Comments on: Groundsharing at Odsal moves from debate to battle http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/ A Bradford City journal since 1999 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:47:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Jacob Billingsley http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1646 Jacob Billingsley Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:43 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1646 If we had something like Leigh's would Park Anenue still have to use the pitch with the running track around it?? http://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk/oneadmin/_files/Image/lsvaerial103091.jpg If we had something like Leigh’s would Park Anenue still have to use the pitch with the running track around it??

http://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk/oneadmin/_files/Image/lsvaerial103091.jpg

]]> By: Joanne Golton http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1639 Joanne Golton Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:40:20 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1639 An interesting debate and just wanted to add in that the Sports Village concept doesn't mean everything under one roof. Which is why i think it could work for both parties in and around Manningham. I was involved in one elsewhere and it was located on 3 different sites within half a mile of each other- funding for the 12 in the NW has actually been withdrawn now by the North West Development Agency and i wonder if this will happen with Yorkshire Forward too (especially as the potential new govt is saying it will scrap the Development Agencies). Sports Villages are legacy projects as part of the Olympics and it supports improving sports provision and sustainability of that provision by private sector and public sector working together and it nearly always includes the local authority's land as the leverage. Does Bradford Council own any other pockets of land it could use? Should we not be focussing on coming up with alternative suggestions? Personally i think this particular project path will fizzle out again as SV funding dwindles. Just to note.. Leigh has a sports village which features a shared stadium (capacity 10k), health clubs, running tracks, hotels etc. www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk. An interesting debate and just wanted to add in that the Sports Village concept doesn’t mean everything under one roof. Which is why i think it could work for both parties in and around Manningham. I was involved in one elsewhere and it was located on 3 different sites within half a mile of each other- funding for the 12 in the NW has actually been withdrawn now by the North West Development Agency and i wonder if this will happen with Yorkshire Forward too (especially as the potential new govt is saying it will scrap the Development Agencies).
Sports Villages are legacy projects as part of the Olympics and it supports improving sports provision and sustainability of that provision by private sector and public sector working together and it nearly always includes the local authority’s land as the leverage. Does Bradford Council own any other pockets of land it could use? Should we not be focussing on coming up with alternative suggestions?
Personally i think this particular project path will fizzle out again as SV funding dwindles.

Just to note.. Leigh has a sports village which features a shared stadium (capacity 10k), health clubs, running tracks, hotels etc. http://www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk.

]]> By: Graeme Kettlewell http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1637 Graeme Kettlewell Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:13:46 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1637 As usual a very interesting article. John you ask How has Gordon Gibb got to the point where he can charge £600k plus per annum for the next 14 years when he only bought it for 2.5m. The simple answer is probably that City couldn't afford to say no and if you were in Gibb's shoes, what would you have done? If I'm a personal shareholder in Acme Inc, is it wrong that my pension fund also buys shares in Acme Inc? In my opinion, he did nothing legally wrong, I don't like it, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, if he hadn't have invested his pension fund, would City still be here? You state that City fans against their club moving home need to make their voice heard. How about City fans in favour of moving? But not moving to Odsal. One point that the typically parochial Bradford folk will give is that moving to Odsal makes it hard to Aire Valley dwellers to attend. True, but it makes it easier for South Bradford fans to attend. Bulls fans resident in Wyke will say the same about moving to VP. Both sets of fans will grumble about moving to the home of the other. If we are to move from VP, and I'm not sure of the benefits other than cutting the allegedly high rent, and this should be a problem that can be solved one way or the other, then a third way is needed. What I believe is needed is a city centre stadium, not VP, but a City of Bradford Stadium. The VP pitch is too small for rugby league and without demolishing the Midland Road end and building on Midland Road cannot be solved. If we have to, and I don't think we do, then build it where Halfords and the old garages and mills are on Canal Road. Easy access from the motorway, train stations, bus station and all parts of Bradford and West Yorkshire. Think of the pride the city of Hull has in the KC and the Sunshine Band stadium, we could have that. To some extent City in a half full stadium they apparently pay the earth for and the Bulls in a half full hole in the ground, sorry a stadium is illogical. The Bulls need a new ground or they might risk losing their SL franchise, City need to lighten the load. Let's have the third way, The City of Bradford Stadium. As usual a very interesting article. John you ask How has Gordon Gibb got to the point where he can charge £600k plus per annum for the next 14 years when he only bought it for 2.5m. The simple answer is probably that City couldn’t afford to say no and if you were in Gibb’s shoes, what would you have done? If I’m a personal shareholder in Acme Inc, is it wrong that my pension fund also buys shares in Acme Inc? In my opinion, he did nothing legally wrong, I don’t like it, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, if he hadn’t have invested his pension fund, would City still be here?

You state that City fans against their club moving home need to make their voice heard. How about City fans in favour of moving? But not moving to Odsal.

One point that the typically parochial Bradford folk will give is that moving to Odsal makes it hard to Aire Valley dwellers to attend. True, but it makes it easier for South Bradford fans to attend. Bulls fans resident in Wyke will say the same about moving to VP. Both sets of fans will grumble about moving to the home of the other.

