New clubs in the East of Scotland

[Stag Nation]

1 hour ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Having a suitable home ground in your own area should be an integral part of being a licensed club at the PGB level of the game where there is expected to be mass spectator interest.

Is there really? It's a forlorn expectation, from what we see of League 1 and 2 attendances.

Ranking clubs on crowds rather than results is the start of a slippery slope. The logical end would be to award the title to Celtic every year. Oh, hang on ...

[LongTimeLurker]

17 minutes ago, Stag Nation said:

Ranking clubs on crowds rather than results is the start of a slippery slope ...

Cover for 100 is in the entry level regulations for a reason. Having paying spectators is expected to be part of the equation at PGB level. Cover for 100 sets the bar so low that bringing a facility like the floodlit 3G pitch at Scotstoun Leisure Centre into compliance shouldn't be mission impossible and that means ongoing groundshares 40 miles away shouldn't be necessary.

[Cameron Wilson]

5 hours ago, patriot1 said:

Before the lockdown I passed through Steelend on a regular basis. I last looked in on the ground last year and it hadn't changed at all apart from the grass being longer. 

My understanding was that the farmer had greatly increased the rent(didn't think Steelend paid a pound) which along with the fact that the committee consisted of two brothers led to their downfall. 

A real shame as I used to love going to an evening kickoff at Woodside Park. Always seemed to have a special atmosphere in the air. 

Yes indeed, I grew up in nearby Saline and was disappointed when Vic folded a few years back. An unusual but charming setting with lovely views of the Fife countryside, and the Ochils to the west. A fully enclosed ground as well, would easily meet EoS standards or be easily and quickly improved if necessary. Within very easy reach of Dunfermline, and Saline and Steelend itself has a good 1,500 or so living there if memory serves correct.

[NewStart]

Any word on the leagues yet?

 

[Cameron Wilson]

2 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

^^^As usual FairWeatherFan manages to completely misrepresent my argument and wastes my time by creating unnecessary potential confusion. So others don't get misled by this. My argument is that this is BSC's real home ground. It's OK to give them some leeway for a few years to get it up to entry level. If they are not able to get that sorted with Scotstoun Leisure Centre in a reasonable timeframe, then at that point they should lose their licence and step down to either WoS or amateur level depending on what is doable at this location. Having a suitable home ground in your own area should be an integral part of being a licensed club at the PGB level of the game where there is expected to be mass spectator interest.

I have to say I think that's a fair call. Much as I do think BSC deserve kudos for establishing themselves at senior level, there has to be some kind of time limit on getting somewhere permanent to play. If they really can't find somewhere in Glasgow then its in their own interest to rename themselves and commit to being part of another community, be that Alloa, or elsewhere.

[patriot1]

14 minutes ago, NewStart said:

Any word on the leagues yet?

 

I wouldn't expect any announcement on the conferences until we learn if Bo'ness are getting their licence and Inverkeithing are being promoted. 

[Jeek]

As a former Steelend player, whilst the ground was nice enough, and very picturesque. There's just nothing really around it. Oakley is the biggest place nearby and they have their own team.

I'm not sure what was the cause of the demise as I'd moved away a couple of years early. However when auld Hughie died, a nicer man you couldn't hope to meet btw, it was always realistically going to be a matter of time.

In my time there, I seem to remember the farmer did a lot of good, there was even talk of getting the patch of field behind the bottom goal into a useable state to train / warm up on. Obviously moot now.

[NewStart]

29 minutes ago, patriot1 said:

I wouldn't expect any announcement on the conferences until we learn if Bo'ness are getting their licence and Inverkeithing are being promoted. 

Cheers

[superbigal]

Problem for Cupar Hearts is getting a boundary fence around their pitch at Duffus Park, as it's got two rugby pitches and a car park right next to it.

Last time I watched Cupar Hearts I could have sworn they had a metal fence in place around the pitch.

Few years now mind.

[Ginaro]

1 hour ago, superbigal said:

Last time I watched Cupar Hearts I could have sworn they had a metal fence in place around the pitch.

Few years now mind.

They do have a railing around the pitch but no boundary fence, you could just walk across the park past the 2ndXV pitch or watch from the car park.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Ginaro

[GordonS]

9 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

It's usually sharing with the rugby team in the athletics stadium that gets mentioned on here rather than playing at the floodlit 3G pitch at the leisure centre that they are already using regularly for their amateur and youth teams. If EK, Bonnyton, Drumchapel United and Gartcairn are able to get something sorted as a home ground in their own area in that sort of manner then BSC can reasonably be expected to as well in a fixed timeframe.  BSC are instead exploiting a loophole in the SFA's licensing system and are currently aiming for SPFL entry with a stadium tenancy  40 miles from their homebase.

