Ground Share

[Summerof69]

Personally, and after speaking to a number of Town fans about it last weekend, we came to a conclusion it would be a bad idea.

Rovers fans didn't help their cause last year, when coming back on the train from a postponed game at Poxford, they wrecked one of the pubs opposite the train station, and bearing in mind that we've got the game at Rovers in 3 weeks time, it would difficult to police at the CG if there was trouble there.

Also, if the FC get in and their plans are approved by the council for redevelopment, it could cause delays in that.

[TalkTalk]

According to a Gashead on the TFF BRFC have got an online vote - either Cheltenham or Swindon.

Found it. Looks like talks are at an advanced stage...

http://www.bristolrovers.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10328~1012273,00.html?ptvParm=

WHERE TO GO: RELOCATION SURVEY

Rovers have confirmed that they will move to either Cheltenham Town or Swindon Town during the club's time away from Bristol.

The Pirates are expected to spend around 18 months in exile from the end of 2007 while the Memorial Stadium is bulldozed and brand new all-seater 18,500 stadium is built.

It means that for the latter half of next season and the entirety of the 2008/09 campaign, a new base will have to be found to house home games.

Since being granted planning permission to regenerate the stadium back in January, Rovers officials have been actively looking at four possibilities for a temporary home.

As well as Cheltenham and Swindon, the homes of Bath City and Bristol City were also in the reckoning early on, but both have now been ruled out.

Twerton Park has been considered as not being up to the necessary standards from a stadium and facilities point of view, and the club's management team have also expressed their disapproval on the quality of the playing surface.

Ashton Gate was also looked at, but Bristol City made it clear that a groundshare is not something that they would be interested in, and so that avenue was not investigated beyond the original enquires.

Both Cheltenham and Swindon have been receptive and welcoming to the idea of providing a temporary home to Rovers, and several meetings have taken place between representatives of the concerned parties and relevant authorities.

Talks are still ongoing between Rovers and the two clubs, as well as with the local police, and final costings are being ascertained across all areas of either of the two possible moves.

Now, to help the board of directors and the team management in making the final decision, the club is seeking to consult its fanbase in order to gather feedback as to the feelings of supporters on either venue.

A short questionnaire has been produced to collate opinions - please print it out and complete it at your leisure over the next few days. The questionnaire is in Notepad/txt format.

Completed forms should be handed in at Pirate Leisure at the Memorial Stadium (stapled or clipped together if on more than one piece of paper) where they will be collected and reviewed by the club.

Alternatively, the questionnaire can be edited and filled in electronically, and e-mailed as an attachment to feedback@bristolrovers.co.uk. Please put 'Relocation Survey' in the subject line to ensure it is filtered correctly.

[SwindonTartanArmy]

anyone fancy fixing a vote??? :twisted:

[stfctownenda]

Really this has to be made alot more public in our local press than it has been.  There would be so many people that would object to this but are currently being kept in the dark (for a change) as talks continue to progress.

Too late for a leaflet for Mansfield? should be given to every supporter, posted through local residents/companies doors and really bring this groundshare into the public eye.

I am sure a petition would get thousands of signatures, we do not want Rovers trashing our ground, our pubs or our town the fact it is even being considered is an absolute joke  :evil:

[Samdy Gray]

I've just sent them a nice email to air my views.

[Samdy Gray]

Here's my email

I write with reference to the potential groundshare with Swindon Town. I am a Swindon Town supporter, but more importantly I'm a resident of Swindon.

I think the proposed groundshare at the County Ground would be a complete and utter disaster. We all saw what happened between the two sets of fans both inside and outside the stadium earlier in the season. If Bristol Rovers move to Swindon then there will be carnage in the streets every single weekend.

As a resident of Swindon I think this is absolutely proposterous, why should I be made to feel intimidated in my own town because of the trouble this groundshare will undoubtedly cause.

You also say you've spoken to the relevant authorities, but have you gathered the opinion of local residents and businesses? I'm sure the landlord of the Queens Tap will love it if the groundshare goes ahead, afterall so-called Rovers fans smashed up his pub just over a year ago.

What about the extra policing costs? Anything away from the stadium will surely not be covered by footballing polic costs and will have to come out of the normal policing budget for the town, what a waste of my tax-payer money.

I'm not alone with this opinion, I know many other residents in Swindon who are against the proposed share - for exactly the same reasons.

Yours sincerely

Sam Binstead

[mattboyslim]

Sam prepare another 25 page dossier on it, it seemed enough to turn Bob Holt's trousers brown.

[Samdy Gray]

I'll see what I can do...

[stfctownenda]

Leaflet idea or petition:

If we put either a leaflet or petition together it should enclose newspaper clippings of the violence in the ground at the home game this year and also when they smashed up the Queens tap.  Honestly if this was made so much more public the opposition to this would be huge.

Just think when Swindon are playing away and you cant make it and you just want to nip into Town for a beer only to be confronted by loads of Rovers twats, to put it simply this cant be allowed to happen as soon as it effects my weekends drinking its getting personal  :evil:

[Glostered]

I think it will be us.

From a practicality point of view, I can't think of one single thing that Cheltenham have in favour of us, from a Rovers point of view.

We have a bigger ground (We have more than double their capacity)

We have better facilities (Hard to beleive I know!)

We have more parking ( The parking in and around Cheltenham's ground and the town centre is appauling)

The train station is within easy walking distance (Cheltenham Spa station is right at the other end of Cheltenham to Whaddon Road, much further than Swindon Station to CG)

If we allow them to come here, they will choose us over Cheltenham. Cunts.

[Fred Elliot]

MY MAIN CONCERN

The Trust have got the local community onside with regards to the ground redevelopment. That has taken an awful amount of legwork and time.

It is a very short step from these people being our allies to painting all football fans with the same "hooloigan" brush again - out come the nimbies and all support for the Trust plans evaporate overnight !

Now that would REALLY piss me off !

[mattboyslim]

18 months from the new year might, and I'm stabbing in the dark here, affect the start of our own redevelopment - 2 years from now there is an outside chance of progress with teh CG developnment if we get ideas on paper and out of people's heads.

[stfctownenda]

Only two links I could find but say enough to give you a damning verdict on what a bad idea this would be:

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/search/display.var.1078988.0.fans_clash_as_rivalries_boil_over.php

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/search/display.var.884381.0.football_hooligans_given_community_orders.php

[Power to people]

And of course we all know how ground redevelopments can drag on so 18 months could quite easily become 2 years.....

I'm sure Rovers fan's will probably favour our place as well though as we have the better facilities here.

I'm sure the board will agree the deal and then announce it to everyone....and wait for the council and police to contact them to discuss after all they do think they are important !!

[Samdy Gray]

Come to think of it, isn't it a bit inappropriate for Rovers to ask their fans to vote on it, but not bothered to ask us or Cheltenham our thoughts?