It says Bexley council are involved .

far be it from me to be controversial.

Kick out the cricket club to somewhere else, give us the land, redevelop both site to include a football ground and all weather pitches and a club house. Allow welling to have the ground for nothing (fans trust), also run the all weather pitches and function rooms. throw in 20-30 meters of the park (which is just overgrown near the ground boundaries) for car parking or tennis courts and bobs your auntie.

The key phrase is REdevelopment, The cricket ground i take it is rented off the council, lets be fair about 6 people watch them is that many??

Welling keep their welling identity, some council land gets tarted up and the community get some new leisure facilities.

Unfortunately it does come within Bexley Council's jurisdiction. It's in the Thamsmead East ward. I hate to think of my hard earned council tax going to that pikey area. Better to pull it down and build a nice park.

Another take is why not play on our strength. We have ground that was built in 1925, almost 100 years old, it  could be restored /renovated as best as practically possible , to the original ground in 1925, put a small museum and a learning centre (for hire) in the dead space,of the ground and offer local schools visits and tours - as part of their history lesson's, training 1930''s -50s style, ploughmans lunch 

The wings bar could be used to  run a themed coffee bar during the day and used as  resturant in the evening & sunday lunches, have authentic sounding ales and food for that era served in pewter tankards, gift shop selling bygone replica kit - replica programmes etc. Ie a local attraction during the week, and football at the weekend, thus maximising renue potential.

I know it is thinking out out the box, but think of how many companies maybe interested in holding  a corporate event at an unusual venue such as a working one hundred year old stadium if decorated and marketed correctly.

This may also grab the attention of the fund providers, and the FA - the council - over yet another application for ground development and astroturf.

There are plenty of people who enjoy nostalgia, we have history with Bexley United - welling united - the lenders etc. Erith & Belverdere .




-- Edited by morph on Friday 25th of February 2011 11:38:09 AM

-- Edited by morph on Friday 25th of February 2011 11:44:35 AM

With all due respect its 2011 not 1911

Thats my point - the stands etc can be made into an asset by providing a recreation of footballing past.

Modern Museums engage with their communities.

The national football museum is in manchester - look at the projects they do with the community and the repro stuff sold.
Scale what they do down to local level and provide the experience, - how may school kids would purchase a reproduction old laced style football on their visit for an example.

Put yourself in the shoes of the lottery fund provider 100 football clubs asking for funding for upgrades and facilites, one club as for renovating restoring the ground, with a local historical interest eliment - which is going to stand out.

http://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/

Reminiscence and Football Work

Interactive reminiscence sessions combine a tour of the Museum, led by a Gallery session Leader, with a handling session using objects from the Museum's collection.

Themes include:

- Balls, boots and shirts - The History of Football Kit.
- World Cup Football - objects and stories from around the world of football,
- Going to the Match - reminiscences of the Second World War, the1950's and the 1960's.

All sessions involve the children in handling, investigating objects and dressing up in clothes related to the topic and period.

Group photographs of pupils dressed up in football kit etc. through the ages provides a memorable reminder of the session

Sessions last 45-60 minutes and cost £2 per pupil.

Outreach Sessions

The Education and Outreach Officer can visit schools to give illustrated talks. These cost £30 and a mileage charge will be made. Demand for this service outstrips availability. Priority is given to schools that regulalrly visit the Museum.

Topics include:

-Leisure and Tourism (GCSE), with particular reference to Marketing and Customer Service,
- Citizenship, with particular reference to Racism in football and Women's football.

These talks can be combined with a Handling Session of objects from the Museum's collection on the themes;

- Balls, boots and shirts - the history of football kit with the chance to dress up,
- World Cup football - objects and stories from around the world of football
- Going to the match - reminiscences of the Second World War, the1950's and the 1960's.

Areas of curriculum covered

Talks

-- Edited by morph on Friday 25th of February 2011 01:56:12 PM

need car parking spaces too. Must be the only ground i've ever been to without.

The point is not about a museum but how you apply for grants - you cant just say we want 4 million pounds to do up the ground.

The Thamesmead Trust have put a very good case for redevelopment - like the prince park project, when completed  they wiill have the local community engaged, their youth team, ladies team, disability team playing at Thamesmead and provide  locals with a sport complex, and grassroots teams somewhere to train in the winter months.  also I believe CAFC are involved.

I have contacts in the council and with sports consultants that could write an  application on the clubs behalf for a fee tomorrow,  but it would be pointless at this stage to go them for their support as  being transparent, we have an academy in Eltham - we have youth teams playing out in Greenwich Borough, no ladies team,  no disability team, nowhere to put a astro turf on site and no strategy yet  to sustain and grow (a must for large scale funding) , and a debt that nobody know how much it is, and we have a sports centre at the end of the road. So I think it is unlikely we would get a large scale lottery funding for wholesale redevelopment of PVR for  the club in it present state.


