Edinburgh City

[scrooge1928]

As Tam suggests, there doesn't seem to be any immediate prospect of City returning to Meadowbank, and none at all if the plans stay as they are.

The people the club have been dealing with at Edinburgh Leisure appreciate what we need – they should, we've been telling them since the initial consultation began – but the design which was eventually produced (for the whole of the area of the old stadium) was devoted to track athletics and their very limited spectator base, even more limited than Edinburgh City's.  Oh, and offices for Edinburgh Leisure, plus addressing the distressing  shortage of student accommodation in the city.

For the players of a football club, the design is pretty damn good.  A 4G pitch, top quality floodlights, and dressing rooms and facilities which are up to Silver licensing standards.  The architects produced their design according to whatever brief they had – by the look of it, "our offices, a load of houses to bring in the bucks, and shove in some sports stuff to stop the fuckers whining" – but the non-football facilities are not good enough, and the provision for football with spectators is dogshite.  It's barely good enough for Leith Athletic.  It's useless for us.

The planned stand has three rows of seats.  If you've watched football at East Kilbride, which is the same, you'll know that the first two rows are almost permanently wet (except during midgie and wasp season) and everyone is squashed up standing in the back row – and they don't have an eight-lane running track between the seats and the pitch.  The new Meadowbank stand designers clearly had two criteria – don't block the view from the windows in the main block, and don't go above 499 seats or E.L. have to pay for a Safety Officer when they host events.  The excuse "City's average crowd is less than 500" is disingenuous crap.  We've got a Safety Officer.  If an athletics meeting is ever likely to attract more than 500 people, limit the number of tickets sold.

The architects can't have been to a football match in their lives – they probably call it "soccer" and shudder delicately at the thought.  Despite all Edinburgh City's input, now stretching over several years, they still don't display the slightest idea about how a football club is run.  Players expected to stroll through public corridors to and from the dressing rooms (they did change that, admittedly).  No boardroom and no provision for visiting directors; no hospitality facilities.  No storage space for kit and advertising hoardings.  No dug-outs.  A single turnstile might be good enough (just) when we are playing Annan in midweek in January, but Dunfermline or Falkirk in late summer?  Dundee or Morton in a cup match?  Who's going to pay for the stewards to stop everyone walking to the edge of the pitch so they can see the action?

Preparing for a game at the old version of Meadowbank was a series of makeshifts, involving a lot of hard physical work by a couple of dozen people – but Meadowbank wasn't built as a football stadium.  When a principal customer has to start considering makeshifts before a brick has been laid in the new facility, you start wondering what the hell the project team and architects actually get paid for.

At Meadowbank the Edinburgh Leisure staff were brand new, and if they hadn't given us so much help, both office and the ground staff, it would have been near impossible to carry on – especially after we got into the SPFL.  Even when I was involved in the early negotiations the guys, including women guys, seemed 100% on our side, and I understand that there are helpful discussions going on at present about our various options at Meadowbank or elsewhere.  I just hope the people who understand customer service can finally get their, and our, points across to the bean-counters.

[Ginaro]

Mini Murrayfield has been mentioned as an option, any progress on that front?

[scrooge1928]

Mini Murrayfield has been mentioned as an option, any progress on that front?

Couldn't say about progress - I was never involved in those discussions, and the current board are very tight lipped about what is going on. Personally it would be my first choice, unless someone at the club wins Euromillions and we could build our own place.

[GordonD]

11 hours ago, scrooge1928 said:

11 hours ago, Ginaro said:

Mini Murrayfield has been mentioned as an option, any progress on that front?

Couldn't say about progress - I was never involved in those discussions, and the current board are very tight lipped about what is going on. Personally it would be my first choice, unless someone at the club wins Euromillions and we could build our own place.

Plenty of available sites in West Lothian if that was an option.

[Hampden Diehard]

2 hours ago, GordonD said:

Plenty of available sites in West Lothian if that was an option.

Ground share with Livingston??

[Robert James]

15 hours ago, scrooge1928 said:

As Tam suggests, there doesn't seem to be any immediate prospect of City returning to Meadowbank, and none at all if the plans stay as they are.

