Harriers plan to move out of Aggborough

[KHFC_Shaun]

Thought it is news worthy in the non-league scene but the start of the Gordon era seems to be taking off.

Unsure what to make of it, but a very very bold move considering the level we're at. It's no secret that Gordon is a millionaire, but this seems to me that he has very big plans for the club.

http://www.harriers.co.uk/news/2017/08/17/new-stadium/

Still don't know what to think, but Aggborough is perfectly capable of being a League ground, so i'm still trying to piece the jigsaw together as to exactly why at this point.

 

[simsini]

He might like Glenn Tamplin's style and can't see how he's going to paint 'muriels' on the current ground.

 

[Harrier94]

I'd comment if I could read any of the articles we've put up

 

[Silver Stone]

Nooo Aggborough's a perfectly good ground.

 

[B2TF]

Thought it is news worthy in the non-league scene but the start of the Gordon era seems to be taking off.

Unsure what to make of it, but a very very bold move considering the level we're at. It's no secret that Gordon is a millionaire, but this seems to me that he has very big plans for the club.

http://www.harriers.co.uk/news/2017/08/17/new-stadium/

Still don't know what to think, but Aggborough is perfectly capable of being a League ground, so i'm still trying to piece the jigsaw together as to exactly why at this point.

The point is to raise short term capital, spend some of it on a cheap, Mickey Mouse stadium out of town and blow the rest on paying off creditors and bringing in over-rated players on inflated wages.

Selling their ancestral home and all its history of time and place, has been the downfall of many fine football clubs. The negatives far outweigh the positives and the supporters can no longer tell their sons and grandsons, "that's the goal Jonny Legend scored in against Liverpool and I was stood right here when he did it" - all the money in the world cannot buy that privilege and bastards like this guy don't give a fuck. Far more sensible to spend his money, if indeed he has any, on redeveloping the existing ground, if that is in fact necessary- I seriously doubt that it is.

 

[Master D]

I love Aggborough, it's a classic ground and my favourite away day in Non League. The reasoning for that is only about 75% pie related.

 

[Harrier94]

I love Aggborough, it's a classic ground and my favourite away day in Non League. The reasoning for that is only about 75% pie related.

If we don't take the pies we'll riot!

 

[Aber gas]

Ah no. I have family in Bewdley ( or did to be accurate) and have been to loads of games at aggborough. If we didn't or couldn't get to the Gas we'd spend our morning at mr tees rock stop, quick pint in the board head and the Aggborough. Sad

 

[KHFC_Shaun]

The point is to raise short term capital, spend some of it on a cheap, Mickey Mouse stadium out of town and blow the rest on paying off creditors and bringing in over-rated players on inflated wages.

Selling their ancestral home and all its history of time and place, has been the downfall of many fine football clubs. The negatives far outweigh the positives and the supporters can no longer tell their sons and grandsons, "that's the goal Jonny Legend scored in against Liverpool and I was stood right here when he did it" - all the money in the world cannot buy that privilege and bastards like this guy don't give a fuck. Far more sensible to spend his money, if indeed he has any, on redeveloping the existing ground, if that is in fact necessary- I seriously doubt that it is.

I agree with some of your post. I will find it hard to reconnect with the club if we move from Aggborough, it's all we've ever known and I still say it is the perfect size for us, with our history, our present and our future ambitions. Everyone loves it and i've certainly had great memories there, even if the bad ones have become more frequent!

The current ground cannot be redeveloped until the council say so, we have a 20 year lease on it but has a sports covenant placed on the lease, meaning it can only be used for sports purposes anyway. Unless the council are giving us a nudge, with a nice paypacket to get out of town so they can redevelop with further housing, it might make sense. The ground will be beside our youth, academy and (new) training facilities, but the site is more or less in Stourport. Gordon's idea is to bring the club to the local community...by moving it out of town although it may attract a wider area of fans?
Transport links are currently hard to come by too. I do fear it will rip the soul of what we have, and it will become another stadium, which looks like any other recently-built, plastic ground.

