Two trips to Torquay this season

[Steve Whites Missus]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44923515

[Freeview Joe]

Not looking good if you're a White Tigers supporter, particularly notice of the move being so sudden. Makes you wonder if they'll be able to hang on until the planned new stadium is built.

[kermit]

This was on another forum...

I reckon the league knew about this in advance.
There is not one clash of Torquay / Truro home games in this seasons fixtures.

Surely that must have been done because they knew they would be sharing. Avoiding fixtures because you are 100 miles apart doesn't stack up.
Some Billericay and Welling fans are upset as they have booked trains and hotels for a fixture in Truro not Torquay.
Also, this made me chuckle....

Just wonder how many Truro fans Masters is expecting to make the 216 mile round trip to HOME games.
Just to put it into perspective, that's akin to East Thurrock ground sharing at Cheltenham Town !!!!

[stillmanjunior]

It’d be like us playing home matches at Solihull, which would suit Jerry down to the ground but not the vast majority of us.

At least I’ll have two opportunities to sample the best commentary view in the division.

[City Awayday]

Very good news. There will be at least two user-friendly fixtures this season.

[Peter Newman]

I assume the Supporters' Club were aware of this happening when it was announced that there would be no coach to Truro.

[yuffie]

This was on another forum...

I reckon the league knew about this in advance.
There is not one clash of Torquay / Truro home games in this seasons fixtures.

That would suggest a previously unknown level of common sense and flexibility on the league's part!

[comrade powell]

I assume the Supporters' Club were aware of this happening when it was announced that there would be no coach to Truro.

The league does not leak titbits of news to us and we certainly don't have a close relationship with the chairman of Truro. So we were as unaware as anyone else.

As explained in our announcement of our coach details for the season, we are not organising transport for those trips we expect to be poorly supported. Apart from the Torquay fixture that includes evening kick offs.

[Jon_BOA]

Can't see Truro's crowds holding up at all, that is a hell of a long trip for a home game, it would be my slight worry with our redevelopment if we have to play somewhere else, and I'd imagine our groundshare would be a lot closer!

Interestingly W-s-M seem to be about to play at the rugby club according to their paper (http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/sport/football/weston-super-mare-football-and-rugby-clubs-exploring-ground-share-proposals-1-5612760) don't know what the rugby pitch is like, but in terms of getting there off the railway the rugby club is infinitely preferable. Wonder what it means for the FC though if they end up being tenants.

[Marc Monitor]

I have no idea what is going to happen with our groundshare but the obvious logical answer is that we groundshare at the Rec. It isn't their ground, it is to be used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally. That means us. I can't see crowds dropping if we go to the Rec for a season and it may even pick up as we have a higher profile in the middle of the city.

Would WSM's rugby pitch be less likely to be rained off?

[tovid]

What about Keynsham given their pitch is astro?

[Marc Monitor]

True but why go somewhere that most have to get a train to? Also, I am not sure whether its capacity would be big enough.

[LB]

I have no idea what is going to happen with our groundshare but the obvious logical answer is that we groundshare at the Rec. It isn't their ground, it is  to be used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally. That means us. I can't see crowds dropping if we go to the Rec for a season and it may even pick up as we have a higher profile in the middle of the city.

The new ground on the Rec is being referred to as the ‘Stadium for Bath’ and there is an interesting article on Somerset Live (I never thought I would hear myself say that!) about the possible alternative uses, which include an artificial pitch. As for us groundsharing there while the redevelopment takes place, I am pretty sure that had been ruled out in a previous thread.

[Marc Monitor]

I can't see it being ruled out when it hasn't even been discussed at board level as far as I understand it.

[LB]

I raised this on the ‘Redevelopment’ thread back in March (page 4) when I suggested that the most likely venues for a groundshare would be Chippenham or perhaps Melksham’s new ground but also floated the idea of the Rec.

In response Martin Powell said that this was being thought about, but his reply certainly gave the impression that the Rec was a non-starter.

