Torquay United Fans Forum

Plainmoor78 wrote: ↑07 Jul 2017, 15:25 If you get younger supporters in, you decrease the age of the supporter base. Which is what we need.

Yes, sorry, I've just realised my mistake. Will attempt to edit.

tomogull wrote: ↑06 Jul 2017, 20:28 Very good ideas on this thread so far. I'm sure we could all come up with a lengthy Wish List of things we would like to see change. I would like to see the re-introduction of the schoolkids matches at half time. It brings youngsters to Plainmoor, plus parents and grandparents ...... and quite often the games were more entertaining than the actual games ! I think they were introduced by Frank Prince, a great ambassador for the club and sorely missed.

This is a great idea.

I sent a question to Geoff Harrap's video interview about getting younger fans in to increase the average age of the fan base. Apart from chuntering on about how important this is he didn't come up with any practical suggestion and doesn't seem to have since.

Let's hope that he reads this thread.

I didn't like last season's kit but thought it looked better on the team than me.

I think new kit is an improvement on last season.

Alpine Joe wrote: ↑05 Jul 2017, 21:29 It's desperately slow progress for some sections trying to leave from farther down Bristow's Bench. Half your passengers would still be trapped on the wrong side of the retractable tunnel when the bus was leaving

Good point, I hadn't realised that. 30 mins after?

I'd like them to run football specials (minibuses or single deckers or double-deckers) from Brixham to Plainmoor, Newton Abbot to Plainmoor, and maybe Teignmouth to Plainmoor. The buses would arrive 30 minutes before kick-off and leave 15 minutes after the final whistle.

MellowYellow wrote: ↑01 Jul 2017, 11:36 The Main Man cancelled the meeting - par for course. Warming to Kevin Foster - like most of us , not against the merit of a new facility but very sceptical. As this is our MP's viewpoint I wonder if the Herald Express will follow up on it or just hide behind the editors code of practice yet again!

I think Merse hit the nail on the head with this post earlier in the week:
"The Herald Express' primary function within the business plan of it's ownership is to create advertising revenue and to this end real news reporting does not exist; merely a procession of 'advertiser friendly' stuff devoid of any resemblance of enquiry or desire to report the actualite of the situation.

With the involvement of the Torbay Development Agency in the 'off the record' talks with Clarke Osborne this means a doubling of resolve not to rock the boat or spill any beans.........'official media' has had it's day. Social media is the current vogue because WE are the only people with a vested interest to care enough what is actually going on!"

The days when you could rely on the Herald for any real news have long gone. Today there is very little in the print version that hasn't first been seen on the web site where stories are often accompanied by generic images of police vehicles and images captured from Google street view.

FROM KEVIN FOSTER MP's LATEST WEEKLY UPDATE

Plainmoor Freehold Decision Postponed

Earlier this week it was announced that Torbay Council and Torquay United FC have agreed to postpone a decision on whether the club could purchase the freehold of the Plainmoor Stadium.

The stated reason for this postponement is to allow the club time to develop plans for a new stadium and events arena. You can read the council’s statement by clicking here.

As mentioned in previous updates whilst I could see in theory the merit of Torquay United having a facility similar to Exeter Chief’s Sandy Park, which would help it earn non-matchday revenue, I am sceptical a solid business plan for such a move can be put together. In the absence of such a plan Plainmoor should be protected as the only stadium in the bay capable of hosting League Football.

I will keep residents up to date on any further news, although a meeting I had planned with the Club’s new owner was sadly cancelled by him on Monday. That said he has committed to arranging a new date and my office will be seeking to get this arranged urgently.

knightmaregull wrote: ↑28 Jun 2017, 20:59 Until such time as Osborne and co. are sent packing I will remain hugely cynical about this. Reading the statement there is nothing to give us comfort that the Council have laid the law down and absolutely crucially there is no indication that GI will be forced to BUILD the new stadium before getting any land. Instead it smacks to me of just another attempt to pacify the restless natives and give GI and Oliver time to further advance their plans behind closed doors.

[highlight=yellow]However, it's great to see that our efforts are having some impact and full credit to everyone for their digging and publicising of what really going on here[/highlight]. It is going to take more than headlines, cleverly worded statements, false promises of fans forums and manufactured pre-recorded Q&A interviews to pull the wool over, as those poor fans at Osborne's previous ventures suffered.

