Time to think about a new stadium?

[Valiant in Brum]

if it had been left to bratt, deakin,miller,lloyd et al there wouldn't be a club left to moan about, where have you been this last 12 months ,be grateful that you still have a club to support, but you could always watch wolves if vale park depresses you that much.

 

Why you telling someone who has supported vale for well over 20 years to support wolves ?

[Warren]

I think Vale Park has reasonable atmosphere and would be improved quite a bit on that score with 2-3k more home supporters and playing some bigger clubs in League 1 next year - if we get there. I think the ground can be made more tidy and the toilets improved without spending a huge amount. The catering is poor - and I don't blame Wrights Pies for that. The van at Accrington is excellent, Shrewsbury was good, Bradford better than Vale Park and same too Northampton. I think Vale Park is far from a hopeless case and it is not the stadium that is the problem.

 

A new stadium would have to be decided upon after making a detailed business case on income generation and debt etc. It must involve business risk whereas Vale Park does not really. Also there is a fundamental fact to be faced about a new stadium which would need substantial off field income generation like meetings rooms and conference facilities etc. It would probably have to be located nearer to Junction 16 of the M6 and not in Burslem making it a far more attractive place to get to for business people. The other option would be to move close to a mainline railway station, but that doesn't look viable as Stoke City would be too close and there isn't space?

 

I guess there is no reason if a stadium move happened to not leave behind the Lorne Street facilities to generate income, but I presume that selling the rest of the stadium as land for development would probably not be permitted by the terms of sale or planning restrictions. So maybe Port Vale must be committed to Vale Park and its careful development.

[geosname]

Vale is the only club I know that has scaremongering about the idea of new and better facilities. It is very depresing thinking we have be stuck with the rubbish that is on offer at vp atm.

 

we can always transfer them...

[valiant]

To the people who think this is impossible, its not. We've already been approached many times in the past to move ground. One at festival park, one in Tunstall, the old shelton bar steelworks are 3 that spring to mind. That would have totally revolutionised the club.

 

But previously we had old fashioned short sighted chairman running the club like Bill Bratt and Billy Bell. So instead we spent more money building half a stand on lorne street than it would have cost us to move.

 

Paul Wildes and the Smurf Will receive new offers to move ground (they probably already have). It's up to them do they thrash out a deal and give Vale a huge opportunity and the area as a whole a big boost.

 

Or do we again spend millions throwing money into the literally bottomless pit that is patching up Vale Park.

 

The New owners of Port Vale are more forwarding thinking than we've ever had before, so a move from Vale Park will probably happen in the years to come.

 

So people need to start getting used to the idea. Instead of trying to hold the club back.

 

We've moved several times before so 1 more move is no big deal.

[PVTony]

To move to a new ground would not be good business strategy, especially for less a seating capacity spectator ground.

 

The new owners have more aspirations than the Rotherham directors.

A new ground that only holds ten/twelve thousand is ludicrous if the championship league status is to be achieved.

Rotherham in L2 has almost a full house for many games. How would the fans be catered for in L1? Not adequately in my opinion. So how would the club cope if they were eventually be promoted to the Championship league?

Vale need to stay put where there is potential for the building of training grounds/academy, even a hotel plus more.

The new owners won't move, they have their heads screwed on the right way.

[i vale]

Chester had a new ground but it's their old stand that's still in league football

[Fosse69]

It's all hot air wind and pish, no one has the money to build a new stadium, the commercial side of Vale park will generate enough income to support the club but hasn't a hope in hell of generating the sort of money needed to build a new ground elsewhere.To re-develop Vale park would cost a fortune, to relocate would cost the earth,what supporters want and what supporters get are light years apart, We've got a ground which the club owns and is debt free which 75% of league clubs can only dream about,and we're in 2nd place and those on here want the club to mortgage it's future when we've only just come out of administration, it's about time some supporters got a grip on reality, Improvements will be made as funds become available,our new owners have to reverse ten years of decline so wind yer necks in wut.

Coventry would jump at the chance to be in our shoes, they have a great ground, but with high rental and no non-football income. Be careful what you wish for, watch the football, the owners will determine the stadium future, with consultation as appropriate, but we need to give them time. Sort the team and pitch out first, they know where the money is.

[bycars rob]

We have never quite finished this one, so to think about a new one is ridiculous. Lets just improve what we`ve got and put most of our efforts and resources into getting a better team. In the late 70`s the City ground in Nottingham wasn`t a patch on how it is now but ask Forest fans what they would rather have, that era or the present one.

I just wish more of our fans got in the Bycars end to improve the atmosphere as it seems to get lost in the paddock/stand.

[ArtyTheValiant]

You can tell the fans who have only ever seen Vale in league 2 with their fixation in turning the new Vale Park into tinpot grounds like Burton, Northampton etc.... tell you what, stuff promotion, lets just stay in League 2 forever and then we won't have to worry about any crowds increases but we will have nice toilets to go to at half time :rolleyes:

[Mattholl]

To the people who think this is impossible, its not. We've already been approached many times in the past to move ground. One at festival park, one in Tunstall, the old shelton bar steelworks are 3 that spring to mind. That would have totally revolutionised the club.

