Matchday in L2, is it going to be much different

[Hadrian]

The area around Faintys yard is riddled with asbestos from the old railway working and would cost a small fortune to clear

Some remediation in the area took place with NWDA funding c2005-2010 and parts of the wider area were covered with a metre-deep 'blanket'.

More remains to be done and IIRC has been mentioned as a priority in documents related to the Brilliant Barrow initiative.

[Colin Appleton]

The one good thing about Holker Street is the amount of space you could, admittedly with a lot of money, develop. If the club owned the garage that used to be the Bluebird Club the whole of the popular side could be brought back around twenty to thirty yards. If they owned the old training pitch ( in fact the club may own it) next to what's called the Barrow Supporters club you could also redevelop the area behind the Crossbar and the corner near Asda on the popular side. If you had millions you could also re-route Wilkie Road and push the Grandstand back. Most football grounds are hemmed in, the only area you can't go backwards is at the Holker Street end which of course is now being re-roofed. Space around Holker Street isn't a problem finding the money to be able to do it is another question.

[Hadrian]

Ownership of and access to the necessary land for expansion would be priorities to address. The 'training pitch' and former Bluebird Club aren't the club's and, AIUI, non-match day access to behind the popular side may be restricted due to a covenant when the former Bluebird Club was originally sold.

Resolving these may prove problematic and expensive.

[Jonty]

The one good thing about Holker Street is the amount of space you could, admittedly with a lot of money, develop. If the club owned the garage that used to be the Bluebird Club the whole of the popular side could be brought back around twenty to thirty yards. If they owned the old training pitch ( infact the club may own it) next to what's called the Barrow Supporters club you could also redevelop the area behind the Crossbar and the corner near Asda on the popular side. If you had millions you could also re-route Wilkie Road and push the Grandstand back. Most football grounds are hemmed in, the only area you can't go backwards is at the Holker Street end which of course is now being re-roofed. Space around Holker Street isn't a problem finding the money to be able to do it is another question.

Unfortunately, we missed out on the Bluebird club, the Crossbar footprint is the area where a new stand could have gone in future. But...the new fanzone building is now there next to it and whilst it is great, I just don't know why they have built it right behind the wall of the terrace steps. We are hemmed in at that end.

[capman]

The new bar could be Built over if you were going to build a new standard then and just incorporate it in the new stand not a big deal really

[EABluebird]

I don’t think that simply dismissing a new stadium out of hand is necessary, smaller clubs in lower leagues such as Boston Utd have managed it just fine.
Countless clubs up a down the country have had that debate and they’re had always been the same arguments, can’t afford it, don’t want identikit Stadium etc, but in when the benefits sink in, it becomes a no-brainer.
I did hear however that the land around fainty’s yard is contaminated, but it’s not an insurmountable problem, the location for me screams football stadium, it’s walking distance from town and all the pubs.l with plenty of space for other facilities such as hotel and a 3G pitch. The economic arguments are sound as has been proven by the countless other clubs have gone down that route.
It would be entirely possible to squeeze a new stand in at HS a make it look a bit better but without the other revenue streams that would come with a new stadium, I think as a fan base we should start having a discussion around wether we should redevelop HS or pursue a new site entirely.
Simply put, we can do it on the cheap or spend more (speculate to accumulate) and dare I say it.... share the with rugby!

[Jonty]

I don’t think that simply dismissing a new stadium out of hand is necessary, smaller clubs in lower leagues such as Boston Utd have managed it just fine.
Countless clubs up a down the country have had that debate and they’re had always been the same arguments, can’t afford it, don’t want identikit Stadium etc, but in when the benefits sink in, it becomes a no-brainer.
I did hear however that the land around fainty’s yard is contaminated, but it’s not an insurmountable problem, the location for me screams football stadium, it’s walking distance from town and all the pubs.l with plenty of space for other facilities such as hotel and a 3G pitch. The economic arguments are sound as has been proven by the countless other clubs have gone down that route.
It would be entirely possible to squeeze a new stand in at HS a make it look a bit better but without the other revenue streams that would come with a new stadium, I think as a fan base we should start having a discussion around wether we should redevelop HS or pursue a new site entirely.
Simply put, we can do it on the cheap or spend more (speculate to accumulate) and dare I say it.... share the with rugby!

