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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: Strong summer needed on March 13, 2023, 06:55:11 AM
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Almost 3 years into the 10 year plan it would be great to get an update from the club on progress so far and the programme of works moving forward.
https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/architect-reveals-10-year-vision-for-altrincham-fc/
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Think I'll be Freddy by the time it happens
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I'm Freddie now! 😂
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
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This was written in the article about the new wall on Golf Road
"We are looking at a programme of further improvements for 2023 and beyond, recognising that we need to improve the ground and the facilities across the board. These works will be prioritised based on a number of criteria including spectator safety, EFL requirements, available funds and financial business cases."
Read into that what you will...
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The 'new' ground looks great , just worried that those overgrown toadstools behind the pop end will put folk off coming.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
... and Chester by far the worst.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
But soulless.
When we do the ground up, we need to keep terraces behind each goal and the far corner on the Pop side.
There are plenty more areas of the ground that can have seating added.
Seating kills the experience and atmosphere, but I understand it is needed for older fans etc.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
Awful.........if we relocated out of town to something like that, I would find it hard to drag myself along every fortnight.
I have been made aware of trouble caused by away fans from another club in the adjacent Mega Bowl. We had a pint in there pre-match due to lack of outlets and it was full of kids parties. Alty fans are well behaved so the few who were in there were respectful of the surroundings. However I know this season that one clubs fans stood on tables chanting and the place had to be evacuated after a smoke-bomb was let off.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
Awful.........if we relocated out of town to something like that, I would find it hard to drag myself along every fortnight.
I have been made aware of trouble caused by away fans from another club in the adjacent Mega Bowl. We had a pint in there pre-match due to lack of outlets and it was full of kids parties. Alty fans are well behaved so the few who were in there were respectful of the surroundings. However I know this season that one clubs fans stood on tables chanting and the place had to be evacuated after a smoke-bomb was let off.
It's an extraordinary place for a stadium. I walked past the indoor pool and through what appears to be a library. To get things right they need to improve the signage. As there were no club officials and I looked a bit puzzled a local chap told me the way to the away end. In reality that was the long way and I could taken the short way past the indoor golf and cinema. Soft and cuddly Alty are one thing, faffing about like that with other clubs is almost certain to end in a mess.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
As anyone who walked from the centre of York, or who arrived early, will testify, the place was utterly soulless. Also, I can't recall another stadium where the acoustics inside the ground where so poor. I was discussing this with my son on the way home, and we both felt that we'd be unlikely to bother going if that was what greeted us. It's a common problem with out of town stadium that, while setting out to meet planning regs, fail to deliver in terms of fan experience. There's plenty to improve at ML, but we are right to be cautious when making significant changes.
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I thought York was the best newbuild ground I've been to so far
it's the location that's flawed and predictably it's out of town. I think Bootham Crescent is the past but I imagine the great away day experiences I've had through the years at the old venue won't be replicated at the new ground. It's not just nostalgia.its the whole package it offered.
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Bearing in mind they have a drum (*shudder*), you could barely hear anything of them compared to, for example, Halifax.
The two terraced stands they built at the Shay in the late 90's is what we should be looking at - I suspect the Popular Side will eventually become a fully seated stand.
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Bearing in mind they have a drum (*shudder*), you could barely hear anything of them compared to, for example, Halifax.
The two terraced stands they built at the Shay in the late 90's is what we should be looking at - I suspect the Popular Side will eventually become a fully seated stand.
I'd want a more modern SC**thorpe if possible
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
Of course its a falling; they removed assigned seating and had 3 stewards to monitor it.
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
Why the final third standing?
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Just to be clear I was commenting on the design of the ground, rather than its location/environment.
It's probably inevitable that any new build is going to be out of town just because of the required footprint. Stuff like food and drink options inside the ground are under the clubs control unless they are dictated by the landlord. As for it being soul less, that was probably down to the size of the home support, not enough of them for the size of the ground. Edgeley Park is all seated but there's plenty of atmosphere there.
Hats off to whoever walked from the city centre. It was too big a hike for my liking.
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
Why the final third standing?
For the golf road singers when we're kicking that way!
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Just to be clear I was commenting on the design of the ground, rather than its location/environment.
Yes I agree..........inside was fine and things ok. Men's toilets could be bigger, but on the whole ok.
The location and nearby places for food and drink......useless
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
Why the final third standing?
For the golf road singers when we're kicking that way!
