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DVNS No.76

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DISTANT VICS NEWSLETTER

NUMBER SEVENTY SIX                                        JULY 5th  2001

Vics have released details of how they plan, financially, to build the new ground.

The sale of the Drill Field is expected to raise at least £2.1m. In addition there will be grants of £400,000. This will be about £300,000 less than the figure anticipated at the EGM last year.

They estimate that the cost of removing the Danebank stand will be under £100,000, and the cost of erecting a second one will be about £300,000. It will cost another £300,000 to provide all the facilities under the “new” Danebank structure that would be built before the existing one is moved. These facilities will include offices, changing rooms, amenities and social areas.

The land is believed to be costing about £500,000. This totals about £1.2m.

There will then need to be floodlighting, fencing, the laying of a new pitch, the preparation of the site and provision of car parking.

Seats will be in one of the new stands and will total 2,200. The terracing opposite will house 3,800 standing. Initially the area behind each goal will have only the bare minimum needed to get a grading and will amount to 2 or 3 uncovered steps housing 1,000 at each end.

The one thing the club have not put a cost on, yet, is the amount of debt they will need to pay off out of the proceeds of the sale.

Dave Stone acknowledges that there is not much money to play with but says the plans have been drawn up with advice from the Football Licensing Authority. It would place the ground well within the new criteria that the Conference insists clubs meet within 3 years. Plans are on view in the office at the Drill Field.

Predictably the signs of unrest from fans have come more to the surface with the news. There are attempts to raise enough interest to call an EGM. The one common concern for both the “for” and “anti” camps is whether the sale will raise enough capital to cover the cost of the move. In addition, there are the old arguments of whether we should move or not, irrespective of the finances.

The first “shots” are being fired with demands and questions and threats of legal action reported in the Chronicle.

Dave Stone says there is no intention to go back to shareholders to seek another mandate to sell the ground. That mandate read as follows:

“That, subject to contract, approval be given to the sale of the Drill Field to any company organisation or body that the Company consider have offered the best deal”

However, there was then a second resolution passed at the meeting to complement the first. This read:

“That approval be given to the formation of a joint venture development committee consisting of 2 members of the board of the Company and 2 members nominated by the board of Witton Albion FC in order to investigate the feasibility of a long term ground sharing arrangement on an equal basis, whilst considering other alternatives, retaining the separate identities of NVFC and WAFC”

This resolution was backed, however, by an assurance from the chairman (then Rod Stitch) and the board that they would also look at a) the possibility of owning our own stadium b) sharing Wincham Park c) sharing a brand new ground and the meeting was reminded that this did not give the board the power to commit the club to anything at that point, that would require another EGM.

It would appear, to my untrained eye, that the club have a mandate to sell the ground but not, yet, the mandate to buy another.

Given the strength of feeling by all supporters, whatever their opinion on the move, it makes the need for the club to handle this situation professionally, openly and with sensitivity to its fans absolutely imperative.

To the more mundane matters of the team (!) we appear to have received, and rejected, an offer from a first division club for Gregg Blundell. No more details available. Keith A. is very keen to point out that he does not want to lose Gregg having already sold Gary Fletcher. We are also reported to have made a bid for Droylsden captain Carl Holmes, a midfielder. Several clubs including Altrincham, QPR and Stafford are also interested. Droylsden have supposedly turned down a £2,000 bid from Stafford. Training started last night and Keith is expected to name 2 signings imminently. He also has several trialists coming along.

No winner, again, on the Yankee so this weeks prize is £1,800. 8 locals received £44 for a treble.

Fixtures for the new season are set out below.

Regards

Peter Grimes

HOME IN BOLD             Away in normal print

18-Aug                                   Yeovil
21-Aug            Tues                Scarborough
25-Aug                                    Stevenage
27-Aug            Mon                  Leigh

01-Sep                                   Boston
04-Sep            Tues                Morecambe
08-Sep                                   Nuneaton
11-Sep            Tues                Southport
15-Sep                                   Woking
18-Sep            Tues               Telford
22-Sep                                   Barnet
29-Sep                                   Forest Green

02-Oct            Tues               Doncaster
06-Oct                                    Dover
09-Oct            Tues                Stalybridge
13-Oct                                    Hayes
20-Oct                                    Margate

03-Nov                                   Farnborough
10-Nov                                    Dagenham
24-Nov                                   Hereford

01-Dec                                   Yeovil
15-Dec                                   Scarborough
26-Dec            Wed (BxDy)             Chester
29-Dec                                   Stevenage

01-Jan            Tues (NYDy) Chester
05-Jan                                   Morecambe
19-Jan                                    Boston
26-Jan                                   Leigh

02-Feb                                   Doncaster
09-Feb                                   Dover
16-Feb                                   Hayes
23-Feb                                   Stalybridge

02-Mar                                    Telford
09-Mar                                   Southport
16-Mar                                    Nuneaton
23-Mar                                   Woking
30-Mar                                   Margate

01-Apr            Mon (Eastr)            Farnborough
06-Apr                                    Dagenham
13-Apr                                    Hereford
20-Apr                                    Forest Green
27-Apr                                    Barnet

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