The people the club have been dealing with at Edinburgh Leisure appreciate what we need – they should, we've been telling them since the initial consultation began – but the design which was eventually produced (for the whole of the area of the old stadium) was devoted to track athletics and their very limited spectator base, even more limited than Edinburgh City's.  Oh, and offices for Edinburgh Leisure, plus addressing the distressing  shortage of student accommodation in the city.

For the players of a football club, the design is pretty damn good.  A 4G pitch, top quality floodlights, and dressing rooms and facilities which are up to Silver licensing standards.  The architects produced their design according to whatever brief they had – by the look of it, "our offices, a load of houses to bring in the bucks, and shove in some sports stuff to stop the fuckers whining" – but the non-football facilities are not good enough, and the provision for football with spectators is dogshite.  It's barely good enough for Leith Athletic.  It's useless for us.

The planned stand has three rows of seats.  If you've watched football at East Kilbride, which is the same, you'll know that the first two rows are almost permanently wet (except during midgie and wasp season) and everyone is squashed up standing in the back row – and they don't have an eight-lane running track between the seats and the pitch.  The new Meadowbank stand designers clearly had two criteria – don't block the view from the windows in the main block, and don't go above 499 seats or E.L. have to pay for a Safety Officer when they host events.  The excuse "City's average crowd is less than 500" is disingenuous crap.  We've got a Safety Officer.  If an athletics meeting is ever likely to attract more than 500 people, limit the number of tickets sold.

The architects can't have been to a football match in their lives – they probably call it "soccer" and shudder delicately at the thought.  Despite all Edinburgh City's input, now stretching over several years, they still don't display the slightest idea about how a football club is run.  Players expected to stroll through public corridors to and from the dressing rooms (they did change that, admittedly).  No boardroom and no provision for visiting directors; no hospitality facilities.  No storage space for kit and advertising hoardings.  No dug-outs.  A single turnstile might be good enough (just) when we are playing Annan in midweek in January, but Dunfermline or Falkirk in late summer?  Dundee or Morton in a cup match?  Who's going to pay for the stewards to stop everyone walking to the edge of the pitch so they can see the action?

Preparing for a game at the old version of Meadowbank was a series of makeshifts, involving a lot of hard physical work by a couple of dozen people – but Meadowbank wasn't built as a football stadium.  When a principal customer has to start considering makeshifts before a brick has been laid in the new facility, you start wondering what the hell the project team and architects actually get paid for.

At Meadowbank the Edinburgh Leisure staff were brand new, and if they hadn't given us so much help, both office and the ground staff, it would have been near impossible to carry on – especially after we got into the SPFL.  Even when I was involved in the early negotiations the guys, including women guys, seemed 100% on our side, and I understand that there are helpful discussions going on at present about our various options at Meadowbank or elsewhere.  I just hope the people who understand customer service can finally get their, and our, points across to the bean-counters.

 

Thank you for an excellent article. 

As you say, the Edinburgh leisure staff seemed to be 100% on your side, but it will be down to the politicians to make the decisions. Can the club count any any sympathetic voices from the parties, and would there be enough support from one of them to make it an election issue ?   Good luck.

Are any of the other grounds mentioned on this forum, realistic in your view, as an alternative/permanent location ?

 

[tamthebam]

12 hours ago, GordonD said:

Plenty of available sites in West Lothian if that was an option.

We're not a failed franchise. Failing club perhaps but not a failed franchise. Thank you.

[TheEFP]

80. ‘In Dice Football, Anything Can Happen’. 
kicking off our dice football season and discussing null and voiding a season. 
civil v Edinburgh uni - 2.02

null and voiding - 9.50

spartans v Hibs - 17.08

6 team select - 26.08

Edinburgh City v Hearts - 30.54 

Podcast Puzzler - 39.05 

https://anchor.fm/the-edinburgh-football-podcast/episodes/80--In-Dice-Football--Anything-Can-Happen-ec8g55
 

[Al_Bino]

Castle shaggers 

[GordonD]

Castle abuse - from STIRLING?