I like the sentiment, but if we are going where we want to go I think at some point we will have to accept that walking round to different parts of the ground will become a thing of the past. It would make all the difference if the Golf Road end was completely rebuilt with steeper terracing, which would hugely improve the view of the pitch. I love the old girl, but the view from there is and always has been garbage.
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Development of the GRE like that would be fabulous but, I think, very unlikely given the proximity of the houses behind would mean reduction of light and likely planning refusal.
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My wife noted on the way home that football grounds are the only places where men queue for toilets and woman walk straight in and out ::)
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For what it's worth, the indoor golf bar had a good range of beers on (including Madri and Blue Moon), was pleasant enough to thaw out in there afterwards and people watch (i.e. cheer on the kids having a go on the basketball hoop).
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For what it's worth, the indoor golf bar had a good range of beers on (including Madri and Blue Moon), was pleasant enough to thaw out in there afterwards and people watch (i.e. cheer on the kids having a go on the basketball hoop).
MegaBowl also.........and we got to watch toddlers running around and kids with balloons and birthday cake.......to be fair the place IS for kids and families and did not fancy 90 minutes under a concrete stand drinking freezing cold short measures of flat John Smiths in a plastic glass for the same over-inflated price as MegaBowl. 8)
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
Why the final third standing?
For the golf road singers when we're kicking that way!
I like the sentiment, but if we are going where we want to go I think at some point we will have to accept that walking round to different parts of the ground will become a thing of the past. It would make all the difference if the Golf Road end was completely rebuilt with steeper terracing, which would hugely improve the view of the pitch. I love the old girl, but the view from there is and always has been garbage.
But that shouldnt mean that space gets occupied by away fans.
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Couldn't agree more. 👍
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My wife noted on the way home that football grounds are the only places where men queue for toilets and woman walk straight in and out ::)
Leigh sports village is tother way round. 😁
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My wife noted on the way home that football grounds are the only places where men queue for toilets and woman walk straight in and out ::)
Leigh sports village is tother way round. 😁
So's the Alty away end! 😉
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
It's a failing though nonetheless. That's exactly what happened at Hillsborough - the Liverpool fans mostly wanting to go in the middle sections at the Leppings Lane end. It just seemed so unnecessary at York with so many empty seats in the ground. Something should be done before something more serious happens. That's always the way when these major incidents happen - people see that something is not right, but nothing gets done preemptively. Grounds should be safe even in a worst case scenario. The LNER Community Stadium clearly was not.
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Development of the GRE like that would be fabulous but, I think, very unlikely given the proximity of the houses behind would mean reduction of light and likely planning refusal.
The pitch could be lowered but I don't know how prohibitive the cost would be.
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
It’s an interesting one as there is no doubt the view is miles better at the Chequers then on the GRE. However all the adjacent facilities in the CSH, Fanzone, snack bar etc means that the Altrincham end of the ground will always be the natural home end.
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
How would the home fans get to the CSH and fanzone?
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New seated pop side would be fantastic as long as the third nearest the away end stays standing.
Also, decent leg room for the seats for us taller old crocks is absolutely essential.
Why the final third standing?
For the golf road singers when we're kicking that way!
I like the sentiment, but if we are going where we want to go I think at some point we will have to accept that walking round to different parts of the ground will become a thing of the past. It would make all the difference if the Golf Road end was completely rebuilt with steeper terracing, which would hugely improve the view of the pitch. I love the old girl, but the view from there is and always has been garbage.
Totally agree. If you want one third terracing next to two third seats in the same structure you've probably got a massive design issue in terms of sightlines and gradient. Then factor in how you get access to the terracing which means having to then raise the whole structure so people can walk along without blocking the seats in front. Which means you have less space behind for catering etc. New seated stands tend to be seated the whole length of the pitch for a reason..
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
How would the home fans get to the CSH and fanzone?
CSH is a problem. The fanzone has a low headcount limit anyway but would be accessible from the popside.
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Just to be clear I was commenting on the design of the ground, rather than its location/environment.
Yes I agree..........inside was fine and things ok. Men's toilets could be bigger, but on the whole ok.
The location and nearby places for food and drink......useless
The buildings or the actual khazis?
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Whatever the development, let's hope it develops significantly quicker than Altair!
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
Of course its a falling; they removed assigned seating and had 3 stewards to monitor it.
Assigned seating wouldn’t have made a difference, you only need look at the Facebook supporters group thread to see that some fans were planning on occupying the back rows well before we were moved to the West stand.
