advantages over our current home.

 

[Southern Shayman]

I accept your point about it being enough, and agree that 5k isn't a large stadium, particularly for a new build. This is slightly smaller than our current stadium was planned to be, had the stand been completed on the open side. It could be argued that it is pointless leaving one stadium for another of a similar size, but clearly the opportunities for expansion by M5 Jn13, to say nothing of the eco-park, are distinct advantages over our current home.

Completely agree that there are other advantages. Just seems strange not to capture all the potential when you're starting from a blank canvas.

 

[JE93]

Unusually for anything associated with football these days it is down to being realistic. Our current home gates average something like 1700, and have been rising over the past few seasons, in a ground of a similar size. Attendances could reasonably be expected to increase, by even a modest amount, if we were to be promoted to the Football League. I understand the plans allow for the ground to be doubled in capacity should demand ever require it. Far better this approach than doing a Darlo and ending up with a white elephant of a stadium that holds something like twenty thousand.

How dare you! Build it and they will come! Our 25,000 seater stadium never stopped us

Only thing I can't understand is why moving from the current similarly sized stadium which you can't fill is any better than moving to another similarly sized stadium which you can't fill. Vincent really does have money to spunk up the wall doesn't he

 

[Joe.]

I think UTS's point still stands... ish.

5000 isn't enough IMO - surely the plan should be a 7/8000 stadium with the ability to expand to 12/15000 if required?

Just seems a bit out of kilter with the ambition that's evident in everything else FGR do.

Think that's the plan with us when our ground is fully redeveloped. 6,000 (currently around 4.5k) with room for expansion if needed. Work begins on our main stand as soon as the season is finished. Our crowds are finally improving. 970 average last season and we've hit over a thousand in our last eight home games. Still got derbies against Margate and Dartford to come too.

 

[Si Robin]

How dare you! Build it and they will come! Our 25,000 seater stadium never stopped us

Only thing I can't understand is why moving from the current similarly sized stadium which you can't fill is any better than moving to another similarly sized stadium which you can't fill. Vincent really does have money to spunk up the wall doesn't he

It's because, and I'm quoting one of their fans on our forum not necessarily on here, the location means they are going to become the biggest club in Gloucestershire attracting support from Tewkesbury all the way down to North Bristol.

It's a load of crap, of course, but let them think it.

 

[Joe.]

It's because, and I'm quoting one of their fans on our forum not necessarily on here, the location means they are going to become the biggest club in Gloucestershire attracting support from Tewkesbury all the way down to North Bristol.

It's a load of crap, of course, but let them think it.

Yeah, I can definitely see Bristol Rovers/City fans switching to the Green Club...

 

[Eastleigh Fan]

FWIW - I also feel that 5000 is too small, if you really harbour ambitions to go up to the next level and above in the next 3-5 years.
When our very rich owner (yawn) took over the club nearly 4 years ago now, i think from memory our capacity was something like 3500. We are now upto just over 5000 (with segregation) and we have submitted plans to take that to 7500 by the end of next season (new main stand being built).
No matter who goes up from this league, filling a 5000 capacity ground would probably happen at least 5-10 times per season and would be more than that if doing well in cups. Given the intention would then be to get to L1 (i think its actually harder to win this league than it is L2), then you will certainly need more than a 5000 capacity in L1 for nearly every home game. I know that if we did it, the 7500 could very quickly become a 10,000 capacity and that is about the right size you need if competing in L1/L2 for a few seasons. You are right that no one should follow the Darlington method, but building a brand new ground from scratch, when you seemingly have limitless cash behind you, seems a very conservative way of taking your club forward.

 

[Chris FGR]

The point is that the stadium will be quickly/easily expandable to 10,000, as it says in the plans, so if we were getting a few close to capacity gates or went up to League 1 I'm sure it would happen.

As for Si Robin's quote, firstly the views of one fan do not represent a clubs fan base and secondly, the person in question has admitted to wumming on you're forum. Surprised you are gullible enough to fall for it.

Very few FGR fans think we can become a bigger club then Cheltenham, we just want to grow and get as big as possible and see how far we can get..

 

[Tom Fgr]

It's because, and I'm quoting one of their fans on our forum not necessarily on here, the location means they are going to become the biggest club in Gloucestershire attracting support from Tewkesbury all the way down to North Bristol.

It's a load of crap, of course, but let them think it.

I don't think it's a load of crap at all if I'm honest with you. A lot of you guys on here being financial experts seem to think they know the ins and outs of our club.

If they stopped to think about how much exposure FGR gives vince and ecotricity and how much his business has grown in the past 5 years they'd be gobsmacked. From working at his company for a year, I can tell you our customer base increased by 125%(ecotricity). Since I've left it's gone even wilder(approaching 200,000).The net worth of the company has increased by 23 million alone in the past year.

It's quite simply been a investment period into the club, whether people like it or not, our future is looking relatively good.

Whilst I may not fully agree with the move personally, I can see the reasoning behind it, and it shows a great level of commitment from Dale to base half the facility around FGR.

Cheers

 

[Sparrow]

Hi Dale.

 

[Tom Fgr]

Haha standard!

 

[UTS]

I don't think it's a load of crap at all if I'm honest with you. A lot of you guys on here being financial experts seem to think they know the ins and outs of our club.

If they stopped to think about how much exposure FGR gives vince and ecotricity and how much his business has grown in the past 5 years they'd be gobsmacked. From working at his company for a year, I can tell you our customer base increased by 125%(ecotricity). Since I've left it's gone even wilder(approaching 200,000).The net worth of the company has increased by 23 million alone in the past year.

It's quite simply been a investment period into the club, whether people like it or not, our future is looking relatively good.

Whilst I may not fully agree with the move personally, I can see the reasoning behind it, and it shows a great level of commitment from Dale to base half the facility around FGR.

Cheers

What a ponce. We don't need a life story, just an answer to why your new ground is so small.

 

[Tom Fgr]

What a ponce. We don't need a life story, just an answer to why your new ground is so small.

Why the personal insult? Just wanted to outline some info from what everyone's been saying on this thread?

Fed up of reading how we aren't a 'proper club' and all that rubbish. Very boring, just thought I'd defend my club a bit if that's okay with you?

Cheers