Redevelopment Closer Than Ever?

[everbrite]

I always find these arguments on our ground compared with other Clubs a bit meaningless.  Having been to watch the Cobblers at various grounds over the past few years, by and large Sixfields compares favourably with quite a few. Have any of you been to Wimbledon,Portsmouth and Luton? None of the amenities at these grounds are hardly eye catching. Moving from your seat at Luton is a no no. Wimbledon you can miss half the game. Portsmouth;  you need wellington boots to visit the urinals. As for Stanley .... words fail me. A decent ground to visit was Daggers with very decent visitors bar/lounge and even decent toilets and look where they are. The only thing Beds is possibly correct on is capacity; we should have a ground capable of housing 10k souls. Unfortunately it is a horse and cart situation; I prefer to have a decent side first and let demand do the talking.

[guest2539]

I prefer to have a decent side first and let demand do the talking.

I disagree on two points; we have proved in the past that we can not sustain progress when we have a 'decent' side because the financial base and income generating facilities are not in place.

That is why I believe a longer term view is required and the catalyst is an increasd capacity, boxes in the East Stand, seating above the South Stand, safe standing above the North Stand, ALL the corners filled in, giving a minimum of 12,500 capacity. A hotel and conference centre is required to generate sustainable daily income.

To tap into potential future supporters it is not a switch but planned slow process offering entertaining football in a modern stadium! If fans see the target goal they would understand if progress is slow but continuous improvements over 5 years would be acceptable.
 
The time is right for KT to publish detailed plans for our club!

[everbrite]

I disagree on two points; we have proved in the past that we can not sustain progress when we have a 'decent' side because the financial base and income generating facilities are not in place.

That is why I believe a longer term view is required and the catalyst is an increasd capacity, boxes in the East Stand, seating above the South Stand, safe standing above the North Stand, ALL the corners filled in, giving a minimum of 12,500 capacity. A hotel and conference centre is required to generate sustainable daily income.

To tap into potential future supporters it is not a switch but planned slow process offering entertaining football in a modern stadium! If fans see the target goal they would understand if progress is slow but continuous improvements over 5 years would be acceptable.
 
The time is right for KT to publish detailed plans for our club!

You maybe partly right in the opening sequence of your argument; like Beds you quickly fall into the land of ‘wish list’. Which means that your argument ends up in the mire of horse and cart theories. First build a decent side capable of holding its own in L1. Demand will grow and with it the ability to sustain growth in amenities and infrastructure. Rome was not built in a day.

[guest2539]

When has your plan worked in the past?

Investment in income generation, I believe, is the long-term priority!

I know Rome was not built in a day, that is why I stated a FIVE year investment plan.

[St Edmundsbury Cobbler]

It's a vicious circle really. Chesterfield moved way from Saltergate to a bigger stadium with all the facilities and have just been relegated to the conference. Doncaster have spent just as much time in League one, even dropping into League Two since their move. Tranmere have a Championship standard stadium and have spent a year or so in the conference. Stadium MK was built with Premier League football in mind. So it's a fine balancing act between building a stadium with the bells and whistles to be sustainable AND putting your main product on the pitch to fill it.

As for comparing Sixfields non league grounds;

I don't remember York Street and Bootham Crescent being  anything special meanwhile Stockport are poor tenants in a stadium they used to own. And all three are sat below the conference. As pissed off as I am with our relegation, I know I'd rather be watching League football at Sixfields. Be careful what you wish for.

[super-si]

A football club should always have a ground
 big enough to cater for its catchment and achieve its full potential.
Having just 6300 home seats and able to cater for just 1400 visiting make Sixfields not fit for purpose when you consider we have a 300,000 people living within 10 miles.
Those non league teams you mention and all others do not fail on this criteria.
We have to acknowledge these blatantly obvious problems and deal with them.
 Kelvin cant keep avoiding the elephant in the room by brushing it under the carpet because even his most fervent followers will one day notice it.
Time to seek investment into our infrastructure methinks.

So your theory has worked wonders at MK.   Great stadium...mostly empty...poor atmosphere! I’d rather be a Sixfields thank you!

[guest170]

A football club should always have a ground big enough to cater for its catchment and achieve its full potential.
Having just 6300 home seats and able to cater for just 1400 visiting make Sixfields not fit for purpose when you consider we have a 300,000 people living within 10 miles.

So is your belief that Sixfields is a non league ground based predominantly on the capacity and not on appearance?

The reason I asked for other examples of grounds with terracing above the seats is because I cant see how it would make Sixfields look anything other than non league or an embarrassment with that set up.

[DrillingCobbler]

If I had 10 million to 'chuck at the Cobblers' - Id buy it for a quid (!!), and spend it primarily on the team to get it into the Championship. Id probably proportion about 3 million to 'tidy up the ground' but that wouldn't be enough to make much difference (if any) to the capacity.

Id then look to 'seek mega rich investors'.

I *believe thats what KT 'tried to do'. Thus far its failed and Im guessing he's a fair bit down already. Plus he didn't have 10 million, he supposedly had 4 million.

