The clubs official statement...

[Latics_Al]

IMPORTANT CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT

Posted on: Wed 22 Jul 2009

 

OLDHAM ATHLETIC AND OLDHAM COUNCIL UNVEIL NEW STADIUM VISION

 

Oldham Athletic and Oldham Council have unveiled regeneration plans for a new £20 million football stadium development and community facilities at a 30-acre Failsworth site.

 

The scheme - which goes before the Council's Cabinet for approval tonight (July 22) - has been kept under wraps while confidential negotiations with third parties took place.

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Officials have been working in partnership for several weeks after the economic downturn forced the club to shelve plans to redevelop its current Boundary Park home.

 

The new vision is to 'marry' two sites on land off Broadway to become home to a futuristic new stadium - with a proposed capacity of around 12,000 - plus community sports facilities, such as football pitches, and corporate/leisure developments.

 

Oldham Athletic is now close to concluding a deal to purchase the Lancaster Club from British Aerospace. That would then be twinned with an adjacent area of Council-owned land located to the North of the site - subject to this scheme receiving detailed planning consent.

 

The League One club would sell its existing Boundary Park home with most of the site likely to be purchased by a private developer of small family homes. Talks are also still ongoing with the Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the Royal Oldham Hospital, which could see 'key workers' homes created on the current car park on Sheepfoot Lane. The capital raised would then be used to fund the new development.

 

Howard Sykes, Council Leader, said: "A forward-looking Oldham needs a successful professional football club with 21st century facilities and that is the vision this scheme is designed to deliver."

 

"Oldham Athletic in its present state is haemorrhaging money in a crumbling stadium and is not financially viable in the long-term. The club's owners have long sought a solution and we were happy to work with them when they approached us with this innovative plan.

 

"There's still a long way to go but the beauty of this scheme is that it could be the catalyst to regenerate two areas that badly need it - namely, the Lancaster club area of Failsworth, and the Boundary Park site - creating new jobs and investment opportunities.

 

"The recent confirmation that Metrolink is coming to the borough also makes this proposition highly attractive. That would provide convenient, reliable and regular transport access to the area for those not travelling by car and I also understand club officials plan to talk with regional transport officials about a potential matchday tram stop.

 

"There will obviously be plenty of talking to be done with local residents and affected groups - some of which is already underway - and I am confident that their views will be reflected in any final proposal for the good of the whole community.

 

"There will be understandable disappointment in some quarters about the club moving away from Boundary Park but sometimes you have to dare to dream. This represents a fantastic opportunity for the borough as a whole and is a bold and imaginative step forward."

 

Simon Corney, Oldham Athletic's Managing Director and co-owner, said: "Since buying the club more than six years ago we have toiled to deliver a development that finally gives the club and its' fans the facilities it so desperately lacks."

 

"We feel very upbeat and positive having made more progress in the past six weeks or so than we previously did in as many years and I would like to thank Oldham Council, and in particular Howard Sykes and Charlie Parker (Chief Executive) for their efforts in helping to accommodate our plans.

 

"We haven't taken the decision to leave Boundary Park lightly - it was our preferred option to redevelop it - but the credit crunch means the land value and market conditions have diminished to an extent which makes that scheme no longer economically viable.

 

"In its current state Oldham Athletic is dying. Our revenue fell 20 per cent again last year and we're now attracting attendances on a par with many League Two clubs. This new vision gives us an opportunity to provide a facility that will create new revenue streams to make the club financially viable and self-sustaining, whilst also giving supporters a superior matchday experience.

 

"As with our earlier plans for an 'Oldham Arena' at Boundary Park, we also see this as an unprecedented opportunity to spark regeneration and provide much-needed facilities that the borough presently lacks."

 

Initial talks have taken place with two parties directly affected by the new proposals.

 

The Allotments Society currently has 15 plots on the land owned by Oldham Council. Oldham Athletic has already agreed to provide financial compensation plus 20 new plots on a larger site nearby or within the new development.