[tamthebam]

We've got a crown, a big cannon pointed at Ainslie Park if the Clyde fans ever get out of hand, and a wee magic stane in our castle. You've got f*ck all in yours!

[Tenkay]

So now we know that there won't be any league reconstruction and we'll still be part of a 10 team League 2 next season.

I'm slightly disappointed with that, as I thought we'd be part of  an obvious 14-10-10-10 reorganisation.

Anyway, the only change sees Stranraer joining league 2 in place of  Cove, which should see us as one of the favourites.

Also we won't have to endure visits from the Clyde fans.......

[Robert James]

49 minutes ago, Tenkay said:

So now we know that there won't be any league reconstruction and we'll still be part of a 10 team League 2 next season.

I'm slightly disappointed with that, as I thought we'd be part of  an obvious 14-10-10-10 reorganisation.

Anyway, the only change sees Stranraer joining league 2 in place of  Cove, which should see us as one of the favourites.

Also we won't have to endure visits from the Clyde fans.......

 

True, but is there any further information about your future home ground ?

[Tenkay]

5 minutes ago, Robert James said:

True, but is there any further information about your future home ground ?

No.  I've no idea Robert, only the chairman and board members will know that.

My guess would be another season at Ainslie Park, as there's not been the slightest whisper of anything else.

 

[Robert James]

14 hours ago, Tenkay said:

No.  I've no idea Robert, only the chairman and board members will know that.

My guess would be another season at Ainslie Park, as there's not been the slightest whisper of anything else.

 

Appreciated thanks.

[an86]

On 08/05/2020 at 22:52, Tenkay said:

No.  I've no idea Robert, only the chairman and board members will know that.

My guess would be another season at Ainslie Park, as there's not been the slightest whisper of anything else.

 

Really wish they'd open the grass behind the goal and on the far side at Ainslie for City games. Open for the Spartans cup game and the views of the game were so much better from both angles. 

[tamthebam]

20 hours ago, an86 said:

Really wish they'd open the grass behind the goal and on the far side at Ainslie for City games. Open for the Spartans cup game and the views of the game were so much better from both angles. 

I'd agree with you. The Scottish Cup is an SFA competition and they don't mind grassy slopes. Spartans are not an SPFL club (if I was petty I would repeat that statement in large type and in bold, heh) and City are and we have to stick to SPFL guidelines and the SPFL don't like grass slopes apparently. I'd be happy to see what I shall christen the Granton end concreted but as things stand there's no particular need for Spartans to do that and they're the main tenants (technically Ainslie Park is a council faculty but unless we can persuade the Council that a concrete terrace is actually a cycle track/speed bump in disguise the funds are unlikely to be forthcoming)

[an86]

18 minutes ago, tamthebam said:

I'd agree with you. The Scottish Cup is an SFA competition and they don't mind grassy slopes. Spartans are not an SPFL club (if I was petty I would repeat that statement in large type and in bold, heh) and City are and we have to stick to SPFL guidelines and the SPFL don't like grass slopes apparently. I'd be happy to see what I shall christen the Granton end concreted but as things stand there's no particular need for Spartans to do that and they're the main tenants (technically Ainslie Park is a council faculty but unless we can persuade the Council that a concrete terrace is actually a cycle track/speed bump in disguise the funds are unlikely to be forthcoming)

Didn't realise it was an SPFL thing. That solves that one. 

[TheEFP]

83. ‘A Sit Down With Dougie Gair’. 
 

Our guest requires no introduction, spending 14 years at the club, the captain who won back to back lowland leagues and scoring the decisive goal on THAT day, 14th May 2016. Dougie Gair. 
 

https://anchor.fm/the-edinburgh-football-podcast/episodes/83--A-Sit-Down-With-Dougie-Gair-ee3uof

[GordonD]

13 hours ago, TheEFP said:

83. ‘A Sit Down With Dougie Gair’. 
 

Our guest requires no introduction
 

https://anchor.fm/the-edinburgh-football-podcast/episodes/83--A-Sit-Down-With-Dougie-Gair-ee3uof

FTFY