Mowden Park Rugby Club - The Arena!?

[TDS]

Looks like they are interested!! Would be worse than us playing in it surely!
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/darlingto ... 60820.html

[Fatty eats roadkill]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!

[Hilly]

Utterly speechless.

[liddle_4_ever]

(IMO) The only way this could be made viable for DMPRFC is if DFC move back there. Also if there is rugby markings and posts there is more of a chance of getting the Falcons involved (but that might be turkeys voting for xmas).

I really hope this doesn’t go ahead.

[tdk1]

1) do they have a spare 2million quid? Land sale, presumably?
2) what are they expecting? That all of town will suddenly fall in love with rugby and pack the ground?
3) what could this mean for a community sports hub incorporating a new ground for us?
4) please don't make us go back there!

[liddle_4_ever]

My guess to answer your Qs…
Money will come from the land sale of the previous club.

There is plenty of rugby fans in the region but certainly not enough for that stadium in its current size. Mowden do get good crowds but not even close to that stadiums stature.

The community sports hub would have to be based around the arena.

Please don’t make my football or rugby team go back there!

I would like to hear from someone at DFC what they think of this news.

[bga]

Is it 1 April already? How much did they sell Yiewesley Drive to the builder for? Could possibly work if they amalgamate with Darlington RFC but that will not happen as too much bad history between the two clubs.

[quakerlady]

I am sure the sale of the land at Mowden will have got them a few million and as we have mentioned on here many times the arena is cheap at 2 million.
Don't know anything about MP Rugby Club maybe they have a large social section who think they can make a go of the function rooms etc. - always seemed an opportunity we missed.

[divas]

Could either be good or bad news depending on how you look at it...and whether you like the place.

I thought West Park when it was finished would be a good location for us to be tenants however that option is now our of the window.

It does now open up the possibility to become tenants at the Arena and pay substantially less than we were. Before we moved to HP the plan was to rent the Arena on a match by match basis - this was turned down because it was more financially viable for S&S to mothball it.

I know many hate the place, but many quite like it too and if it were the only way we could move back to the town I'd take it. We're already seeing how HP could quite soon be too small for us - if we were promoted then it's sure to be too small for us the season after.

Of course we still need to explore every avenue but having zero cash and no even half ready option in Darlo bar the Arena it's looking distinctly impossible.

Whatever happens I'm glad (unlike some) the stadium will remain in Darlington and hopefully someone at MRFC can make it successful for non match income.

Who's gonna break the news to Q4L who thought S&S should bulldoze it? Guess it shows why they're probably more successful in business than he is. Very soon they could have a nice tidy profit on the £1.7m they loaned.

Let's face it £2m is a snip for a stadium like that really - bearing in mind HP cost £1.2m MRFC would have had to shell out a lot more for a custom built ground at West Park

[DL5]

What sort of crowds do they get anyway?, can't be more than a few hundred.

[divas]

And reading the statement it's all but signed. I expect it's nowhere than a couple of weeks away from being rubber stamped as there'll have been non disclosure agreement during negotiations which now must have been lifted as its close to completion.

[TDS]

It will not be sustainable with mowden there alone, we could help with that side of things but again how many fans would disappear fearing the worst?

Bit of an odd one really, but if push came to shove i'd accept us going back there, it was the people in it that made it a problem, not the fact we played there!

[divas]

Does anyone know what the proposed capacity of their West Park stadium was?

[Hilly]

After sampling HP I'd hate to move back to the Arena. Seriously hate it.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[darlotoon]

After sampling HP I'd hate to move back to the Arena. Seriously hate it.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

I'm with Hilly , I loved the facilities at the Arena but I enjoy footy far better at HP and the other NL grounds we've visited

[divas]

Wonder what the general opinion would be between remaing at HP for 10 years or more or coming back to the town at the Arena.

Like I said above all it will take is 4 or 5 more wins in the next 5/6 games and we'll have outgrown HP. IF we did get promoted we'd probably be locking people out each week, although I love the setup of HP if we want to get back up the leagues we need something bigger - there is nowhere.

[Hilly]

Wonder what the general opinion would be between remaing at HP for 10 years or more or coming back to the town at the Arena.

Like I said above all it will take is 4 or 5 more wins in the next 5/6 games and we'll have outgrown HP. IF we did get promoted we'd probably be locking people out each week, although I love the setup of HP if we want to get back up the leagues we need something bigger - there is nowhere.

There are a lot of people who have returned because of the fact we are no longer at the arena, should we end up back there in some capacity - expect those people to dissapear again.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[divas]

Wonder what the general opinion would be between remaing at HP for 10 years or more or coming back to the town at the Arena.

Like I said above all it will take is 4 or 5 more wins in the next 5/6 games and we'll have outgrown HP. IF we did get promoted we'd probably be locking people out each week, although I love the setup of HP if we want to get back up the leagues we need something bigger - there is nowhere.

There are a lot of people who have returned because of the fact we are no longer at the arena, should we end up back there in some capacity - expect those people to dissapear again.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

There are probably a similar number who have stopped going.

[Darlo.For.Life]

I have to agree although I love the atmosphere at HP we can't be there forever and the most financially sound option would be to move to the Arena as Divas said, there will be no limit to crowd numbers which will raise revenue.

[Hilly]

Wonder what the general opinion would be between remaing at HP for 10 years or more or coming back to the town at the Arena.

Like I said above all it will take is 4 or 5 more wins in the next 5/6 games and we'll have outgrown HP. IF we did get promoted we'd probably be locking people out each week, although I love the setup of HP if we want to get back up the leagues we need something bigger - there is nowhere.

There are a lot of people who have returned because of the fact we are no longer at the arena, should we end up back there in some capacity - expect those people to dissapear again.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

There are probably a similar number who have stopped going.

