STADIUM

[RobTheShirt]

There is a very small but vocal minority on this forum who regularly clamour for our return to the stadium. Most supporters that I speak to have no interest in this proposition whatsoever, primarily because of the major problems that we foresee in achieving this dream.
So convince us.
There may be something that we have missed that you could help persuade us of the soundness of your argument.
If I put up the list of a few of the problems as I foresee them maybe you can counter them with some concrete proposals. I very much doubt it but I am willing to listen and consider as I'm sure, is everyone.

1. Firstly and probably most importantly, is this a workable solution to carry the club forward or just a way of satisfying your nostalgia? If so, stop right there.
2. How do you see us fitting in with the speedway?
3. How do you propose we can generate any atmosphere in that huge stand with the number of supporters we now have... or even double that many...or treble?
4. How do you suggest that we protect the 3g pitch from the shale and infrastructure that comes with the speedway?
5. How do we get our loyal supporters up close to the pitch where they love to be (and the players love them to be) rather than forcing them 20 or more yards away from the pitch in the soul-less stand?
6. How do we persuade the owners to allow us to run our own clubhouse which we desperately need, to sustain our income?
7. Where do the players get changed and showered before and after the game?
8. How do we make any income from leasing the 3g pitch if it is owned by the stadium owners?
9. How do we persuade BCP that a home for the Dolphins is more important than much needed homes for a great many families?

I apologise for the random order of these points but that's how my mind works.
I’ll leave you with these few questions for now but I’m sure that others may have other points they wish to raise.
Hard, well researched facts please not rose tinted spectacle ideas.
Over to you.

[expat]

A new or converted Stadium on a smaller footprint (as suggested several years ago by a developer) will tick all the boxes

Location great for transport and access to the Old Town.

Facilities to cater to all athletic sports ((Not Speedway which for many reasons,if it survives will; have to relocate)

Is there anyone on here sorry that the Bourne Valley and Bearwood schemes foundered?

As noted many times The Stadium was built originally as the Borough of Poole Sports Arena

A New stadium built with those original principles in mind should generate a broad appeal across the burgeoning
population of Poole

New Stadia catering to modern requirements are being built. There is one only a few miles away!

[laserdad]

You no what I like Tatnam a good playing surface when it's dry,close to the action much better than that old stadium. The only downside not enough cover when it rains.

[scorpio]

Just a few thoughts on the questions asked. (1) this is not nostalgia, Are their loads of other options on the table regarding a new home ?.I think not. Land is scarce. (2) We managed to fit in with speedway since the end of the war (and greyhounds later). (3) That huge stand used to generate alot of atmosphere, and you could see every inch of the pitch.(4) Back to question 2- It never caused a problem. (5) Back to question 3. (6)The old Poole Town Social Club(or Stadium Club) was a very popular venue. Plenty of room, open every night of the week, live groups, Bingo and many other activities. And generating a lot more income than a Day Nursery. Maybe try and get the BCP interested and the wheels turning.(7) The players could get changed and showered in the old changing rooms - and if they've since disappeared, then build some new ones.(8) Why do we need a 3G pitch to lease ?.I can't remember one game being postponed because of waterlogging. Keep the turf.(9) The BCP do not need persuading to build new homes, it takes precedence over everything else and keeps the treasury department happy. The whys and wherefores of the Stadium are way down the shopping list. That's how I remember it, and I hope for all of you Dolphins supporters the problem of finding a new home get's solved sooner rather than later.

[Southdorsetblue]

Wimborne with state of the art facilities… game off due to waterlogged pitch 🤷‍♂️

[rogermellie]

Expat why would the speedway have to relocate from their home?

[scorpio]

I think that Expat might be relating to the fact that a few teams have ceased racing for one reason or another. And with fewer teams competing the position will soon render the sport unviable. I understand that Peterborough Panthers might have to uproot and move to make way for housing. Friends who follow the sport tell me that the situation at Swindon is a shambles (same stewardship as Poole) and quite a few teams since the 80's have folded in similar circumstances. Anybody on here who follows the sport on here could probably give you a better update.

