The Valley Stadium

del boy wrote:Sorry, but there is a very fine line between sentiment and history; neither of which is a compelling argument in the face of progress. The club needs to be run as a business. Any other business would move to a better location if it wasn’t doing well, no matter how long it had been there.

I don’t really think that your Spurs example is relevant. There is one senior club in Redditch… there are 20+ in London. There is an incomparable and massive difference between us and Tottenham.

Indeed, lets not forget that in 1900, Redditch and its surrounding villages were markedly different to what they are now. The boundary and definition of Redditch as it is now is unrecognisable in comparison to back then. There were no cars, buses, away fans, multi-storey car parks etc, etc, etc, There was probably no Batchley!

Don’t get me wrong; I’d probably shed a tear if I ever find myself leaving The Valley for the last time. But if it is done in the name of progress, then I’m up for it.

Yes i agree the club needs to be run as a business,it clearly hasn't been over the years hence the mess we are in now.I still believe the valley is where we belong and with the right development, our capacity could be around 4,000 more than sufficent to cover our support even on the best of days.I'm fully aware we are the only senior club in the town,and how many are in london,and i am not comparing us to spurs not in a million years.You are missing the point, i don't want to see clubs selling out their history for purely financial gain,as i said in a previous post if we were serious contenders for the football league then obviously we would have to leave the valley,but as that is unlikely inside the next 20 years then redvelope the valley is good enough.Also fully aware Redditch has changed dramatically since the 1900's,it's changed dramatically since the 1970's and the formation of the new town,doesn't change the fact this part of town is our home.

I think the main point behind any move is 'is it required?'

Examples such as Sunderlands old Roker Park to Stadium of Light (crap name) and Derbys Baseball Ground to Pride Park (not much better) would show most modern fans like the new stadium feel. more room, better facilities etc.

Non league in most cases is different I'd say. Is it required? At this present moment in time i think it's a big no. If the time came and we could no longer do what we wanted to achieve at The Valley then a move is a natural thing for any growing business to do, sentementality doesn't come into, or least not to any head of the business.

If we were to move though I wonder what peoples thoughts on a name for the ground may be? Arrow Valley Stadium?, Washford Park? anything as long as we dont get a cringeworthy 'impact arena' ala Alfreton. All dreams I know but if you aint got dreams..........................

I think the main reason for us not needing to move is the fact we dont fill it.

Why buy a brand new stadium, and still get the same old 200-300 every week?

Untill we get crowds of 1,500-2,000 each week (like AFC Telford) then there is no point on moving.

>We'll get more people down when the valley is developed, people might just pop down for a look, but theyre still there all the same
>Hopefully the playing budget will be worthy for us to compete next season to keep them coming back
>Hopefully a bar renovation would help keep them after games.

I have every confidence that Mark, Chris, Sally and the others will get us there.

UTR!! sorry, just felt like using the new ones!!

Also del boy, i have enough of the old grey matter to know the difference between sentiment and history,and for me as i have already said it about history,and where we belong,plus we do not need to move,the 2 previous posts sums it up perfectly.When the team start winning again the fans will come back to THE VALLEY.So once again NO GROUNDMOVE.i think i've made my reasons clear for my opinion,and certainly have not got sentiment/history and business mixed up.Should the time come that we have to move then we will discuss it with all fans at an open forum

As I have said previously, it is not about the Valley Stadium per se, it is about the ability to build and invest in associated facilities that bring in revenues.

For example, again, the idea of a 3G pitch has been mentioned which I think is an excellent way to raise money for the club. I can not see how a 3G pitch can be built behind the Batchley End? A couple of 5-a-side pitches at best. As an estimate, I think that a single 3G pitch could generate maybe 2k a week in income. Compare that kind of income with our recent weekly budgets! In addition, after training, players are likely to pop into the club house for a beer or two. What better way is there to have a club house that is operating every night of the week?

The Valley is fine if we are happy to remain as a level 3 club. For the club to progress, it needs additional income from facilities. We certainly don’t have the attendances to support a decent playing budget.

We have to be realistic about the order of things.

More facilities = more money. More money = better team. Better team = more success. More success = more fans. If anyone hopes for a better team and a better stadium in response to better attendances, then forget about it now, because that will never ever happen. Improved crowds will not come first!!

Whatever Mr. Swan decides to do, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll make an investment in The Valley Stadium now, then in three or four years, decide to move ground. It will be one or the other.