EA Bluebird, I’m not sure if you have followed the forum discussions down the years, but this debate has been had umpteen times. Many are open to the idea of a move, or even ground sharing, if the obstacles can be overcome- (pitch issues and progress of both clubs) but for many it's a complete non starter and you would have to change the mindset of many to even get people talking. In the past there simply hasn't been the appetite for it. I will say this though, if we really are going to put 48 years of non league behind us for good, part of the planning for the future will need to include a serious look into whether we can do that at our present home or whether we need to relocate within the town.

[mickmike wilson]

Everyone is in Barrow all Friday for training then lodging, Friday teatime interviews will be possible won't they Adam?

You going to pay me to take the day off work to do them?

Why do you look for the negatives, Try looking for the positives in any situation & you will usually find a solution, Last season the squad must have been in town for around 30 hours spread over Fri/Sat, I'm sure the club will want more exposure now we are L2 & the club could financially profit from the content as they will be looking into subscription type services for fans out of our catchment area & beyond, We will need lots of content, interviews, player profiles, behind the scenes stuff, a day in the life of etc etc

Between you, your current job, the club & RC I'm sure you could figure something out, As the club grows so do the demands & will be more time consuming for all involved, It's part of the price to pay for progress.

I love your passion when commentating, its really shines through & its far better for those tuning in than previous commentators who did a good job but don't quite share the love, if you know what I mean.

[EABluebird]

I don’t think that simply dismissing a new stadium out of hand is necessary, smaller clubs in lower leagues such as Boston Utd have managed it just fine.
Countless clubs up a down the country have had that debate and they’re had always been the same arguments, can’t afford it, don’t want identikit Stadium etc, but in when the benefits sink in, it becomes a no-brainer.
I did hear however that the land around fainty’s yard is contaminated, but it’s not an insurmountable problem, the location for me screams football stadium, it’s walking distance from town and all the pubs.l with plenty of space for other facilities such as hotel and a 3G pitch. The economic arguments are sound as has been proven by the countless other clubs have gone down that route.
It would be entirely possible to squeeze a new stand in at HS a make it look a bit better but without the other revenue streams that would come with a new stadium, I think as a fan base we should start having a discussion around wether we should redevelop HS or pursue a new site entirely.
Simply put, we can do it on the cheap or spend more (speculate to accumulate) and dare I say it.... share the with rugby!

EA Bluebird, I’m not sure if you have followed the forum discussions down the years, but this debate has been had umpteen times. Many are open to the idea of a move, or even ground sharing, if the obstacles can be overcome- (pitch issues and progress of both clubs) but for many it's a complete non starter and you would have to change the mindset of many to even get people talking. In the past there simply hasn't been the appetite for it. I will say this though, if we really are going to put 48 years of non league behind us for good, part of the planning for the future will need to include a serious look into whether we can do that at our present home or whether we need to relocate within the town.

Thanks for your reply, I have been reading this forum on and off for a while and I’ve known it mentioned but never debated from the serious point of view of actually doing it.
I expect their will be resistance for reasons I totally understand, however I come back to the “little old Barrow” mentality that I’ve mentioned on previous threads, it must be strongly challenged If we are to progress as a club, the benefits of moving are so compelling and we must work hard to convince the doubters, they will be the ones that Inadvertently hold the club back. I just want us to be successful with a bright future and not to be held back by our mentality, the very same mentality the IE noticed when he came here and made great strides in changing - we must continue to change to modernise to break out of the parochial mentality that is so prevalent.

[Matty]

If the Steelworks end is closed for next season how much does that reduce the capacity by?

[Van Der Nipper]

If the Steelworks end is closed for next season how much does that reduce the capacity by?

From what i gather capacity will be 6,500 when all work is done.

[John_Bucks]

If the Steelworks end is closed for next season how much does that reduce the capacity by?

From what i gather capacity will be 6,500 when all work is done.

Why is Steelworks End going to be closed? Sorry if I missed why

[PerthBluebird]

Any talk of new stadia would only come from selling the land at holker street. Would a housing development put enough money into our owners pockets to be able to build a new stadium I think not personally.

[PerthBluebird]

Also worth noting Morecambes old stadium was bought by sainsburys for a hefty price.

[barrowaberdeen]

From what i gather capacity will be 6,500 when all work is done.

Why is Steelworks End going to be closed? Sorry if I missed why

It's not currently cost effective to install crush barriers (which they would have to) as it would then reduce the capacity so much anyway you'd be spending over 1k per spectator who could then stand there.