The Play offs

[litefoot]

Today even I the eternal optimist, believe the dream is finally over - shame really after we started the season so well - I don’t buy into this “well next season we’ll be stronger line.”
Next season we’ll be competing against the mighty Wrexham and probably Notts County and money bags Forest Green Rovers.

Are FGR "money bags"? I thought Vince wanted to sell up and I can't see anyone chucking big money at them - the catchment area is way too small (even if they actually were in Stroud it would still be the smallest town to have had an EFL team).

[EABluebird]

I would also concede that the play offs are unlikely but it’s been nice to not be involved in a relegation scrap at this stage of the season.
The future though I’m not sure on the plus side we have a good BoD and a good young manager out fan base is increasing and attendances have been impressive; I remember watching in the CN with less then a 1000 at HS and where 1500+ was seen as a good crowd. The progress has been exceptional in that respect.

On the other side of the coin the however our stadium is substantially below EFL standard it’s probably sits in the NPL somewhere and no amount of additions or improvements will change that, at the moment we are spending lots of money just to meet the minimum standard of the league, all this considered means our stadium is a net drag on our ambitions. If we could at least get the ground up to a standard were we do not need to spend money on every single season then perhaps money could be put toward a new stadium together with the grants available in the EFL and the council perhaps something could be done. Workington are doing it and they haven’t got a pot to p1ss in.

[Alley_Cat]

I would also concede that the play offs are unlikely but it’s been nice to not be involved in a relegation scrap at this stage of the season.
The future though I’m not sure on the plus side we have a good BoD and a good young manager out fan base is increasing and attendances have been impressive; I remember watching in the CN with less then a 1000 at HS and where 1500+ was seen as a good crowd. The progress has been exceptional in that respect.

On the other side of the coin the however our stadium is substantially below EFL standard it’s probably sits the NPL somewhere and no amount of additions or improvements will change that, at the moment we are spending lots of money just to meet the minimum standard of the league, all this considered means our stadium is a net drag on our ambitions. If we could get the ground up to a standard were we do not need to spend money on every single season when perhaps they could be put toward a new stadium together with the grants available in the EFL and the council perhaps something could be done. Workington are doing it and they haven’t got a pot to p1ss in.

I’m interested to know what the Wukkies are doing and how they’re affording it. Have you got a link?

[olbarrafancumbak]

I would also concede that the play offs are unlikely but it’s been nice to not be involved in a relegation scrap at this stage of the season.
The future though I’m not sure on the plus side we have a good BoD and a good young manager out fan base is increasing and attendances have been impressive; I remember watching in the CN with less then a 1000 at HS and where 1500+ was seen as a good crowd. The progress has been exceptional in that respect.

On the other side of the coin the however our stadium is substantially below EFL standard it’s probably sits the NPL somewhere and no amount of additions or improvements will change that, at the moment we are spending lots of money just to meet the minimum standard of the league, all this considered means our stadium is a net drag on our ambitions. If we could get the ground up to a standard were we do not need to spend money on every single season when perhaps they could be put toward a new stadium together with the grants available in the EFL and the council perhaps something could be done. Workington are doing it and they haven’t got a pot to p1ss in.

I’m interested to know what the Wukkies are doing and how they’re affording it. Have you got a link?

https://www.workingtonafc.com/2023/02/0 ... cking-off/
https://www.cumberlandsportsvillage.org.uk/vision

[blue nige]

I would also concede that the play offs are unlikely but it’s been nice to not be involved in a relegation scrap at this stage of the season.
The future though I’m not sure on the plus side we have a good BoD and a good young manager out fan base is increasing and attendances have been impressive; I remember watching in the CN with less then a 1000 at HS and where 1500+ was seen as a good crowd. The progress has been exceptional in that respect.

On the other side of the coin the however our stadium is substantially below EFL standard it’s probably sits in the NPL somewhere and no amount of additions or improvements will change that, at the moment we are spending lots of money just to meet the minimum standard of the league, all this considered means our stadium is a net drag on our ambitions. If we could at least get the ground up to a standard were we do not need to spend money on every single season then perhaps money could be put toward a new stadium together with the grants available in the EFL and the council perhaps something could be done. Workington are doing it and they haven’t got a pot to p1ss in.

You`re right but we OWN our stadium that new venture will have two club`s who will have nice facilities but it`ll be owned by the council !

[Algernon-Beers]

There have been cases where the construction of a new stadium has led to financial difficulties for the clubs.

One example is Coventry City Football Club, which moved to the Ricoh Arena in 2005 after the stadium was built with the support of Coventry City Council. However, the club's income from matchday revenue and other sources decreased after the move due to various factors, including disputes with the stadium's owners and declining attendance.

Another example is Plymouth Argyle, which moved to the new Home Park Stadium in 2002, partly funded by Plymouth City Council. However, the club struggled financially in the following years due to high levels of debt and the cost of maintaining the new stadium.

Overall, while new stadiums can provide significant benefits to football clubs and their communities, they can also come with risks and challenges. Clubs and local councils need to carefully consider the potential impact of such projects on the club's finances and take steps to mitigate any negative consequences.

[olbarrafancumbak]

I would also concede that the play offs are unlikely but it’s been nice to not be involved in a relegation scrap at this stage of the season.
The future though I’m not sure on the plus side we have a good BoD and a good young manager out fan base is increasing and attendances have been impressive; I remember watching in the CN with less then a 1000 at HS and where 1500+ was seen as a good crowd. The progress has been exceptional in that respect.