Regarding the 3G pitches - There is also Studley BKL's 3G pitch with is spitting distance from Washford, and Arrow Vale's astro, so possible competition.
And local pubs include Washford Mill, Studley BKL clubhouse, Cricket club, Wild Goose, and dare I say it The Sticky Wicket.

It really is a tricky one.

Move to Washford Park:
Pro's:

• New facilities would definately drum up fresh interest
  Lots of potential revenue streams (3g pitches, conference rooms?, function facilities)
  Stadium would be easily found (not tucked away like The Valley)

Con's:

• Washford park is away from the heart of the town, and main transport links (train, bus station, taxi ranks)
  Some fans will find it hard to leave the Valley behind and it's history
  Alot of Valley faithful are very local, and walk to the ground every game. Would they be prepared to travel across town every week? (shuttle bus idea?)

I remain on the fence, I'm happy where we are, but would be happy with a new ground.

It's a shame we don't have a section of land like Washford park, around the centre of the town

It's good to be having a good debate about this move or not,my opinion is clear NO MOVE UNLESS NO OTHER WAY.Del boy your arguement makes perfect sense,i would just like to explore all options at the valley,and would the council allow us to use terry's fields at the back of the clubhouse,i doubt it and would cause residents problems there,so probably a no go there.However at the end of the day it will probably be Mr Swan who makes the final decision as it is his cash that has saved us,time will tell.It is purely my opinion to develope and stay at the valley.Dennis

I have wondered about the Terry’s Field. Would developing it be ok providing it was done for sport? They are not great quality pitches in my opinion; I certainly wouldn’t like to play on them. As a sports facility, it could do with some TLC. A 3G pitch there could be great for the club. I agree that the NIMBY’s would be a problem, but we are going to get that everywhere.

It might not sound like it, but I would favour staying at The Valley. But for it to work, I think we would need to ‘open it up’ to the outside world and make it visible. E.g., bull-dose properties on Bromsgrove Road and Cedar Road. This would make it more visible and accessible. It would enable proper road and pedestrian access to be provided, not to mention better parking. Current access to the ground is not inviting!

In reality, practically and financially, this idea is a non starter. Which is why I then lean to a new ground as being the most practical solution.

edit: I think Hinckleys ground is superb. It's new, its got the bar, the corporate and hospitality facilities, the 3G pitch etc. It's bad point is that it is out of town, but Hinckley still get respectable attendances despite this. Washford in comparison, is a far better location. I'd love see Redditch have a similar setup to this.

There seems to be a lot of talk about 3g pitches and the hire of!!! its my understanding that its for training purposes, so the pitch when work has been done to it stays in good nick(there is enough space at the green stand end for this and again nothing is set in stone). Del boy, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to maximise revenue out of the facilities we have,this includes the clubhouse which with entertainment can compete for trade with the town centre(plus private hire and weddings), the Kitchen which did very well on Tuesday even though not many people new it would be open and only a few days after being trashed! and then outdoor events that are also being planned.
Terry's cant be used as its public land with a covenant and there will be not much more space to be gained at washford end of Redditch.
Its worth noting that even though we have been taken over and don't need to worry about having a club or not in a weeks time there is still a lot of hard work to do, there are many many jobs need doing at the valley and a lot of promoting needs to be done before next season.
This is where WE the FANS come into it, we need to get behind Chris and His Team, Help where ever we can and show them that we are all in this together rather than just talk about it and show the people of Redditch that its worth while being part of this.
If we move its because we need to and means we are doing well, lets try and get RUFC there first.

What about the rumours I'm hearing that Mr. Swan has bought a new stand for the club? Any truth in it? If so, I hope it wasn't Darlingtons as thats now gone to Farnborough! I know that it's a bloody big stand, but there can't be many of these things knocking around spare!

Yeah Also Just Seen That Mate:
http://www.farnboroughfc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1200:farnborough-fc-in-discussions-to-purchase-new-stand&catid=1:latest&Itemid=196

Not sure if it is the stand Fenners and Swanny were looking at?? Can't tell tbh it looks alot different from afar and with the seats in
I would think however theres a good chance that is the same stand and if this is the case it would be devasting news, but would perhaps allow us to buld our own, concreted one which is not flatpack etc..