If I had 30 million quid, Id sort the ground out concurrently with 'investing in the team'. That kind of money should be enough to get into the championship and 'compete' for 2 or 3 seasons.

If I had 100 million quid, Id try and do a Bournemouth, and get the team into the premier league and then 'sort the ground out properly'.

The reason why Im irritated by KT is that he *promised to sort out the East stand and has thus far failed to deliver on that. I understand the reasons why, what I cannot accept is why he won't tell us his plans. That makes me more than a bit suspicious, and coupled with the Chinese fall out, clinging onto JFH too long, building up a massive wage bill with no sense of direction…Ive lost faith in the bloke. Relegation is irrelevant, that can happen to any team/club. BUT the way we tried to avoid it lacked wasn't really a logical approach now was it?

Anyway, back to the ground! Assuming we are not going to find a rich oil magnate or similar in the short term. We need to be building up a model that will see us competing financially with the bigger clubs in league1. Realistically thats the best we can hope for unless we win the footballing lottery. 12500-15000 capacity will never see us bring in the income to stay in the Championship for more than 1, or 2…maybe 3 at a push…seasons. The question is..would we attract huge crowds if the facilities allowed and really kick on? I reckon we would. But your talking a minimum of 50million quid to see if that would happen!

[memyhead]

BOROUGH COUNCIL PLEDGE TO WORK WITH THE COBBLERS TO CONCLUDE LEGAL LEASE FORMALITIES SPEEDILY

At a Northampton Borough Council Cabinet meeting last Wednesday (13 June), members confirmed arrangements to regularise a lease on land at the PTS Academy Stadium.

The land forms part of the former athletics track to the east of the football stadium and will provide a clean site, allowing the redevelopment of Northampton Town Football Club’s East Stand.

Cllr Tim Hadland, Cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said: “We’re pleased to have cleared this element of the work so that the stand redevelopment can now proceed.

“The football club is part of the town’s essence and we have always been keen to see it succeed and thrive. We will now work with the club to ensure the formalities are dealt with as quickly as possible.”

Kelvin Thomas, Chairman of the club said: “As has been well documented this has been a long process, but we are very pleased to be so close to a resolution.

“We appreciated the Cabinet paper released last week which acknowledged that this problem existed and confirmed that CDNL was only ever trying to release control of a portion of land to the benefit of the football club.

“The positive Cabinet decision on Wednesday then gave permission for the Council to move ahead to regularise these incorrect leases and we will work with the Council closely to complete the legal formalities in a timely manner.

“We also appreciate Cllr Tim Hadland’s comments and the club looks forward to working together with NBC in a positive manner on both the stadium site, and in other areas of the club.”

[exiledinspace]

I love all the comparison clap trap, the simple fact of the matter is all of the grounds ABOVE us in the pyramid bar just a few, all have larger capacities and better matchday facilities. The few that don't have are planning for it. We are where we are.

What do the Sixfield apologists put that down to luck?

Be honest, Sixfields is division four nothing more. Having our own supporters content with such a piss poor stadium and not wishing for improvements is akin to wishing us lose. You should be fucking ashamed of yourselves defending the current stadium and not wishing for a larger, better equipped stadium actually able to entice further support and sponsorship.

[Humanpunk]

"Be honest, Sixfields is division four nothing more. Having our own supporters content with such a **** poor stadium and not wishing for improvements is akin to wishing us lose. You should be **** ashamed of yourselves defending the current stadium and not wishing for a larger, better equipped stadium actually able to entice further support and sponsorship."

Love to know where all the money is coming from to build a bigger better stadium, my understanding was that KT said he wanted to invest and build the East Stand and a little bit more to help generate income, even in League 1 with half a stand the ground was hardly ever sold out  As far as I am aware there is no change to the fact that the club is up for sale at the moment, although with the lease situation resolved it might be a little more enticing to buyers.

Realism rarely seems to come in to play when people talk about what this club is and can realistically afford without a major investor coming on board.

[guest2487]

I love all the comparison clap trap, the simple fact of the matter is all of the grounds ABOVE us in the pyramid bar just a few, all have larger capacities and better matchday facilities. The few that don't have are planning for it. We are where we are.

What do the Sixfield apologists put that down to luck?

Be honest, Sixfields is division four nothing more. Having our own supporters content with such a piss poor stadium and not wishing for improvements is akin to wishing us lose. You should be fucking ashamed of yourselves defending the current stadium and not wishing for a larger, better equipped stadium actually able to entice further support and sponsorship.

Find me one Cobblers fan who doesn't wish for a bigger stadium with better facilities.....

Agree, it's a Leage 2 ground.

[guest170]

I love all the comparison clap trap, the simple fact of the matter is all of the grounds ABOVE us in the pyramid bar just a few, all have larger capacities and better matchday facilities. The few that don't have are planning for it. We are where we are.

What do the Sixfield apologists put that down to luck?

Be honest, Sixfields is division four nothing more. Having our own supporters content with such a piss poor stadium and not wishing for improvements is akin to wishing us lose. You should be fucking ashamed of yourselves defending the current stadium and not wishing for a larger, better equipped stadium actually able to entice further support and sponsorship.

