Ground share with Connacht rugby?

[WoodquayBoy]

Any of ye see today's Connacht Tribune. There is an interview with Connacht rugby Ceo Gerry Kelly who says they might have to look at moving to a new ground to meet capacity requirements, and would be interested in linking up as joint owners of one with United if they were interested. Any thoughts anyone? I know great work has gone in to terryland, but I don't think it is the worst idea in the world (the new boy crouches down and prepares to be shot at from many angles)

[Conor H]

I'd happily tell Connacht Rugby-thanks,but no thanks.

It's not anyway feasible or beneficial to UTD.

[Terry]

dont think the pitch is big enough in the first place, also we dont even own the grounds ourselves!! We groundshare with the Galway & District League !!!!

[sligoman]

Think Woodquay's point is about building a completely new ground Terry, not Terryland.

[Terry]

not a notion of that happening either, with the price of land etc....

[Patrick Dunne]

The problem with Terryland is that a professional team competing
in the Eircom League is not sustainable in the long term at the venue.

The ground does not generate sufficient alternative revenue streams.

A new 10,000 ground with a train link to the city centre and with bars, shops,
restauraunts etc would be of benefit to GUFC.

Connacht Rugby and GUFC would have a similar mindset in terms of commercial activity and the sustainability of a professional sports outfit in Galway.

The Galway FA would see things differently, as is their prerogative.

[GuisaSaigon]

It's got to be considered if we are to progress and challenge the best in the country. Terryland simply isn't big enough. It would be years away but both Connacht rugby and ourselves could benefit greatly from such a venture. One bonus would be that our games would no longer clash with the egg chasing games. :)

[Paddyfield]

Any of ye see today's Connacht Tribune. There is an interview with Connacht rugby Ceo Gerry Kelly who says they might have to look at moving to a new ground to meet capacity requirements, and would be interested in linking up as joint owners of one with United if they were interested. Any thoughts anyone? I know great work has gone in to terryland, but I don't think it is the worst idea in the world (the new boy crouches down and prepares to be shot at from many angles)

Never say never.

The bottom line is that GUFC are only lodgers at Terryland and could be chucked out.

PS Welcome WoodquayBoy. Where are you from? :D

[gilberto_eire]

sure didnt nick leeson even say that in 10yrs time united should/will be playing in a 10,000 all-seater ground??..... terryland is as good as finished IMO not much can be done behind the goals with the space!!....

a new ground will defo come at some stage.... with connacht or not is the only other Q!!

[Tir Oilean]

I dont see why not but last time I saw an attendance figure for a Connaught rugby match it was somewhere around 1500 so they cant need the space that much! It is the only way to proceed if you ask me as the money raised through rugby circles would be quite high I would imagine (compared to soccer) and there would surely be some grant aid to buy the land but be prepared to pay through the nose to get taxis back into foxes after the games!

[Patrick Dunne]

With developments in infrastructure over the coming years, it is probable that by 2015 there will be an light rail system (similar to the DART) linking Galway City, Oranmore and Athenry.

A new town, Ardaun, has been planned by the City Council for the area between Doughiska and the Quality Hotel. The centrepiece could be a new stadium, a public/private partnership between the City/County Council, GUFC, Connacht Rugby and property developers.

[WoodquayBoy]

I think the article said the Ospreys in Wales ground share with a soccer club. For me it would make sense, owning - or part owning - a ground and being able to lease it out at times to egerate cash or, heaven forbid, stick a boozer in it and make a few quid.
Not such a daft Q PaddyF, originally from the sticks of Clifden, moved into town many mmons ago and live in Woodquay (hence the moniker) when I first fell in love with Neville Steedman, Steve Craig, Johnny Kenny and his hairbamnd and other sporters of such fine barnets in the mid-80s. Nev and Steve might have been sh*te, but I dare you to think of one time they had a hair out of place. Talk about perfect coiffes sir.
Oh, and on the ground share, would also ensure an end to clashes with the men who play with odd shaped balls as Saigon points out - new rugger season starts next month, so two months of clashes this side of the Crimbo, and two more in '08

[exiled_gufc_fan]

The problem with Terryland is that a professional team competing
in the Eircom League is not sustainable in the long term at the venue.

The ground does not generate sufficient alternative revenue streams.

A new 10,000 ground with a train link to the city centre and with bars, shops,
restauraunts etc would be of benefit to GUFC.

Connacht Rugby and GUFC would have a similar mindset in terms of commercial activity and the sustainability of a professional sports outfit in Galway.