If we all each took a seat’s worth of space, which is hardly an absurd assumption for York to make of us, I am positive there would have been no problem. If, after that, there was really no space then by all means let’s give York all the stick in the world but it’s really not their fault that we treated a seated away end like a terrace.
It again highlights that we really aren’t used to these sorts of occasions or crowds. We’ve got to police ourselves better first before pointing the finger.
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
How would the home fans get to the CSH and fanzone?
CSH is a problem. The fanzone has a low headcount limit anyway but would be accessible from the popside.
And if you have a nice seated stand replacing the pop side then anything beyond the chequers end is inaccessible.
As other posters have alluded to on this thread, we're in a very different world now to the days of 700 fans walking freely around the ground, many with a pint in hand. Bigger crowds, larger facilities and tight stewarding is the norm and we have to adapt as a club and indeed fanbase on this.
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
Of course its a falling; they removed assigned seating and had 3 stewards to monitor it.
Assigned seating wouldn’t have made a difference, you only need look at the Facebook supporters group thread to see that some fans were planning on occupying the back rows well before we were moved to the West stand.
If we all each took a seat’s worth of space, which is hardly an absurd assumption for York to make of us, I am positive there would have been no problem. If, after that, there was really no space then by all means let’s give York all the stick in the world but it’s really not their fault that we treated a seated away end like a terrace.
It again highlights that we really aren’t used to these sorts of occasions or crowds. We’ve got to police ourselves better first before pointing the finger.
And therein lies the problem with all seater grounds. This is not a problem unique to York, I've stood in allocated seats at Leeds, M'boro, Leicester to name a few. No amount of a stewarding is capable of getting everyone to sit in their seat. I have seen it tried and fail.
Footy fans stand up. Once government accept that we can move onto safe standing and remove much of the inconvenience and dangers of all seater stadia. That is slowly happening and I look forward to new builds having that incorporated at the design and planning stage.
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
Of course its a falling; they removed assigned seating and had 3 stewards to monitor it.
Assigned seating wouldn’t have made a difference, you only need look at the Facebook supporters group thread to see that some fans were planning on occupying the back rows well before we were moved to the West stand.
If we all each took a seat’s worth of space, which is hardly an absurd assumption for York to make of us, I am positive there would have been no problem. If, after that, there was really no space then by all means let’s give York all the stick in the world but it’s really not their fault that we treated a seated away end like a terrace.
It again highlights that we really aren’t used to these sorts of occasions or crowds. We’ve got to police ourselves better first before pointing the finger.
And therein lies the problem with all seater grounds. This is not a problem unique to York, I've stood in allocated seats at Leeds, M'boro, Leicester to name a few. No amount of a stewarding is capable of getting everyone to sit in their seat. I have seen it tried and fail.
Footy fans stand up. Once government accept that we can move onto safe standing and remove much of the inconvenience and dangers of all seater stadia. That is slowly happening and I look forward to new builds having that incorporated at the design and planning stage.
I completely agree.
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Terrible location. Reminded me of the AJ Bell. I've always looked for York away on the calendar as one of the more attractive days out but the scramble to get to the game in taxis cuts time in the city centre short, and makes the whole day far less appealing for future trips. Would be quite content with it being a Tuesday night away game next season, should they stay up.
I thought the ground was fine and found the away end easily. Stewards were helpful. Got served quickly. Others have pointed out the overcrowding of the top 5-6 rows of seats but I would imagine there was enough space in the away end if each fan took up one seat. It's not a failing of the ground that our fans all wanted to pile in together.
I don't think we'll ever see an all-seater Moss Lane but a new, seated pop side stand with concourse has to be on the agenda as facilities in that area of the ground are terrible, as we all know.
Of course its a falling; they removed assigned seating and had 3 stewards to monitor it.
Assigned seating wouldn’t have made a difference, you only need look at the Facebook supporters group thread to see that some fans were planning on occupying the back rows well before we were moved to the West stand.
If we all each took a seat’s worth of space, which is hardly an absurd assumption for York to make of us, I am positive there would have been no problem. If, after that, there was really no space then by all means let’s give York all the stick in the world but it’s really not their fault that we treated a seated away end like a terrace.
It again highlights that we really aren’t used to these sorts of occasions or crowds. We’ve got to police ourselves better first before pointing the finger.
And therein lies the problem with all seater grounds. This is not a problem unique to York, I've stood in allocated seats at Leeds, M'boro, Leicester to name a few. No amount of a stewarding is capable of getting everyone to sit in their seat. I have seen it tried and fail.
