Taking shape at The Gallagher Stadium

Oliver Ash

Every day means another chance to see the pictures and photos of the Gallagher Stadium taking shape. 

It's a very exciting time for everyone connected with the club. The contractors, our project managers Prime, Terry and Bill, and all the well-known club officials (including a few familiar new faces in new jobs) are all working flat out now to get it all done on time.

 

The ground has become green this last week and what a difference that makes. It suddenly looks like a football ground, which is a good job really. Getting the pitch laid and trouble-shooting every day to solve problems is a real challenge. 3G pitches, particularly when they will be used for senior matches in main stadia, are an unknown quantity; not much experience exists of installing them; independent advice of quality is hard to come by; empirical evidence even rarer. So we are having to make difficult decisions at times and we trust we won't come to regret too many of them when we see how it all looks and plays.

 

Our group of clubs, 3G4US, is going strong and lobbying for greater awareness and change on 3G pitches. We are eagerly awaiting feedback from the Football League after their survey, to which many of you contributed. Even more so because we are targeting automatic promotion this season. We want to progress up the pyramid as quickly as sensible business performance will allow us. 

In a nutshell that means that as long as enough supporters come to games, drink and eat in the clubhouse, buy merchandise, join our future membership scheme, play the lottery etc. and as long as local businesses support our sponsorship and advertising campaigns then we will generate enough revenues to afford a top quality team and infrastructure.

 

In addition we will have a pitch to hire out, a car park to fill, an academy to operate and a clubhouse/ bar events centre to manage profitably. The more revenues that all generates the more we can invest in due course into the football club. We won't go down the road of other football models where owners' or bank money is thrown at the first team and insufficient revenues are deemed irrelevant until the ship starts to sink. 

That's why we need all of you, including hundreds of new followers we will meet at the Brighton game, to keep behind us on and off the field so the business works well. Then we can realistically hope to be able to jump up at least couple of levels in the next few seasons. And that's why we want to get change on 3G sooner rather than later because you will know that under current rules the Conference has not yet agreed to allow 3G.

 

We are working with Jay to reorganise the squad for next season and give ourselves the best chance possible of achieving this aim. The new stadium and quality turf will give quality players the chance to show their skills; it will be such a different surface to the ones we're used to; looking like Wembley, genuine skills will be at a premium; luck will be less important than elsewhere. I for one, cannot wait to see the first few games and savour the spectacle!

Thanks for all your support.

Business end of the season

Terry Casey

We are getting to the business end of the season and also the latter stages of the building of our new stadium.

On the field, which is a lot less stressful than the events concerning the stadium, I feel we have done remarkably well to stay in the hunt for a play-off place. It is a credit to Jay who, despite the cutting of his budget, has managed to keep the players motivated and focused. It is simply in our hands now in that if we win both matches then we make the play offs. I think Bognor will be playing for the title on the last day of the season so it promises to be an exciting day.

Off the field we are making great progress and next week we will be laying the 3G carpet. I read that one of our local councillors reported to a local newspaper that he felt by laying this pitch showed a lack of ambition. While he is of course entitled to his opinion, the fact is that without the 3G surface we would not be able to offer the facility for over fifty hours each week to our community, children’s and disability teams. 

It may be that Maidstone United change the face of lower league football if the FA accept the 3G surface at Conference level. It is ironic that CSKA Moscow can play Real Madrid on this very same surface but Dorchester Town cannot play against East Thurrock in the Conference South.

Our decision to spend more money on the east stand looks as though it will be vindicated as we have almost sold out of the VIP seats earning us much-needed revenue. Advance sales on advertising and season tickets are also very encouraging which will mean that our predicted crowds for next season of 800/1,000 will be an achievable target.

We have made some staff appointments in advance of the opening of the stadium that will make sure that the ground and its’ facilities will be professionally managed which will go some way to making sure that the business opportunities will be successful.

The capacity of the stadium has been reduced by the authorities, which has been a disappointment, but we intend to develop a good relationship with the fire and police departments and demonstrate that we will have the systems and facilities that can cope with larger attendances. Bill, who now regards Gus Poyet as “a close personal friend”, has worked a miracle in getting a Championship side like Brighton and Hove Albion to The Gallagher Stadium and it is clear that we will sell out of the 2,000 tickets that have been allowed. Charlton Athletic have said that they will give us date for a friendly, as they also want to be part of the return of the Stones.

I cannot thank enough those people who continue to express their support both financially and in their efforts behind the scenes for what we are trying to achieve - it means a great deal to Oliver, Bill and myself.

Bad weather = good news for 3G

Oliver Ash

The bad weather is back, turning thoughts to our future 3G synthetic pitch.


I noticed that Durham City played one of the few games to survive the weekend but Woodley did not - it snowed heavily just before kick off and not even 3G could cope with that. So even if it's not perfect 3G has proved its strength again this weekend and it will continue. 


