Sports village

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Darlo_Pete
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Re: Sports village

Post by Darlo_Pete » Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:11 pm

JE93 wrote:
Fri Jul 10, 2020 7:58 pm
DMP making sure that despite the best efforts of Covid-19 Darlo will get a Panto this year, by issuing the classic 'ohhh no it isn't (but we can't comment on open matters)' response:

https://www.mowdenpark.com/news/club-st ... 49031.html
You have to take the last paragraph of their statement, with a massive pinch of salt, haha


The Club would like to confirm that, whilst it is facing challenges and changes due to Covid-19 as are most business, it is categorically in a financially secure position for the long term.

Mister e
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Re: Sports village

Post by Mister e » Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:22 pm

Is there any space left on Faverdale industrial estate possibly where Bowaters once stood ??

eek
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Re: Sports village

Post by eek » Sat Jul 11, 2020 8:25 am

Mister e wrote:
Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:22 pm
Is there any space left on Faverdale industrial estate possibly where Bowaters once stood ??
That site is supposedly getting a Lidl and a Starbucks - but it's in planning limbo..

50 years
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Re: Sports village

Post by 50 years » Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:11 am

Wonder if the land next to rugby club is for sale ,(to the right of the building and next to the road, and think still owned by the council?), and big enough for a ground? could it be an option, as reasonable walk from the town where we are and we would not have to raise cash for car park etc. Just a thought of course.

poppyfield
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Re: Sports village

Post by poppyfield » Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:22 am

50 years wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:11 am
Wonder if the land next to rugby club is for sale ,(to the right of the building and next to the road, and think still owned by the council?), and big enough for a ground? could it be an option, as reasonable walk from the town where we are and we would not have to raise cash for car park etc. Just a thought of course.
Looks like it is owned by DBC according to this.

https://www.darlington.gov.uk/media/118 ... -20-a3.pdf
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en passant
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Re: Sports village

Post by en passant » Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:24 am

Well the news about the SV is a little disappointing as it reduces the options the club has to move forward, but I was never convinced that it had the makings of realistic opportunity. And other options, like a new site, even if the land were to be granted by the council, look to be miles away from reaching the goal of a suitable standard venue. The investment required is way beyond anything that the supporters have achieved, or are likely to achieve, in the future. There seems to be no getting around the need for a massive external fund of money to get anything like the self determination that we ideally would wish to have. And under present circumstances, when the economic situation seems bleak, it would seem increasingly unlikely that anyone would be willing to cover these cost, and that would include any chance of a moneybags individual that would want to use the club as a vanity project, or our beloved council. So we are at BM and whilst not ideal it has given the club a place in Darlington and survival at a level that has been sustainable by dint of regular fundraising.
Whilst looking on at what might have been possible at a SV and now looking at what paltry options we are left with may seem bleak to some, I am still reminded of what we have gained over these last 8 years and the fact that the club is still here to hope for better times. It feels like we are like a patient with a chronic complaint for which there is no current cure, but by the miracle of science is being kept alive for the day when the cure is found. In order to be around for that day progress is just surviving and making the best of things until we get there.

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loan_star
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Re: Sports village

Post by loan_star » Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:52 am

Whilst it would be nice to keep progressing through the leagues, it's not the end of the world that we are at Blackwell for the time being. When all is considered, at least we have a club we have some sense of control over and we have a team that plays for the shirt rather than what they can get in their pay packet. This last few years have been the best for supporting this club over a sustained period in my opinion.
Yes the ground is basic and the landlords aren't exactly welcoming but I'd have what we have now over what we had at the arena.

LoidLucan
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Re: Sports village

Post by LoidLucan » Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:13 am

We know 100% that the club is in safe hands (ours) and we won't wake up one morning after a promotion match to find some twat saying: "I have put millions of pounds into this football club and it is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision to put the club into administration."

H1987
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Re: Sports village

Post by H1987 » Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:33 pm

We simply can’t, as fans, fund a ground alone. What we’ve done so far is incredible - we’ve raised around 1.3 million in 8 years or so... we would need at least 3 million... it’s not realistic. Not unless a dedicated fan drops the euro millions.

One day our best prospect might actually be buying Blackwell - Even just the main stadium itself / clubhouse so we could own and redevelop it to suit a football ground rather than a small rugby club.

Beano
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Re: Sports village

Post by Beano » Sat Jul 11, 2020 1:06 pm

loan_star wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 10:52 am
Whilst it would be nice to keep progressing through the leagues, it's not the end of the world that we are at Blackwell for the time being. When all is considered, at least we have a club we have some sense of control over and we have a team that plays for the shirt rather than what they can get in their pay packet. This last few years have been the best for supporting this club over a sustained period in my opinion.
Yes the ground is basic and the landlords aren't exactly welcoming but I'd have what we have now over what we had at the arena.
Same.

