Average attendance when back in Darlo

[CrazyDarlo]

When do you lot think it will be when we move back to darlo?
A few months ago people who saying halfway through this season. Now seems unlikely. I think beginning of next season at the earliest.

[eddyman00]

Well you need to be back in before the start of next season or you are really going to test the patience of your fanbase, especially if you don't go up this season.

[Andrew Wilkinson]

Using your logic eddyman Hartlepool are only three seasons away from the premier league. Unless Darlo have a huge financial boost from somewhere, reaching the Conference will be out of reach for many, many years. Not being negative but realistic. What matters is getting back to town and enjoying the football, rather than wonder where we might be in x number of years.

[darlo reborn]

Agree with post above with having no financial backing just relying on the fans it`s hard to see us anywhere near the conference in the next 4/5 yrs.
but we can always dream.

[Quakerz]

Get moved, and we should have the crowds to supply us with a good enough team to climb up to the Conference North at least, quite sharpish.

Mind you, we'll need to be constantly financing ground upgrades as well, that could hold us back.

[divas]

Get moved, and we should have the crowds to supply us with a good enough team to climb up to the Conference North at least, quite sharpish.

Mind you, we'll need to be constantly financing ground upgrades as well, that could hold us back.

Our legacy debt should be paid at least though

[eddyman00]

I think the gap between League 2 and the Prem is a touch bigger than Evo Stik Div One North and the Conference so that's a straw man. Being run by the fans doesn't mean there is no money coming in.

Noone is going to take any money out of the club to cream off for themselves and if you are getting 2000 or even 1700 plus a game you will still be the biggest clubs in any league up to Conference North.

I don't think getting into the Conference North within 3 season is too unrealistic, ambitious yes but not unrealistic. Provided you are back at Darlo.

[Andrew Wilkinson]

Agree that Conference North could be realistic - but promotion to the Conference would be a huge step.

[eddyman00]

By the time you get their then yes I agree. You will be competing against yo-yo teams like AFC Telford, FC United, Barrow, Stockport. Not even including teams like Chorley and moneybags Salford , AFC Fylde but if Chester can do it then there is no reason why you can't either.

[Andrew Wilkinson]

Chester retained their ground - as Q says, when Darlo go to Blackwell Meadows, ground updates may well be needed and they could be costly.

[eddyman00]

I am assuming alot of the groundwork at the new ground being down now so that isn't as big an issue going forward. There is no team bar FC United in the league above who could be considered a threat other than moneybags Salford.

They will even out I suspect in the Conference when they find full time players would rather sign for your Wrexham's and Bristol Rovers then Salford with it's sub 1000 attendances and as the ex Man Utd players have already dumped 50% of the club, the glamour of being associated with them fades.

Conference North could be quite interesting by the time you get there.

[Spyman]

There is no team bar FC United in the league above who could be considered a threat other than moneybags Salford.

Salford aren't in the league above yet - there's a lot of season left.

Curzon Ashton would be a threat if they're still there - they comfortably beat us to the title last season and are performing well this season - you'd expect them to continue challenging until they get promoted.

Then there will be some other subsidised club that comes along to make our life more difficult, just as happens every season at whatever level we're at.

[AnthonyP]

When do you lot think it will be when we move back to darlo?
A few months ago people who saying halfway through this season. Now seems unlikely. I think beginning of next season at the earliest.

I'm beginning to doubt it'll be the beginning of next season as it seems to have gone very very quiet from the Rugby Club.

[RUMPLESTILTSKIN]

When do you lot think it will be when we move back to darlo?
A few months ago people who saying halfway through this season. Now seems unlikely. I think beginning of next season at the earliest.

I'm beginning to doubt it'll be the beginning of next season as it seems to have gone very very quiet from the Rugby Club.

Whenever, as long as we don't move until we are ready - economically, and structurally (both buildings and club structure). I can wait, we have to get it right first time.

[Quakerz]

When do you lot think it will be when we move back to darlo?
A few months ago people who saying halfway through this season. Now seems unlikely. I think beginning of next season at the earliest.

I'm beginning to doubt it'll be the beginning of next season as it seems to have gone very very quiet from the Rugby Club.

I was just thinking that myself the other day.

A news blackout is not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be also that there is nothing to tell regarding progress. If that is the case and progress has been halted for one reason or another, then it's already becoming a race against time to get in there for next season.

[lo36789]

I'm assuming there will be a fans forum coming up, maybe at the end of the year. I am hoping for a big announcement similar to when BM was actually put forward as the ground (I recall that Mike Amos tried and ruin the deliberate big reveal, by mentioning it within his echo column).

If there starts to be some news closer to that point in time they will probably wait to do a big announcement and really capitalise on the newspaper coverage - particuarly if fundraising is needed to build the thing.

I am (probably in vain) hoping for some good news at the next forum as well regarding debt. All the investments have been crystallised. We may have received some David Stockdale money and potentially some more Burn money by that point.