[expat]

Do you honestly think that any publicly elected body in this day and age is going to continue to condone
the noise pollution and atmospheric pollution that a Speedway meeting generates. And this in the middle of a highly populated urban area/
I am not anti speedway. Used to be a raker on the first bend! and I still watch that tremendous race by Chris Harris in Pirates colours from a few years ago!
Of the limited number of tracks Wimborne Rd must be the only one smack dab in the middle of an urban area. 21st Century thinking does not go along those lines!
So when the lease is up its 100 to 1 that the Old Stadium will come down. What will replace it depends on pressure from housing concerns and if PTFC and sports minded people in the Ancient Town and Borough can bring some pressure to bear for The Borough of Poole Sports Arena Redux!

[DollyFinn]

Nice to see a thread that isn't just prediction league related.

Feels like one of those ideas that desperately needs a joint partnership of club, its fans, the council, private industry, the Pirates and importantly Sport England or the National Lottery, to fund and build something that can be shared by the community.

[scorpio]

Didn't I read somewhere that drive-in Live music performances were being touted for the Stadium complex ?. You have a break in between Speedway races, but I bet once that music kicks off it will be continuous until the finish. And nobody today sings quietly. Wonder what the locals will make of that?.

[rogermellie]

Nov 16, 2023 18:57:31 GMT scorpio said:

Didn't I read somewhere that drive-in Live music performances were being touted for the Stadium complex ?. You have a break in between Speedway races, but I bet once that music kicks off it will be continuous until the finish. And nobody today sings quietly. Wonder what the locals will make of that?.

They are licensed for these events including drive in movies but the original promoters pulled out when costs were looked at.

[expat]

Didnt we have a local developer on board a few years ago?
I believe that his idea was for housing(obviously!) but with room for a smaller stadium in that area where the old goods yard used to be
Can you beat the location for a Sports Arena?
With the "great reset" world wide corporations are scrambling to rejig their redundant officer towers. Someone mentioned the repurposing of the Barclays building
no more surface area parking lots just more people living closer to existing services is the present mantra
The Old Town area desperately needs a facility that can be used year round
Apart from Tatnam what else is close?
Please BOD, no more Bourne Valleys,Bearwoods or other remote locations out on the edges!
Burn the midnight oil,make those connections

..And Keep The Town in Poole!!

[rogermellie]

Nov 17, 2023 10:08:47 GMT expat said:

Didnt we have a local developer on board a few years ago?
I believe that his idea was for housing(obviously!) but with room for a smaller stadium in that area where the old goods yard used to be
Can you beat the location for a Sports Arena?
With the "great reset" world wide corporations are scrambling to rejig their redundant officer towers. Someone mentioned the repurposing of the Barclays building
no more surface area parking lots just more people living closer to existing services is the present mantra
The Old Town area desperately needs a facility that can be used year round
Apart from Tatnam what else is close?
Please BOD, no more Bourne Valleys,Bearwoods or other remote locations out on the edges!
Burn the midnight oil,make those connections

..And Keep The Town in Poole!!

I have to agree to a certain degree but I still want to know why the speedway team has to make way for us?
They have at least 4 times the attendance weekly so surely as that sport is more popular any new stadia should house them first.

[DollyFinn]

There are so many possibilities if done properly and most would need so private finance.

[DollyFinn]

I was reading a thread about speedway attendances and some people, no doubt with a grudge, were commenting that though Poole's attendances were amongst the best in the country, the fanbase was flakey and didn't turn up when they were losing. Ultimately though the success of Poole Pirates is more reliant on the survival of speedway as a national sport in this country. Every year another club seems to go bankrupt. You do wonder how long it is sustainable.

[rogermellie]

I think you will find quite a few tracks last season reported attendances up.
But like you said earlier with some decent planning and all parties pulling together we could be in the same stadium as before.
My only fear is the pitch would be a fair distance from the fans.

[expat]

Roger,

I believe Ballboy said it; the number of postponed matches at the Stadium was negligible!


Can PTFC survive until 2029 playing(or rather not playing) on a quagmire??

[grandad]

True Expat but lets be honest in those days matches still went on with lakes on the pitch.

[expat]

Anyone who ever played football at Ladies Walking Field knows as about lakes!

I just dont know how PTFC can handle this situation financially and on the Field

If i recall our relegation season was somewhat similar and although we had a big back log of games towards the end of the season we could not hang on in part because playing two games a week for a team with a small part time squad several weeks in a row was just too much

[laserdad]

Before we all get to gloomy there are teams who have played less games than us and we're on par with others.