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Re: Sports village

Post by Ghost_Of_1883 » Sat Jul 11, 2020 1:17 pm

H1987 wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 12:33 pm
One day our best prospect might actually be buying Blackwell - Even just the main stadium itself / clubhouse so we could own and redevelop it to suit a football ground rather than a small rugby club.
The problem with public talk of things like this is that word gets around. People read stuff. People from the rugby club for example.

Has anyone wondered why the relationship with the rugby club isn't that great? Some people in the rugby club might view us as a cuckoo in their nest, ready to try and chuck them out of it. If many Darlo fans hold the same view as yourself then they may be right to think that.

End of the day it is their ground, and we need to get along. They would have rather existed without us, I'm sure. We were needed at the time we moved in, though perhaps not really wanted. Although they could try and show a bit of appreciation for the revenue that we have brought to them

As for BM itself, well we could get it up to National North level, but it's going to be extremely difficult getting it to EFL standard because of the pipe.

I do think that a terrace at one end and some terrace in the gap between the tin shed and the main (embarrassing fucking bodge job) stand would make a big difference to the ground.

onewayup
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Re: Sports village

Post by onewayup » Sat Jul 11, 2020 6:23 pm

I think that the Darlington rugby club actually has a long term running tenants rental of the land from the council, as there was talk before we joined that the rugby club were struggling and close to going bust ,the football club actually benefited them so saving them from losing their home,
Had they gone pop ,the council would have been looking for a new tenant,
Of course I,m not totally sure. That's what I was always led to believe.

Old Git
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Re: Sports village

Post by Old Git » Sat Jul 11, 2020 6:25 pm

Doubt people from the Rugby Club bother to look on here but who cares if they do? If don’t like what they see perhaps they could ponder on why they are so disliked.

Feethams 1965
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Re: Sports village

Post by Feethams 1965 » Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:41 pm

There are a couple of posts in this thread which hint at the notion of the football club assuming ownership of the ground. It's a possibility which may deserve proper consideration for the longer term. Setting aside how and whether it could be done, money talks and you do wonder that if a serious offer could be mounted, with the rugby club becoming tenants it could realise several advantages,i.e. their financial risks would lessen, we could continue to develop the ground, the resource we have already put in would not have been wasted, and those who feel they'd like to save up for a new ground would have one that's not badly sited, to fund-raise towards. Before this post is derided, consider this; something must happen unless it's felt that the aim is to stay as we are.

Darlogramps
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Sports village

Post by Darlogramps » Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:07 pm

Old Git wrote:Doubt people from the Rugby Club bother to look on here but who cares if they do? If don’t like what they see perhaps they could ponder on why they are so disliked.
Oh trust me, they do. And there’s plenty of posts in this thread alone to give them further ammunition to fuel the bitterness towards us. And in some cases they actually have a point.

Do you really think posts about taking over their land will make them “ponder on why they’re disliked”? Or will it just reinforce their bitterness? Obviously it’s the latter.

And in fairness, some of our fans would do exactly the same in their position because they can’t see past their own blinkered tribalism.

This is kind of the problem though. Nothing will improve if people entrench themselves and further resent the other side. I’m not for one minute saying the rugby club are angels. But some of our fans aren’t helping the situation, and in some instances, are making it worse.
Last edited by Darlogramps on Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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QuakerPete
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Re: Sports village

Post by QuakerPete » Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:59 pm

Darlogramps wrote:
Old Git wrote:Doubt people from the Rugby Club bother to look on here but who cares if they do? If don’t like what they see perhaps they could ponder on why they are so disliked.
Oh trust me, they do. And there’s plenty of posts in this thread alone to give them further ammunition to fuel the bitterness towards us. And in some cases they actually have a point.

Do you really posts about taking over their land will make them “ponder on why they’re disliked”? Or will it just reinforce their bitterness? Obviously it’s the latter.

And in fairness, some of our fans would do exactly the same in their position because they can’t see past their own blinkered tribalism.

This is kind of the problem though. Nothing will improve if people entrench themselves and further resent the other side. I’m not for one minute saying the rugby club are angels. But some of our fans aren’t helping the situation, and in some instances, are making it worse.
Our relationship with Bishop Auckland was great and felt welcoming, we had no serious issues with our tenure there. The same can't be said of those at DRFC who, after an initial welcome by the rugby club chairman at a fans' forum, couldn't wait to take the money on offer but for the least effort and connection possible. Being coy with opinions on here is going to change that after all this time.
How are their finances at the moment, anyone know?