Absolutely bang on there. That is exactly the way the club should be thinking. Look at any of the League One or League Two sides in England and this is the sort of set up they either have or are looking to attain as a minimum.

Most clubs make far more from food and beer concessions, and other merchandise than from the gate. The marketing approach that United have taken is going the right way - but as I've mentionned before a club like Bournemouth and its fine redeveloped stafium is a perfect example to follow. Others (although now in the Championship) such as Colchester have recognised the need to do this too.

[Torn-Ado]

With developments in infrastructure over the coming years, it is probable that by 2015 there will be an light rail system (similar to the DART) linking Galway City, Oranmore and Athenry.

A new town, Ardaun, has been planned by the City Council for the area between Doughiska and the Quality Hotel. The centrepiece could be a new stadium, a public/private partnership between the City/County Council, GUFC, Connacht Rugby and property developers.

I think that Ardaun idea was thrown out some time ago. As for the light rail, I think it would be another twenty years before that gets off the ground. The station and rail facilities around Galway leave a lot to desired and they dont seem to be in any rush to sort it out.

[endabob1]

I've thought for a long time that more of this should be done, I was surprised that Athlone didn't try to get Buccaneers & Connacht Rugby involved when they were building their ground given that they used the rugby ground for occasional games so there must be a good relationship.
If a club like Galway shared a 10,000 seater ground with the Rugby club you can be sure there would also be under age games of both codes played there and it would be perfect for outdoor concerts. All of which would generate more cash for both owners.

[gufct]

I know that Terryland is too small for Development but if enough heads were knocked together between the Galway F.A. ,Ourselves and the Corpo there could be a plan agreed for future development with the College lands down to the Corrib being used and the road being rerouted .


Otherwise we have to go down the road with Connacht Rugby on a greenfield site with proper commuter access which would mean Oranmore or Athenry I would say.

[Tir Oilean]

The pitch would be in **** after the ruggers buggers played on it Noel Connolly or whoever would be groundsman would have their hands full repairing it for soccer games. Also the further out it is the less likely city ppl are to go to the games even if there was a transport system.

[gufct]

The new Motorway will make the travel easy and there are talks of a commuter Rail system to Ballinasloe which would make a ground accesible.Swansea have no problems with their groundshare and the extra revenues would easily sustain both codes.

[gufcfan]

sure didnt nick leeson even say that in 10yrs time united should/will be playing in a 10,000 all-seater ground??.....

if united were indeed to have a 10,000 seater in 10 years that is the only route i can see that would end up there in that time frame. im not sayin we should be part of any such venture tho. Any proposal should be looked at in detail to find out if it would be of sufficient benefit to galway. We need facilities that attract the fairweathers. The greyhounds are a prime example of such a setup being succesful.

A few years back there was nobody watchin the dogs in galway. only the few... very few diehards

[gufct]

What you would be looking at would be mixed commercial development. A Hotel,Leisure Facilities, Shopping and Commercial Office Space .

[WoodquayBoy]

Can't build across on the ground opposite Terryland, isn't that protected? Wasn't there a plan by the rowing club to move up there and it was rejected. Ideally you'd stick the carpark there so you could build behind the bottom goal, and reroute the road to build at top end, with a pedestrian flyover from carpark to ground. Can't see it happening though, and i don't think this is the first time CRFU have suggested a move - wasn't there talk about them relocating to Cloonacauneen a few years back but it fell through because of?. . . a fear over few fans travelling out to games

[Ceirtlis]

Id say the most important aspect of any new stadium is that its in a position to make money from different things like a bar and hospitality. Being honest we dont look like we are going to need a 10000 seater stadium anytime in the near future, we would have to multiply this years attendances by more than 5.
A compact ground of maybe 5-6000 capacity would be ideal in a place where other money could be made of it with bars, gyms etc. Terryland is out is beside a farmers field and recently built appartments. Even if Gufc were allowed a bar i dont think it would make much money out there.

[geezer]

to be an option and only right the 2 get together and at least explore. I know it seems unlikely now but it would be a shame if we had to play a european tie in dublin in a year or two because of capacity issues. Terryland could possibly still accomodate 3000 extra seats. I have seen stadiums jut way out over roads without interfereing too much with passin traffic and at the Dunnes end their is plenty of room for a "holte end" type development with underground car park and office/club corporate facilities. But the Galway FA dont seem to have much foresight or vision despite all the backslappin with the fab new stand

[gufcfan]

i think we needent worry about europe tbh. Premier division status for 08 would be a good achievement the way things are going

[gael353]

I

Otherwise we have to go down the road with Connacht Rugby on a greenfield site with proper commuter access which would mean Oranmore or Athenry I would say.

