Bangitintrnet wrote:Taunton Iron Cider wrote:Bangitintrnet wrote:Taunton Iron Cider wrote:In 2002 supporter owned AFC Wimbledon were reformed, in 2021 they are playing their first games in their brand new £30m stadium.
That was achieved through foresight, dogged determination, and a clear plan delivered by a very focused Trust.
With land and construction prices many multiples of those in Newport, if Wimbledon can do it, with the same amount of bloody minded determination, we could have done as well.
Unfortunately, seemingly due to its proximity to pubs, RP has proven to be the graveyard of our ambitions. That is until the WRU truly shaft us, which at some point they will, but then it could be too late.
The only way forward now, is a joint bid between County and Dragons on an equal share basis.
By the way, Wimbledon have just agreed to allow a Rugby League side to share their facilities.
AFC Wimbledon have a larger fan base than Newport County, and of Course a legacy of being a former First Division team.
They also have a number of very rich supporters
backing them. Wimbledon's rich owners have been able to take out the loans necessary for the club.
Good luck to them, but we are not and never have been comparable to AFC Wimbledon.
As for the WRU shafting us, the Dragons play 10 games at Rodney Parade, County play 30 before adding any cup success. So who benefits the most from the Investment that the WRU have made, Dragons or County?
My Wimbledon supporting friend is far from rich but he and many others like him subscribed to the £5m bond. Interest is to be paid but subscribers could elect the rate that they wanted up to an agreed maximum, in his case he chose 3%.
Yes they have some wealthy supporters, but above that they have vision, we don’t! Our current mission it seems is just to survive each season. Arguably there is nothing wrong in that, but in business you can only do one of two things, grow or decline, there is no middle ground.
As for the WRU, I remember an infamous quote of theirs when trying to give Newport RFC reassurance of their intentions, it was ‘ RP is a rugby ground and will always remain a rugby ground’ , comments that should worry us. Based on that commitment where are NRFC now and what news on the renewal of our lease?
So if the WRU can shaft one of their own, why would County be immune from being left with bittersweet memories? Heaven forbid, but if we were to be relegated back to non league, then your idea of us being seen as a financial crutch for RP would quickly disappear into the ether.
The only way forward for us, is to co-own RP along with the Dragons, where hopefully a purchase price of less than £10m could secure. Better still the City Council purchase the ground, but again that would require vision, something they have lacked since the dawn of time.
You need to take the comment "RP is a Rugby ground and will always be a Rugby ground" in context.
The WRU had been trying to agree a way forward for the Rugby with outside investment. The week after the planning consent for the Student Flats/RP development lapsed, the WRU decided that selling without consent, wasn't a viable option.
The Student flats/Ground development was a linked consent. In other words a developer had to proceed in stages, so that the ground ended up fully developed, before the student tower blocks were built. It was these blocks that would provide the funds for the ground redevelopment.
However when the University merged with Glamorgan, it was decided that the campus sites would be away from Newport. The Student tower blocks were no longer required at the Rodney Parade cabbage patch.
Now the important bit. The Stadium development that was proposed with the flats included huge ends and small side stands. It was felt by the WRU that huge ends are put in a football stadium, and that in Rugby that no one would want to stand there.
It was a reassurance to the Rugby fans present in the meeting, that the WRU owning the ground would mean that it would be developed as a Rugby ground.
Personally I wouldn't want to see huge end terraces either.
You mentioned previously that AFC Wimbledon have agreed a ground share with Rugby at their brand new stadium. Have a little think as to why they may have done that?
Likewise Cardiff City Stadium, the Liberty Stadium and Ashton Gate, and most notably the Principality Stadium. All rich Club/Country owners.
Interesting and detailed comments, but perhaps unlike many I don’t wholly trust the suits at the WRU, some of who I believe still harbour the old antagonism towards football. Years ago I recall it was rugby league that was in their sights.
Rightly, the WRU only have one interest, and that is the financial stability and progression of rugby throughout the Principality and on the World stage.
So with the Dragon franchise transferable, if a golden opportunity was to arise where RP could be sold and their coffers topped up, then that would leave us exposed. As things stand we seemingly don’t even have the protection of a lease, let alone one with a decent unexpired term.
If we were given 12 months notice to vacate, where could we move to, as it even seems as though Spytty is no longer an option?
However I do believe that in Mr Buttress we have a golden opportunity to perhaps progress a joint bid for ownership at RP. For the sake of County’s future I believe that not doing anything is no longer a safe option, and would like to see some positive moves in that direction.
As for Wimbledon, their ground has been designed to accommodate many commercial opportunities, including a 500 seater conference centre. Multi use of any stadium has to be a consideration these days, otherwise a high value asset will be lying idle for a disproportionate amount of time and not generating revenue.
That said I was surprised at the rugby tenant, more because their use is during the summer when grounds are normally reseeded etc. At least Rugby League does not have turf destroying scrums. Spurs have the ideal answer, but that is something way beyond the financial ability of any club not firmly ensconced in the Premier League.
Finally, isn’t the Liberty Stadium owned by the Council, with both Swansea and Ospreys only paying a peppercorn rent?