This is my first comment on the Ground debate some of the coments are foolish to be honest, and I would have to say I agree with Batesy point of view. But no one hear has pointed out that the move to the Washford would actually mean down sizing Capacity??!! The main aim is to increase attendances etc, The Capacity at the Valley is 5,000 with 250 Seated, the Capacity at the Washford would be 3,500 smaller than what we have now.. The plot at the Washford is by no means perfect That land easily floods, knowing myself having played games on it.. Also Studley would quite obviously be unhappy and possibly take the Reds to court over having a rival ground so close similair to Leyton Orient With Tottenham, they would obviously argue it would shorten there attendances even more having this new ground and rich club round the corner. The thing is moving to Washford we can't even get local people to come and watch us when we are at the centre of Town, prime position right next to a bus stop and train station etc etc.. so why are the people who don't currently come and watch going to when they have to be put out even more taking shuttles etc They cant be arsed when its on there door stop atm people that isnt in my opinion going to change anything!! It could also worsen away support even more, not being close to the train station. However the obvious positive is how clear the ground would be and easy to see, but is it really in redditch studley play less that 1 minute away?? The Valley imo is a great spot of land, you could clearly develop on it eventually turning it all seater or whatever and could easily put a car park, and 3G pitches on the youth pitches at the back if we tried to get planning permission.. what needs to be improved is ensuring people know that there is something at the Bottom of the Hill, things such as Big Billboards, Signs, advertising!!!

If people were really set on a ground move and i myself wish to put myself on either side.. there is a cracking development currently taking place on Birmingham Road, The New Abbey Stadium is something that can be clearly seen from a main road and has easy access, a brand new car park being developed etc etc.. and a decent pitch with floodlights, gym, pools, function rooms etc, everything you need all it would need is a few quality stands to be put in something im sure the council would back especially having the running track there!! Imo that is as good a spot as washford will and cheaper.. you get some stands and a shop it can become easily as homily for everyone. It works for Brighton and Rotheram!! And the fans team will be playing the odd game there to!
Thats brightons ground, that could easily be built at the Abbey and would be possibily one of the best grounds in any division for us.
http://www.footballgroundguide.com/brighton_and_hove_albion/brighton52.jpg
Same with Rotheram
http://www.footballgroundguide.com/rotherham_united/rotherham51.jpg

By the way Worcester seem to be prepared to leave there history behind, there ground looks a sensational development!! A £30 Million council development very similair to telford, that looks of great quality check out the site..

http://www.nunneryway.co.uk/

As I say lots to consider but be realistic, and careful what you wish for the valley is a cracking spot, just as good as the washford and in redditch!! If we want to move the Abbey would be best IMO!!!

As stated before, no point in a new ground when we can't get people in the one we've got.

Keep the Valley, get the crowds, build new stands on demand etc.

No point in any move yet.

Monday night is the time to discuss this..some great points...

porrohman wrote:Monday night is the time to discuss this..some great points...

agree and there should be no more Rumours as Chris Swan, Sallie Swan and Mark Fenemore are very approachable and are happy to answer any questions.Next Game just go and introduce yourselves and have a chat, there is no need to go back to the days of gossip and we know the dangers of this.Rumours are best left to the Fleetwood Mac Tribute Bands!!

Redjeff wrote:

porrohman wrote:Monday night is the time to discuss this..some great points...

agree and there should be no more Rumours as Chris Swan, Sallie Swan and Mark Fenemore are very approachable and are happy to answer any questions.Next Game just go and introduce yourselves and have a chat, there is no need to go back to the days of gossip and we know the dangers of this.Rumours are best left to the Fleetwood Mac Tribute Bands!!

Hee HEE

I've been following this thread with interest for ages, trying to make up my mind whether I should support the movers or the stayers, and I think I've come down on the side of the stayers.

I have heard quite a few away fans over the years complaining about how difficult it is to find the current ground; yes, it's easy if you've come by train, but for drivers not familiar with Redditch it can be very difficult to navigate. However, I think that with the growth in use of satnavs that problem will decrease over time. A new stadium in the Washford area would be easier to find, but in the event that we have a big away following arriving by car, the traffic would spill back onto the A435 Birmingham Road and could potentially lead to holdups and accidents on what is already a fairly dangerous stretch of road.

Where we are now is perfectly adequate for our current following, yes we have problems with drainage but as others have pointed out, the fields at Washford can and do flood, so we would not necessarily be getting any improvement in that regard. We have more than adequate car parking at the Valley, it would be nice if the car park could be upgraded and maybe some improvements to the drive would be in order, but the vast majority of traffic on the drive is heading in the same direction at any moment, so it would really be a "nice-to-have" rather than a "must-have".

If we ever outgrow the Valley, then by all means we should look at alternatives, if there's no way that the Valley could be expanded, but for now I don't see any need to move.

The drive leading down to the ground really does need improving!

Too many potholes, very narrow and very dark on evening games!

I don't know how we can make it lighter or wider? But it needs to be done, especially for Coaches!