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Darlo_Pete
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Re: Sports village

Post by Darlo_Pete » Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:04 am

I doubt if the relationship between us & the rugby club could get much worse. I do feel that without the footie club supporting them financially, then they'd really struggle financially. I don't really know how we move forward from the situation we find ourselves in.

en passant
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Re: Sports village

Post by en passant » Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:32 am

Just some idle thought for an idle Sunday.
There does seem to be quite a lot of praise for what we had at Bishop and but for the desire to get back to Darlington and get a ground that was fit for the level we are at, might well have served right up to the present. So the idea of being out of Darlington wasn't a deal breaker for the solid core of fans. If the SV or the Arena are not options and BM is getting to be toxic, and we can't build a new ground from scratch, the only other alternative would be to go where there is another already existing ground, probably out of town, and have the ability to build that the way we need for the present and future. This would overcome some of the initial costs of land development and mean that the club might work towards getting up to standard whilst still remaining at BM. As others have said, this would require a quite distinct funding stream. And whilst that alone would still be very difficult it would not require the same effort as starting from nothing. Of course the other main issue to this would be finding a suitable partner club willing to have their ground developed and to see this as a partnership rather than the master/servant relationship we currently have. But there is the rather less noble thought that if the current financial situation were to bring a crisis at some of the lower league clubs without the support of a 'big brother', then this could be basis for a mutally beneficial friendship.
As I say this is just an idle thought which will have loads of downsides, but which of the options that have been on the table doesn't?

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Sports village

Post by Darlogramps » Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:16 am

QuakerPete wrote:
Darlogramps wrote:
Old Git wrote:Doubt people from the Rugby Club bother to look on here but who cares if they do? If don’t like what they see perhaps they could ponder on why they are so disliked.
Oh trust me, they do. And there’s plenty of posts in this thread alone to give them further ammunition to fuel the bitterness towards us. And in some cases they actually have a point.

Do you really posts about taking over their land will make them “ponder on why they’re disliked”? Or will it just reinforce their bitterness? Obviously it’s the latter.

And in fairness, some of our fans would do exactly the same in their position because they can’t see past their own blinkered tribalism.

This is kind of the problem though. Nothing will improve if people entrench themselves and further resent the other side. I’m not for one minute saying the rugby club are angels. But some of our fans aren’t helping the situation, and in some instances, are making it worse.
Our relationship with Bishop Auckland was great and felt welcoming, we had no serious issues with our tenure there. The same can't be said of those at DRFC who, after an initial welcome by the rugby club chairman at a fans' forum, couldn't wait to take the money on offer but for the least effort and connection possible. Being coy with opinions on here is going to change that after all this time.
How are their finances at the moment, anyone know?


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I presume you meant “being coy with opinions on here isn’t going to change that.”

No, it won’t. But then idle speculation about taking over the land is hardly going to improve things either.

Nor does things like well-known members of this board being rude to rugby club members because there’s Six Nations rather than Soccer Saturday on the telly in the bar improve matters either.

Like I said, if people on both sides entrench themselves, nothing will improve. And given we’re at BM for the short-to-medium term now, I don’t really see how that’s beneficial for anyone.

Yes the rugby club could be less petty towards us, but it is a two-way street.
Last edited by Darlogramps on Sun Jul 12, 2020 8:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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onewayup
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Re: Sports village

Post by onewayup » Sun Jul 12, 2020 9:10 am

The only way to stop this bitterness is to talk about why the two club feel the way they do,
Then to agree a strategy amiable to both clubs which should allow both clubs and fans to see an open agreement smoothing the way forward, for the benefit of everyone.
Will Mr Wilkinson give a little I don't know but anything is worth trying to alleviate this horrible impasse between the two clubs, a way forward for both clubs has to be found.
Otherwise more fans will become disillusioned with the present situation and stop attending it's not hard to see people are getting pissed off with attitudes, both clubs have to reset and have a different mindset to get the best results for all. I live in hope of a better experience at blackwell
Being made welcome would be a great start.

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Re: Sports village

Post by theoriginalfatcat » Sun Jul 12, 2020 11:58 am

I witnessed an event after a home match this season which went far beyond being "petty" -and reflected very badly on the Rugby club.

I won't go into details however I did find out later that our top management were made aware.

The sad fact is that we are stuck in a marriage of convenience.
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Re: Sports village

Post by quaker4life » Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:53 pm

It's hardly ever been a marriage made in heaven but going our separate ways could be the death of us both and like it or not we need each other.