If we are to move from VP, and I’m not sure of the benefits other than cutting the allegedly high rent, and this should be a problem that can be solved one way or the other, then a third way is needed. What I believe is needed is a city centre stadium, not VP, but a City of Bradford Stadium. The VP pitch is too small for rugby league and without demolishing the Midland Road end and building on Midland Road cannot be solved. If we have to, and I don’t think we do, then build it where Halfords and the old garages and mills are on Canal Road. Easy access from the motorway, train stations, bus station and all parts of Bradford and West Yorkshire. Think of the pride the city of Hull has in the KC and the Sunshine Band stadium, we could have that.

To some extent City in a half full stadium they apparently pay the earth for and the Bulls in a half full hole in the ground, sorry a stadium is illogical. The Bulls need a new ground or they might risk losing their SL franchise, City need to lighten the load. Let’s have the third way, The City of Bradford Stadium.

]]> By: John Whiteside http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1634 John Whiteside Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:49:04 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1634 Nobody has ever explained the exact terms and conditions by which we rent our ground from Gordon Gibb. It is suggested in Jasons article that we still have 14 yrs of a 20 yr lease still to run. Surely there are some break points ,some points where we can quit the ground or re-negotiate the rent. How can one man buy the assets of one company he has a shareholdin in by way of his own pension fund? Didnt the Rhodes and other directors think something was wrong ? How has Gordon Gibb got to the point where he can charge £600k plus per annum for the next 14 years when he only bought it for 2.5m. If we have to pay 1m plus per year to run this ground what chance is there ever rising up the leagues..we are hamstrung by that petty minded , vindictive fairground owner ...albeit a very wealthy one Nobody has ever explained the exact terms and conditions by which we rent our ground from Gordon Gibb.
It is suggested in Jasons article that we still have 14 yrs of a 20 yr lease still to run. Surely there are some break points ,some points where we can quit the ground or re-negotiate the rent. How can one man buy the assets of one company he has a shareholdin in by way of his own pension fund? Didnt the Rhodes and other directors think something was wrong ? How has Gordon Gibb got to the point where he can charge £600k plus per annum for the next 14 years when he only bought it for 2.5m.
If we have to pay 1m plus per year to run this ground what chance is there ever rising up the leagues..we are hamstrung by that petty minded , vindictive fairground owner …albeit a very wealthy one

]]> By: Mike Woodhead http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1632 Mike Woodhead Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:49:59 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1632 Good article and equally good comment, looking outside Bradford to other areas of the county, it can be seen that it is littered with many such schemes (both arts and sport)that have delivered nothing to the end user. They create a blaze of publicity for the local politicians and their higher management teams but when the initial gloss has been found to be thin and brittle, they have usually moved on. We as City supporters are in a life long pact with the club and we should not give up our history and our home without being very certain we are being offered something better. Good article and equally good comment, looking outside Bradford to other areas of the county, it can be seen that it is littered with many such schemes (both arts and sport)that have delivered nothing to the end user. They create a blaze of publicity for the local politicians and their higher management teams but when the initial gloss has been found to be thin and brittle, they have usually moved on. We as City supporters are in a life long pact with the club and we should not give up our history and our home without being very certain we are being offered something better.

]]> By: Alan Storton http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1630 Alan Storton Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:57:38 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1630 I moved away from Yorkshire over 32 years ago, but I'm sure that around that time Bradford Council was discussing developments at Odsal.However, I fear that OSV will proceed and City will be forced to move there because of Gibb's reluctance to sell Valley Parade at a reasonable price. Mark Lawn has suggested that he would canvass the views of fans before making a decision, but that wouldn't be via internet forums to anonymous user names.The only recognised supporters group to whom the club can speak is BCST, therefore it is imperative that a significant number of fans join the Trust so that they can make their opinions known. It can't be the modest membership fee that's holding people back, so it must be apathy. I moved away from Yorkshire over 32 years ago, but I’m sure that around that time Bradford Council was discussing developments at Odsal.However, I fear that OSV will proceed and City will be forced to move there because of Gibb’s reluctance to sell Valley Parade at a reasonable price.

Mark Lawn has suggested that he would canvass the views of fans before making a decision, but that wouldn’t be via internet forums to anonymous user names.The only recognised supporters group to whom the club can speak is BCST, therefore it is imperative that a significant number of fans join the Trust so that they can make their opinions known.

It can’t be the modest membership fee that’s holding people back, so it must be apathy.

]]> By: Paul Hodgson http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/2009/11/groundsharing-at-odsal-moves-from-debate-to-battle/#comment-1629 Paul Hodgson Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:49:07 +0000 http://www.boyfrombrazil.co.uk/?p=2960#comment-1629 Another first rate article from jason. If we accept that as city fans we're unlikely to get a straight answer to a straight question from city hall, as councillors pursue their own agenda, then it's time the City joint chairman answered the legitimate points raised by their customers. Might I suggest a fans forum for just that reason. There is only one pro and a legion of cons to this idea. all the points need airing and answering fully in public. Another first rate article from jason. If we accept that as city fans we’re unlikely to get a straight answer to a straight question from city hall, as councillors pursue their own agenda, then it’s time the City joint chairman answered the legitimate points raised by their customers. Might I suggest a fans forum for just that reason. There is only one pro and a legion of cons to this idea. all the points need airing and answering fully in public.

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