https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/ ... ack-anchor

full article from Buttress about the Dragons going mostly privately owned, definite plans for the cabbage patch , and no mention at all of Newport County -
there's often bluster out of the WRU and the rugby, but amongst this there are defo plans, not saying it'll be all bad, but within the next year we will know if it's stay or project spytty etc !!

Perhaps I’m being very naive, or perhaps I’m reading things to suit my way of thinking, but he mentions that he’s doing everything to ensure that the agreement is the best for the Dragons (I’m sure that he is), and that his aim, is to get as much money into the coffers/till, with the intention to make the dragons as successful on the pitch as possible?

Surely, if that is the case, then any monies/revenues earned from any agreement with us would be vital to their budgets?

Unless the revenue from the redevelopment makes the revenue from us too low to justify the issues caused by us being there?

I think this is a bit of a pipe dream, I cannot see anyone investing in the Dragons with so much uncertainty regarding regional rugby. Furthermore it does not say if the WRU are planning on selling Rodney parade , which if not, would make outside investment even more fanciful.

I liked how he said that any development would be to benefit The Dragons & Newport County AFC, in order to grow and develop both footballing codes in the city, and that Newport County AFC are very much part of the future plans for sporting activity at the location.
......oh wait a minute, he never said that did he?
He never even mentioned the County by name or reference.....they never do. That's why I know we're out on us arses, cos they never have the grace to even mention or refer to us.
I really, really, hope like hell, that we're doing something to sort out where we'll play...... I really hope we don't leave it 'til the last minute.

If this pipe dream is all they can sell to Dragons fans, what can our board sell to us with even less insight and influence on the situation?

How can we sell our club as an Hybrid Model when the landlords have no concrete plans?

We need answers on our end asap.

Alan G Bryant wrote:I think this is a bit of a pipe dream, I cannot see anyone investing in the Dragons with so much uncertainty regarding regional rugby. Furthermore it does not say if the WRU are planning on selling Rodney parade , which if not, would make outside investment even more fanciful.

Agreed

The last two investors had a Stand named after their respective businesses, in return for spunking several fortunes into the Dragons. They were desperate to get out.

Perhaps the WRU are hoping for new stooges to take on the Dragons, whilst they retain the ownership of RP and all of the subsequent development opportunities.

Good luck with that.....

I believe he has been trying to do this since he came. It's like flogging a dead horse I think. Good luck to him, at least the Dragons have a businessman on board again.

To me the elephant in the room is this. Discussions are on going about our home ground and we have absolutely no say.

Wish you were not right Stan, but I fear you are.

If the brief is maximising revenue from a stadium on the site, it only makes sense with County sharing. There is no alternative sporting tenant.

If I was the WRU I would be negotiating with us for a 5 year extension on the agreement, as it will maintain the value of their asset, and it’s an asset that they will find difficult to sell.

They will find it extremely hard to get investment for housing because the new housing stock for Newport is over developed by a good few years.

If they build a hotel and leisure facilities that will help but a guaranteed £150k a year plus from us will cover their borrowings on the asset.

It’s convuluted but I can only summise that they probably need us, in balance.

Lysaght Dancer wrote:If I was the WRU I would be negotiating with us for a 5 year extension on the agreement, as it will maintain the value of their asset, and it’s an asset that they will find difficult to sell.

They will find it extremely hard to get investment for housing because the new housing stock for Newport is over developed by a good few years.

If they build a hotel and leisure facilities that will help but a guaranteed £150k a year plus from us will cover their borrowings on the asset.

It’s convuluted but I can only summise that they probably need us, in balance.

It's nice to think they need us, but the reality is that they probably don't.

I haven't run the sums to any degree of accuracy, but they would very quickly replace the income we generate if they could turn the pitch into a 4G one and rent it out throughout the year. They'd also diversify their income base thus reducing risk, and remove the need to relay an expensive desso pitch every 12 months.

I'm not convinced they need us at all to be honest. Either way, I'm not confident we'll find out any time soon.

If the WRU sell the Dragons but keep RP, then the Dragons will be tenants the same(ish) as us. As basket-case as the WRU sometime looks, it would be unthinkable for them to terminate our tenancy and the income we generate for no apparent reason - unless they'd use future Dragons tenancy revenue to replace ours?.

Surely they'd want both?

whoareya wrote:If the WRU sell the Dragons but keep RP, then the Dragons will be tenants the same(ish) as us. As basket-case as the WRU sometime looks, it would be unthinkable for them to terminate our tenancy and the income we generate for no apparent reason - unless they'd use future Dragons tenancy revenue to replace ours?.

Surely they'd want both?

If they put down 4G they can replace any income lost from us by being able to rent the ground out 7 days a week to the public (i.e. like Cwmbran Stadium). This is lower risk than having two tenants which have historically operated at a huge annual loss and one of which is only being propped up by a spate of unexpected cup runs which will eventually stop. It also reduces their cost base as 4G is cheaper to maintain that desso.

This is what they wanted to do at the start, but we ruined their plans by miraculously escaping relegation and were saved by our lease agreement. Once the lease agreement runs out, the WRU can implement their 4G plans without any legal recourse.

I imagine we will then be given an option to renew at a lower cost, but this would involve us operating in the National League at best seeing as crap plastic pitches aren't allowed in the football league. The WRU do allow these pitches for the rugby as I think the Blues have one.

Glass half empty view perhaps, but in the absence of any public statements to the contrary I imagine this version of events is far more likely than closing our eyes for 4 years and hoping the negotiating fairies are going to come up with a solution.