Exactly, the only problem is that when the western rail corridor is re opened the land anywhere near the line becomes very expensive. Ceist< dont the same ppl run both the rugby and soccer in Galway?

[Tir Oilean]

[QUOTE=gael353;749504]Exactly, the only problem is that when the western rail corridor is re opened the land anywhere near the line becomes very expensive. Ceist< dont the same ppl run both the rugby and soccer in Galway?[/QUOTE

Pretty stupid statement/wind-up. If its a genuine query your confusion is around the fact that our chairman John Fallon is also a big rugby fan and has been involved with rugby for many years. He's a sportsfan.

[Terry]

fallon used to be the chairman(I think) of connaught rugby, not anymore

[galwayhoop]

to be an option and only right the 2 get together and at least explore. I know it seems unlikely now but it would be a shame if we had to play a european tie in dublin in a year or two because of capacity issues.
Serious pie in the sky stuff here!!!!

Terryland can now hold 5,000 supporters. More than sufficient for any regular game we play. The only 'extremely hypotetical' game you talk of would be a European tie (we are miles off this) against a big British side or maybe Spanish/Italian side. To play these teams you need to win 2 or 3 European ties first. We are verging on the relegation places and aspirations of glamour european ties are total fantasy. It would be like the Derby fans looking for a bigger stadium for when they play Barcelona in the Champions League!

Oh and by the way if we did have a massive european tie against one of Europes super powers even a stadium of 10,000 would no be sufficient and we would play it in Dublin anyhow.



But the Galway FA dont seem to have much foresight or vision despite all the backslappin with the fab new stand

The only benefactor from the new stand is GUFC. The Galway FA have no game which would require the stand on it's own merit. Fair enough it looks good but from a Galway FA standpoint it is a white elephant without GUFC making use of it every second week. It is indeed very generous of the Galway FA to part-fund a project of which they had no need. Furthermore I would imagine that Galway FA would not be adverse to future expansion of the ground down the line should GUFC require it. A lack of Vision and foresight indeed......


For what it is worth I do believe that if required there could be a stand built at both goal ends of the Ground. By knocking the Clubhouse and building a stand similar in design as the New stand (granted not as big) and by expanding the Town end into the car park by a few yards. That would bring the capacity up by maybe 2,000 or so.

Also the New Stand could be extended into both corners instead of 'box to box' as it is now, giving what maybe another 900 or so more seats.

And in fact the Old stand could be re-developed into a stand similar to the new one. Increasing the capacity by maybe 1,200 or thereabouts. So you would be able to get a capacity of 9,000 or a bit more from Terryland if needed. Of which about 7,000 would be seated.

Now this is ambitious but definatley feasible in the long term.

[GuisaSaigon]

Good post Galwayhoop.Of course the space available in Terryland could be utilized to increase the capacity. But United would not benefit as much from this as they would from a new purpose built Development with training facilities, commercial units and increased capacity.
Look at the money Salthill Devon generate from the the Drom complex. If United had a similar set up they would no longer need to pay to use training facilities and they could generate income by renting their facilities out.
A bar with a function room would also generate year round income as it could be rented out for parties and would bring in a few extra quid on matchday. There are many other opportunities that a new Stadium would present to both GUFC and Connacht RFU.
It is essential to have a long term plan of where the club is going.To use this seasons disappointing position as an excuse not to be ambitious for the future would be shortsighted. The league needs clubs to be proactive, self sustaining and ambitious. If the club has a bad season on the pitch they need to rectify the problems and continue to progress. Otherwise we might as well all pack it in.

[gilberto_eire]

Serious pie in the sky stuff here!!!!

Terryland can now hold 5,000 supporters. More than sufficient for any regular game we play. The only 'extremely hypotetical' game you talk of would be a European tie (we are miles off this) against a big British side or maybe Spanish/Italian side. To play these teams you need to win 2 or 3 European ties first. We are verging on the relegation places and aspirations of glamour european ties are total fantasy. It would be like the Derby fans looking for a bigger stadium for when they play Barcelona in the Champions League!