Credit should also go to the guys at TUST who, for the purposes of keeping their powder dry, are quietly working behind the scenes.

by merse btpir

[/quote]I absolutely agree that this is a battle won but not the war.

[highlight=yellow]Let's see the club ownership making proper use of the current ground and facilities in the meantime and show us that they really mean business because we haven't seen anything like that yet![/highlight]
[/quote]

Wow! That's amazing news. Plainmoor is safe, at least for the time being.

I've always said that if GI build a state of the art fandango bells and whistles stadium fit for league one football with a car park and nearby station I'll be as pleased as punch. Hopefully, because of their past record, GI will have realised that they will need to do it without owning the freehold and have it ready and waiting for the Gulls when they leave Plainmoor. It will be interesting to see what they have in mind.

At least the message got through to the Mayor and GI that Torquay fans will not be walked over.

It will be interesting to see how this is reported in the Herald!

COYY!

Included in Kevin Foster MPs weekly Residents Update

Request For Meeting with TUFC Owners

Over recent months there has been a lot of debate about the future of the Plainmoor Stadium that has been home to Torquay United for over 90 years.

My view is that Plainmoor should be protected as a venue for league football in the bay. Any new stadium plan must be based on a firm business plan that shows what long term benefit it would bring to TUFC. So far I have not seen any evidence that such a plan exists.

That said I believe it is right to give the club’s owners a chance to explain their vision for TUFC. I have therefore arranged to meet with them and I will update readers with the outcome.

That this meeting is taking place is another sign that lobbying by fans has had an effect. Hopefully, any assurances made at a meeting with the local MP should carry some weight so reading about the outcome will be interesting.

I wonder if the Herald will find the meeting newsworthy enough to report it?

Bleeper wrote: ↑15 Jun 2017, 22:54 I think the signings will make people think twice, but also those that said maybe know that GI still want the freehold!

Encouraging start but we cant be complacent and take our eyes off the ball on what should be the most important signing, refusal of the freehold to GI!

Although I have lost count of the number of times that it has been postponed, the strategy meeting when the freehold is to be discussed is now on Monday 24th July. A good showing by fans at this public meeting would send an important message. Maybe even a protest outside - that would give the Herald something to report - we can but hope.

Keeping our eye on the ball…post-election.

I sent 4 emails and 9 letters to candidates and their agents. I know from the replies that I received from the parties (all bar UKIP ) and being CC’d in to emails, that others were doing the same. Unsurprisingly, my fantasy that the issue of the sale of Plainmoor would become a local election issue remained just that. So what, if anything, was achieved?

The letters and emails themselves would have hopefully made those involved in local politics, if they weren’t already, aware of the issue. Kevin Foster and Deborah Brewer included references to the sale of Plainmoor in their election material that was distributed to households throughout the constituency. Kevin Foster included a small item accompanied by a photo of Plainmoor on the back page (very appropriate Kevin) of an A4, four page newsletter. Of course it’s debatable whether anyone but the most undecided of voters would have read this material but there must be a good chance that some of the general public and even some fans are now aware that something is going on when previously they weren’t

If anything, the fact that the sale of Plainmoor was mentioned in the election material of the two front runners in Torbay shows that the lobbying by fans over the past months by email and the signing of petitions has had an effect. I hope this will encourage those who haven’t already done so to get involved. If we are to continue to keep our eye on the ball and hold the Mayor and his cronies on the Council to account we must continue with the campaign.

Babbacombe warrior wrote: ↑09 Jun 2017, 20:36 I imagine the attached will be the new shirt?

Christ! I hope not.

The likes of Luke Young and McGinty will carry it off and I'm sure Sam Chaney will love it but with my physique I'll be hunting for the XXXL size. :aww: l'll be sticking with last season's shirt with the silly flappy collar.

MarkL wrote: ↑08 Jun 2017, 10:16 Would like to have Bays Brewery sponsor us... 420 Skatestore was the least embarrassing thing to be emblazoned across our shirts for a few years.

I wore my shirt at work for a particular event and a young Goth asked somebody else "Does he know he has 420 across his shirt?"!