OAFC on the move... new stadium in....

[Ernie Cooksey]

MANCHESTER!!
The changing face of modern day English football, (that I have commented on before), is forcing smaller clubs to make radical changes in order to survive. From the MEN:

OLDHAM Athletic are on the move - to a new £20m stadium.

The Latics are to leave behind crumbling Boundary Park, their home for over 100 years, and relocate to a futuristic 12,000 capacity ground at a 30-acre complex in Failsworth.

Less than four miles away from the City of Manchester Stadium, their new HQ will even have an M postcode. But fans and officials of the League One outfit say it is a huge step in the right direction as the club bids to secure its future.

And Simon Corney, one of the club's three co-owners, believes Athletic could be kicking off at their new home at the start of the 2011/12 season. The proposals come after he told MEN Sport he had looked at sharing a ground with Rochdale.

But thanks to a huge behind-the-scenes effort between club and council it appears as though the Latics will remain in the town.

They are close to buying the Lancaster Club, off Broadway, from British Aerospace, and twinning it with adjacent council-owned land.

Boundary Park, which hosted Premier League football 15 years ago, is set to be sold to fund the new stadium.

It will be replaced by 'small family homes' with talks to find a buyer already underway.

Corney believes the move is the only way to save the club.

He explained: "At the end of the day this is about survival and this is the only way we can do it. It's not an exaggeration to say that without new facilities the very existence of the club would be in jeopardy. A new stadium has been our dream since we took over the club six years ago and we always wanted to see it through.

"This is the right thing to do."

[slowcoach]

Still in Oldham just.

[ForzaChievo]

Any photos?

[Ernie Cooksey]

Any photos?

Nothing concrete yet.
Rumours are it's being modelled on Colcheter's and Shrewsbury's being built by the same company.

[Ernie Cooksey]

artists impression of Colchester.

[Ernie Cooksey]

The owners have expressed their fondness of Warringtons ground (rugby league).
Fans are calling for a ground similar to these but with corners filled in, and the club's owners have a history of listening to the supporters.

[Ernie Cooksey]

Time to move on... brings a gloss to the eyes and a lump to the throat...

[Ernie Cooksey]

Any photos?

max. capacity 12-16,000.
Oldham's history as a mill town will be replicated through the use of red bricks and similar windows on the fascia.
Each of the four stands will have a concousre underneath with two bars and hot food stalls.
New Boundary Park being mooted as the name, (being on the boundary of Oldham).

[DOC]

will they make it with room to increase capacity, in the event of a promotion?

[Ernie Cooksey]

will they make it with room to increase capacity, in the event of a promotion?

Only filling all the corners in, which will take it to the 16,000 mentioned max.
I think plans to go any bigger at this stage would give it a white elephant tag, and not be approved.

[DOC]

will they make it with room to increase capacity, in the event of a promotion?

Only filling all the corners in, which will take it to the 16,000 mentioned max.
I think plans to go any bigger at this stage would give it a white elephant tag, and not be approved.

16 still ok for chamionship, i guess stands can get re built if there is need...
at least you wont look like new douglas park for hamilton, they have no need to buil their last stand haha

[ForzaChievo]

Looks really good Rhino, is it a similar design to Stoke City?

[Ernie Cooksey]

Looks really good Rhino, is it a similar design to Stoke City?

Yes, very similar to the VG, being a one tiered stadium, but without the metal bins.

will they make it with room to increase capacity, in the event of a promotion?

Only filling all the corners in, which will take it to the 16,000 mentioned max.
I think plans to go any bigger at this stage would give it a white elephant tag, and not be approved.

16 still ok for chamionship, i guess stands can get re built if there is need...
at least you wont look like new douglas park for hamilton, they have no need to buil their last stand haha

I like your thnking DOC, and thanks for predicting a promotion, I was waiting for somebody to say it'll be the best non-league ground in England in 5 years time
What's up with Accies?

[DOC]

accies just have scaffolding behind one goal, and they said during the celtic game they are not going to bother building it as their is no need

[delfino_1936]

looks like Plymouth's Home Park as well

[ForzaChievo]

accies just have scaffolding behind one goal, and they said during the celtic game they are not going to bother building it as their is no need

They can't get any supporters, simply because they have been shite for so long.

Majority of people in the area either support the OF or Motherwell, years ahead it might change.

[Facts and Stats]

t will be replaced by 'small family homes' with talks to find a buyer already underway.

Surely that's 'heightist' and against the law?

[Ernie Cooksey]

There appears to be a likelihood now of a safe standing area to be built behind one of the goals, with talks underway between the Supporters Trust and the powers that be, which will definitely help lift the atmosphere and free up cash to fill all 4 corners in from the word go.
Currently a poll on the Latics forum has support for a standing area at around 90%

[DOC]

There appears to be a likelihood now of a safe standing area to be built behind one of the goals, with talks underway between the Supporters Trust and the powers that be, which will definitely help lift the atmosphere and free up cash to fill all 4 corners in from the word go.
Currently a poll on the Latics forum has support for a standing area at around 90%

standing areas work quite well in mainland europe, with the german league a big user of standing areas, dortmunds is by far the best, 30 odd thousand, and seats can be put in for internationals to keep fifa happy