 

Failsworth Dynamos FC had previously indicated they were also hoping to use an area of that site for a new club facility. Oldham Athletic has already held preliminary talks with them and indicated they are willing to accommodate that aspiration.

 

Subject to Cabinet approval, Oldham Athletic will next commission architects to work up more comprehensive plans. The club then expects to submit a detailed application to be considered by the borough's Planning Committee by the end of 2009. If successful, they would then sign a 24-month conditional development agreement to undertake construction work on the land owned by Oldham Council. Upon completion, the club would then sign a long-term lease with the local authority.

 

Simon Corney added: "Much work remains to be done on the detail of these plans but I want to reassure local residents they will not be living next door to some monstrous and imposing facility."

 

"We pledge to consult with them when formulating our planning application. This will be a community stadium built along the lines of the recent models at Colchester and Shrewsbury, for example, and we look forward to working with them on this exciting scheme."

 

tl;dr

 

[Prendy_1984]

Rotherham? We can't hope to compete with the likes of Rotherham.

 

Some people really do need to get real.

 

Corporal you really are a :censored:ing boring cock. Who gives a :censored: if Rotherham will have a bigger ground than us. We are a league above them. The day the size of your stadium affects our place in the football league is the day I will worry about Rotherham or anyone else having a bigger ground than us.

[Corporal_Jones]

Corporal you really are a :censored:ing boring cock. Who gives a :censored: if Rotherham will have a bigger ground than us. We are a league above them. The day the size of your stadium affects our place in the football league is the day I will worry about Rotherham or anyone else having a bigger ground than us.

 

 

 

Nearly all the clubs with small stadiums are concentrated in the bottom two divisions. Small ambitions, small grounds.

 

Granted most of these are clubs from smaller towns and cities, but Oldham is, in this category of club, at the larger end of the scale, in the kind of town that, elsewhere, manages to sustain Championship and even PL clubs.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Corporal_Jones

[Prendy_1984]

But they are not there because of their stadium capacity. Darlington built a massive stadium, they aint suddenly put into a higher league

[Corporal_Jones]

But they are not there because of their stadium capacity. Darlington built a massive stadium, they aint suddenly put into a higher league

 

 

As explained several times above, the Darlington stadium is an anomaly.

[Prendy_1984]

Bradford have a big ground we're above them. A lot of these anomolies aint there.

 

What is the capacity at Scunny. I'd be happy to have their ground and league position above ours

[Matt]

Can't understand why you've tagged that last bit on the end. How can you say that Latics' ambitions haven't disappeared when you more or less articulate what I for one am guessing the thinking behind a stadium with only a 12000 capacity is? As somebody notes above, even Rotherham are talking about a 15000 capacity stadium.

I don't know about Rotherham's ambition so I'm guessing they are going to have a 3/4 empty stadium for a long time.

 

You describe....it suggests that we are all of a sudden placing ourselves alongside the Chesterfields, the Colchesters, the Scunthorpes, the Walsalls and the Shrewsbury's-all the clubs who are building little stadiums, and all historically smaller clubs than Latics.

 

All of a sudden? I suppose that's all perception though, I'm sure I read somewhere that it's a pyschological phenomenon that time goes quicker when you're older. If the last 12 years was a bit of a whizz let me point something out. For better or worse we are alongside the Colchesters, the Scunthorpes, and the Chesterfields most of the time, and we're the longest serving footy team in this league. We've had three years in the 1st Div, and we are no bigger than that. It's been more than most, but I'd say success is relative. Scunthorpe have enjoyed some at this level, even after losing Championship status. Colchester too, and Shrewsbury. How long have these teams pottered about? How long did we fanny around before we had 4 or 5 years of success?

[Matt]

Bradford have a big ground we're above them. A lot of these anomolies aint there.

 

What is the capacity at Scunny. I'd be happy to have their ground and league position above ours

True.

 

I think Scunny is 9k? I bet I'm not far off, and they struggle to fill that. I remember the conversation with their fans when we played them in that 1-1 draw at their place...

[wozz_oafc]

I really cant see how people can continue to go on about 12,000 seater stadium showing a lack of ambition.