Footy fans stand up. Once government accept that we can move onto safe standing and remove much of the inconvenience and dangers of all seater stadia. That is slowly happening and I look forward to new builds having that incorporated at the design and planning stage.
I completely agree.
Agree 100%
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
yes this is my plan but requires a big euromillions win. Some concern about buying up the allotments, the new houses make this difficult.
I suspect we would have to go out of town to build from scratch, how about just off the new M56 junction, plenty of space
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Would make it easier to get there for me! 😉 😂
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Whatever the development, let's hope it develops significantly quicker than Altair!
Funnily enough, the actual Altair site itself would be brilliant wouldn't it.
If Nikal give it up, who knows...
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Grove Park would be better
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
yes this is my plan but requires a big euromillions win. Some concern about buying up the allotments, the new houses make this difficult.
I suspect we would have to go out of town to build from scratch, how about just off the new M56 junction, plenty of space
But difficult to get to without car.
Land behind the 6th form/art college off delahays Rd/Green Lane?
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
yes this is my plan but requires a big euromillions win. Some concern about buying up the allotments, the new houses make this difficult.
I suspect we would have to go out of town to build from scratch, how about just off the new M56 junction, plenty of space
But difficult to get to without car.
Land behind the 6th form/art college off delahays Rd/Green Lane?
That is Grove Park
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That's where Alty FC Juniors play!
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Re. pop side seating, Moss Rose (former home of the defunct Macclesfield Town) has an end with seats at the front and terracing at the back. Also Bower Fold, Stalybridge, had a central section of seating in the side stand as I recall. I'm sure a satisfactory arrangement to incorporate standing on the pop side could be found if desired.
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Moss Rose (former home of the defunct Macclesfield Town) has an end with seats at the front and terracing at the back.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTMfDD9jHQUglXvmjG_d8Zw4X_1R4O4CwGuSgFbNUOLvg&s)
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Re. pop side seating, Moss Rose (former home of the defunct Macclesfield Town) has an end with seats at the front and terracing at the back. Also Bower Fold, Stalybridge, had a central section of seating in the side stand as I recall. I'm sure a satisfactory arrangement to incorporate standing on the pop side could be found if desired.
Not anymore Hugh. The latest Macclesfield footballing franchise have removed all the seats out of the home end terrace so it’s all standing again.
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
yes this is my plan but requires a big euromillions win. Some concern about buying up the allotments, the new houses make this difficult.
I suspect we would have to go out of town to build from scratch, how about just off the new M56 junction, plenty of space
Think this is a live debate for the club. To get Moss Lane up to the standard of increasingly most of the grounds in our league (not to mention the EFL) will require millions & a lot of building work. Hemmed in as we are by houses on 3 sides & an allotment on the other I can see planning permissions becoming an on-going issue so exploring if there is anywhere else feasible in the town is s sensible thing to do. You think of the sides local-ish to us be that Halifax, York, Chesterfield & the stands we get put in at their grounds & then what they get at ours. It’ll be hard but we can’t stand still with the ground.
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Perhaps the Chequers End could become the Home End. It's got a better gradient. Away fans could then have Golf Road.
How would the home fans get to the CSH and fanzone?
CSH is a problem. The fanzone has a low headcount limit anyway but would be accessible from the popside.
we could build a new fan zone. A decent one with a roof and one that fits more than 100 people .
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Wasn't there talk of the pitch being flipped 90 degrees at one point?
On the face of it, makes sense - would give us room to have deeper stands running down each length of the pitch, and would probably just about miss the telecommunications mast - but it would go quite far into the allotment, and obviously they're under no obligation to sell.
yes this is my plan but requires a big euromillions win. Some concern about buying up the allotments, the new houses make this difficult.
I suspect we would have to go out of town to build from scratch, how about just off the new M56 junction, plenty of space
Think this is a live debate for the club. To get Moss Lane up to the standard of increasingly most of the grounds in our league (not to mention the EFL) will require millions & a lot of building work. Hemmed in as we are by houses on 3 sides & an allotment on the other I can see planning permissions becoming an on-going issue so exploring if there is anywhere else feasible in the town is s sensible thing to do. You think of the sides local-ish to us be that Halifax, York, Chesterfield & the stands we get put in at their grounds & then what they get at ours. It’ll be hard but we can’t stand still with the ground.
Given all the links we've built with the town and community over the last few years, I fear that moving somewhere further out that you can only drive to could rip that all up. I honestly can't think of anywhere reasonably central without housing nearby that could accommodate a new stadium.
