| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 23:53 - Nov 20 with 1904 views | Ancoats_Blue |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 23:00 - Nov 20 by R17ALE |
Why do we need a new ground?
My pulse still quickens every time I walk in and compare what we have to what we had.
I hope I'm not alone. |
We don’t *need* a new ground. I made a comment about it being nice idea to build a town centre ground with my non existent euro millions winnings But Spotland needs TLC. It’s a dump compared to almost every other football league ground. And I dare say quite a lot of National League grounds too. That, and it’s in an awful location. No one would start a football club for the town and Borough and plonk it up a big hill 30-45 walk from all the pubs and transport connections. |  | |  |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 00:18 - Nov 21 with 1868 views | D_Alien |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 23:53 - Nov 20 by Ancoats_Blue |
We don’t *need* a new ground. I made a comment about it being nice idea to build a town centre ground with my non existent euro millions winnings But Spotland needs TLC. It’s a dump compared to almost every other football league ground. And I dare say quite a lot of National League grounds too. That, and it’s in an awful location. No one would start a football club for the town and Borough and plonk it up a big hill 30-45 walk from all the pubs and transport connections. |
But surely having a sports stadium right in the middle of the main admin/shopping/leisure district of any urban centre is a no-no, precisely because of the disruption to the area caused by an influx of thousands of often pissed-up and aggressive rival fans?
The through-route down Roch Valley Way from the COA is pretty good at bringing in and dispersing away fans to the M62
[Post edited 21 Nov 2020 0:20]
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 08:35 - Nov 21 with 1730 views | 442Dale |
While bits of Spotland are dated now and could do with a bit of an upgrade - toilets being one - it’s a tidy little traditional football ground which managed to retain its character with the building of three stands over the last 28 years.
The links to public transport could be better, but the pubs/social club/club bars more than cater for fans. One look at the new (over a decade old!) Shrewsbury ground illustrates that failings can be made in reverse too when choosing a different location.
It comes up every so often on here, yet there’s never going to be a reason for the club to move unless it was vital to their very survival. |  |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 08:41 - Nov 21 with 1719 views | rochdaleriddler |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 00:18 - Nov 21 by D_Alien |
But surely having a sports stadium right in the middle of the main admin/shopping/leisure district of any urban centre is a no-no, precisely because of the disruption to the area caused by an influx of thousands of often pissed-up and aggressive rival fans?
The through-route down Roch Valley Way from the COA is pretty good at bringing in and dispersing away fans to the M62
[Post edited 21 Nov 2020 0:20]
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St james park Newcastle |  |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:06 - Nov 21 with 1700 views | Boss_Hog |
As part of David Clough's legacy, we are considering spending some of his estate on improving aspects of the ground. What types of thing do you think need an upgrade? |  | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:16 - Nov 21 with 1689 views | 442Dale |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:06 - Nov 21 by Boss_Hog |
As part of David Clough's legacy, we are considering spending some of his estate on improving aspects of the ground. What types of thing do you think need an upgrade? |
Would be good if the Dale Bar could be somehow upgraded a bit to let some light in and make it feel like a real supporters’ bar. Features to illustrate the history of the club and its fans with old pictures of the ground/matches and classic shirts/ scarves etc. I know that’s sort of been tried in Studds, but the Dale Bar could be more historical - ‘RAFC Through The Ages’ and could extend to the outside area too making it a much better facility for fans. Totally get this may be logistically unachievable but to make that little part of Spotland “Cloughie’s Bar” could be a nice tribute. | |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:27 - Nov 21 with 1668 views | D_Alien |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 08:41 - Nov 21 by rochdaleriddler |
St james park Newcastle |
Aye, i thought of that myself when posting, but dismissed it. Whilst pretty close to the centre of Newcastle, any aggressive away fans would get short shrift - and that'd just be from the Geordie lasses! Plus, walking there from the centre last January did feel like it was separated from the main shopping districts, similar to the Etihad
Different kettle of fish in Rochdale town centre
[Post edited 21 Nov 2020 9:37]
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:49 - Nov 21 with 1633 views | R17ALE |
I’m sorry, Ancoats, but I don’t share your view that Spotland is a dump. It’s a cracking little football ground which has retained its character and charm and still feels like home to many. [Post edited 21 Nov 2020 9:50]
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 10:08 - Nov 21 with 1593 views | James1980 |
