New Training ground - at De La Salle Sports & Social Club

[beachy01]

Do u think players from other clubs have a connection with the town that they play for? No. I played at a club now in the same league as barrow, there were 2 players from that town in the 1st team squad. 'Going into schools' etc etc was rota'd within the squad. They have zero connection with the town. To much emphasis put on it tbh, i hope we continue to train where we can attract the best players to keep us in L2 and push us on

[MisterPleasant]

Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning
On an ever spinning reel...

[bluessupporter]

When are people going to realise we will NEVER train locally.

I quite agree - I don't think we will either, but my point was investing in De La Salle, as has been suggested, If we are going to do that then we need to look at bringing the training to Barrow and invest in. our own town, but I know that isn't going to happen either.

[Gaffer]

I just hope we`re not investing thousands of pounds on something that we don`t have control over , if it hasn`t got an all weather pitch what happens when the weather deteriorates ? and we can`t train , trying to be positive but we don`t want to be "back-engineering this ", I personally would have liked to move to a facility that doesn`t need investment etc as it`s never ending!,I honestly hope we`ve done our due diligence over this because it seems a bit "definately maybe"!

From what I know through letting Salford train on our pitch it's not big money, but a small revenue stream and helping upkeep pitches.

[blue nige]

I think there is an article is from the Sunday Times about Barrow Soccer in the early 70s in the league. When the bus from a southern away game gets back to Barrow, there is hardly anyone on the bus.

My point is to ask, out of interest, where the team trained in 1970? Has this connection ever existed? How many times have we ever trained through the week in the town?

Hi Steve I might be wrong but I`m almost certain they trained locally (training pitch ) but as someone stated we had houses think at eastmount springs to mind but different era then !, sure PJ will help me out!

[barrowaberdeen]

And tbf when Dusty Springfield was singing that was about the last time we had these houses.

Personal view. I think we need more presence in town but I think as we are fighting for the same pot of players as lots of North West league clubs we need to be a bit canny and that, until we are competing further up this league, may mean Manchester. Please though, can we have a year or two without any more carry on.

I'd be surprised if they didn't either go down the corporate contract for a gym elsewhere or drop one in there that they can use when we are not. Artificial pitches can be sourced when needs be.

What I would say about 'connection with the fans' this year that the club doesn't promote enough in my view:

At least 1000 Primary kids in for free
At least 500 Secondary kids in for free
20 local sides as flag bearers
Many more mascots etc
Free tickets for emergency services
Tickets for hard to reach families and individuals, including from global majority communities in Barrow

And then, all of the above last game of the season. Crowds an average of 3000. Doesn't seem the 'club' lack connection.

Then you have BAFC Community. May be a separate body but still wearing the badge and working out of Barrow AFC.
Coaching in Schools
Running free holiday programmes on emotional resilience for kids all over Barrow
Fund raising, community awareness and loads of different work
Part of a scheme where aspirational kids who wanted to work in football were bussed in to the club and met the manager and staff etc

Then there's the Bluebirds Trust
Supported and organised some of the ticket initiatives (but main credit must go to club)
332 under 16s travelled free to away matches
Over 1000 members

I'm not denying, at all, that the whole academy stushie and not training in town isn't optimal- and we need to do better. But can we at least have a bit of balance when people trot out 'no connection to the club' .

Not everything is terrible.

[Jon D]

And tbf when Dusty Springfield was singing that was about the last time we had these houses.

Personal view. I think we need more presence in town but I think as we are fighting for the same pot of players as lots of North West league clubs we need to be a bit canny and that, until we are competing further up this league, may mean Manchester. Please though, can we have a year or two without any more carry on.

I'd be surprised if they didn't either go down the corporate contract for a gym elsewhere or drop one in there that they can use when we are not. Artificial pitches can be sourced when needs be.

What I would say about 'connection with the fans' this year that the club doesn't promote enough in my view:

At least 1000 Primary kids in for free
At least 500 Secondary kids in for free
20 local sides as flag bearers
Many more mascots etc
Free tickets for emergency services
Tickets for hard to reach families and individuals, including from global majority communities in Barrow

And then, all of the above last game of the season. Crowds an average of 3000. Doesn't seem the 'club' lack connection.

Then you have BAFC Community. May be a separate body but still wearing the badge and working out of Barrow AFC.
Coaching in Schools
Running free holiday programmes on emotional resilience for kids all over Barrow
Fund raising, community awareness and loads of different work
Part of a scheme where aspirational kids who wanted to work in football were bussed in to the club and met the manager and staff etc

Then there's the Bluebirds Trust
Supported and organised some of the ticket initiatives (but main credit must go to club)
332 under 16s travelled free to away matches
Over 1000 members

I'm not denying, at all, that the whole academy stushie and not training in town isn't optimal- and we need to do better. But can we at least have a bit of balance when people trot out 'no connection to the club' .

Not everything is terrible.

Get this man on the board

[Wintergreen]

I think there is an article is from the Sunday Times about Barrow Soccer in the early 70s in the league. When the bus from a southern away game gets back to Barrow, there is hardly anyone on the bus.

