Off Topic Airco for All

Are the Council or local businessmen missing a trick here?

There's a bundle of empty buildings in the City, and a tenant needing a long term lease for something that almost designs itself.

 

Hi everyone, I'm a referee and coach with the Hulls Angels Roller Dames, one of the current users of the Airco Arena.

A lot has been said about us simply moving, but it's not a case of jumpers for goalposts, especially when it comes to us hosting public games, which we need to do to compete in the British Championships and other ranking games.

In accordance with our sport's regulations, public game venues must have a safety zone around the track and space for team benches, officials, the penalty box, scoreboards and medics, plus space for spectators. The track design and specification are here: http://wftda.com/rules/wftda-rules-appendix-a-track-design.pdf

This is usually at least twice the size of the space that we can manage for training and is why we specifically use the Airco Arena for public games. We know of no other venue in the city that can accommodate us and which we can afford. (We'd be looking at the ice arena for example, which is about £200 per hour to hire before we lay an alternative floor over the ice).

 

Good luck Jamie, the vast majority on here are on your side. The actions of our owner riding roughshod over anyone standing in his way cos it benefits the club is quite simply a disgrace.

 

Thank you!

I'd just like to say we support the academy's ambitions too - we are effectively the local academies for our own respective sports and many of our members are City fans - we just want to find a solution that benefits everyone.

 

Good luck to you and the others affected. We do need academy status, but not at this cost.

Even if this really is the right thing, it's the wrong way to do it.

Unfortunately, you're dragged into a situation where you're pawns in someone else's 'game' and that's wrong.

 

Precisely. We're all City fans and know how important the Academy is but that doesnt mean to the detriment of other sports and clubs in the city. If it means we have to wait to improve our Academy status while a new purpose built facility is created then so be it. Another 2 / 3 years wait wont destroy the future of the club.

 

Good. And rightly so.

I hope they are there when Allam rocks up in his Rolls. Though based on his driving ability he might mow them down.

 

Just been listening to Burnsy

I see they've edited out Allam's 'lying cheating' reference to Councillors he made yesterday.

 

It would be easier to terminate the lease and hand it to Adam Pearson to run. Pearson could negotiate new contracts with Hull FC and Hull City Tigers Limited to ensure the council got a decent rent for the place. He has a successful track record of managing the stadium and facilities.

Holds onto hat.

 

Got a bit of sympathy mate but it seems that you are only using the airco arena because it is cheap compared to other facilities.
It is cheap because the SMC (The Allams) pick up all the bills.
I used to run a couple of amateur football teams and we had to pay for training facilities, floodlights in winter and of course to use the pitches and changing facilities from which we played our fixtures. I and my players would have loved to have had better training facilities, a better home ground etc but we couldn't afford it. No-one was subsidising us which isn't the case for all those using the airco arena.
Have you considered Costello ? That seems to be underused.

 

Is it only me but is this all because of the "plans" to build or extend the ice rink and build a swimming pool? This is nothing to do with community and everything to do with opportunist politics from two individuals with axes to grind.

I feel sorry for the clubs affected, it is a terrible situation, but you are no different to the clubs who lose out every year from the closure of council owned facilities throughout the country. When the new "company" controls leisure in Hull, watch out.

 

The SMC doesn't pay any rent to the Council for the use of the Arena. The provision of community facilities were part of the deal when the lease was drawn up. instead of charging Hull City and Hull FC a commercial rent for the use of the KC the SMC was to provide community facilities at the Arena. It was the deal he agreed to when he bought the SMC. If he wants to change it he needs the council's permission. Any profits after that would be shared between the SMC and the Council.

If the SMC is in material breach of the lease the Council can terminate it and take over the KC and the Arena.

 

Public games?!? Is that like a cycling points race or has Rollerball come to fruition?

 

Really? Are you 100% sure?

Apart from one or two details that I still need to find out, I'm 80% certain they are in breach of the lease agreement. The question is have the Council the balls to take him on.

 

Is there one lease to cover the whole site or does the Arena have a separate lease ?

 

I don't know the full details of lease, just snippets from people I know and trust. Its enough to convince me that community use is part of the lease. The final 20% only comes from actually seeing it.