I reckon the space is there for a decent size all seated popular side nearer to the perimeter fence and with a steeper seat angle but you're talking a million or two just to build that. Then you have the chequers end which is embarrassing for this level in my opinion.
Some very difficult decisions need to be made one way or another because as you say we can't go on with the ground remaining as it is.
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Moving away from Altrincham would be catastrophic.
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Moving away from Altrincham would be catastrophic.
Fully agree
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Moving away from Altrincham would be catastrophic.
Oh I agree & you see the lessons of history when Runcorn left Canal St & Northwich left their original Drill Field town centre home. There’s no doubt though that Moss Lane needs serious work doing so imagine before we commit to spending millions on the place that if there is anywhere else suitable in the town (I doubt it) then we’d at least be considering that.
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Moving away from Altrincham would be catastrophic.
I'm another to agree hopefully bit by bit Moss Lane can be redeveoped with the Pop Side being a priority. The Golf Road and Chequers can wait but hopefully remain standing .
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With land within the town pretty much impossible to source and house prices so high I guess the nearest we'd find for the Euromillions new stadium would be Broadheath? Always thought the Cartwright's site would have a decent footprint but now being developed. Other than that we're hemmed in by green belt. In the future the proposed and controversial Timperley Wedge development might present a site?
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Let's buy the allotment from Trafford MBC and flip the pitch - that'll make us popular!
Make Golf Road the 'front door' and main stand with the extra room we get, housing players / hospitality etc - would have to be a hard stop at the mast, but the fan zone could be tucked away where the stand has to finish (i.e. it wouldn't go all the way down the pitch).
The new 'Golf Road End' can be the end that's currently in the allotments, with the away fans on the 'Chequers End' which is now running down the side, thus losing competitive advantage. Again this wouldn't quite run from end to end if we have to avoid that annoying sub station - but at least the ground retains some character.
Main Stand and Family Terrace can stay as they are, albeit now behind a goal. The CSH would end up outside the pitch perimeter, but that doesn't matter.
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Let's buy the allotment from Trafford MBC and flip the pitch - that'll make us popular!
Make Golf Road the 'front door' and main stand with the extra room we get, housing players / hospitality etc - would have to be a hard stop at the mast, but the fan zone could be tucked away where the stand has to finish (i.e. it wouldn't go all the way down the pitch).
The new 'Golf Road End' can be the end that's currently in the allotments, with the away fans on the 'Chequers End' which is now running down the side, thus losing competitive advantage. Again this wouldn't quite run from end to end if we have to avoid that annoying sub station - but at least the ground retains some character.
Main Stand and Family Terrace can stay as they are, albeit now behind a goal. The CSH would end up outside the pitch perimeter, but that doesn't matter.
My head's spinning. I'll have to sit down and do a drawing. 😂😂😂
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So is the pitch, apparently
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If we turn the pitch, build over the allotments and put up new stands, terraces and fan zones, does that mean the remains of that dead goat will lie outside the new ground?
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
Over our budget 😄
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Room for toilets between the main stand and sponsors stand?
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away end needs covering at some point
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
I just meant, the fact so many are discussing a move, suggested something. Agree re. toilets. the customer experience needs reviewing.
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I think people are suggesting a move because it's such a tight plot. I can't see either end being developed to any significant degree simply because of the likely difficulty when it comes to getting planning permission.
Realistically that leaves the Popside. Money aside, it would be relatively straight forward to put a decent size stand all the way along but that would cause all the current car parking space to be lost. It really is a shame that we lost the Chequers End but you can't turn back the clock.
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
Could I book one of those (near the club if possible) 😉
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
Could I book one of those (near the club if possible) 😉
Can you put a deposit down?
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I think this is the Accy equivalent of the pop side or probably worse before this new stand was built- timeframe , grants mentioned
https://www.lancs.live/sport/works-accrington-stanleys-new-1m-14638264
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I wouldn’t think the allotments would be sold.
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
Could I book one of those (near the club if possible) 😉
Can you put a deposit down?
🤣
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
Very true. Unfortunately,there are people like that who just complain as a sort of reflex (I am sure I remember there even being complaints when we had plans for shorter floodlight pylons with lights which had less spillage, if that's the right term).
As people have already said, there aren't really alternative sites in the town, and it would be foolish to move out, so we would have to try to work with or around these people, and try to win over the more reasonable - perhaps emphasising how any developments improve the appearance of the ground? Not a great answer, but I think that's where we are.