Oh and by the way if we did have a massive european tie against one of Europes super powers even a stadium of 10,000 would no be sufficient and we would play it in Dublin anyhow


The only benefactor from the new stand is GUFC. The Galway FA have no game which would require the stand on it's own merit. Fair enough it looks good but from a Galway FA standpoint it is a white elephant without GUFC making use of it every second week. It is indeed very generous of the Galway FA to part-fund a project of which they had no need. Furthermore I would imagine that Galway FA would not be adverse to future expansion of the ground down the line should GUFC require it. A lack of Vision and foresight indeed......

For what it is worth I do believe that if required there could be a stand built at both goal ends of the Ground. By knocking the Clubhouse and building a stand similar in design as the New stand (granted not as big) and by expanding the Town end into the car park by a few yards. That would bring the capacity up by maybe 2,000 or so.

Also the New Stand could be extended into both corners instead of 'box to box' as it is now, giving what maybe another 900 or so more seats.

And in fact the Old stand could be re-developed into a stand similar to the new one. Increasing the capacity by maybe 1,200 or thereabouts. So you would be able to get a capacity of 9,000 or a bit more from Terryland if needed. Of which about 7,000 would be seated.

Now this is ambitious but definatley feasible in the long term.


two key points you missed there IMO...

the problem isnt with we wont need the stadium till we play in europe its the fact every season we stay in terryland we're paying rent, we're also limited to what we can do there and have to gain permission!!

that is a key factor behind a future move its not really down to seating as such!!.

also you pointed out the galway fa were generous in contributing to the new stand they were'nt the generous ones.... we were as were building up a ground thats not even ours. i would also assume that the more ppl that come up to terryland the more rent recieved?!... so hence with the new stand more money for the galway fa!!

[galwayhoop]

Good post Galwayhoop.Of course the space available in Terryland could be utilized to increase the capacity. But United would not benefit as much from this as they would from a new purpose built Development with training facilities, commercial units and increased capacity.
Look at the money Salthill Devon generate from the the Drom complex. If United had a similar set up they would no longer need to pay to use training facilities and they could generate income by renting their facilities out.
A bar with a function room would also generate year round income as it could be rented out for parties and would bring in a few extra quid on matchday. There are many other opportunities that a new Stadium would present to both GUFC and Connacht RFU.
It is essential to have a long term plan of where the club is going.To use this seasons disappointing position as an excuse not to be ambitious for the future would be shortsighted. The league needs clubs to be proactive, self sustaining and ambitious. If the club has a bad season on the pitch they need to rectify the problems and continue to progress. Otherwise we might as well all pack it in.

in theory yes of course you are right. however Salthill sold (afaik) their pitches at Millars lane allowing them funds to buy the fields at drom. which they then developed at a cost of a few million or so (i think they even sold some sites to a local builder from the fields they bought giving them more funds). they built a brilliant facility, but there is no stadium as such, and this would cost big money to build in addition to the training facility which is there and this is what you are suggesting. also for everything the drom facility is it is still in the middle of nowhere and would be totally unsutable for attracting crowds- how many did they get for their UCD fai cup game - no more than a couple of hundred from reports.

add in the cost of land nowadays (if you are talkiing of putting commercial units it would need to be zoned land) and probably cost a couple of million per acre and we would need what 10 acres or so at the very least?

and finally while salthill had land in millars which they sold to buy their land GUFC own no tangible assets which they could sell. the only possibility of a partner ship would be between the Galway FA and someone else and not GUFC.

Terryland is there to be utilised and has room for further expansion if required. it is in a central location so why not put in a multi-storey car -park* with commercial units either on the ground or upper floors? the expansion of terryland is possible to the degree i suggested and that is more than sufficient for a team with attendances averaging around 2,200 currently.

GUFC also currently train in drom so why go to the cost of developing a mirror image somewhere else?

bottom line is that GUFC currently have use of a training facility which is probably as good as, if not better than, any other team in the eL. and i presume it doesn't cost them too much to use this. they also have use of terryland which more than caters for their needs at this moment in time and also offers room for further expansion in the future, granted to a cap of probably 10,000 but sure there is no need for any more than this for the forseeable future. the rent for terryland is also good value, free (or at most nominal) if i'm not mistaken so why even consider moving?

of course the logical thing would be for pearse stadium, terryland and the sports ground all to be sold and a 35,000 - 40,000 'municiple stadium' built in conjunction with Galway City council. yes this would probably cost €40 or €50 million (probably even more) but i'm sure the property that all of these stadiums are sitting on would get more than that if sold to developers! oh, yes and of course the main problem would be the historical differenrces between the codes would stop this point blank from even becoming a thought never mind a discussion!