Gordon has money, his business (now conveniently passed onto to his daughter to get past FA regulations with club ownership I believe?) was a football agency business boasting the likes of Walcott, Vardy, Phil Jones and is Evidence of his spending has been exposed this season with the £75k capture of Bradley, nearly breaking our transfer record at a level which we are unknown with. I want to trust him, I have no choice other to, but I have very beady eyes with his plans and I fear that this one will put many people off.

I won't completely come to a conclusion just yet, but there are obviously a lot of questions which need to be answered.

 

[doveranddover]

Looking on google maps Zortech Ave looks like it's nearly in the next town?

 

[E10rifle]

If he's not rebuilding that kitchen in the new ground, I ain't visiting.

 

[Silver Stone]

Looking on google maps Zortech Ave looks like it's nearly in the next town?

Mad ain't it? A big factor in our success has been the fact that we built our new ground in the town centre, easy access for everyone and a much better community asset.

 

[Andy Harrier]

Part of the problem with moving out, is there probably isn't anywhere else within Kidderminster where you could put a stadium. The rumours floating around at the moment seem to imply that the Council are wanting the land at Aggborough for housing (several small housing estates have popped up on former sites around there over the last 15 years or so) and are looking at some sort of deal with the club for the land around the current training ground at Zortech Avenue.

Leaving aside the understandable sentimental nature of the reaction that this has provoked, the obvious problem with it is that it's right on the edge of Kidderminster compared to the current ground which is around a ten minute walk from both the railway station and the town centre with good facilities (pubs/chippy's/etc.) close by. Also, while I'm obviously biased, I think it's got to be up there as one of the best non league grounds (of the 'traditional' non league sides at least)

However, there is a fairly large area that it looks like they will be going for, in partnership with Birmingham Metropolitan College, to make the area surrounding the new ground a kind of educational and community centre, with some of the college facilities on site as well as artificial pitches for hire, etc.

 

[Jemfy]

Mad ain't it? A big factor in our success has been the fact that we built our new ground in the town centre, easy access for everyone and a much better community asset.

This season we should see what difference this kind of thing really makes. We've moved from the edge of one town over in to the centre of Rushden. We'll have to wait until half way through the season to see the changes, but I suspect it will be adding a good amount to our regular attendances, as well as potentially (hopefully) driving the club and the community closer together.

As for Kiddy's situation, it's far from unique, it's what a lot of clubs have done at various levels in the past - sell the city centre ground in return for enough to build a new out of town stadium. It's worked for plenty of them too, so I'm not going to throw crap at it. There are also a couple of obvious examples it hasn't worked for too though, so caution is needed.

I think people sometimes hold on to history too much for the sake of history, rather than for any actual meaning in it. A new stadium will take time to build it's own memories etc, and it won't be as good for a while yet. Sure the stories won't be able to travel over, but new stories will be written in the new place, and the old stories won't get removed from history by a move

That said I don't think there is any pressing need for Kiddy to be looking at moving. Aggborough is perfectly acceptable as it is, and unless Kiddy make a very sharp rise (which is entirely possible given the money now behind them), then a new stadium won't be needed in the short or even the medium term.

Depending on the model the new owner is working with there though a new stadium could be key to long term financial planning - building a site and ground that are attractive to sponsors, with plenty of high standard corporate facilities.

 

[Darlo On Tour]

Fantastic ground Aggborough I'll be back their in November (weather permitting of course).

 

[Back in the DHSS]

If Kiddy do move i hope they take the pies with them. I like Aggborough as its close to the station and some Bathams ale houses.

 

[ForzaCounty]

The new location is awful, and the reason for leaving is even worse. There should be a law protecting sporting grounds from this sort of thing.

 

[Conker]

Plenty of clubs that need a new stadium, Kidderminster is not one of them.

 

[Harrier94]

It seems more that the Wyre Forest Council are under pressure to build more houses in the area. Aggborough is council-owned and has 28 years left on the lease and is has reported £9,000,000 worth of land value. It seems the aim is to get the council to pay off the lease then we use that money to build our new ground.