Taking that all into account, in the ideal world we move the communitity and academy next door and put an a stro turf and gym there and we have the welling united family under one roof , but th e reallity is you cannot just kick out your neighbours and the club  do not have the money to buy them out

So at the moment the club is left with a 100 year old ground, and a team we are all proud to watch and support, - it how best the club manages to find a feasable solution to the situation.




-- Edited by morph on Friday 25th of February 2011 03:40:44 PM

If we get a ground or development where 3g pitches and further buildings are incorperated we can bring the academy into the borough, have a ladies team and make it available for the Community to use too. THATS THE IDEA!!, we cannot do it at the moment.

Your right - we cannot  do it at the moment - so we are left with a 100 year old staduim and a team we are proud to watch.

morph wrote:

---

If we get a ground or development where 3g pitches and further buildings are incorperated we can bring the academy into the borough, have a ladies team and make it available for the Community to use too. THATS THE IDEA!!, we cannot do it at the moment.

Your right - we cannot  do it at the moment - so we are left with a 100 year old staduim and a team we are proud to watch.

---

Dartford couldnt do it either so they got the council to build a ground, good bars, 3g pitch, parking. Thamesmead couldnt do it either so the council have got involved in building new facilities. Just because we cant do it either doesnt mean we cant lobby for better facilities and show what other councils have done.

And yes i am aware there are some problems with us and the council, but the council should see the bigger picture of the fans and the community not the bill payers. It does seem they are spite-ing the clubs fans and local community by helping Thamesmead and not us.

Crook Log a sports center? they even screwed that up , couldnt even put a pool in properly. They could redevelope PVR/Cricket Club and put an annexe in for other indoor sports as well as 3g pitches. It isnt JUST for Welling United but together they could help us and and provide new facilities for the community.

Maybe we need a councillor to be on the board at Welling, we missed a trick there in the constitution and committee, get a footy mad councillor involved hands on....

Up there for thinking, down there for dancing

-- Edited by JgFc on Friday 25th of February 2011 04:22:57 PM

I think we have to get the community involved supporting the team , then campaign to get the youth set up ... WUFC youth set up... academy teams, possible other teams ie womens etc back in the borough and point to facilities at other clubs, council funded or assisted.

Maybe all that has to come when a supporters trust is in place, but the wheels can be set in motion and aims can be stated.

When you get the community involved and the council dont hate us anymore, then we can go for grants, funding and development or a new site, it has to be one of the aims surely as PVR as it stands community wise is an old clubhouse. You need something to pull teh community in and Dartford were getting a fraction of the crowds they are now before Princes park became real.

Perhaps it is a good idea for the WUSA to have a meeting with the council and see if there is any help long term on a new facility if the club gets back in credit with it debtors and if the supporters trust start getting closer to owning the club and having it more community focused?

Apparantly the club have had meetings with the council recently but about what i have no idea, could just be about rent.

Here's something to mull...

Bexley is percieved, believe it or not, as a 'middle class suburb' (I quote from a local councillor), therefore the council doesn't recieve as much money as those boroughs, and I include Greenwich here, that have hugely disadvantaged areas and pockets of deprivation...Now, we all know that description of our borough is crap, but tell that to the London Assembly and the powers that be. Therefore, any money Bexley has for deprived areas will go to somewhere like Thamesmead, which, lets be honest, needs nuking at the best of times.

But, as I keep saying, Bexley are skint and in a mess...I have heard that every secondary school in the Borough is turning into an Academy, mainly to absolve themselves of the huge debt occured when 2 of the largest went into special measures...At least 3 high ranking officials have taken early retirement, as they were more than likely to be pushed anyway...Trust me, the mutterings I've heard from the council and around schools is not good. Yours truly is still awaiting news on my future and I'm only a minion at best.

Sport England ran funding for places to become central hubs for sport (not just football, it's multi use now), did anyone know that? And believe me, if I won the lottery, I'd re-do the stadium and move my athletics club there too to get out of Parkwood's hands. It just won't happen. We need to get a charity involved, someone who has been established in Bexley, like TT in Thamesmead. If the club have burnt bridges, then it's time to re-build them and give a plan for the future.

Can someone remind who owns the ground? I am getting the impression it's the council and we pay rent...

It was more the 'sale of' than the day to day running...

Can't help but think that assets will be on the Council's cost cutting agenda next...

DISCLAIMER: These are MY thoughts and not that of the club, before anyone asks!