Personally I don't use the Rugby Club on match days so it's never affected me but over the last few years I've seen complaints both on here and on social media. One such example was when we were at home on the same day as a rugby International and some of the rugby supporters were in the club house watching it when the football crowd came in at half time and asked them to turn the half time scores on, needless to say this didn't go down well with the people watching the rugby.

I've heard talk about ousting the rugby club and taking over the ground quite a lot of the last couple of years and similar things were alluded to when rumours surfaced about Mowden's finances, such comments and attitudes are deeply unhelpful and only serve to validate some of the hostility and division between the two sides.
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Re: Sports village

Post by onewayup » Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:53 pm

The Rugby club must recognise that they cannot keep squeezing their income stream as it's not an ever lasting well, The football club has gone over and above with the Rugby club to appease them, with very little in return in the way of welcoming the clientele, they tend to put minimum effort into showing the football club are wanted while taking as much as they can from the football clientele, common sense and common ground has to be found.
Stronger together, a more equal partnership would benefit both clubs, them and us doesn't work we have all seen it with our own eyes. I want to enjoy my Saturday football as a part of the whole thing, surely the rugby club could give a big helping hand by a change in their stance with certain things that they put blocks against.

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Re: Sports village

Post by Emdubya » Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:54 pm

You would assume that all the interested and relevant parties in this venture have been aware of the terms of the deal.That being the case I would hope that DJ had decided long ago that there was not a snowballs chance in hell of the council parting with 17 million to get this project done.
DJ is a smart cookie,and you would assume that Mike Wilkinson of DRFC knows how many beans make 5 and that they have known for a long time that it wasn’t going to happen and have hopefully been talking to each other.
This really could work out with a bit of give ant take.

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dfc4me
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Re: Sports village

Post by dfc4me » Sun Jul 12, 2020 1:49 pm

I do wonder if the rugby clubs attitude is typical of everyone or if it is just a few individuals in positions of power who don’t want us there and are influencing everyone else.

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Re: Sports village

Post by lo36789 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 2:53 pm

Feethams 1965 wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:41 pm
The aim is to stay as we are.
The aim is to operate a sustainable fan owned community football club competing at the highest level that it can within its means.

If where we are is the summit of that then it is.

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Re: Sports village

Post by onewayup » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:08 pm

Just a thought, I wonder if the proposal of 2015 by the R.U group which was knocked back because of the proposed sporting village, will look at the plan again.
They wanted to build a retail park with plans for the football club to become part of it they were willing to build a purpose built stadium at the time.
I seem to remember Ben houchen being involved, meetings at that time with Martin jesper,and David mills had been going on for about 4 month i recall.
It's 5 years ago, but you never know.

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Re: Sports village

Post by lo36789 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:23 pm

QuakerPete wrote:
Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:59 pm
Our relationship with Bishop Auckland was great and felt welcoming, we had no serious issues with our tenure there. The same can't be said of those at DRFC who, after an initial welcome by the rugby club chairman at a fans' forum, couldn't wait to take the money on offer but for the least effort and connection possible.
Go on then I'll bite.

The agreement at Bishop cost more in rent, was access on matchdays only and we had no share of sales over the bar.

Explain why that was more welcoming and how Bishop went above and beyond for the money they received?

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Re: Sports village

Post by lo36789 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:32 pm

quaker4life wrote:
Sun Jul 12, 2020 12:53 pm
One such example was when we were at home on the same day as a rugby International and some of the rugby supporters were in the club house watching it when the football crowd came in at half time and asked them to turn the half time scores on, needless to say this didn't go down well with the people watching the rugby.
Well of course it didn't what do you expect?

They were in the middle of watching a live sports match and for the sake of 10 minutes they were demanded to switch onto a channel to watch scores pop up.

Information which was just as accessible on every mobile device that people had on them.

If you were in the middle of watching a film and halfway through it some people about to watch a film next door want to watch the previews on your screen - the catch being that your film will continue to play in the background and you will miss that portion for the sake of someone else's previews.

I take it you would be jubilant with that and wouldn't take exception at all.

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Re: Sports village

Post by lo36789 » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:38 pm

This concept of "squeezing" is bizarre to me. It suggests that they are demanding more money - when you squeeze a tube you try and get more and more out of it - have the rugby club ever asked for more money than the ground sharing agreement requires?

I could equally see an argument for it where instead of squeezing more money for a lesser service they charge the same amount - but again has that ever actually happened? What did we used to get that we no longer get now?

What actually seems to be inferred from squeezing is that is is bad behaviour in their part to actually just stick to the agreement that has been made and that if we want more we pay more.

Have you ever been to a restaurant and accused them of squeezing you because they didn't bring you a free dessert or drink...I imagine not.

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