*in fact terryland could be devevloped on the ground where the car-park is, i'm sure, as most stadiums provide no parking whatsoever eg: pearse stadium, lansdowne rd, croke park ....
by bringing that extra piece of land into play there is no reason why terryland couldn't be developed into a 15,000 seater enue down the road!

[gilberto_eire]

but you've missed the point again its not our ground to make money from if commercial units etc... were added!!. we're just tenents!!... id say the rent changes with attendences, anyone confirm that?... i cant see the same rent been charged for the dark days of a couple of hundred to some days this year of 3,000+

do ya really think the landlord is going to let ye build things around his gaff and let ye keep the money?

we have to move plain and simply because we have no ground!!.

if we got into europe and if games were played at terryland you can be sure the galway fa would take a nice bit of that revenue!. also the under-21 games that have been hosted there, id say we didnt get a penny from them, with our own ground we'd be raking in the days takings from them!!

[galwayhoop]

the problem isnt with we wont need the stadium till we play in europe its the fact every season we stay in terryland we're paying rent, we're also limited to what we can do there and have to gain permission!!

that is a key factor behind a future move its not really down to seating as such!!.
If GUFC built their own stadium they would have to pay back who ever lent them the capital, most probably a mortgage (maybe murphs could get them a good rate :D). as there is no-one waiting in the wings to donate money to GUFC AFAIK. The repayments would be greatr than the current rent.
I don’t think that the Galway FA have ever refused GUFC ‘permission’ to do any works on Terryland and doubt they would.
And of course even if GUFC wanted their own stadium they would still need to get permission to build it or make any alterations ;)


also you pointed out the galway fa were generous in contributing to the new stand they were'nt the generous ones.... we were as were building up a ground thats not even ours.
of course what I said was:

…..from a Galway FA standpoint it is a white elephant without GUFC making use of it every second week. It is indeed very generous of the Galway FA to part-fund a project of which they had no need.
the generousity was in contributing at all to a stand which the Galway FA had absolutely no need for. GUFC may have needed it but Galway FA certainly didn’t.


i would also assume that the more ppl that come up to terryland the more rent recieved?!... so hence with the new stand more money for the galway fa!!
That is a massive assumption. AFAIK the rent paid for Terryland is minimal (if anything) and nothing to do with the amount of patrons who attend games there.
NB I am seriously open to correction on this point but it is what I am led to believe.

[galwayhoop]

but you've missed the point again its not our ground to make money from if commercial units etc... were added!!. we're just tenents!!... id say the rent changes with attendences, anyone confirm that?... i cant see the same rent been charged for the dark days of a couple of hundred to some days this year of 3,000+

do ya really think the landlord is going to let ye build things around his gaff and let ye keep the money?

we have to move plain and simply because we have no ground!!.

if we got into europe and if games were played at terryland you can be sure the galway fa would take a nice bit of that revenue!. also the under-21 games that have been hosted there, id say we didnt get a penny from them, with our own ground we'd be raking in the days takings from them!!

you are either living in cloud cookoo land or you are about 12 years of age!

Re: commercial units (and your analogy of your landlords gaff:rolleyes:):
have you ever heard of a joint venture?
or a building agreement?
one provides the land the other builds - share profit....

Re: new stadium:
do you realise how expensive land is in galway, both city and county?
do you know how much construction costs?
where on earth do you think GUFC could raise the funds for either?
Can you list out all of GUFC's assets which they could either sell or borrow against to raise finance?
What on earth is wrong with Terryland?

General:
GUFC is one of the top run teams in the country off the field. Leeson has made great strides in this regard and the club is as close to self sufficient as any professional soccer team on the Island. there is no need to burden the club with debt just to 'Own' their own ground! If the team was in the top half of the table crowds would be larger and therefore earn more money anyway!

Re: U21's:
last U21 game I went to it was FREE. this may have changed.

[gilberto_eire]

no im not living in cloud-cookoo land!. we all know the price of land is dear, when was it cheap?... but were talking about a football club here im sure we wouldnt be completly out of the market if the attendences continue to rise!.

of course the loan would be dearer but in the long-term its the only way you can get a ground and just has to be done!.

yes i know what a joint venture is but its more benefitical to the landlord then the tenents!. with our own ground we would make a lot more!.also the dyke road id never gonna be a attractive place to build anything like a bar etc.... too isolated!!

the problem isnt where are we going to get the money out of, its getting up the table, playing in europe, bigger crowds etc... then we could probably take the 1st steps towards a new ground. it could then be payed for through various ways like a sports complex for the public/club, bar etc.....

nick leeson has already been quoted as saying in 10yrs time, galway united should be playing in a 10,000 seater stadium, and im pretty sure he wasnt talking about terryland!!.

sorry when i mentioned under-21 games i was refering to the irish under-21's!!