On the other side of the coin the however our stadium is substantially below EFL standard it’s probably sits in the NPL somewhere and no amount of additions or improvements will change that, at the moment we are spending lots of money just to meet the minimum standard of the league, all this considered means our stadium is a net drag on our ambitions. If we could at least get the ground up to a standard were we do not need to spend money on every single season then perhaps money could be put toward a new stadium together with the grants available in the EFL and the council perhaps something could be done. Workington are doing it and they haven’t got a pot to p1ss in.

You`re right but we OWN our stadium that new venture will have two club`s who will have nice facilities but it`ll be owned by the council !

and a pitch like a ploughed field!!

[EABluebird]

Indeed we do, but I’m afraid that to ever have a hope in hell of ever getting a new stadium that would need to be sacrificed, it’s not unusual in fact it’s common in the EFL.
I do casually read the Workington Reds forum and from what I can gather the council there have received ‘levelling up money’ from the government with the stadium at the centre of its bid, the problem is that neither clubs ( reds or town ) have any money whatsoever to put in and that’s the reason why progress has been painfully slow, we at Barrow are not in that position. We own our stadium outright, wukkie only have a 25 year lease, we have access to EFL grants, obviously they don’t, we have EFL money and they don’t.
On that alone we are in a much stronger position then them; we also have a long frozen docks development which could easily be kick started by a new stadium plan, we also have another club in the town that could play there - yes that’s an anaemia here, but it’s also blatantly obvious that they should be part of the project.

None of this would be easy of course and plenty of obstacles would remain and it would probably take years but the future of the club is irretrievably tied to it, so it should be given serious thought.

[blue nige]

Indeed we do, but I’m afraid that to ever have a hope in hell of ever getting a new stadium that would need to be sacrificed, it’s not unusual in fact it’s common in the EFL.
I do casually read the Workington Reds forum and from what I can gather the council there have received ‘levelling up money’ from the government with the stadium at the centre of its bid, the problem is that neither clubs ( reds or town ) have any money whatsoever to put in and that’s the reason why progress has been painfully slow, we at Barrow are not in that position. We own our stadium outright, wukkie only have a 25 year lease, we have access to EFL grants, obviously they don’t, we have EFL money and they don’t.
On that alone we are in a much stronger position then them; we also have a long frozen docks development which could easily be kick started by a new stadium plan, we also have another club in the town that could play there - yes that’s an anaemia here, but it’s also blatantly obvious that they should be part of the project.

None of this would be easy of course and plenty of obstacles would remain and it would probably take years but the future of the club is irretrievably tied to it, so it should be given serious thought.
[/quote

this has been discussed numerous times and I`m almost certain Paul Hornby dismissed the joint stadium idea, we`re doing ok , don`t forget after the Taylor report EFL club`s received millions from the government to change their grounds also we have been out of the league for 48 years things take time be patient and I`m certain maybe 10 years down the line we`ll get there as for the comment about the future of the club think you`re being a bit melodramatic !

[Methuselah]

People criticise our stadium,but we do own it unlike a lot of other clubs in the EFL.Our Stadium.has come on in leaps and bounds compared to a few years ago.I have been going to Holker St since the early 1960s so I have seen how our stadium has moved forward.Like has already been said we rejoined the EFL after the government money had been handed out to EFL clubs after the Taylor report and some of those very clubs who.received that money are the first to criticise our ground,how dare they.As for what has been said about our pitch being like a ploughed field nothing could be further from the truth.as the pitch was lazer levelled and totally relaid for the beginning of the last season.Holker St is our stadium and bit by bit it will improve.It is the home of Barrow AFC and a modern stadium would be soulless.Remember what happened to Darlington.

[mall]

Indeed we do, but I’m afraid that to ever have a hope in hell of ever getting a new stadium that would need to be sacrificed, it’s not unusual in fact it’s common in the EFL.
I do casually read the Workington Reds forum and from what I can gather the council there have received ‘levelling up money’ from the government with the stadium at the centre of its bid, the problem is that neither clubs ( reds or town ) have any money whatsoever to put in and that’s the reason why progress has been painfully slow, we at Barrow are not in that position. We own our stadium outright, wukkie only have a 25 year lease, we have access to EFL grants, obviously they don’t, we have EFL money and they don’t.
On that alone we are in a much stronger position then them; we also have a long frozen docks development which could easily be kick started by a new stadium plan, we also have another club in the town that could play there - yes that’s an anaemia here, but it’s also blatantly obvious that they should be part of the project.

None of this would be easy of course and plenty of obstacles would remain and it would probably take years but the future of the club is irretrievably tied to it, so it should be given serious thought.
[/quote

this has been discussed numerous times and I`m almost certain Paul Hornby dismissed the joint stadium idea, we`re doing ok , don`t forget after the Taylor report EFL club`s received millions from the government to change their grounds also we have been out of the league for 48 years things take time be patient and I`m certain maybe 10 years down the line we`ll get there as for the comment about the future of the club think you`re being a bit melodramatic !

+1.
Spot on. Forget sharing with the council or anyone else.
The bloody council cant even keep the streets clean!

[MisterPleasant]

As for what has been said about our pitch being like a ploughed field nothing could be further from the truth

I think oldbarrafancumbak was suggesting that any team which shares its pitch with rugby would be "like a ploughed field".

[Jim]

Spot on. Forget sharing with the council or anyone else.
The bloody council cant even keep the streets clean!

Quite right! For an example of a Council Community Stadium project, see this:

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/loc ... -19842236

[Methuselah]

I was referring to what some other clubs have said about our pitch when they have come to.play at Holker St.Our pitch is in the best condition it ever has been.Little by little we will end up.with a ground we can all be proud of and we won,t be massively in debt.

[SKIPPER]

Holker Street was descibed as 'picturesque' by the commentator on last nights EFL highlights.