 

If you were going to build a stadium based on attendances, being realistic rather than ambitious you would probably build an 8,000 or 9,000 seater stadium because on the whole we get between 3,500 and 6,500 even when the team is doing well with the odd anomaly. Infact if you really wanted to skimp on the money you could probably get away with 7,000 and it still would hardly ever be full. So how is 12,000 not being ambitious.

 

Ill be honest, I dont think even if we were in the Premiership we would sell out 12,000 week in week out. There are teams up there which dont travel well and teams which would not necessarily draw in the Oldham public despite it being the top tier of English football. Off the top of my head I very much doubt a Premierleague fixture contested at the "New Boundary Park" between Oldham and Fulham would be a 12,000 sell out unless it was one of our first games back in the top flight or a must win.

 

 

[oafc0000]

No on has explained why they didnt pipe up when we was planning on building the "white elephant" of a 16k stadium... I remember fans marching for it

[nzlatic]

It's a sad day when Latics fans resign themselves to the idea that we will never again attract a gate above 12000.

 

Hang on, who has resigned themseleves to this idea? I don't recall reading many, if any, posts saying this. Feel free to quote and prove me wrong. The posters accepting the stadium capacity of 12000 all seem to expect provisions to be made for the capacity to be increased if necessary, preferrably in a close season so no games are played under reduced capacity. If the owners aren't planning for future increase then there will be a lot more people agreeing with you.

 

You talk about seeing who gets proved right or wrong. How about you approach the owners and ask them this question directly? Whilst you're at it, ask them whether the 16000 development of BP had plans for increased capacity. Until we know for fact one way or the other it's just one opinion vs another.

[thelaticsfan]

Hang on, who has resigned themseleves to this idea? I don't recall reading many, if any, posts saying this. Feel free to quote and prove me wrong. The posters accepting the stadium capacity of 12000 all seem to expect provisions to be made for the capacity to be increased if necessary, preferrably in a close season so no games are played under reduced capacity. If the owners aren't planning for future increase then there will be a lot more people agreeing with you.

 

You talk about seeing who gets proved right or wrong. How about you approach the owners and ask them this question directly? Whilst you're at it, ask them whether the 16000 development of BP had plans for increased capacity. Until we know for fact one way or the other it's just one opinion vs another.

 

well said, people keep forgetting about the possibillity to increase

 

if we build way above our heads we stand a bigger chance of failing,

 

if we were in the same position now as we were in 1990 I would say this lacks ambition,

but we arent getting major crowds yet, wait till we win over a few fans with the decelopments then we will talk about increased capacity

[Lags]

And I'd still like someone to give me one single example of someone making money out of owning a football club.

 

Ken Bates. More than once!

[wozz_oafc]

I hope this comes out ok never copy and pasted stats before but here is our average attendances for the years when we were in the top 2 tiers. Out of 22 seasons only 5 times have we averaged over 12,000 with 4 of those in the pinch me years. In our final 2 seasons of the Premier League we averaged below 13,000. Do some people really think it would be much different if we were to see success again?

 

I would personally like to play in a full stadium with an electric atmosphere week in week out than just selling out for the odd big game if we were to hit the heights of the Championship and Premiership again.

 

1997 2 7.057

1996 2 6.627

1995 2 8.440

1994 1 12.521

1993 1 12.859

1992 1 15.061

1991 2 13.232

1990 2 9.728

1989 2 7.177

1988 2 6.907

1987 2 6.884

1986 2 4.651

1985 2 4.713

1984 2 6.036

1983 2 6.962

1982 2 7.023

1981 2 6.510

1980 2 7.918

1979 2 7.045

1978 2 9.583

1977 2 9.944

1976 2 10.456

1975 2 12.492

 

[Stevie_J]

I've never thought that building a new ground in itself is the way to attract new fans. Those clubs who have built new stadiums and attracted new fans are those that appeared serious about advancing. Those that simply built new grounds while making it obvious, in one way or another, that they expected to go nowhere have, by and large, stood still and attracted no new fans except the initially curious, most of whom quickly drift away again.