Please name one person who thinks like this!
I want the ground improved and more facilities but not at the cost of the squad. Short term we don't need 10,000 seats when we average less than 6,000. If we had the billionaire investor I would hope they flatten the place and start again but we don't. We have what we have and adding a bank of terracing, or more seats behind the goal is going to give us little to no return. Get the corporate stuff sorted, get more businesses involved, make us a stable and attractive business and we are more likely to attract people with more money. That's what I think KT is doing. The only concern I have is why he hasn't shared his plan with drawings etc
Wanting us to spend money we don't have to lure in people in based on a pretty stadium but a **** team to watch is **** shameful

[JollyCobbler]

You maybe partly right in the opening sequence of your argument; like Beds you quickly fall into the land of ‘wish list’. Which means that your argument ends up in the mire of horse and cart theories. First build a decent side capable of holding its own in L1. Demand will grow and with it the ability to sustain growth in amenities and infrastructure. Rome was not built in a day.

I'm fairly sure we had one of those and not too long ago.

[Deepcut Cobbler]

I'm fairly sure we had one of those and not too long ago.

Unfortunately the weak link was the manager(s)...

[BedsCobb]

So your theory has worked wonders at MK.   Great stadium...mostly empty...poor atmosphere! I’d rather be a Sixfields thank you!

Sixfields with 12000 capacity is what we need as opposed to an unnecessary massive 31000 stadium, a big difference Im sure you would agree, who else made the exact same incorrect analogy? Oh yes thats right, KT.

[BedsCobb]

So is your belief that Sixfields is a non league ground based predominantly on the capacity and not on appearance?

The reason I asked for other examples of grounds with terracing above the seats is because I cant see how it would make Sixfields look anything other than non league or an embarrassment with that set up.

In what way do you think a X2 bigger atmospheric stand be more non league than the current little bus shelter sized stands that is such  a turn off for people visiting Sixfields?
Genuine question.

[BedsCobb]

If I had 10 million to 'chuck at the Cobblers' - Id buy it for a quid (!!), and spend it primarily on the team to get it into the Championship. Id probably proportion about 3 million to 'tidy up the ground' but that wouldn't be enough to make much difference (if any) to the capacity.

Id then look to 'seek mega rich investors'.

I *believe thats what KT 'tried to do'. Thus far its failed and Im guessing he's a fair bit down already. Plus he didn't have 10 million, he supposedly had 4 million.

If I had 30 million quid, Id sort the ground out concurrently with 'investing in the team'. That kind of money should be enough to get into the championship and 'compete' for 2 or 3 seasons.

If I had 100 million quid, Id try and do a Bournemouth, and get the team into the premier league and then 'sort the ground out properly'.

The reason why Im irritated by KT is that he *promised to sort out the East stand and has thus far failed to deliver on that. I understand the reasons why, what I cannot accept is why he won't tell us his plans. That makes me more than a bit suspicious, and coupled with the Chinese fall out, clinging onto JFH too long, building up a massive wage bill with no sense of direction…Ive lost faith in the bloke. Relegation is irrelevant, that can happen to any team/club. BUT the way we tried to avoid it lacked wasn't really a logical approach now was it?

Anyway, back to the ground! Assuming we are not going to find a rich oil magnate or similar in the short term. We need to be building up a model that will see us competing financially with the bigger clubs in league1. Realistically thats the best we can hope for unless we win the footballing lottery. 12500-15000 capacity will never see us bring in the income to stay in the Championship for more than 1, or 2…maybe 3 at a push…seasons. The question is..would we attract huge crowds if the facilities allowed and really kick on? I reckon we would. But your talking a minimum of 50million quid to see if that would happen!

To challenge in league 1 and achieve a few championship seasons is all most of us wish for.
For us to get there would require having a 12000 stadium minimum build up over that old 5 years using as many sustainable methods ever known.
I believe a club built up gradually by a chairman who is happy to  work hard with the town and clubs supporters to build things in stages would gather more sence of belonging, momentum and feel good factor than a rich sugar daddys play thing, losing a bit of obsene wealth before they die.
Thankfully the days of property developers rocking up are in the past as we're  no longer are burdened with excessive cursed sixfields soil😂😂

[everbrite]

I'm fairly sure we had one of those and not too long ago.

With Wilder and Knill 😲 gone, plus a couple of star players also leaving we lost momentum. We should have replaced the star players but we didn't. Had we retained Wilder things may have been very different.

[BedsCobb]

With Wilder and Knibbs gone, plus a couple of star players also leaving we lost momentum. We should have replaced the star players but we didn't. Had we retained Wilder things may have been very different.

Do you actually believe that? You're a bigger wind up merchant than me😂😂😊
Wilder used us as a stepping stone to escape oxford and re group, those star players rebuild their flagging careers at our shabby un ambitious **** hole in hope of a move to those progressive clubs we can only hope to emulate..
Major changes needed, and the belittling needs to stop
Hope that helps.