[Ulsterlad]

I know you boys and girls got excited about my secret fetish on the last board ( no, not that kinky questionable one ( though am always open to offers after a few pints!) the planning stuff!

(I wanted to be an an architect when I was young, not just any architect, but a .....)

You may find this boring:

Ground Works have started on the Aldi site!
Neg: So car parking spaces are reduced.
Pos: By October you can buy a blow up canoe on way to the stadium ( or a really nice bottle of Champers for less than a pint in the Stadium)

On a more serious note! ( SS please take note and update)

The 67 and 100 bus service past the stadium is now "GO Northwest" That is not a joke, Go "whoever" bought lots of routes from "First " in Manchester and I saw the new liveried buses today on the A57.

I don't know what impact on prices/routes/tickets it will have but it is no longer a First bus on 67/100 past the stadium.

[Ulsterlad]

Sorry,

Forget to say that any Muppet who mentions the Irish tactical loss last weekend in preparation for the WC has no idea of sport!


No Feck it, we are fecked!
( quietly goes and takes the Irish rugby flag down from his house in Irlam!)

[M5 Shark]

Transport related, the new Metrolink line to the Trafford Centre is progressing nicely. The opening date has been listed as early 2020 so pretty vague. Looking at remaining work required, a guess would be an opening of Jan 2020 but TC would obviously like it opened in time for Christmas shopping.

The new line splits at Pomona (Eccles/MCUK) and will be considerably quicker than going to Eccles and getting the 67 bus to the ground.

Hopefully the club will be able to negotiate a deal with Metrolink that entitles match ticket holders to free tram travel on match days.

The extension from TC to Port Salford hasn't got funding yet so imagine we could be Prem Champions before that happens.

[WillC]

Hopefully the club will be able to negotiate a deal with Metrolink that entitles match ticket holders to free tram travel on match days.

why would they do that?

[Lord Elpus]

If I visit the central aisle of Aldi and purchase not only the inflatable canoe but a competitively priced angle grinder as well will I be allowed to bring them into the stadium?

[JohnJ of HM]

Reebok, Macron, or whatever it is currently called, could be up for sale soon.

[MikeGC]

Reebok, Macron, or whatever it is currently called, could be up for sale soon.

went there for the game v London Irish a couple of years ago, nice stadium, poor game and not that easy to get away by public transport - the trains back into Manchester were PACKED and only two carriages.

[FarnhamShark]

I think it's a lot more than "a couple"! I remember it too - the Club were trying to attract a whole extra pile of supporters, so the team produced easily their worst performance of the season! Nice stadium, but as it seats nearly 29,000 I think we'd rattle around like the proverbial.

[M5 Shark]

Hopefully the club will be able to negotiate a deal with Metrolink that entitles match ticket holders to free tram travel on match days.

why would they do that?

To encourage people to use public transport rather than drive to TC. 212 passengers per tram is going to cause less than congestion than 212 passengers arriving by car.

A couple of ifs... But if England win the RWC and Sale have two good months, i reckon we could regularly see crowds of 9k+

[poyntonshark]

Nice stadium no doubt, but would be a huge risk to assume that the club would pick up more support than they lose by moving even further away from their core support.


Looks like a moot point now, the Bolton sale has apparently gone through.

[iBozz]

If memory serves, when we were thinking of moving to (or from, I can’t remember) Edgeley Park, was not Bury’s Home at Gigg Lane under consideration?

I seem to recall rumours, possibly unfounded but it matters not, that BK was looking at that ground as a possible new home.

I’ve never been there so have no idea what it is like, where it is or what transport, parking and other necessary infrastructure is like.

Maybe that ground is now up for grabs?

[chris1850]

If memory serves, when we were thinking of moving to (or from, I can’t remember) Edgeley Park, was not Bury’s Home at Gigg Lane under consideration?

I seem to recall rumours, possibly unfounded but it matters not, that BK was looking at that ground as a possible new home.

I’ve never been there so have no idea what it is like, where it is or what transport, parking and other necessary infrastructure is like.

Maybe that ground is now up for grabs?

I don't know whether a move to Bury is feasible, but I would be concerned by a move so much further away from Sale. I may be being unrealistic and sentimental but I do feel the club should remain as close as possible to its roots in Sale and South Manchester.

I am in favour of the Club owning its own ground as that then largely stops all the speculation of moving. I realise that it isn't easy to facilitate this in the immediate vicinity but until such time as this is completely ruled out then I would rather we continued to explore those options

[WillC]

Hopefully the club will be able to negotiate a deal with Metrolink that entitles match ticket holders to free tram travel on match days.

why would they do that?

To encourage people to use public transport rather than drive to TC. 212 passengers per tram is going to cause less than congestion than 212 passengers arriving by car.

A couple of ifs... But if England win the RWC and Sale have two good months, i reckon we could regularly see crowds of 9k+

As far as I am aware they don't do this for Old Trafford (cricket or football) or City so I am not sure why they would do it for us. The incentive is surely that it is cheaper than parking at the stadium and you avoid having to drive!