 

The way I understood it, the BP plan was geared towards financial self-suffiency as a way of funding promotion. I don't see that a 12000 seater stadium has a serious aim of higher division football behind it (it doesn't even have the aim of equalling the recent FA Cup tie attendance against Huddersfield behind it). If you do, fine.

I reckon if you were to look at the figures, which I haven't, then you'd find increased gates in new stadia.

 

Doncaster Rovers built the Keepmoat, with a capacity of 15k. It doesn't have to be enormous - just a damn site better than BP.

 

How many times, even if the division above, have we had crowds over 12k? It's going to be some time, even with a huge upturn in on-the-pitch fortunes, before anything more is required.

 

See as downsizing if you wish, but it just smacks of searching out the negative from what is clearly an effort to drag the club into the 21st century.

[garcon]

Ken Bates. More than once!

Only cos he's a fooking crook.

[Corporal_Jones]

Bradford have a big ground we're above them. A lot of these anomolies aint there.

 

What is the capacity at Scunny. I'd be happy to have their ground and league position above ours

 

 

 

No-at the moment there are only two. I'd back Bradford to reach the Chamionship before us, though.

 

You're going to have a 'Scunny' ground without their higher league position, unfortunately. Why? Because what happensfor one club doesn't necessarily (or usually) happen for another on the basis of the same thing (in this case a little, glorified non-league type ground.)

 

 

[Corporal_Jones]

I don't know about Rotherham's ambition so I'm guessing they are going to have a 3/4 empty stadium for a long time.

 

 

 

All of a sudden? I suppose that's all perception though, I'm sure I read somewhere that it's a pyschological phenomenon that time goes quicker when you're older. If the last 12 years was a bit of a whizz let me point something out. For better or worse we are alongside the Colchesters, the Scunthorpes, and the Chesterfields most of the time, and we're the longest serving footy team in this league. We've had three years in the 1st Div, and we are no bigger than that. It's been more than most, but I'd say success is relative. Scunthorpe have enjoyed some at this level, even after losing Championship status. Colchester too, and Shrewsbury. How long have these teams pottered about? How long did we fanny around before we had 4 or 5 years of success?

 

 

 

So what? As pointed out many, many times, most clubs don't sell out their stadiums every game. Present attendances are not what's traditionally dictated ground capacity.

 

Don't see what you're arguing about with regard to the second bit. After all, I'm the one who's argued all along that the club has tacitly accepted a Colchester/Shrewsbury type status for itself. What's changed is that, although we've never been among the giants of English football, we've traditionally been bigger than those clubs.

 

How come you're replying to me, anyway? I didn't think you'd be able to see my posts when you've got me on ignore.

[Corporal_Jones]

I really cant see how people can continue to go on about 12,000 seater stadium showing a lack of ambition.

 

If you were going to build a stadium based on attendances, being realistic rather than ambitious you would probably build an 8,000 or 9,000 seater stadium because on the whole we get between 3,500 and 6,500 even when the team is doing well with the odd anomaly. Infact if you really wanted to skimp on the money you could probably get away with 7,000 and it still would hardly ever be full. So how is 12,000 not being ambitious.

 

Ill be honest, I dont think even if we were in the Premiership we would sell out 12,000 week in week out. There are teams up there which dont travel well and teams which would not necessarily draw in the Oldham public despite it being the top tier of English football. Off the top of my head I very much doubt a Premierleague fixture contested at the "New Boundary Park" between Oldham and Fulham would be a 12,000 sell out unless it was one of our first games back in the top flight or a must win.

 

 

 

So why was the projected capacity for the BP redevelopment 16000? What's changed between a few weeks ago, when we were told that project was still on, and now? Why the dropping of 25% of the proposed capacity, and how does it not represent a downscaling of ambition?

 

You can't, by the way, be honest about something that's only conjecture. How do you know what gates we'd get in a PL season?

