Gloucester City ground update

[Jon Palmer]

Looking at other options for next two seasons: http://bit.ly/CityNewGround" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Nesty]

GEXIT !!

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

I can picture P Baker preparing his statement for March 31st when we are all but safe: "We have thought long and hard as a board and given the uncertainty around what league we will be in next season we have had to agree to an extension to the groundshare to help towards filling the financial shortfall which would result from relegation. Rest assured, the Board are very concerned by the state of the pitch and are committed to rectifying the situation. Season ticket sales are vital to support this investment in the playing surface."

[everyman]

Looking at other options for next two seasons: http://bit.ly/CityNewGround" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I would love to rip their name of our stand if and when this happens.

[Robin]

We've helped them enough but unless they can pay more (very unlikely) in order to better fund the pitch they simply cannot remain any longer.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

We've helped them enough but unless they can pay more (very unlikely) in order to better fund the pitch they simply cannot remain any longer.

£100k or on your way.

[Malabus]

Good to see the #GloucesterCityOut campaign was a success.

[Alf]

No amount of money that City can afford will compensate for the damage being done to our football club by the state of the pitch. If we have to carry on with ground share might I suggest that we plough up one of the pitches at Seasons to enable the players to train on a similar surface? Enough is enough.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Good to see the #GloucesterCityOut campaign was a success.

Indeed. My thanks goes out to those who devoted their time to establishing and promoting the campaign, and to all those who, like me, showed them support

[Artemis]

GEXIT !!

On a similar vein, it'll be interesting to see which excuses are trotted out next season for various issues when GCAFC are no longer resident at WR. Could it be that the begging bowl comes round once again, or ticket prices go up, to replace the pitch fee and bar money; or the budget goes down. Or perhaps the core infrastructure in the form of the pitch is still no good, because we haven't invested any of the windfall in it.

[Robin]

I understood the reason we are purchasing the scoreboard was to replace the revenue from Glos City however the point about the lack of investment in the pitch (probably because we put it in the playing budget - especially last season) is a fair one.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Hard to invest in the pitch when, as I and others believe, the Gloucester rent is less than the amount needed for the pitch.

Pitch and turf experts like Angarod will tell you that for many of the last few summers we have need to spend getting on for £100k on pitch works due to the damage caused by having twice as many games played than the pitch can cope with. Yes, some spending on the pitch would be needed without the groundshare but not as much. Given that most seasons Gloucester were paying £40k it is obvious it was a financially unsustainable sutuation.

Of course, these assumptions may be wildly incorrect. I am happy to be better informed and presented with the facts if the Club ever decide to make these available. Im my view fact they aren't showing any inclination of doing so suggests they are financial facts which would show we got a bad deal.

[Sprout Picker]

Heard talk ages ago of the possibility of the Tiggers playing at EUFC, hopefully mean some extra funds for Colly to push on with.

Question is though, I'm not sure the Jubilee Stadium is up to National League standards - will they have to be automatically relegated to the Southern Prem?

[Reliant Robin]

Gloucester City FC have just confirmed the ground share with Evesham United for the 2017/18 season

[Sprout Picker]

Gloucester City FC have just confirmed the ground share with Evesham United for the 2017/18 season

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Great news. A new era for CTFC starts this summer.

[andgarod]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Massive bill coming this summer and next and into the one after, to try and get to where we were
There will be a massive residual bill to get to a good playing surface
Proper experts brought in now to outline the rebuilding of the playing structure
Massive amount of summer work ,good luck right weather at the right time love and care and dont play at home in August or longer

This is the cost!!!!!!

[Ralph]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Why? They paid for this season and were aware it was the last

[everyman]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Massive bill coming this summer and next and into the one after, to try and get to where we were
There will be a massive residual bill to get to a good playing surface
Proper experts brought in now to outline the rebuilding of the playing structure
Massive amount of summer work ,good luck right weather at the right time love and care and dont play at home in August or longer

This is the cost!!!!!!

I wonder if the scoreboard installation will hinder the new pitch being prepared.There is bound to be some heavy plant on the site for the scoreboard build ?

[everyman]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Why? They paid for this season and were aware it was the last

Do you know if they have paid ?

[Artemis]

Pleased they have found a new temporary home but I hope it doesn't enforce a relegation; also pleased that we as a club have been able to extend a charitable hand to those in need. I just hope we never find ourselves homeless and in need of a friendly neighbour.
Whilst obviously no substitute for playing in Gloucester, it's also given their fans an opportunity to watch their team at a decent ground near their home city and in the same county (and of course, a chance to visit Cheltenham regularly and line our pockets through bar spend). That the pitch is a mess is, I expect to find in seasons to come, a result of under-investment by the club over several years. I don't expect it to improve rapidly, so all those that expect to see a billiard table surface recreating the success of play-offs of a seasons past are in for a disappointment.

[Ralph]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Why? They paid for this season and were aware it was the last

Do you know if they have paid ?