[turnstyle13]

During redev group meeting I asked this question to Nick Blofeld who advised that he had floated the idea to Bruce Craig (Bath Rugby Owner) some time ago and that Bath Rugby weren’t interested in having us as tenants.
I would imagine that the terms of Bath Rugby’s tenancy with the Bath Rec Trust means they have complete control over what they do with the bit of the Rec they lease and are under no legal obligation to sub-let it to other organisations.
So a nice sensible logical idea but one that appears to be a non-starter.

[Marc Monitor]

Thanks for that, t13.

I find it hard to believe that, for a bit of ground that is designated to be used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally, that a tenant - which Bath Rugby is - can stop another club for Bath residents and public using it temporarily. It's not, for instance, like when you are a tenant of a flat, when, of course, no-one can force another tenant on you. I will enquire further about this.

[turnstyle13]

The Rec is obviously a large green area for use by the residents in a casual manner, or it or parts of it, can be hired for more formal use, and no doubt the Rec Trust will point to that as fulfilling its purpose.

However that access doesn't include the portion rented by the Rugby Club and they've spent years and many thousands of pounds of lawyers fees to make their tenancy so secure to prevent their landlord (Rec Trust) dictating terms to them on who they can sub-let to.
As an aside those legal efforts can be seen today by the release of the images of their stadium plans which show what area of the Rec they want to take control of.

A couple of examples.
In the past the Rugby club have stated how open and inclusive the stadium and the space would be to host events for the benefit of the city. However when such an event as the closing weekend of this years Bath Festival was on the Rec at the back end of May the Rugby area was fenced off and the festival was on the cricket pitch. Maybe the festival didn't need the space, or maybe Bath Rugby didn't want them on the area of their tenancy? I've no idea.

From personal experience though and admittedly from some years ago, walking from the gate by the river, across the rugby pitch in the summer to go and play cricket on the Rec, I was asked to remove myself from the pitch by 'security'. We had an 'exchange of views' on the subject.

So in theory its a big green space open to all, but not the bit that the rugby club control.
I look forward to finding out what you discover.

[Marc Monitor]

Thanks again for the further info, t13.

To be honest, I am not sure I am going to get any further but I do know some involved in the Rec from the other side (not the rugby) who I can ask. I will come back if I find anything out.

[2weirdtown]

Time for a Kinder Scout style mass trespass!

[tovid]

If the Rugby Club are tenants - who do they pay rent to? What happens to the money.?

Not only have Bath Rugby secured the right to use it but to stop anyone else using it.

No wonder the stadium saga has been going on for so long.

[Peter Newman]

In an ideal world we would be joint and equal users and partners in the Stadium for Bath. We could even offer up TP as green space for the City as compensation for use of the Rec land.

The problem of finances would still be there, however, as it would be unlikely we could operate any non-football business activities on what is charitable designated land. There may well be a way around this aspect and no doubt Bath Rugby are looking into this.

All though we would all prefer to be at the Rec for any period of TP non-availability it could well be that both redevelopments take place at the same time.

Of course the Rec redevelopment may still be years down the line based on the progress to date and the possibility of further legal challenges when actual plans are presented.

[Marc Monitor]

Well, I think that a groundshare of any kind has been seen as unpopular in the past and has been certainly kicked into the long grass in the mid-term by the redevelopment. As far as I understand it, Lambridge has been offered as green space in exchange for a bigger rugby stadium.

As I understand it, the rugby clubhouse including bars is on the charitable designed land so non-rugby business activities are allowed. I know that they sell shirts through the shop on Argyle St so maybe that is because they can't sell merchandise at the Rec but it may, also, be a space issue. Merchandise-selling can be done in other ways, not least online anyway.

You are right about the possibility of the redevelopments clashing but, as you say, I think the Bath Rugby one is a longer way down the line than ours.

[tovid]

I see the chronicle article answers all my questions.

The attitude seems to be that the rest of bath works round the rugby club.

[Midsomer-steve]

We wouldn't want to groundshare with a rugby team - their pitch would not be good enough to play good football on, especially in mid-winter.

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