[exiled_gufc_fan]

of course the loan would be dearer but in the long-term its the only way you can get a ground and just has to be done!.



well ... at least until the US and Thai investors realise that to get a team into the Champions League it is cheaper to buy an Irish club and have a 1 in 12 chance of winning the league and getting into Europe.

Although whether we have enough boutiques for the WAGS that would be needed too is another matter :p

[GuisaSaigon]

The proposed development of a new town east of the city could provide an opportunity for both groups to come together with developers (who will have to provide facilities). There is funding available from BMW regional assembly specifically for projects like this. a massive amount of this funding has been set aside for the region, 300 million euros of which wasn't spent. CRFU and GUFC would need to raise funds over the next few years. It's an ambitious idea but hardly pie in the sky. The club should be at least considering something like this for 10 years down the road.

[Tir Oilean]

Our own ground is complete pie in the sky until a joint veture with rugby or a developer with commercial interests in an allround entertainment venue. Im with you hoop on this one. Terryland is compact but thats good for the size of league we are in. If it gets too big we lose the atmosphere straight away.

[Tir Oilean]

I say we should get our local MEP involved in pushing that on what do think Saigon:-)

[GuisaSaigon]

Whats that got to do with anything?:mad:

[galwayhoop]

no im not living in cloud-cookoo land!
i'm afraid you seem to be


we all know the price of land is dear, when was it cheap?!!
in the 80's when there was talk of a move to Riverside (astro pitch and all the rest!!) and then Dangan but we were left out of UCG's plans at the time.


.. but were talking about a football club here im sure we wouldnt be completly out of the market if the attendences continue to rise!!!

of course the loan would be dearer but in the long-term its the only way you can get a ground and just has to be done!
to buy commercially zoned land in Galway would cost at least €2-€3 million per acre. you would be talking about at least 10 acres to construct an improved venue than terryland - more if all of this talk of commercial units are needed but lets work on 10 acres at the moment. thats somewhere between €20 and €30 million. then lets build this stadium. athlones stand has cost them approx €5 million to date so lets say a cheap stadium and go for €10 million. thats a minimun of €30 million and at interest rates touching 6% a repayment of €1.8million year! that means not touching the capital borrowed (or you could add another €1 million per year if you want to clear the capital inside 30 years)! so essentially it is the same as renting an so so much more expensive!!!


yes i know what a joint venture is but its more benefitical to the landlord then the tenents!. !!
obviously you don't know what a joint venture is.
what i was talking about is where galway fa come up with land and GUFC carry the construction costs. the finished product is joint owned and then leased to a 3rd party with the proceeds split jointly or EQUALLY. equally means that both benefit the same!!!!


with our own ground we would make a lot more!.also the dyke road id never gonna be a attractive place to build anything like a bar etc.... too isolated!!!!
and you say you don't live in cloud cookoo land!!!!
too isolated.... where do you propose building the stadium: eyre square!!! or perhaps shop street!!!!
why on earth does everyone keep going on about a bar :confused: why not build an office complex and lease out the space. or even use the car park as a commercial car park. the bar trade has taken a bashing in the last few years with only a select few making real profits. a bar is not the way to go.


the problem isnt where are we going to get the money out of, its getting up the table, playing in europe, bigger crowds etc... then we could probably take the 1st steps towards a new ground.
exactly. you seem to have turned the corner. this point is valid. perhaps in a decade or so we may need to consider a new ground but until then where we are is more than sufficent.


it could then be payed for through various ways like a sports complex for the public/club, bar etc.....!!
oh dear we are back to the bar .... :rolleyes:


nick leeson has already been quoted as saying in 10yrs time, galway united should be playing in a 10,000 seater stadium, and im pretty sure he wasnt talking about terryland!!
maybe not ... but from my viewpoint it is certainly the most viable.


sorry when i mentioned under-21 games i was refering to the irish under-21's!!
and that was what 2 games in the last few years. and why on earth would GUFC get any financial benefit from these :confused:

[galwayhoop]

lads i am amazed at some of ye on here calling for a new stadium especially when a lot of ye were on the eL forum spouting on about Terryland being in the top 3 grounds in the country... and some of ye saying it was the best :confused:

[geezer]

but in fairness whilst the Galway FA have been good to United over the years it hasnt exactly been charity it costs 2.5k per game to play there. 60% of the matches played in Terryland over a year are Galway FA games not GUFC believe it or not. The FA have shown no leadership in their role to develop the game in Galway that was left to the clubs Like Salthill & Mervue to show them what a bit of vision could achieve. The Galway FA chief achievements year on year is that they put fixture lists together which to be fair is not a small feat but surely one at this stage that they should be used to. The other facts are if we do have a european tie only 3000 will be allowed in to Terryland and that obviously would be a shame. As well if we are averaging 2200 this season and we havent won there since november last year, what kind of crowds would we get if we were in the top 4?. Capacity could become an issue fairly quickly. Terryland would be a good choice for a 10000 seat arena and cost effective if the city council helped and provided accomodation underneath stands for the many voluntary bodies renting premises throughout the city and universities etc for various purposes. all this could be possible but alternatives and vision have to be debated and nothing ruled in or out

[Gaillimh Al]

I'd have to agree that for now Terryland is the only viable option for the club. For capacity to become an issue, we would have to become a FIXTURE in the Premier Division, not one that yo-yo's between relegation and promotion.
I think the team are getting a huge backing considering results at home, and I know that some people are going up at this stage because they're afraid they'll miss the game where we actually win. It's seriously blind faith at this stage because we haven't seen good football or stirring performances for a while.
Compare ourselves with tonight's opponents Drogheda. They were in a similar position not so long ago, and they concentrated their efforts on getting a strong team that impoved in quality every year. I understand they have been heavily backed, but now they are in a position where they can submit plans for a new stadium with commercial units and all that because they are guaranteed revenue streams from Setanta Cup games, European games and sizeable crowdds watching good football.
I don't agree that the Galway FA are getting nothing out of this. They now have one of the best footballing stadia in the country, which will no doubt attract more representative fixtures. The dressing rooms will be upgraded, which was badly needed. I remember playing there in an under 18 final, and we could hardly fit in them they were so small. I'm sure they didn't go "Oh no, we'd prefer if you didn't make this stadium a whole lot better".
Anyway, let's not put the cart before the horse. Get the team sorted and then plan for a bigger, brighter future.:)

[gilberto_eire]

[QUOTE=galwayhoop;750350]

and you say you don't live in cloud cookoo land!!!!


QUOTE]

The man has to be born and bred there, Look at his post and then attempted back tracking on my world Football thread about Everton. Very funny :D

Gilberto seems well suited and i am sure had no issue fitting in around Cloud Cookoo land. :)

shut up ya rural tool your trying to annoy me purposly now...try in person on friday my 1st name is simon!! (dont care terry he's coming on here WUM'ing!!)

[gilberto_eire]

i'm afraid you seem to be


in the 80's when there was talk of a move to Riverside (astro pitch and all the rest!!) and then Dangan but we were left out of UCG's plans at the time.


to buy commercially zoned land in Galway would cost at least €2-€3 million per acre. you would be talking about at least 10 acres to construct an improved venue than terryland - more if all of this talk of commercial units are needed but lets work on 10 acres at the moment. thats somewhere between €20 and €30 million. then lets build this stadium. athlones stand has cost them approx €5 million to date so lets say a cheap stadium and go for €10 million. thats a minimun of €30 million and at interest rates touching 6% a repayment of €1.8million year! that means not touching the capital borrowed (or you could add another €1 million per year if you want to clear the capital inside 30 years)! so essentially it is the same as renting an so so much more expensive!!!


obviously you don't know what a joint venture is.
what i was talking about is where galway fa come up with land and GUFC carry the construction costs. the finished product is joint owned and then leased to a 3rd party with the proceeds split jointly or EQUALLY. equally means that both benefit the same!!!!


and you say you don't live in cloud cookoo land!!!!
too isolated.... where do you propose building the stadium: eyre square!!! or perhaps shop street!!!!
why on earth does everyone keep going on about a bar :confused: why not build an office complex and lease out the space. or even use the car park as a commercial car park. the bar trade has taken a bashing in the last few years with only a select few making real profits. a bar is not the way to go.


exactly. you seem to have turned the corner. this point is valid. perhaps in a decade or so we may need to consider a new ground but until then where we are is more than sufficent.


oh dear we are back to the bar .... :rolleyes:


maybe not ... but from my viewpoint it is certainly the most viable.