 

But previously we had old fashioned short sighted chairman running the club like Bill Bratt and Billy Bell. So instead we spent more money building half a stand on lorne street than it would have cost us to move.

 

Paul Wildes and the Smurf Will receive new offers to move ground (they probably already have). It's up to them do they thrash out a deal and give Vale a huge opportunity and the area as a whole a big boost.

 

Or do we again spend millions throwing money into the literally bottomless pit that is patching up Vale Park.

 

The New owners of Port Vale are more forwarding thinking than we've ever had before, so a move from Vale Park will probably happen in the years to come.

 

So people need to start getting used to the idea. Instead of trying to hold the club back.

 

We've moved several times before so 1 more move is no big deal.

 

There have been no offers to move since the mid 1990s and thats a fact. From time to time dreamers have thought about starting rumours on here but there has been no property developers who have offered us the deal of a stadium since the millenium. Do the basic maths the ground/land was only recorded during the financial problems as worth around 2-3million pounds. Why would a property developer offer us a new stadium and a prime site for 2-3 million pounds worth of land and take on the cost of removing the rubble and foundations ready to build on? look at the Victoria Ground site. People arent holding the club back, id love a new stadium, but you have to be realistic which a lot of fans of port vale aren't hence the moans about signing Purse and Birchall instead of Xavi and Puyol

[Mattholl]

The £20 million investment wouldn't exist without a new stadium so the point is irrelevant. Big sponsors and investors would only be interested in a new stadium project.

 

ZZzzzzz how do you think all these other teams finance a new stadium? with investors and sponsors it practically pays for itself. It's not pie in the sky talk, its a realistic opportunity to offer the fans better facilities, increase the attendances and be able to offer things like music concerts and other events that Vale Park can't.

 

If the club wants real success it will have to move, the sooner the better as our current ground is ready for the scrap heap. It's knackered.

 

Investors from where exactly. a new stadium would cost the club around 15-20 million pounds. Stoke get a million pounds per year from the naming rights at the Brit and thats a prem club. The stand sponsorship is around 250k per year and theres 4 so thats 2mill a year in the premier league. How are we going to get sponsorship cash anywhere near 15-20 million? you would be lucky to get 1million in and then you have to find 14-19million out of the coffers or non existant investors. Its total pie in the sky talk at the moment. If we were in the championship where the TV money and crowds are higher then i think is definately a goer, however in league 1 and 2 its a mental idea.

 

If we are to go up look at the grounds in that league we would have a bigger better stadium than; Yeovil, Tranmere, Brentford, Swindon, Crewe, Stevenage, Preston, Leyton Orient, Walsall, Carlisle, Oldham, Bury and Hartlepool. They might have better pies but the structure and setup is better here than at all those places. If its a no brainer why arent these clubs all doing it?

[Fosse69]

You can tell the fans who have only ever seen Vale in league 2 with their fixation in turning the new Vale Park into tinpot grounds like Burton, Northampton etc.... tell you what, stuff promotion, lets just stay in League 2 forever and then we won't have to worry about any crowds increases but we will have nice toilets to go to at half time :rolleyes:

 

Those monster matches with Wolves, not so tense as playing the neighbours. Why move from the centre of the community, with ample land to create whatever is viable around the Lorne St complex, to a souless retail park?

[bookworm]

Why you telling someone who has supported vale for well over 20 years to support wolves ?

 

you're the one who said vale park depresses you, i just made that suggestion to ease your despondency and i can double your supporting years easily.

[Valiant in Brum]

There have been no offers to move since the mid 1990s and thats a fact. From time to time dreamers have thought about starting rumours on here but there has been no property developers who have offered us the deal of a stadium since the millenium. Do the basic maths the ground/land was only recorded during the financial problems as worth around 2-3million pounds. Why would a property developer offer us a new stadium and a prime site for 2-3 million pounds worth of land and take on the cost of removing the rubble and foundations ready to build on? look at the Victoria Ground site. People arent holding the club back, id love a new stadium, but you have to be realistic which a lot of fans of port vale aren't hence the moans about signing Purse and Birchall instead of Xavi and Puyol

 

Actually Bill Bratt was offerd it on a number of occasions the oppurtunity of moving in 2004, then the old property developers situation came up because they were after the beloved vale park land of his. What alot of us are saying mathol that the new owner may find it is cheaper to build a new stadium than redeveop vale park, look at how it is built and the land where say the railways and bycars are just to build new stands would cost a bomb to clear it and build new stands, look at the cost of the lorne street already ??? In the end it is not up to fans on a board bickering, it will be up to smurf and wildes and they will see what is more viable. No doubt they will already be looking at options if they have had architects in. They are real buisnessman so will have advisors and they will see which is better. But Vale park as it is atm is ready for the scrap heap.

[Valiant in Brum]

you're the one who said vale park depresses you, i just made that suggestion to ease your despondency and i can double your supporting years easily.

 

Don't be a fool all your life and you may be able to double it but I care less I still question who are you to tell me who to support. I live a spitting distance from mollineux and haven't even been tempted go. I am saying in the mind set that if we are stuck with facilaties like the paddock for many years it is a grim prospect and we need to look at updating them for the future of the club and its fanbase.