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
Sorry but I don't agree. There's a difference between complaining about an existing chip shop and complaining about the chip shop wanting to become a drive in diner.
The development at Accrington doesn't look good to me. It only holds a 1000. We'd need at least double that to have a decent sized stadium. Yorks capacity is 8500 and it didn't look big. Stockport's capacity is 10500 and they are looking to expand.
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That’s c£1000 a seat for that stand. You’ve got to be able to better than that surely?
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
Sorry but I don't agree. There's a difference between complaining about an existing chip shop and complaining about the chip shop wanting to become a drive in diner.
100%.
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
Very true. Unfortunately,there are people like that who just complain as a sort of reflex (I am sure I remember there even being complaints when we had plans for shorter floodlight pylons with lights which had less spillage, if that's the right term).
As people have already said, there aren't really alternative sites in the town, and it would be foolish to move out, so we would have to try to work with or around these people, and try to win over the more reasonable - perhaps emphasising how any developments improve the appearance of the ground? Not a great answer, but I think that's where we are.
Agreed.
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That’s c£1000 a seat for that stand. You’ve got to be able to better than that surely?
That's probably lower end at the moment. Stevenage paid about the same pound for pound for theirs. Wrexham's new stand is about £3k a seat but of course that will be higher end.
You need 5000 capacity for the EFL with the ability to have 2000 seats. Given the capacity for the Halifax game then if you made the popular side all seated it'd need to be at least 1700 to keep the total around 5000.
Minor detail, you need to factor in the rules re parking spaces and so you couldn't just build over the car park. The chequers end side of the popular side is very narrow also.
All in all a very big expenditure and not that much space to play with.
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This thread is one of the most interesting I have read in ages. There aren't any easy answers here, but I think where we have potential to development the most is the Pop side, where we have far more walkway space at the front than we need, more space at the back, no problem with overlooking housing, and therefore the potential is there to build a new, higher stand with seats at the back and smaller terrace at the front, with enough space underneath for proper catering and toilet facilities - which brings in extra revenue. That will all cost a fortune though, with limited increases in income opportunities.
Golf Road redevelopment is entirely dependent on how high we can build a new terrace and roof without having to get planning permission - I suspect that will be the sticking point- but a decent, steeper terrace would generate more capacity than the current GRE.
I actually think developing chequers end as a decent away end with proper catering, bar and toilet facilities and updated turhstiles is also a priority. The space at the unused gate at the end could be used for a kind of away fans fan zone like the one at Stockport- which brings in more revenue. We need to find ways to provide a seating area for away fans away from family stand - drunken football fans and families and sponsors sat next to each other divided by makeshift barriers is not a tenable longer term solution, so perhaps giving a small area of pop side over to additional terracing and seating would ensure that we can accommodate larger away followings without giving them half the pop side. Build a roof too, gives them one less thing to moan about.
Main stand needs tearing down and replacing, but the trouble is that all of this costs alot of money, is only worth doing if we tear down the family stand and the CSH as well, and at the moment we cannot afford moves like this, so the emphasis has to be on what we can do in the shorter term which has a return on investment, and for me that is the away end - this is where we can spend less to make it more suitable, and generate more income most easily, in my view. People will say it is favouring away fans over home fans etc etc but if we can make an additional £100K annually on catering and perhaps slightly higher ticket pricing at away end, for example, then it is probably the best spend in the shorter term, and will help generate funds for other developments.
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8)
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There's been nothing from the club so far to suggest anything other than a re-development of ML . I believe that to be their only option tbh. The 'new stadium' looks great doesn't it , however unless someone comes in and sprinkles gold dust it's one for the dreamers. Agree entirely that the pop side , Golf Road and chequers all need an overhaul , new stands at the first two with the popside either part or fully seated with the Golf and Chequers staying terraced , with the latter extended near to the corner . The main stand side is problematical isn't it with the club offices etc , CSH and the sponsers lounge . Good luck with that ! at least that side of the ground doesn't look an eyesore like the rest . More immedietely how about some more bloody toilets ffs.
No smoke without fire...
I know i keep on about this Hashtag , but for us seated fans it's no joke especially quite a number with mobility issues and there is room between the two stands for a facility
Perhaps we could install commode chairs in the main stand.
Could I book one of those (near the club if possible) 😉
We could put seats on top of the CSH but the roof slopes the wrong way. Nice view of the chippy though.
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If we were to relocate, I can only assume it would be on Broadheath Retail Park - although I hope we'd pick an existing plot at the front (e.g. the Homebase plot if they finally went bust / sold up) and not the back.
