On social media I constantly come across Hereford supporters seemingly outdoing each other, sharing their increasingly exaggerated ideas of a huge new Blackfriars stand at Edgar Street including executive boxes and heaven knows what else. Dear me.
First point to stress. This is a local authority project on land they own. Hereford FC can try to influence, emphasise benefits where they can but they have no real say on the outcome. Secondly, Herefordshire council like all others are overstretched and under resourced. The people resources needed to drive this project forward are considerable. From the local authority perspective, this development is not a priority. Where’s the imperative?
Can they even be sure there is future demand for more student accommodation? This build could have a very long gestation period. Talk to ex Chair Ken Kinnersley about the weeks he wasted talking to builders, surveyors etc on site in past years only for nothing to move forward.
The council will seek bids from third parties with their spec including that the build must include a free stand for our use. Apparently. This is the biggest hurdle for me. Third parties will be aware that football ground grants are available and will ask pertinent questions around the need to subsidise customer accommodation for an already profitable trading company. Further they will ask what the football club NEED. Not what they want, what they need. What they must have.
The answer is the bare minimum to ensure no barriers to theoretically entering the EFL. Which is not likely to be any time soon. Also as a short term displacement area for when the Meadow End is rebuilt. With £300,000 worth of urgent building work already causing headaches, that too is a long way off.
A Blackfriars basic structure of 2 or 3 rows of seats, covered, with facilities in the corners would give us a capacity of 5,500. That’s more than enough for Edgar Street clubs who last saw that average in the late 1970’s and are unlikely to see those numbers ever again. And a higher league acceptable capacity.
I’ve read breathless accounts of 1,500 or even 2,000 seats being built with bars underneath. Really? For me, it’s pure fantasy world. Logically the bigger the stand, the bigger the labour and materials bill. And far worse, the building space is finite so each row of seats will reduce the depth of the student accommodation behind it. That directly impact on project profit. Hard-nosed construction companies care about their bottom line, not a football club.
The construction industry isn’t short of work with a 7% growth predicted for 2025. They can afford to look elsewhere. It’s quite possible there will be no takers at all. Longer term I can envisage a costing compromise. Potential bidders will point out the Bulls can access grants and, as a profit-making private company, should be expected to part-pay for their improved real estate.
That’s how I see it. Don’t see third parties giving us a significant new stand. I just don’t.
Simon Wright
