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We've been given a First Division licence, so at least we're playing football next season, which is more than can be said for some other clubs at the moment!
If we get promoted this season, there's a lot of improvements need to be made though, as the bar will be raised a lot higher for Premier teams next season. Want to start doing something with that planning permission for the new stand!
It should be fun in the new 20 team first division. We'll still get trips to all the big Dublin clubs, except Rovers. And we don't have to bother going to Limerick.
What's needed for the "A" licence? (that we don't already have)
Basically what we'll need is a new covered stand to raise the capacity to 1600 (?) seats.
There's a load of other little things but that'd be the main one.
If three teams are getting promoted, the club would want to have some concrete plans in place for the grounds, to be ready for next season. The last I heard the college hadn't approved a grant to re-develop the grounds but perhaps our Aberdonian representave would know more than me.
Does anyone know if the club has any money put aside to get the license? I know that it is college policy that sports clubs don't accumulate money like that because it means that money is sitting idle in bank accounts of each club when it could be reinvested. Instead clubs are only suposed to meet their day to day running costs and apply to the college for capital funding. That is the rule which applies to small clubs anyway. Wheather the biggr clubs like the soccer club operate by a different system I don't know.
I've heard various people tell me various costs for upgrading the grounds, my point is that the money will have to appear soon.
Hugh Brady (the new presidant of UCD) is quoted as saying that the soccer club will be funded to get the license. Anyone know any more?
P.S. I assume that planning permission was granted. Anyone know about that?
I presume planning permission for the stand has been granted, seeing as how Dick Shakespeare works in the county council.
Was talking to Maccer on Saturday night and he was saying the college aren't too keen on redevloping Belfield Park and want us to move to the Belfield Bowl, which doesn't sound overly promising. But if the new president is proposing giving us a bit of money, that sounds much better!
As to what's to be done - 1500 covered seats is the main thing, but also interview area with sponsored backdrop, telephone lines to the press box (although there is some sort of aerial there now - don't know what that's for though), shop on the far side of the ground, second exit on a different side and loads of other fiddling little things...:(
Unless the "funding to get the license" is for the Bowl.Quote:
Originally posted by pineapple stu
Was talking to Maccer on Saturday night and he was saying the college aren't too keen on redevloping Belfield Park and want us to move to the Belfield Bowl, which doesn't sound overly promising. But if the new president is proposing giving us a bit of money, that sounds much better!
The Belfield Bowl would be $hit for the club. Apart from the problems with the pitch if we're sharing it with the rugby club, there's only a $hitty link fence (that you can see thorugh) around the ground rather than a proper wall. It's also more distant from any fans from the locality (i.e. Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, etc.) and much more awkward to find if you're coming from that direction.
There'll also have to be plenty of work done on the Bowl to get it up to the licence standards. There's grass all around the ground which won't be allowed, not to metion having build dressing rooms and a camera location and installing flood lights. The only improvement over Belfield Park is that the stand has permanent seats but there's only about 800 seats and from memory of reading the licencing document, I don't think the seats in it are acceptable as the backs are very short. Either way, it's still 700 seats short of the licence.
It seems to me that it would be cheaper to bring Belfield Park up to scratch than the Bowl.
What the college newspaper said a few months ago was that the bowl option would effectivly involve a new stadium being built on that site, paid for by more student residances being built where belfield park is now.
I don't think that it would be that bad a move. The quality of the pitch is quite good there and the soccer and rugby seasons have a very small overlap. So in reality the pitch would only host one or two games a forthnight between both codes. (As an aside, I was in Landsdown Road yesterday and the pitch looked immaculate. Big temporary fencing was installed around the pitch to keep the fans off.)
As for the argument that the pitch is further from Stillorgan, the argument equally applies that it is closer to Clonskea and Ranelagh. It is also in a more central location on campus.
I think though that these points are of minor importance. I re-started this thread to make the point that neither ground is anywhere near 'A' standard and money needs to be found soon.
I must admit to not having heard anything about Prof. Brady promising to bring the ground up to 'A' standard. If that is the case it would mildly surprise me as he seems to have more of an interest in funding research (which in fairness has more to do with being a uni than the football club does).
That being said the issue of planning permission I believe has been resolved, so as Bald pointed out it's money that's the issue and it's needed fast.
As far as the reports on the bowl were concernced these were totally inaccurate and even at the time were based on outdated information (although I would say that). The primary aim, to the best of my knowledge, from both the Sports dept and UCD AFC fronts is to concentrate on the redevelopement of Belfield park.
Maccer was saying on Saturday that the college wanted us to move to the Bowl so they could sell Belfield Park though and I'd assume that he knows something about it ahead of what was in the paper.Quote:
Originally posted by Aberdonian Stu
As far as the reports on the bowl were concernced these were totally inaccurate and even at the time were based on outdated information (although I would say that). The primary aim, to the best of my knowledge, from both the Sports dept and UCD AFC fronts is to concentrate on the redevelopement of Belfield park.