GLOUCESTER CITY FC
NEW GROUND DEVELOPMENTS
A Message from Chairman Dave Phillips
This is to advise everyone with the good of Gloucester City AFC at heart, of a potential new facility, the idea being driven by Parmjit Dhanda, our City MP, following a series of discussions with various parties, including GCAFC.
There are other Ground possibilities that have been on-going for some time now, but one by one, problems seem to be arising which are causing delays in moving forward. I am not prepared to discuss any detail of these publicly at the moment, as we may be grateful for confidentiality in the future. This is the downside of trying to move something forward that is not in the public eye! However, I continue to hope for a breakthrough!
GCAFC are not committed to any one project at this moment, although I am of the opinion we are nearing the point of having to nail our colours to a particular scheme, if we have any realistic hope of returning to the City environs in the shorter, rather than longer term.
Having had continuous dialogue with Parmjit for what seems a long time now, on various issues involved with 'bringing the Club home', this new initiative is possibly borne of some frustration on all sides, and also might resolve other issues that Parmjit is currently having to wrestle with.
Basically , there are no exact plans as such, with only outlines of requirements/needs, of three parties, (Stroud Rugby Club, Glos. Athletics and GCAFC), who have all expressed initial interest in exploring the potential of a new Community facility, to be positioned within a 17 acre site off M5 Junction 12, next to the Garden Centre at Javelin Park.
Parmjit is (besides looking to help three sporting clubs), looking to circumvent the highly provocative subject of sighting a new waste incinerator there, and has feed-back from various relevant interested parties, that this would seem to be an ideal alternative, with, as of yet, no identifiable negatives. It is my present understanding that if one of the parties decided it was not for them at some point in the future, then that would not necessarily scupper the whole scheme. It should also not go without mention, that although the site would seem to be presently on the extreme edge of suburbia, within five years or so, it will likely be anything but, and also there would be no access problems to overcome!
It is already agreed that any athletics facility would not be part of any stadium as such, but would be adjoining, but included for possible use of centralised clubhouse/changing rooms. It may be that even the Rugby Ground and Football Ground are separate as well, although viability on this point, would be investigated further.
All I have said so far, is that we are happy to initially explore possibilities, and consider everything on merit. I am painfully aware that although there is understandable pressure to have something concrete on-going, as I have gone on record before, I will not be party to any bodged effort to find us a home at the minimum cost, effort or time scale! Last time that happened I seem to re-call, we ended up on a flood plain! Initially, I have no cause to believe that this would be the case with this proposal.
It is considered that a way forward for this particular idea, is to hopefully get a positive debate going, I attended a site photo call along with Parmjit, Stroud MP David Drew, various Council Reps., and other interested parties on Friday (11th July).
It may be that this scheme will turn out very well for GCAFC, even if, at the very least, it re-energises the Council powers that be, into a pro-active mode of pushing for forward movement in one of several other areas of interest to us.
Dave Phillips