We are leading the lobbying, as we said we would, in order to inform football people of the qualities and advantages of 3G, with a view to getting increasing acceptance of the surface at higher levels. We have now established a lobby group of clubs and so far have received nothing but positive replies from other clubs to the initiative. 


You will have seen the good news on the Football Stadia Improvement Fund grant. A special thanks to Mike Littleboy for his efforts on our behalf; he is a tenacious battler and never gives up: essential qualities on and off the field. 


I met Mike a few years ago when I first joined the club and saw how he and others worked hard on the first presentation to the FA. I originally agreed to help the club financially based on the 'hope' at the time that a major grant could be obtained. I was conscious of the risk. We had no other resources. 


Well it soon became clear that getting a £2 million grant for a stadium project (without a serious financial business plan to back it) was pie in the sky. It had nothing to do with whether we were a limited company or not, simply such substantial grants were not available for such projects. End of story. 


Except that fortunately it was not the end of the story. I was now attached to the club in every sense and Terry Casey swallowed hard and jumped in our direction at the last moment. The result is that 12 months later a well-conceived and prepared grant application was made for a much smaller amount, that we were confident of winning. Sincere thanks are due to the  Football Stadia Improvement Fund and the executives who believed in our project and backed us. 


The other sums needed for the stadium are being put into place, with other essential contributions from the supporters and our stadium sponsors the Gallagher Group. It's still challenging despite all these contributions because the overall cost will be around the £2 million mark. 


However the club will be on a strong footing as a result of the business model being developed: the revenue generated, once loans and running costs are covered, will be able to be reinvested sensibly to support the club's efforts on the field. But the model will only really work if you come in your hundreds to support your team and your club at The Gallagher Stadium.


Weather permitting I look forward to seeing many of you at Dulwich.

Construction, crowds and commitment

Terry Casey

We continue to make good progress at Whatman Way - thanks to a combination of good weather and the hard work of the Gallagher team. There are now a number of significant target dates we are working towards with 14^th July the intended first match against Charlton.

The installation of the floodlight masts is the beginning of a programme that is working to another target date which is the 18^th April, when works starts on the laying of the 3g surface. 

Before this can happen the framework on the stand must be completed and the terraces must have been installed. We are about to order the pitch perimeter barrier which must also be in place prior to the 3g installation. The work in getting everything in place is enormous but each time I visit the site I am encouraged by the supporters who are also watching the progress.

I want to make a personal request regarding the foul and abusive language at some matches of a small number of our fans. I want the club to be a place where children and grandchildren can attend matches and not have to listen to some supporters using the F word as part of their way of abusing the referee and players and including it in their chants. 

As an example the chant to the Whitstable supporters of “you can stick your oysters up your arse“  was OK as it was a bit crude but amusing whereas “you can stick your f---ing oysters up your arse” is not acceptable. 

When a player or referee is subjected to direct abuse that includes the f word I do not want children or indeed anyone to have to listen to that type abusive language. I accept it is a passionate game and emotions can become inflamed but there are alternatives to abusive swearing.

There has been some debate recently about the club rewarding the loyal fans in terms of  tickets for the friendlies and season ticket distribution. 

I will take this opportunity to make the club’s position very clear as I feel that it has been those same supporters who saved Maidstone United Football Club, so it will be those supporters who will get priority and preference for the pre-season friendlies and season tickets.  

Somehow the club has managed to retain hundreds of loyal supporters despite all the false dawns and the indignities of not having a team that plays its football in the town that it represents. I would not have become involved but for the fans' dedication and loyalty. 

If there is ever a discussion about who saved the football club from extinction there is absolutely no doubt in my mind. It was saved by the commitment and loyalty of a few hundred supporters.   

Wonderful progress at Whatman Way

Terry Casey

The progress made on the Whatman Way site has been wonderful. The hundreds of us that can’t keep away are seeing developments every time we visit. Our thanks and admiration go to the team at Gallaghers who have worked incredibly hard and skilfully which has meant that, in this part of the stadium project, we are ahead of schedule.

The Gallagher performance has enabled us to order and pay a deposit on the floodlights.

The surface is now ready for the final layer of stone and the 3G carpet to be laid. We have confirmed our order with the pitch manufacturer but laying the carpet will be one of the last jobs that we do. We are also endeavouring to lead a lobby group of clubs who will start to get the FA to realise that the future in the game for the smaller clubs has to be playing on a surface that can be used all year regardless of the weather.  

We are currently looking at final designs for the club house and we are very close to starting work on the grandstand. Whilst there is a long way still to go, it is beginning to take shape and the excitement amongst the people of Maidstone is growing daily.

Our sales campaign will start after Christmas and we will be looking at selling advertising boards and a whole range of different items that will relate to our historic homecoming. One of our priorities is to ensure that we come up with a system that enables all of our loyal and regular supporters to get first opportunities for the high profile opening friendly matches. There will be more information on this next year.