A few boozers to choose from, and a 20-minute walk from the station which is do-able for most (even shorter if you hop on the tram to Navvy Road).
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That's a bit of a curved ball. Highly unlikely I would have thought. There's some kind of development taking place on Homebase carpark at the moment which includes a new exit. Might be another takeaway or perhaps just electric charging points. If it's the latter they're in a strange place.
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If we were to relocate, I can only assume it would be on Broadheath Retail Park - although I hope we'd pick an existing plot at the front (e.g. the Homebase plot if they finally went bust / sold up) and not the back.
A few boozers to choose from, and a 20-minute walk from the station which is do-able for most (even shorter if you hop on the tram to Navvy Road).
Agreed. Trams & trains from Navvy Road, loads of buses to/from Alty & town, at least 3 pubs & Stubborn Mule taproom in close proximity. The only plausible wider location in the town if we ever had to leave our current home for whatever reason is that Broadheath Retail Park area.
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That's a bit of a curved ball. Highly unlikely I would have thought. There's some kind of development taking place on Homebase carpark at the moment which includes a new exit. Might be another takeaway or perhaps just electric charging points. If it's the latter they're in a strange place.
They are redeveloping half the Homebase and turning it into a Lidl. Incidentally Trafford rejected the first planning application and it only got through on appeal after amendments were made.
To be honest I'd be amazed if a football ground got planning permission for anywhere near there given the roads and traffic on a Saturday afternoon as it is...
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Of course any work extending or even modernising the ground would get complaints from the sort of locals who buy a house near a football ground then complain there is a football ground nearby!!!
You know the sort: who buy a house by a church and complain about the bells or a house in the country and complain about farmyard noises!
Sorry but I don't agree. There's a difference between complaining about an existing chip shop and complaining about the chip shop wanting to become a drive in diner.
The development at Accrington doesn't look good to me. It only holds a 1000. We'd need at least double that to have a decent sized stadium. Yorks capacity is 8500 and it didn't look big. Stockport's capacity is 10500 and they are looking to expand.
Sorry to come back to this so many days later, and it's a fair point, but would it not be more that chip shop just wants a face lift?
Take the Golf Road End as an example - we would hardy be after building the Stretford End in replacement, just a tidier stand with an opportunity for smart cladding on the outside that's aesthetically pleasing, as opposed to the dull, grey wall that's currently there. You're going to be living opposite it regardless, it might as well look nice.
And I think that sums up what my stance would be on this, if a move ever came to fruition. I don't want an AJ Bell or an LNER Community Stadium. I don't think we need one, we just need a tidier Moss Lane after years of neglect. A move away to a new build would feel very overkill for a club that still has to push for 1,000 home fans on a cold Tuesday when the Champions League is on - but I appreciate we're fantasy debating here.
Interesting thread for sure.
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Played around a bit with google maps and some tracing paper and the moss lane footprint is bigger than Homebase and car park.
Regarding smartening the place up I think most people were hoping to increase the capacity at the same time. I've got to agree with a new wall on the Golf Road to smarten things up but if we wanted to put a roof on the score board end I wonder how high that would have to be and the effect it would have on the apartments.
Currently average gate in league 2 is 5500. Without a benefactor we need to get to that kind of level to have a reasonable player budget.
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Played around a bit with google maps and some tracing paper and the moss lane footprint is bigger than Homebase and car park.
Regarding smartening the place up I think most people were hoping to increase the capacity at the same time. I've got to agree with a new wall on the Golf Road to smarten things up but if we wanted to put a roof on the score board end I wonder how high that would have to be and the effect it would have on the apartments.
Currently average gate in league 2 is 5500. Without a benefactor we need to get to that kind of level to have a reasonable player budget.
But you don't get to League 2 without being promoted; which means a swell (either due to being in a title race, or a PO final), which could probably added 1500 on to our average.
Throw in plenty of locals sides (Crewe, Salford, Rochdale*, Stockport) for a few sell out 1800 away ends, and we wouldnt be far off a 4k minimum attendance.
Then add in publicity of regular EFL highlights, surge of a League cup tie.
Sutton have gone from below 1k to 3k average.
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Rob Esteva stated on Radio Alty that if we had an average crowd of 2500 the playing budget would be exciting
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Back when Mark Harris was chairman they were exploring the possibility of building a new ground in Sale between the petrol station and the M60 junction on the left close to where the TGI Friday's used to be. I don't recall why that plan came to nothing but it wouldn't exactly be Alty FC would it, having said that the AJ Bell isn't exactly Sale.