Let's say a new stadium was built on that disused land near the railway station. Would the numbers through the turnstile increase sufficiently to cover the cost of building a new stadium, if at all? I understand that there is a lot more to it than that. | |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 10:24 - Nov 21 with 1587 views | blackdogblue |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 10:08 - Nov 21 by James1980 |
Let's say a new stadium was built on that disused land near the railway station. Would the numbers through the turnstile increase sufficiently to cover the cost of building a new stadium, if at all? I understand that there is a lot more to it than that. |
I know the land & can’t for the life of me remember what else used to be on it apart from a Wyndsors world of shoes.. to be honest you would struggle to fit a kick pitch on it, it’s not as big as people may think |  |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 10:55 - Nov 21 with 1557 views | James1980 |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 10:24 - Nov 21 by blackdogblue |
I know the land & can’t for the life of me remember what else used to be on it apart from a Wyndsors world of shoes.. to be honest you would struggle to fit a kick pitch on it, it’s not as big as people may think |
Actually trying to recall it from my walks down from the station you do have a point. It is vastly smaller than the site the COA is on. The stadium certainly does have plenty of character and in a good way. A lick of paint here and there and general tarting up would be good. | |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:20 - Nov 21 with 1520 views | Ancoats_Blue |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:06 - Nov 21 by Boss_Hog |
As part of David Clough's legacy, we are considering spending some of his estate on improving aspects of the ground. What types of thing do you think need an upgrade? |
Externally- cladding. Why do we have some bog standard industrial estate cladding out of sync with club colours. Dale don’t play in Teal, Red and Grey. Re clad in blue. Put a nice backlit sign up with our badge and the ground would look 10x better. I don’t want to sound like a closet Stockport fan again but having walked past Edgeley Park recently they’ve done this and it looks great. They used to have the same grim exterior to us so a like for like comparison.
Install a Scoreboard and highlights screen. Are we the only ground in the EFL without a scoreboard?
Replace the broken, bird shit encrusted sections of the seated stands. Again, it’d be nice to have the seats in sync with club colours.
Make the Sandy steeper to improve the view.
Improve the floodlights, there seems to be a darker half of the pitch on night games.
Internally - Redecorate the bar areas to make them more “Dale” than Phoenix club. Club colour schemes, photos of iconic games, shirts etc. Some good examples of modern club bars which really reference the club’s identity that I’ve seen include those at Molineux and Highbury(Fleetwood).
The bogs. They’re grim. Not quite York City or Chesterfield but not great. Minimum it needs is a clean, remove the stench of stale fags and have somewhere to actually wash and dry your hands properly. | | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:22 - Nov 21 with 1519 views | Ancoats_Blue |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 09:49 - Nov 21 by R17ALE |
I’m sorry, Ancoats, but I don’t share your view that Spotland is a dump. It’s a cracking little football ground which has retained its character and charm and still feels like home to many. [Post edited 21 Nov 2020 9:50]
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OK dump was harsh. And I know there have been some improvements in the last couple of years and that the club’s hands were tied with not owning the ground for so long. But it definitely needs modernising in areas and at the least a lick of paint every so often. | | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:28 - Nov 21 with 1502 views | Yorkshire_Dale |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 19:05 - Nov 20 by ArthurDaley |
On the news tonight the egg man had set up his stall outside the closed doors. He hadn't been in the Wheatsheaf for long. Him and his wife were familiar faces wherever the market was. |
Goo goo catchoo! | | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:30 - Nov 21 with 1501 views | Dalenet |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:20 - Nov 21 by Ancoats_Blue |
Externally- cladding. Why do we have some bog standard industrial estate cladding out of sync with club colours. Dale don’t play in Teal, Red and Grey. Re clad in blue. Put a nice backlit sign up with our badge and the ground would look 10x better. I don’t want to sound like a closet Stockport fan again but having walked past Edgeley Park recently they’ve done this and it looks great. They used to have the same grim exterior to us so a like for like comparison.
Install a Scoreboard and highlights screen. Are we the only ground in the EFL without a scoreboard?
Replace the broken, bird shit encrusted sections of the seated stands. Again, it’d be nice to have the seats in sync with club colours.
Make the Sandy steeper to improve the view.
Improve the floodlights, there seems to be a darker half of the pitch on night games.
Internally - Redecorate the bar areas to make them more “Dale” than Phoenix club. Club colour schemes, photos of iconic games, shirts etc. Some good examples of modern club bars which really reference the club’s identity that I’ve seen include those at Molineux and Highbury(Fleetwood).