I would certainly hope so. They have an agreement and Paul knows the money was useful. So yes i believe they paid

[Reliant Robin]

Crowd funding of undersoil heating is what will do the trick.

[Malabus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUXk8Nc5qQ8&sns=em" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kora]

Can we now drop this subject and get on with our lives, then again Mal and RCS will have to find another topic to keep their post count up to scratch.

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Can we now drop this subject and get on with our lives, then again Mal and RCS will have to find another topic to keep their post count up to scratch.

Totally. As I said, a new era for CTFC in the Summer now we have our pitch back.

Yes it will take a year or two to put right, but now the levels of investment are affordable, and we only have to invest in a 30 game a season pitch, not a 50 game a season.

[andgarod]

Thats my point the levels are not easily affordable

Underground heating would add how much ? we lose 1 or 2 matches at best per season due to frozen pitch and thats mainly hazelwood end
Hot air tent that end would be best and cheaper unless we were ripping the whole pitch up and also doing the drains

What a mess it is and will be for 2 or 3 seasons

[Reliant Robin]

Undersoil heating is not just for frost protection - it encourages the growth of grass by optimising the soil temperature.

[Red Duke]

Undersoil heating is not just for frost protection - it encourages the growth of grass by optimising the soil temperature.

However, you have to remember to turn it off as well. Newcastle United forgot once and it ended up ruining the pitch.

[Artemis]

Can we now drop this subject and get on with our lives, then again Mal and RCS will have to find another topic to keep their post count up to scratch.

Totally. As I said, a new era for CTFC in the Summer now we have our pitch back.

Yes it will take a year or two to put right, but now the levels of investment are affordable, and we only have to invest in a 30 game a season pitch, not a 50 game a season.

Yup, RCS, we can TAKE BACK CONTROL. Cheltenham pitches for Cheltenham players....(and the away side of course, and the ref...and the flying squad, and the cross-bar challenge people)

The only issue is we will no longer have the revenue from our guests to invest with. So, as I said, ticket prices up? Lower quality players?

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Can we now drop this subject and get on with our lives, then again Mal and RCS will have to find another topic to keep their post count up to scratch.

Totally. As I said, a new era for CTFC in the Summer now we have our pitch back.

Yes it will take a year or two to put right, but now the levels of investment are affordable, and we only have to invest in a 30 game a season pitch, not a 50 game a season.

The only issue is we will no longer have the revenue from our guests to invest with. So, as I said, ticket prices up? Lower quality players?

Much less investment is needed in the pitch now we have half the number of games on it.

My belief is the rent from Gloucester was not enough to cover the ever increasing cost of maintaining and improving the pitch. Again, there is no evidence to counter this. You may be right that the Gloucester revenue will be missed. I may be right that the costs have always exceeded income, and now we will now be able to afford a better pitch with no impact on the playing budget.

Only a publication of the data by the Club will answer the question. Without transparency and facts, we get speculation and division.

[Robin]

I tend to agree, I feel as a club we wanted to help out a local team that we have good relations with (at board level) however the income isn't enough to cover the pitch repair and as board they've been willing to ignore that so long as some of the money could go into the playing budget. Now that we will have the scoreboard that money is replaced but the one off investment to fix the pitch is, I assume, still required.

[longmover]

Some (proper) glos city fans think the ground will never be built with the intention never to build it in the first place, nice bit of land though <ahem>

[Shade]

I assume we are giving them their money back to go

Massive bill coming this summer and next and into the one after, to try and get to where we were
There will be a massive residual bill to get to a good playing surface
Proper experts brought in now to outline the rebuilding of the playing structure
Massive amount of summer work ,good luck right weather at the right time love and care and dont play at home in August or longer

This is the cost!!!!!!

I wonder if the scoreboard installation will hinder the new pitch being prepared.There is bound to be some heavy plant on the site for the scoreboard build ?

I'd assume that they wouldn't need access on to the pitch necessarily as there are big doors/gates in that corner of the ground anyway?

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Some (proper) glos city fans think the ground will never be built with the intention never to build it in the first place, nice bit of land though <ahem>

We could have told them that in 2007. Been clear for a long time EMG is just on the make for his own ends and that gold chained tanning salon regular Peake like half the cheap suit slimes lingering in club boardrooms at all levels. You wouldn't buy a car or double glazing from these chancers, and they should not be allowed to dip their fingers in the jars of community assets.

No one plays with smoke and mirrors as much as he has without sly intentions. Unlike like the barrow boy crooks at Hereford, the fanbase at City has not been sizeable or angry enough to force him out.

Hereford did the right thing by getting the grease bags out as soon as they could despite the fact it resulted in the club closing and restarting.

The groundshare did not help CTFC and it did not help GCFC fans. It let the decline accumulate and there is a long way back.

Time for City fans to walk out and form a pheonix elsewhere. Then hopefully the Council will scupper whatever plans EMG has for MP.