My point is to ask, out of interest, where the team trained in 1970? Has this connection ever existed? How many times have we ever trained through the week in the town?

The world was a different place back then and I would say there would be little to no interaction between Barrow AFC and the community and I doubt footballers would be particularly welcome in schools for example in those days. As I remember it, while still in Div 4 the team trained on the Holker Street pitch itself and used the perimeter to run around to put the miles in. Training was a 'closed shop' but there was an annual Evening Mail photo opportunity session at Roanhead sand hills pre-season. Most junior football finals were played on the Holker St pitch as well as schools five-a-side tournaments. I played in a schools final there and it was just wet mud which we all struggled to lift the ball out of. The club did however create a training pitch in the late 60s on what is now the Furness Rovers FC pitch, but I guess this was sold off at some point to try and balance the books. Players either bought a house and settled in the area or lived in temporary accommodation locally back then, not many seemed to have cars as they could be spotted walking to the ground or on a bus. Also worth remembering is that the A590 used to twist and turn through every town and village out to the motorway; crazy but that's the way it was in the good old days. So to summarise, it would not have been logical to train out of town in our FL days of yesteryear and it would not be advantageous to train in the town today.

[Big E]

This is what should have happened right from our first season where we used to be until Dunn decided against it and wanted something else.

It might not be perfect now, but hopefully with investment it will be suitable for purpose - you have to start somewhere, we are just 3 years down the line from where we should have been

We do need to start somewhere but how much is it costing the club to be in this partnership? What’s the key driver here? Location- accessible, costs?,... what needs to be done development wise to support an EFL club? It could cost £££’s to get it up to what we want and if that the case why do that at a club in Salford and not one at home as per Brown’s argument? (Thinking longer term planning)

I can understand if we were investing at home in a partnership with a local club’s facility whilst continuing to hot desk it at an already established facility in the north west on a season by season basis. This doesn't seem to fit the hybrid training solution that PH was alluding to.

Probably not as much as moving everything to barrow. Feature in travel costs, accommodation for players etc, food.

still think this is a better option atm given our current situation. I'm sure others will have a different view, and thats fine, but that's why we've employed Moore, and if thats what he thinks is teh better option we have to go with that or whats teh point of employing him?

[cuffy]

The training pitch for when we were last a league side was for a period of time the same pitch that the local Furness Rovers now play on. In the dark days when money was tight this training pitch was sold to the Barrow Football Supporters Club who had moved from under the old wooden stand to build their own place. I believe the money was required as Mr Tax Man was breathing down the clubs neck. Subsequently when the money was available the BFSC sold it back to the club. Many moons later Asda (Walmart) came knocking with a £100,000 and bought it from Barrow AFC. I’m sure it was subject to some form of covenant. As far as I know Furness Rovers now lease it from Asda (Walmart). This has been reliably told to me by a couple of my friends who used to frequent the BFSC but unfortunately are no longer with us.

[bluessupporter]

Hi Steve I might be wrong but I`m almost certain they trained locally (training pitch ) but as someone stated we had houses think at eastmount springs to mind but different era then !, sure PJ will help me out!

They had houses on Beacon Hill, Longlands Avenue area etc.

[Pedro]

Colin Appleton uses to live in Dane Ave if I remember right.

[Wintergreen]

Fred Else in Carlton Avenue...

[pjdaly]

Hi Steve I might be wrong but I`m almost certain they trained locally (training pitch ) but as someone stated we had houses think at eastmount springs to mind but different era then !, sure PJ will help me out!

They had houses on Beacon Hill, Longlands Avenue area etc.

Don't be so sure, Nige! After all, I'm sure I'm not sure about the situation of the club's local housing stock in those last years from, say, 1970 to 1972. I'm sure if Neil McDonald read this he'd be able to ask brother Ian who played for us then and he would surely know much more. One clue is that Harry Thomson joined us in summer 1971 and lived in Barrow for the rest of his days. But then, he might have bought his own house rather than use one offered by the club. I don't know. I do seem to recall spotting Mick Hollis and Eddie Garbett around town on the odd occasion so I'd speculate that they lived in the town but, again, did they stay at club properties??? And I feel sure Tony Morrin stayed in a guest house on West View Road, the same one that George Smith and Roy McCarthy had lived in a couple of years earlier.

Of course it was different in the glory days of 1966-68 when just about every Barrow player lived in the town, possibly with the exception of Brian Pilkington who I believe had a special dispensation to carry on living in Chorley or Burnley or wherever it was. As WG says above, Fred Else was on Carlton Avenue but was that a club property or did the Else family buy it as their own? Probably the latter because Fred did continue to live there long after his playing days were over. Finally, I do know Bill McAdams lived in the house right at the very top of Victoria Avenue on the bend overlooking Cemetery Hill - - - you can picture the one, it stands out a mile overlooking the hill, a bit like the house from Psycho. Again though, was that a club house?

[Jim]

Don McEvoy lived in the house on the corner of Prospect Rd and Hollow Lane.