and that was what 2 games in the last few years. and why on earth would GUFC get any financial benefit from these :confused:

can ya not quote my whole post inone instead of making a massive page!!!...... look your the only one who seems to think RENTING in terryland is a good idea.... bottom line is...ITS NOT OUR GROUND!! and every team needs its own ground at some stage

a move is going to happen and we all know the price of land, thats been taken in but the move will happen anyway at some stage!!

ok one or two are saying like i saying '' we need a new ground NOW'' i never said that nor did anyone.... hoop was saying that we can just build up terryland and that will do till dawns end. i didnt, nor did i see anyone say we needed a new ground now this is something that will be needed in a few years as we dont have our own ground, terryland is as good as complete and id be surprised if anything else was to be done up there!!. i never said we need a new ground now but we do in the next 10 yrs!!

[Tir Oilean]

I agree with hoop surely that meas he's not the only one??

[galwayhoop]

shut up ya rural tool your trying to annoy me purposly now...try in person on friday my 1st name is simon!! (dont care terry he's coming on here WUM'ing!!)

:rolleyes:

grow up

[galwayhoop]

can ya not quote my whole post inone instead of making a massive page!!!...... look your the only one who seems to think RENTING in terryland is a good idea.... bottom line is...ITS NOT OUR GROUND!! and every team needs its own ground at some stage

a move is going to happen and we all know the price of land, thats been taken in but the move will happen anyway at some stage!!

ok one or two are saying like i saying '' we need a new ground NOW'' i never said that nor did anyone.... hoop was saying that we can just build up terryland and that will do till dawns end. i didnt, nor did i see anyone say we needed a new ground now this is something that will be needed in a few years as we dont have our own ground, terryland is as good as complete and id be surprised if anything else was to be done up there!!. i never said we need a new ground now but we do in the next 10 yrs!!


look gilberto, you have your view and i have mine. bottom line is we cannot afford to build our own ground.
if someone donated us land and built the thing for free then, yes it would be brilliant. sure of course everyone would like to have a brand spanking new stadium. it is just not feasible and without a 'sugar daddy' it won't ever be. the club are struggling to make ends meet as it stands. the extra burden of paying for a new ground would break the club - end of story.

disregarding the need (or more appropriately the lack of need) for a new stadium in relation to attendances i will approach it from a financial viewpoint.

going on figures here for the rent of terryland (€2.5k per game - higher than i was led to believe tbh) it comes in at about €80,000 per season* which equates to about 7% of the over all running cost of the club this season (assuming €1.1m). i am sure that they rent drom off salthill for much less, probably way less than half of that. therefore the combined cost of both training facilities and stadium costs are less than 10% of the running costs of the club for the season. that is very healthy financially.

the income from spectators i would estimate to be in the region of €350,000** for the season. made up of season ticket sales approx €120,000 and paying attendences of (estimate) € 230,000 for the season. this accounts for about 30% of the clubs income. the rest is from sponsorship, one-off events and donations/contrabutions. yes the money gained from spectators is important but it is only a portion of the money needed to run the club and on it's own while probably the largest single contributor (although possibly second to our main sponsor??) it is still only a portion of the money required.

the rent cost of the stadium is about 23% of the direct income from attendances (i have excluded any advertising from boards etc) giving a profit of 77%. again this is very very healthy.

on average each person attending terryland pays just less than €1.14 toward rent to the Galway FA and the rest goes to GUFC. thats a whopping €13.86 for every adult (non season ticket holder/child). again a very very healthy return.

as i say there is no Financial need for a new club owned stadium especially when we have a landlord who is only charging us a small percentage of gate receipts! compare this with the FAI lease of Croke park where they pay approximately half of what they take in for each game!!!!


* that is only 8 times what we paid Yeboah to PFO!!!
** I have disregarded the one off fixtures this season with sunderland and celtic, even though the return from these fixtures even strengthen my point further.

[gilberto_eire]

:rolleyes:

grow up

mind your own business, he came on here and just had a go at a mistake i made a few days ago which he already done twice in that thread!!

like serioulsy where are you getting these figures??.... have you seen the books or just guesssing?.... its a lot of guessing figures if you are!. i know we cant afford it now. not every club needs a suger-daddy to buy them a ground or to be sitting on a gold-mine. if a club can be taking in sell-out gates,winning cups, having people left out in the cold then they will move ground, it happens all the time, its not viable at the moment but if we had people who couldnt get in terryland now the ball would be rolling already on this!!!!