 

[Corporal_Jones]

Hang on, who has resigned themseleves to this idea? I don't recall reading many, if any, posts saying this. Feel free to quote and prove me wrong. The posters accepting the stadium capacity of 12000 all seem to expect provisions to be made for the capacity to be increased if necessary, preferrably in a close season so no games are played under reduced capacity. If the owners aren't planning for future increase then there will be a lot more people agreeing with you.

 

You talk about seeing who gets proved right or wrong. How about you approach the owners and ask them this question directly? Whilst you're at it, ask them whether the 16000 development of BP had plans for increased capacity. Until we know for fact one way or the other it's just one opinion vs another.

 

 

 

Can't you just read what's already been posted instead of forcing me to go over the same arguments over and over again?

 

[Corporal_Jones]

well said, people keep forgetting about the possibillity to increase

 

if we build way above our heads we stand a bigger chance of failing,

 

if we were in the same position now as we were in 1990 I would say this lacks ambition,

but we arent getting major crowds yet, wait till we win over a few fans with the decelopments then we will talk about increased capacity

 

 

 

Nobody's said that we should 'build way over our heads.' They've asked why, if 16000 was the aim a few weeks ago, why only 12000 now?

 

 

[Matt]

...most clubs don't sell out their stadiums every game.

Don't get moody with me, just because you can't turn the internet around to your way of thinking! Thanks for the quote BTW now I know you were talking :censored:e all along.

 

And I can't ignore, it goes with the territory unfortunately, we have to make an effort to rummage through to make sure there's a point in there somewhere...

 

I'm off

 

EDIT: I have witnessed first hand everybody, the fabled Corporal Cojones ritual "Moving of the Goalposts" on here tonight...

[Corporal_Jones]

I reckon if you were to look at the figures, which I haven't, then you'd find increased gates in new stadia.

 

Doncaster Rovers built the Keepmoat, with a capacity of 15k. It doesn't have to be enormous - just a damn site better than BP.

 

How many times, even if the division above, have we had crowds over 12k? It's going to be some time, even with a huge upturn in on-the-pitch fortunes, before anything more is required.

 

See as downsizing if you wish, but it just smacks of searching out the negative from what is clearly an effort to drag the club into the 21st century.

 

 

 

Yes-into the 21st century as a well-run lower divsision club. Permanently lower division.

 

Apart from, perhaps, at the beginning, when the curious turn up, there will only be increased gates in any new stadium if the product on the pitch improves. Those clubs who've built new stadiums but remained where they were have not significantly increaded their attendances, or even increased them at all. Those clubs that built stadiums that reflected their lofty ambitions did increase their attendances, even those that came unstuck later. However, most of the latter continued to attract decent-sized crowds even after relegation.

[Corporal_Jones]

Don't get moody with me, just because you can't turn the internet around to your way of thinking! Thanks for the quote BTW now I know you were talking :censored:e all along.

 

And I can't ignore, it goes with the territory unfortunately, we have to make an effort to rummage through to make sure there's a point in there somewhere...

 

I'm off

 

EDIT: I have witnessed first hand everybody, the fabled Corporal Cojones ritual "Moving of the Goalposts" on here tonight...

 

 

 

 

What are you babbling about? Try to be coherent.

 

If in doubt accuse somebody of 'moving the goalposts.'

 

Sleep tight.

[Corporal_Jones]

I hope this comes out ok never copy and pasted stats before but here is our average attendances for the years when we were in the top 2 tiers. Out of 22 seasons only 5 times have we averaged over 12,000 with 4 of those in the pinch me years. In our final 2 seasons of the Premier League we averaged below 13,000. Do some people really think it would be much different if we were to see success again?

 

I would personally like to play in a full stadium with an electric atmosphere week in week out than just selling out for the odd big game if we were to hit the heights of the Championship and Premiership again.

 

 

 

For a start, crowds were lower generally in our PL days. Football's all-time boom years came just after we were relegated and entered our seemingly irreversible decline.

 

However, for the nth time, the average crowds you attracted in the past, or those you attract at present, are not usually the basis for deciding ground capacity. For example, if Bolton had based their plans for the Reebok on what they were getting then, or what they'd been getting for the best part of the previous two decades, they'd have set capacity at about 15000.