[FarnhamShark]

It might be feasible to play a one-off match at Gigg Lane to expand the profile of the club (the way we did at Reebok). It seats about 11,600, and has previously hosted rugby league, and I guess the rent would be welcome. It is all-seater, though!

[Yareet]

It might be feasible to play a one-off match at Gigg Lane to expand the profile of the club (the way we did at Reebok). It seats about 11,600, and has previously hosted rugby league, and I guess the rent would be welcome. It is all-seater, though!

Sorry but I’m struggling to see the benefits of moving a game 10 miles up the road if it’s not to accommodate more spectators.

[IrishShark]

Only reason to play anywhere else is if we have a home euro semi final.

[Yareet]

Only reason to play anywhere else is if we have a home euro semi final.

Not Gigg Lane then!

[FarnhamShark]

The logic, surely, is that it's an attempt to attract new spectators who might not go 15 miles to AJBell, but might give live rugby a go if it's only 2 or 3 miles away. For this purpose, a smaller stadium, with a better atmosphere, would be better than somewhere like Bolton. The ongoing problem, of course, is retaining those extra spectators once you've got them, but at last it's a start.

[iBozz]

It might be feasible to play a one-off match at Gigg Lane to expand the profile of the club (the way we did at Reebok). It seats about 11,600, and has previously hosted rugby league, and I guess the rent would be welcome. It is all-seater, though!

Sorry but I’m struggling to see the benefits of moving a game 10 miles up the road if it’s not to accommodate more spectators.

I wasn’t suggesting that we would, or indeed should, move to Gigg Lane, merely pointing out that it may now be vacant.

SS have always, I believe, wanted their own ground rather than leasing and sharing one and their relationship with whoever owns AJB seems distant at best. Owning their own ground, wherever that might be, would add security and also probably allow them to gain control of bars and catering, etc. (which, let’s face it, are sub-standard in choice and service at AJB) thus increasing revenue.

It might make sense from that point of view but obviously there are many more factors which need to be taken into accoint when deciding the overall Club strategy.

[TeflonTed]

Where the stadium is......a question that does seem to matter to some folk more than others.

Sixways is less than 3 miles from Worcester city centre, matchday buses run, taxi £8/10, onsite parking at a price, a pleasant walk along the canal if you’ve got time.

But it’s outside the city boundary (just) and some people call it “inaccessible “.

You can’t please everyone.

[Yareet]

It might be feasible to play a one-off match at Gigg Lane to expand the profile of the club (the way we did at Reebok). It seats about 11,600, and has previously hosted rugby league, and I guess the rent would be welcome. It is all-seater, though!

Sorry but I’m struggling to see the benefits of moving a game 10 miles up the road if it’s not to accommodate more spectators.

I wasn’t suggesting that we would, or indeed should, move to Gigg Lane, merely pointing out that it may now be vacant.

SS have always, I believe, wanted their own ground rather than leasing and sharing one and their relationship with whoever owns AJB seems distant at best. Owning their own ground, wherever that might be, would add security and also probably allow them to gain control of bars and catering, etc. (which, let’s face it, are sub-standard in choice and service at AJB) thus increasing revenue.

It might make sense from that point of view but obviously there are many more factors which need to be taken into accoint when deciding the overall Club strategy.

To be clear, t me it would make more sense to buy Gigg Lane (were it available) than it would to hold a one-off game there.

The former gives all the revenue benefits you mention whilst the latter, for me, would only push a game further from our believed core support. In return we would have to commit to a large marketing push in order to attract a similar sized crowd as we can get into the AJ Bell in the hope that some decide to come to the AJB.

I can't know this obviously but my suspicion is that we would be better served committing to the same marketing spend to get Bury residents to the AJB

[ShawShark]

Gigg lane is accessable from the motorway, town centre and tram, however it was reported that the sale of Bury FC collapsed when it was found that there was a £2.5 million debt on the ground "Previous owner Stuart Day had done a deal with a firm for a seven figure sum in exchange for a rental of car parking spaces and land around Gigg Lane". a local consellor was also on the radio and stated that there were various covenents which determined what the ground could be used for.
Probably best to rule out that ground.

[iBozz]

Good news, if correct: BBC Radio Manchester news has just reported that the Trafford Centre Metro link is due to open “early next year” which will help not only to cut down matchday road congestion around there but also, I would surmise, increase the usage of the TC Shuttle Bus service.

[Yukon]

Having been to Gigg Lane on numerous occasions watching the footy, I know it’s not only unsuitable. It’s a dump with minimal facilities/ transport links/ amenities. It’s an absolute non-starter.

[Oldham Shark]

I suspect that buying Gigg Lane would see the level of abuse directed at us from Stockport fans pale into insignificance.

[ale shark]

Moving to Gigg Lane, Bury would rank amongst the stupidest things ever done in human history.

[M5 Shark]

Moving to Gigg Lane, Bury would rank amongst the stupidest things ever done in human history.

So your not too keen then!