I like the Valley, people may say it's a shithole, but it's our shithole!

And with the work that everyone's been putting in: painting, flowers, clean curtains, hoovering etc.. it's looking better by the day!

A few new stands in and it'll look great!

The Valley Stadium and the Doctors seem to share the driveway for access.

Who owns the driveway from the roadside to the Stadium car park, though?

My view is that there is no need to move from The Valley. Holloway Park or Washford would be no use or off any value to move to. I have played there over the years and the drainage is shocking (even worse than "The Valley").

Stay where we are and improve the ground is the way forward. The driveway needs sorting out, the car park needs sorting and signage needs to be put in place to show where the ground is.

I think Mr Swan and Mr Fenners should look into this. Is there any point in a 3G pitch at the Valley? There is one at the Egg Chasers club, the school by the Fishermans Catch opposite Lidl (don't know what this is called now!) so would it pay to build one of these? Maybe not. The ground just needs some attention as it has hardly had anything done to it for years (apart from the work to get it to BSN standard and keep us there as well as the work people have done recently). No need for a brand spanking new stadium to be built, yes if we were in the BSP and nearing a league place but not when we are back in the Zam Southern League Premier division. Lets improve what we have and look at what can be done at "our" home.

No to A New Ground Basically

For those who want a new ground I respect your opinion

1Youngy1 wrote: Also Studley would quite obviously be unhappy and possibly take the Reds to court over having a rival ground so close similair to Leyton Orient With Tottenham, they would obviously argue it would shorten there attendances even more having this new ground and rich club round the corner. The thing is moving to Washford we can't even get local people to come and watch us when we are at the centre of Town, prime position right next to a bus stop and train station etc etc.. so why are the people who don't currently come and watch going to when they have to be put out even more taking shuttles etc

Studley wouldn't be happy about a move to Washford, but unlike Leyton Orient with Spurs, I don't think they could do much about it, Redditch United moving to a new stadium in Redditch isn't quite the same as Tottenham Hotspur moving from their base in north London to east London right on another clubs doorstep (in my opinion anyway!!)

Next, may I start by saying that i'm against any move away from the Valley (*I believe the ground can be developed enough for our needs!!) but how come nobody (apologies if i've missed it) has mentioned the Abbey Stadium as a site?? Large area, easy from the M42, walkable from town centre, on bus route from Birmingham, still close to the catchment area for supporters (Batchley, Enfield, Abbeydale etc etc...) yet still easily walkable from Church Hill, the list goes on and on..... If the club did have to move, this would be my number 1 preferred site!!!

*This does mean league football as well, I believe the Valley (with a little development) could easily host league football!!!!

Moving to near the Abbey Stadium site would certanly be much better in my opinion to moving to Washford. There was also a proposal last year (as part of the 10,000 new home's plan) to resite the Train Station to next to the Abbey Stadium and have a park and ride into the town centre, which would be nice if we were to move!

JBS wrote:Moving to near the Abbey Stadium site would certanly be much better in my opinion to moving to Washford. There was also a proposal last year (as part of the 10,000 new home's plan) to resite the Train Station to next to the Abbey Stadium and have a park and ride into the town centre, which would be nice if we were to move!

..............resite the Train Station to next to the Abbey Stadium .............definately not in any (realistic) plan at present

allotmentender wrote:

Next, may I start by saying that i'm against any move away from the Valley (*I believe the ground can be developed enough for our needs!!) but how come nobody (apologies if i've missed it) has mentioned the Abbey Stadium as a site?? Large area, easy from the M42, walkable from town centre, on bus route from Birmingham, still close to the catchment area for supporters (Batchley, Enfield, Abbeydale etc etc...) yet still easily walkable from Church Hill, the list goes on and on..... If the club did have to move, this would be my number 1 preferred site!!!

Yes the Abbey Stadium would be a great location for the reasons you mentioned, but not one without limitations.

Firstly, there is very limited parking on site with no viable off street parking nearby. Secondly, the local Nimby's would be a pain in the arse; remember the original proposal for the Abbey Stadium and what it has now been scaled down to after god knows how many years!

Finally and most importantly, any development there would surely involve building a new stadium around an athletics track! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!! NEVER!!!!

del boy wrote:

Finally and most importantly, any development there would surely involve building a new stadium around an athletics track! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!! NEVER!!!!

+1!

Never a Running Track! EVER!

rawlings09 wrote:

del boy wrote:

Finally and most importantly, any development there would surely involve building a new stadium around an athletics track! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!! NEVER!!!!

+1!

Never a Running Track! EVER!

+2