Unfortunately I'm on my phone so I can't link this but it's on Kent Online. After the 2014/15 accounts were published, the chairman wrote a short statement with regards to the club submitting a formal planning application for a new stadium in 2016. For those of you who don't know, this would be a new community sports stadium facility at the Mill Hill site opposite the current training ground at Beechings Cross. Although 24,000 stadium is mentioned, if you are able to view them, the original plans (which are public information on the Medway council planning permission page), actually show a phase development going starting at 16,000 capacity before being extended to 20,000 and if the need warrants it then finally 24,000. Now if we are able to get promoted back to the promised land of the championship, I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest we wouldn't be able to fill phase one. I for one know several people who would be more willing to go and watch us play if we play at a more attractive ground. Reading is a fine example of this, at the old Elm Park, the Royals only averaged 4-5000 each season, however since their move to the Madejski, their attendances increased dramatically, and that's with the stadium in a worse area in terms of being anything near pubs or food outlets. Now what are everyone else's thoughts on this matter? Definitely could help us into another Swansea or Reading.
This old chestnut, my answer is still no. Will prices decrease, probably not and will more than likely go the opposite way, up, I can't afford that at any level. So at the lower end of the figure where are those 16,000 now, basically if they cannot be bothered to make an appearance this season before the final crucial matches, then I certainly don't want to be building a new stadium for a bunch of glory hunters, when I'm perfectly happy with our current abode. Nr. the Crics for starters, I don't want some tarty modern day establishment where i pay over the odds for a pint of ale, well unless they are thinking Weatherspoons and we all know there is no way a cheap ale establishment will be allowed any where near what will be an over priced typical run of the mill modern day captive market centre. The one thing that has never been mentioned in all of this is the road infrastructure, how will it cope with a three fold increase in traffic at the lower phase and 4/5 fold increase at the higher end phase. Now there was talk of a holt and to be quite honest if I was on the Medway Authority no planning application would be approved unless there was guarantee's that the infrastructure (holt) was in place first ie before first game was played at new stadium. After all if we are going to have these wild dreams then the planning and infrastructure has to match accordingly. Which then brings me back to the captive market. Are alternative options being looked at for match day supporters ie cheaper ale establishments, rather than your usual out of town ground options. If Mr Scally is prepared to listen and take on board my views, then I may waiver but otherwise I'll be the biggest gob in protest and I've always supported our chairman. I'd like to continue that support but we need reassurances, that caters for all pockets and does not discriminate against the less well off.
You love this topic brb I believe from the current plans this would include a supermarket, some restaurants & bars, the rail halt and 600 new homes. Unfortunately I can't link he most recent proposal made to Medway Council as I'm on my phone but it is public information available on the Medway council website so if someone else is able to find them and link them on here, that would be good.
You know me to well On seeing this thread the last I remember was a few seasons back when last I heard about the planning applications and the fuss over the horse owner, I remember us doing a big thread on it which included the drawings, Scally's five year plan as I refer to it, although the clock will have certainly ticked down on that time scale by now! Gillingham FC Applications: https://publicaccess.medway.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage Impact Assessment - takes a while to open this link but worth a look: https://publicaccess.medway.gov.uk/...8-ENVIRONMENTAL_IMPACT_ASSESSMENT-2399174.pdf
5,694...we can only just half fill our current ground! http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9915096?
Gills up to 2nd in League 1 We're definitely ahead of Burton and Walsall - and not far behind Wigan. I have refrained from commenting on our attendances this season - I didn't want to be accused of being negative - but these statistics ( unlike a lot of politicians ), don't lie ! The attendances this season have been appalling for a team that has not been lower than 4th in the league. Last week the 'home' support just scraped 5500. And this is to watch the current highest scoring team in our division. I know that people will say that we've had a poor run of form lately - thus some 'fans' will have been deterred from coming to matches - but the average over the (almost) whole season is poor for a club that for much of the season has been TOP. So called fans have obviously been going to Chelsea and Arsenal etc, instead of Priestfield. Yet if we remain in the top 6 until the end of the season, and get to Wembley, there will be a stampede for tickets by the glory hunters who will have long since outgrown their last replica shirt. Having expressed my disappointment at the low crowd figures - I must give some credit for the support we're going to take to Southend tomorrow, It looks like we will have 1998 other idiots to join me and my son - let's hope that we can replicate our performance against Millwall at Christmas - when we last had a large away following. As usual - UTG.
Gills supporters have always been a fickle bunch. I think that a look at our average attendances whilst in the Championship (albeit at cheaper ticket prices) would give a reasonable steer as to our crowd potential. For a town the size of Gillingham and its immediate catchment area the attendances are, in short, shameful. The population of Brighton and Hove is similar to that of the Medway Towns and yet they have been able to fill their Amex stadium and even going back to the 70's at the old Goldstone Ground whilst in the 'old' third division crowds of 25,000+ were not uncommon. In short, the area does not deserve a league football team that can punch above league one level. A great shame but the figures don't lie.
The attendances have been disappointing, would expect 7000 to be average for us in our position. 6601 I believe was our average when we won league 2. 6219 first season back to league 1 when we finished mid table. Wigan a much smaller club than us, once they had a new stadium and backing attendances went up and now they are classed as a big club for league 1. Expect better than average for games against Coventry and Walsall and 10000plus v Millwall if we are still in the top 6. Apart from 3 to 4000 regular supporters we have 2000 who go if we are doing well and another 2 to 3000 who only come if we are playing a bigger club. So basically you can say if we played in the championship attendances will go up as we are playing bigger clubs so possibly 7 to 9000 most matches unless we are near bottom so then will be 5 to 7000. With new stadium in the championship would expect these figures to go up to 10 to 12000 most weeks and over 15000 if we played teams like Leeds, Aston Villa Fulham