It should make for good reading on the debt position. The only thing that bugs me is that the suggestion was that we won't pay off our debts up front. We will keep up with regular payments and any windfalls will just go into the coffers for when those payments are due - so when it comes to reporting on position there won't be any difference (won't that be frustrating!?).

[super_les_mcjannet]

I don't believe the no news is any bad news from my understanding, it's more getting things in place fully before anything can be announced.

Start of next season always seemed the likely target, rather than any earlier time.

[AnthonyP]

Start of next season always seemed the likely target, rather than any earlier time.

That was always my understanding as well, Les
This season makes no sense if we want things to be done right.

[Robbie Painter]

Obviously we can't have detailed running updates every week/month however even a small update saying that progress is being made, meetings, additional plans formed, working with rugby club etc would be reassuring. Complete news blackout is frustrating & unnerving.

As far as the next fans forum I expect it'll run alongside the AGM at which the accounts for year ending June will be presented. There is a requirement for 21 days notice of an AGM so there won't be one for at least 3 weeks. Last year's AGM was at the start of October & I understand that this year's accounts are all complete so hopefully the AGM will be able to be called soon.

[super_les_mcjannet]

Obviously we can't have detailed running updates every week/month however even a small update saying that progress is being made, meetings, additional plans formed, working with rugby club etc would be reassuring. Complete news blackout is frustrating & unnerving.

As far as the next fans forum I expect it'll run alongside the AGM at which the accounts for year ending June will be presented. There is a requirement for 21 days notice of an AGM so there won't be one for at least 3 weeks. Last year's AGM was at the start of October & I understand that this year's accounts are all complete so hopefully the AGM will be able to be called soon.

I agree, I am a big believer in little updates and keeping things ticking along. It seems though that the keep things private until everything is guaranteed is the way we do things.

I do see that sometimes when working on things they can be best kept private, until you have everything in place and I believe this is probably one of those times.

From my understanding we are not a million miles away from putting everything in place and that nothing negative is happening.

[e4sby]

I'm beginning to doubt it'll be the beginning of next season as it seems to have gone very very quiet from the Rugby Club.

I seriously doubt we will be starting the season at BM. Car park size not agreed, banking on the generosity of some to pay for this, cost of everything running at over a £million with very little funds/grants in place.

[micra3]

I'm beginning to doubt it'll be the beginning of next season as it seems to have gone very very quiet from the Rugby Club.

I seriously doubt we will be starting the season at BM. Car park size not agreed, banking on the generosity of some to pay for this, cost of everything running at over a £million with very little funds/grants in place.

How do you know this ?

[divas]

I doubt he's going to reveal his source, but lets just say that he would know.

[e4sby]

Like Divas said I can't reveal where I got my information regarding this, just very surprised at figures quoted

[Quakerz]

So much for getting it all done for 75 grand.

Mind you the car park and access roads would no doubt be a large cost?

[e4sby]

£75k wouldn't go anywhere, it's closer to 3 - 4 times that. The club are looking at numerous options but none are going to be cheap

[love it!]

Let's hope we get the sports grant which we are applying for

[carver30]

So much for getting it all done for 75 grand.

Mind you the car park and access roads would no doubt be a large cost?

Don't think the CiC ever said the whole cost was £75k, it was a target as far I was led to believe. As far as I understand the hold up is firmly with the council which I'm sure will be highlighted at the next forum. Unfortunately these things do take time but with an election next year hopefully things should pick up a pace.

[Mr_Tibbs]

So much for getting it all done for 75 grand.

Mind you the car park and access roads would no doubt be a large cost?

Don't think the CiC ever said the whole cost was £75k, it was a target as far I was led to believe. As far as I understand the hold up is firmly with the council which I'm sure will be highlighted at the next forum. Unfortunately these things do take time but with an election next year hopefully things should pick up a pace.

That was my understanding about the £75k too. The essence of what it said on the original B2D site is shown at the end of this page:

http://www.backtodarlo.co.uk/?page=startpage

On the original site it said that we had to initially raise approximately £20k to pay for professional services related to the design and planning application, which is where we now stand. I think £75k was picked as an arbitrary attainable target figure to give us something to aim for, though I think the intention is to just raise as much as possible and go after all the grants and such once we'd broken the £20k barrier. I'm not sure the grants and so on will be added to the total shown on the website (or maybe they will?) - but I think that's more to show what we ourselves have raised towards the project. I'd imagine that as the plans progress (and funding starts to kick in from other sources... and, certainly, after we've actually moved BACK to Darlo) that the totaliser - and perhaps the B2D website itself - will have served its purpose.

[eddyman00]

If you guys think you have it bad, look no further than Scarborough. They are another fan owned team and I remember them being one of the big boys of non-league football. They might not be back for 2/3 years and it could really hurt them if they can't keep above 300 people a game.
Interesting to think how many teams like Darlo will go bust before you get back to the Conference. I know you are all hoping it's Pool but Birmingham look likely to collapse and would love to see QPR go pop. My own club Shrewsbury are making losses year on year so it's lucky they got a big cup game against Chelsea to cover the costs this season if they don't go up.

http://ontheterracesblog.wordpress.com/ ... -league-3/