Around the time the pop side was remodelled (so it could potentially take seating) I asked some at the club what the possibilty of enlarging the Golf Road would be and was told there'd be planning problems making it higher as it would restrict light to the Golf Road houses. Don't know if that would still apply would it wouldn't surprise me.
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I think the average gate point is an interesting one too.
Whilst us long term fans are all buzzing at an average gate just over 2k, the fact is that’s not
impressive in the National League these days & puts us 14/24 in the average attendance table-20 years ago we’d have been proper big boys with an average like that in the Conference but times have moved on. To push on towards the play offs we probably need 2500ish towards 3k. Those numbers though it’s chicken & egg because we need much better spectating facilities but without the larger support and more revenue it will be harder to get those better facilities.
It’s why a week Saturday is so important, for the buzz, interest & longer term benefits for the club (e.g. a Wembley appearance has to be worth at least 150-200 extra ST holders next season surely) to galvanise more of the town to come on down & get behind us.
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But you don't get to League 2 without being promoted; which means a swell (either due to being in a title race, or a PO final), which could probably added 1500 on to our average.
Throw in plenty of locals sides (Crewe, Salford, Rochdale*, Stockport) for a few sell out 1800 away ends, and we wouldnt be far off a 4k minimum attendance.
Then add in publicity of regular EFL highlights, surge of a League cup tie.
Sutton have gone from below 1k to 3k average.
Except Crewe Salford and Rochdale have all got below average attendances in L2 https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/league-two/attendances (https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/league-two/attendances) and the away end shouldn't be holding 1800 with the inadequate facilities we currently have. We thought they were poor at York and there was only 800 of us.
If you want the bigger attendances you need to expand the scoreboard end for the teams that do have a strong away following. Otherwise we aren't going to survive.
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We could put seats on top of the CSH but the roof slopes the wrong way. Nice view of the chippy though.
I never thought of that but a good idea. Workington had a similar arrangement before their main stand burnt down.
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This thread is one of the most interesting I have read in ages. There aren't any easy answers here, but I think where we have potential to development the most is the Pop side, where we have far more walkway space at the front than we need, more space at the back, no problem with overlooking housing, and therefore the potential is there to build a new, higher stand with seats at the back and smaller terrace at the front, with enough space underneath for proper catering and toilet facilities - which brings in extra revenue. That will all cost a fortune though, with limited increases in income opportunities.
Golf Road redevelopment is entirely dependent on how high we can build a new terrace and roof without having to get planning permission - I suspect that will be the sticking point- but a decent, steeper terrace would generate more capacity than the current GRE.
I actually think developing chequers end as a decent away end with proper catering, bar and toilet facilities and updated turhstiles is also a priority. The space at the unused gate at the end could be used for a kind of away fans fan zone like the one at Stockport- which brings in more revenue. We need to find ways to provide a seating area for away fans away from family stand - drunken football fans and families and sponsors sat next to each other divided by makeshift barriers is not a tenable longer term solution, so perhaps giving a small area of pop side over to additional terracing and seating would ensure that we can accommodate larger away followings without giving them half the pop side. Build a roof too, gives them one less thing to moan about.
Main stand needs tearing down and replacing, but the trouble is that all of this costs alot of money, is only worth doing if we tear down the family stand and the CSH as well, and at the moment we cannot afford moves like this, so the emphasis has to be on what we can do in the shorter term which has a return on investment, and for me that is the away end - this is where we can spend less to make it more suitable, and generate more income most easily, in my view. People will say it is favouring away fans over home fans etc etc but if we can make an additional £100K annually on catering and perhaps slightly higher ticket pricing at away end, for example, then it is probably the best spend in the shorter term, and will help generate funds for other developments.
Blimey, surely we're not planning a stand higher than those trees they used to have behind the GRE stand? See here for example in 2019, about 1 min 50 in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esOco8gRkdk&list=PLA0y6Ba34-YlJRa4VVJb801KTOeMRhvxO&index=20 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esOco8gRkdk&list=PLA0y6Ba34-YlJRa4VVJb801KTOeMRhvxO&index=20)
If that was ok, by definition a slightly higher roof must surely be ok!
I agree about developing the Chequers End. I still say we should do something with the terracing between the Pop side and the Chequers end. The drive behind it appears redundant and, although I haven't measured it, would surely give space for some extra terracing similar to the Pop side, or some facilities for away supporters (as long as you could still get emergency access in the vicinity).