[expat]

let us revisit paragraph 2 of my post at seasons end

[ballboy]

Waiting for this new stadium is like waiting for a bus that never arrives.

[WelshDolphin]

In terms of postponements I think the difference is that in previous seasons we used to get games postponed whilst every other game was on, putting us at a distinct disadvantage.

Since the work including the pump and the drainage has been done it has brought us up to at least be on a par with some other grounds. Indeed, of the 7 games scheduled in our division this weekend, 3 were lost to the weather so it's not just us anymore.

When we have lost games in the last few weeks there have been multiple postponements across Non-league; "GAME OFF" and "MATCH POSTPONED" were trending on Twitter on both occasions, and the thread of postponed games on the Non-League Matters forum stretched to 4 pages. October 2023 was the wettest month EVER on record in a number of places in the UK and we had multiple home games last month, it is MUCH MUCH better than it used to be.

Obviously, it still isn't perfect (far from it) but the work put in by the Directors and the groundskeeping teams over the last couple of years have made a world of difference and should be applauded.

[rob bayston]

Nov 20, 2023 15:41:34 GMT WelshDolphin said:

In terms of postponements I think the difference is that in previous seasons we used to get games postponed whilst every other game was on, putting us at a distinct disadvantage.

Since the work including the pump and the drainage has been done it has brought us up to at least be on a par with some other grounds. Indeed, of the 7 games scheduled in our division this weekend, 3 were lost to the weather so it's not just us anymore.

When we have lost games in the last few weeks there have been multiple postponements across Non-league; "GAME OFF" and "MATCH POSTPONED" were trending on Twitter on both occasions, and the thread of postponed games on the Non-League Matters forum stretched to 4 pages. October 2023 was the wettest month EVER on record in a number of places in the UK and we had multiple home games last month, it is MUCH MUCH better than it used to be.

Obviously, it still isn't perfect (far from it) but the work put in by the Directors and the groundskeeping teams over the last couple of years have made a world of difference and should be applauded.

Welshdolphin at last a post that looks at the bigger picture, and not through rose tinted glasses, sure it’s not perfect, and is frustrating but like you said the weather has been exceptionally bad recently everywhere, not just at Black n Gold!!!!!
The ground is 100% better than back in the day but sometimes you can’t help mother natures actions like many other clubs have also endured recently!

[expat]

Now let me see The FA Cup




We lost to Bracknell


Bracknell lost to Horsham


Horsham lost to Barnsley 1st round proper


BUT Barnsley just got clobbered by the FA for playing an ineligble player


so Horsham are reinstated with a home tie vs Sutton

[expat]

Nov 22, 2023 16:16:35 GMT expat said:

Now let me see The FA Cup




We lost to Bracknell On two extra time penalties!!


Bracknell lost to Horsham


Horsham lost to Barnsley 1st round proper


BUT Barnsley just got clobbered by the FA for playing an ineligble player


so Horsham are reinstated with a home tie vs Sutton

Wrong thread but dont have the tech to change it.

[Choirboy Dave]

Nov 22, 2023 16:16:35 GMT expat said:

Now let me see The FA Cup




We lost to Bracknell


Bracknell lost to Horsham


Horsham lost to Barnsley 1st round proper


BUT Barnsley just got clobbered by the FA for playing an ineligble player


so Horsham are reinstated with a home tie vs Sutton

I think not!

FA Cup 1st Round.
Cambridge United 2 Bracknell Town 1

FA Trophy
Bracknell Town 0 Horsham 3

Not much of a big fact hunt needed to get it correct!!

[Stato]

Nov 22, 2023 16:16:35 GMT expat said:

Now let me see The FA Cup




We lost to Bracknell


Bracknell lost to Horsham


Horsham lost to Barnsley 1st round proper


BUT Barnsley just got clobbered by the FA for playing an ineligble player


so Horsham are reinstated with a home tie vs Sutton

And your point is what exactly Master of Doom and Gloom? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤔

[expat]

The point is that even if you lose you can catch a big break

into the 2nd round proper

[rob bayston]

Nov 22, 2023 20:37:41 GMT expat said:

The point is that even if you lose you can catch a big break

into the 2nd round proper

I think Stato you do a disservice to Doom and Gloom merchants 😉