It's all ifs and buts isn't it?

Its easier to support a team playing Northern League football when the ground they're playing in is bouncing most weeks, replace that same situation when played at the arena....I dont know....I think the bad outweighs the good.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[TwoSaints]

Let's face it £2m is a snip for a stadium like that really - bearing in mind HP cost £1.2m MRFC would have had to shell out a lot more for a custom built ground at West Park

Why would they need to spend more than Bishop for a stadium? They don't get more than 2k surely?

Personally (and I know a lot wont agree) I'd much rather carry on at Bishop for even a decade than go back to the Arena.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Let's face it £2m is a snip for a stadium like that really - bearing in mind HP cost £1.2m MRFC would have had to shell out a lot more for a custom built ground at West Park

Why would they need to spend more than Bishop for a stadium? They don't get more than 2k surely?

Personally (and I know a lot wont agree) I'd much rather carry on at Bishop for even a decade than go back to the Arena.

I would happily stay at Bishop for a longer period even ten years (bit excessive) if they was a full plan to get back to Darlington. If I could see a little plot of land that was earmarked for us and we were building up reserves/grants and even loans (reasonable amount) and gradually building it.

If they is no plan to come back to Darlington then that is a different thing, I would like to think on the big decision if we had one choice or the other and the full facts came out then CIC members and those who own a percentage of 1883 would get the vote that would be the point of a fans club.

[Ingleby]

Arena > decade out of town.
Football needs to be back in Darlington ASAP.

[ted_do]

Could either be good or bad news depending on how you look at it...and whether you like the place.

I thought West Park when it was finished would be a good location for us to be tenants however that option is now our of the window.

It does now open up the possibility to become tenants at the Arena and pay substantially less than we were. Before we moved to HP the plan was to rent the Arena on a match by match basis - this was turned down because it was more financially viable for S&S to mothball it.

I know many hate the place, but many quite like it too and if it were the only way we could move back to the town I'd take it. We're already seeing how HP could quite soon be too small for us - if we were promoted then it's sure to be too small for us the season after.

Of course we still need to explore every avenue but having zero cash and no even half ready option in Darlo bar the Arena it's looking distinctly impossible.

Whatever happens I'm glad (unlike some) the stadium will remain in Darlington and hopefully someone at MRFC can make it successful for non match income.

Who's gonna break the news to Q4L who thought S&S should bulldoze it? Guess it shows why they're probably more successful in business than he is. Very soon they could have a nice tidy profit on the £1.7m they loaned.

Let's face it £2m is a snip for a stadium like that really - bearing in mind HP cost £1.2m MRFC would have had to shell out a lot more for a custom built ground at West Park

Good pionts Divas, this is a common view across the town, its a view only vilified on this MB which is now out of sync with the average Darlington resident. The arena can be made to work as a hub and with Mowden having some cash then for 1.7 million they can start off on the right footing with top notch facility cheaper than building a new ground at west park, they can mothball large parts of the arena which will make it sustainable.

Ground share

[Hilly]

Could either be good or bad news depending on how you look at it...and whether you like the place.

I thought West Park when it was finished would be a good location for us to be tenants however that option is now our of the window.

It does now open up the possibility to become tenants at the Arena and pay substantially less than we were. Before we moved to HP the plan was to rent the Arena on a match by match basis - this was turned down because it was more financially viable for S&S to mothball it.

I know many hate the place, but many quite like it too and if it were the only way we could move back to the town I'd take it. We're already seeing how HP could quite soon be too small for us - if we were promoted then it's sure to be too small for us the season after.

Of course we still need to explore every avenue but having zero cash and no even half ready option in Darlo bar the Arena it's looking distinctly impossible.

Whatever happens I'm glad (unlike some) the stadium will remain in Darlington and hopefully someone at MRFC can make it successful for non match income.

Who's gonna break the news to Q4L who thought S&S should bulldoze it? Guess it shows why they're probably more successful in business than he is. Very soon they could have a nice tidy profit on the £1.7m they loaned.

Let's face it £2m is a snip for a stadium like that really - bearing in mind HP cost £1.2m MRFC would have had to shell out a lot more for a custom built ground at West Park

Good pionts Divas, this is a common view across the town, its a view only vilified on this MB which is now out of sync with the average Darlington resident. The arena can be made to work as a hub and with Mowden having some cash then for 1.7 million they can start off on the right footing with top notch facility cheaper than building a new ground at west park, they can mothball large parts of the arena which will make it sustainable.

Ground share

Common view across the town? I suppose you've canvassed everyones opinions have you?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[ted_do]

Aye it is like, although I have not spoken to every resident.

[quaker4life]

Rather them than us, obviously plan B for them as the West Park development has stalled.

If DFC couldn't make it successful then it's highly unlikely that DMPRC with a much smaller fan base will do any better.

However looking at it from a different angle it is quite shrewd, nothing to stop them sticking it back on the market if they make progress with West Park, if they have bought it outright from S&S they can make themselves a decent pay out if they manage to sell it on again.

Good to see it is being put to some use, however I don't believe this will affect us and I firmly believe our time there is (thankfully) over.

That white elephant was nothing but a cancer, good riddance.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Aye it is like, although I have not spoken to every resident.

So would we ask the Town who 98% don't go to the games or ask those that go. 500 CIC members I would say if they ever was one would get the vote.

All depends on how you ask the question, Play at the Arena or stay at Bishop is very different to Stay at Bishop and eventually play at a gradually built up stadium in the town. So much more info would be needed.

[DIRTYDAVE]

Is it April already ? Might be watching a bit more rugger than

[Hilly]

Aye it is like, although I have not spoken to every resident.

Give your head a shake man!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2