We have been close to making the books balance this season for the football club but the historic financial problems still come back to haunt us making the job of making the football club viable more difficult to achieve. We have set aside a fund to build the stadium and I am optimistic that the team’s performances will continue to attract sufficient gates which will allow us to keep our stadium fund intact.

As well as all the excitement off the pitch, the performances of Jay and the lads has meant that we are getting better crowds than we have for some years and I am hoping that we continue to see an increase in attendances for the rest of the season. There is no doubt in my mind that because of the way that the team is playing we are getting fantastic entertainment. I felt that the during the Ramsgate match, with the noise from behind the goal and the general banter from the Stones faithful, that we were beginning to regain some of the old swagger that always went with Maidstone supporters in days gone by. There was a pride that I hadn’t seen for a while which comes from being top of the league, playing exciting football and knowing that we are coming home to our rightful place in the town.

Football can be a great game!

Down to earth with a clatter

Oliver Ash

We are all in a bit of shock after two such disappointing opening games.

I was at the Whitehawk game and enjoyed having a chat and shaking a few hands as I went round the ground with my youngest boy on my shoulders. Whitehawk were a very impressive team and the way the game went will have brought us down to earth with a clatter. I got the impression that one or two of our lads struggled to adapt to the pace and quality of the opposition. It didn't help that Jay himself went off early with a calf strain because we need his experience and bite in midfield.

At Whitstable it appears we created a few chances but weren't good enough to get a result. It's even more galling to lose to a rival with a few ex-Stones in their midst! However I am certain that we will recover from this awful start if all the squad recognise that we are in a dog fight in this division and nothing can be taken for granted. We will have to fight for every ball and not assume any opposing team will be easy meat for us just because we are Maidstone United. Right now all we are is bottom of the table, fact.

Also we will have to get used to the fact that our home pitch is a bumpy straw field when it's dry and a bog when it's wet. We have to use this to our advantage and learn how to play on this surface, it's just the way it is. Applying ourselves in this way will make us a better team. I am certain that Jay will get the necessary message over to the boys and we will see results going our way in the near future to bring back a smile to our faces.  

The work off the (Sittingbourne) field continues unabated so we can return to the (Whatman Way) field soonest. You may have seen some preliminary works have been carried out to take care of slow-worms and to allow the electricity sub-station to be built.

We are hopeful, depending on the progress in current contractor discussions, that fencing and ground levelling works can begin within the next month or so and we will be making an announcement as soon as we have a certain date for this.

Our intention is also to organise a 'Start of Works BBQ Party' at the new ground to mark the launch of the construction project. This will be aimed at all supporters, followers and indeed anybody who wishes to show support for the club on this momentous occasion. We may even have special edition merchandise produced to mark the Stones imminent home-coming. Once again more details will be provided asap when we are sure of when we can start works.

I can only conclude by restating how much there is to do to get all the off the field work done, above all the ground construction project. It is a huge and complex undertaking and requires vast volumes of time, energy, skill and patience particularly from Terry and Bill but also from the devoted members of the Committee, so please go easy on them; believe me they are breaking their backs to get us home.

Preparing for a massive moment

Terry Casey

Since the football season ended Bill, Oliver and I have been preparing the way so that we can get the heavy machinery onto the Whatman Way site and get the ground works started.

Having just completed the erection of a fence to stop the slow worms from returning to the site I am pleased to report that matters have been resolved to the satisfaction of the ecologists and they will give us the go ahead to start work on the ground. Once the ground works have started and the site is levelled we can install the fence on two sides and begin to secure the site.

We have had a number of legal obstacles to overcome with the difficulties over acquiring the land bank behind, what will be the East Stand, heading the list of problems. KCC have agreed to sell us the land bank and it is now in the hands of the solicitors.

UK Power will start the installation of the sub-station supplying electricity to the site on 19^th August and the housing of the sub-station will begin in the next few days.

We are working closely with Maidstone Borough Council and submitting all of the alterations in the plans since the application was first lodged more than five years ago. These amendments are also being dealt with by the solicitors but I don’t anticipate any problems that we can’t overcome.

In planning and construction terms we are almost ready to go and we will be able to look at a start date in two to three weeks. Our target of completing the stadium by May 2012 means that we have to start, at the very latest, before the end of September.

Relief from the stresses and strains of the stadium project comes in the form of enjoying the highly promising start Jay and the lads have made to the new season. What is so good to see is the blend of youth and experience that looks so very exciting especially when I consider that more than 50% of the squad are either local lads or who have come through the Maidstone United youth system. I assume that the supporters of Hythe, Whitehawk and Bognor Regis are all thinking they have a squad that will get them into the Ryman Premier but I do think that we would never have been relegated if this squad had started last season.

Your support continues to be absolutely crucial to the club both for the 2011/2012 season and also helping the fund the stadium. We have spoken to many people who have said that they would become more involved once the building works starts. I can tell them it is only a matter of weeks away before work will start building a new home for Maidstone United Football Club.