I've seen much more talk about using the pitch in the sout-east corner than about the main stadium (which is a non-starter, as everyone knows). I'm sure we've been told before that they can't reach an agreement with Glasgow Life.

Did you really think they hadn't looked hard at such an incredibly obvious solution? And do you see that it's a bit insulting to the people who've worked on it to assume that they can't have thought of it? C'mon. If you want to know what they've done to find a ground in Glasgow then ask the guys on here. 

[snoopdd]

On 24/05/2020 at 12:24, oldandround said:

Or only 3.3 miles from their other pitch at fernieside

 

Fernieside park.  Pretty large and decent.  Really only needs a fence!

This should be their future.

If they can get the council and locals to allow it of course!

 

Unless south do what Craigroyston done and put up an unofficial fence on common ground then it won't ever happen. It's more than just a fence needed. Do you really think they have not looked at all options in the area? South Edinburgh football grounds are either on a flood plain or on common ground with Astros at Edinburgh uni deemed not good enough by the league so I heard.

[junglehenry]

1 hour ago, snoopdd said:

Unless south do what Craigroyston done and put up an unofficial fence on common ground then it won't ever happen. It's more than just a fence needed. Do you really think they have not looked at all options in the area? South Edinburgh football grounds are either on a flood plain or on common ground with Astros at Edinburgh uni deemed not good enough by the league so I heard.

Meadowbank was good enough for Leith so why wouldn't the same 'set-up' at Edin Uni not be good enough for others?

[LongTimeLurker]

9 hours ago, GordonS said:

... Did you really think they hadn't looked hard at such an incredibly obvious solution? ...

My point was that, if they can't find a Gartcairn style of solution for what is normally their amateur, womens and youth level home ground then they should be told to adjust their ambitions within the game accordingly, because a groundshare in perpetuity 40 miles away from their homebase is not acceptable. There was no implication that I was suggesting something that they would not have been aware of already.

Edited May 27, 2020 by LongTimeLurker

[newcastle broon]

38 minutes ago, LongTimeLurker said:

My point was that, if they can't find a Gartcairn style of solution there then they should be told to adjust their ambitions within the game accordingly, because a groundshare in perpetuity 40 miles away from their homebase is not acceptable. There was no implication that I was suggesting something that they would not have been aware of already.

How far is Aberdeen from Inverness? 

Asking for a friend 

[LongTimeLurker]

Irrelevant given ICT quickly moved back to Inverness and always had a workable solution in the pipeline unlike the BSC scenario in Alloa. Pathetic the way some people on here get argumentative just for the sake of it.

Edited May 27, 2020 by LongTimeLurker

[LongTimeLurker]

7 hours ago, snoopdd said:

Unless south do what Craigroyston done and put up an unofficial fence on common ground then it won't ever happen....

If that would be enough for EoS entry why would that sort of solution not be sufficient? Coldstream have shown that you can even do entry level licensing with a public park and Thornton Hibs are entering at the same time as Edinburgh South facing similar issues but are not planning to cohabit with Glenrothes or East Fife. The requirements for EoS and entry level are not so onerous that a move away from a club's home area should be anything more that a temporary fix for a few seasons.

Edited May 27, 2020 by LongTimeLurker

[newcastle broon]

5 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Irrelevant given ICT quickly moved back to Inverness and always had a workable solution in the pipeline unlike the BSC scenario in Alloa. Pathetic the way some people on here get argumentative just for the sake of it.

Hardly argumentative ICT played a season in Aberdeen yes/no. 

A lot further than your 40 miles radius you said. 

BSC situation far from ideal but i'm sure everyone at BSC would love to be in Glasgow as someone pointed out why dont you take yer grievance up wi them or least take it to the right thread. 

I think most folk are pissing themselves laughing and washing their hands wi some of your posts now anyway. 

Edited May 27, 2020 by newcastle broon

[Junior Pub League]

5 hours ago, LongTimeLurker said:

Irrelevant given ICT quickly moved back to Inverness and always had a workable solution in the pipeline unlike the BSC scenario in Alloa. Pathetic the way some people on here get argumentative just for the sake of it.

At least they dont flounce out of a thread saying they have had enough and are never responding again but are then back posting in same thread in under 20 minutes like yourself.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Junior Pub League

[LongTimeLurker]

1 hour ago, newcastle broon said:

Hardly argumentative ICT played a season in Aberdeen yes/no. 

A lot further than your 40 miles radius you said. 

BSC situation far from ideal but i'm sure everyone at BSC would love to be in Glasgow as someone pointed out why dont you take yer grievance up wi them or least take it to the right thread. 

I think most folk are pissing themselves laughing and washing their hands wi some of your posts now anyway. 

A ludicrous and completely pointless tangent given how many times I have painstakingly made clear that I view temporary groundshares for a few seasons while a home ground gets sorted out as being OK.