The bogs. They’re grim. Not quite York City or Chesterfield but not great. Minimum it needs is a clean, remove the stench of stale fags and have somewhere to actually wash and dry your hands properly. |
I did see that we had replaced the broken seats in the Pearl Street recently which is a good improvement (or at least we have removed the covers)
For our standard of football the ground isn't too bad. Paint it every summer, update the bogs each year and put up some perspex cover to help those queuing for refreshments and we'd be quite a comfortable little stadium.
The corners of the stands do look tatty and always look awful on TV highlights. But I can live with that for the sake of survival of the club through these horrible times. | | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 12:25 - Nov 21 with 1449 views | dawlishdale |
A good quality scoreboard that could accommodate video would be top of my wish list.. Provided the club employs someone capable of both Marketing it to businesses, and also to run it properly during (and before) games, it should pay for itself whilst keeping spectators updated about forthcoming events/news. It could also offer replays and pre-match media. The potential for advertising and other income is vast, whilst enhancing the match day experience for fans. It shouldn't be done on the cheap though...or it will be ridiculed.
Update the PA system please....it's too loud in much of the stadium, but not loud enough elsewhere.
Keep the stadium clean & tidy...it must be worth cleaning the seats at least once a month. Get volunteers in to have painting parties etc.
Get the club to fill in the huge puddles that appear on the car park whenever it rains. The CEO promised to do this some 4 years ago when he was a Director, but never did anything.
A dedicated Memorial area would be a good idea so that past supporters can be remembered.
There really should be some sort of tribute to Chris Dunphy. The fact that there isn't looks like a snub on the part of the new Board. | | | |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 12:35 - Nov 21 with 1433 views | judd |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 12:25 - Nov 21 by dawlishdale |
A good quality scoreboard that could accommodate video would be top of my wish list.. Provided the club employs someone capable of both Marketing it to businesses, and also to run it properly during (and before) games, it should pay for itself whilst keeping spectators updated about forthcoming events/news. It could also offer replays and pre-match media. The potential for advertising and other income is vast, whilst enhancing the match day experience for fans. It shouldn't be done on the cheap though...or it will be ridiculed.
Update the PA system please....it's too loud in much of the stadium, but not loud enough elsewhere.
Keep the stadium clean & tidy...it must be worth cleaning the seats at least once a month. Get volunteers in to have painting parties etc.
Get the club to fill in the huge puddles that appear on the car park whenever it rains. The CEO promised to do this some 4 years ago when he was a Director, but never did anything.
A dedicated Memorial area would be a good idea so that past supporters can be remembered.
There really should be some sort of tribute to Chris Dunphy. The fact that there isn't looks like a snub on the part of the new Board. |
Could not agree more about a permanent recognition of Chris Dunphy - perhaps name the away stand after him, as he oversaw its' construction.
I know the board said they offered him a life vice presidency but he never replied, but other noises emanating almost attempt to discredit his legacy, which is utterly shameful.
Thanks, Boss Hog, for inviting fans to contribute suggestions. |  |
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| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 13:11 - Nov 21 with 1388 views | DaleiLama |
| Closure of Rochdale shopping centre on 11:20 - Nov 21 by Ancoats_Blue |
Externally- cladding. Why do we have some bog standard industrial estate cladding out of sync with club colours. Dale don’t play in Teal, Red and Grey. Re clad in blue. Put a nice backlit sign up with our badge and the ground would look 10x better. I don’t want to sound like a closet Stockport fan again but having walked past Edgeley Park recently they’ve done this and it looks great. They used to have the same grim exterior to us so a like for like comparison.
Install a Scoreboard and highlights screen. Are we the only ground in the EFL without a scoreboard?
Replace the broken, bird shit encrusted sections of the seated stands. Again, it’d be nice to have the seats in sync with club colours.
Make the Sandy steeper to improve the view.
Improve the floodlights, there seems to be a darker half of the pitch on night games.
Internally - Redecorate the bar areas to make them more “Dale” than Phoenix club. Club colour schemes, photos of iconic games, shirts etc. Some good examples of modern club bars which really reference the club’s identity that I’ve seen include those at Molineux and Highbury(Fleetwood).
The bogs. They’re grim. Not quite York City or Chesterfield but not great. Minimum it needs is a clean, remove the stench of stale fags and have somewhere to actually wash and dry your hands properly. |
No shade on your post at all, but it amused me linguistically that you weren't happy that the cladding is bog standard and the p1ssers aren't. |  |
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