Membership

[FOOTYMAN]

I have only attended 2 home matches this season. I find a total lack of atmosphere for matches held at Hayden Road. I do not like the ground.
Wellingborough was far better for the set up and atmosphere.
My brother hasn't been for 18 months, for the same reason.

[StaceyH]

What ever happened to the membership survey that ran last season??? Never saw any feedback on it??

The outcome of this is now available on the members forum.

Out of date(over a year ago) and out of touch I'm afraid how many members responded?? 65 out of 245???. Why has it taken for me to ask for the response to be posted??

I can’t answer those questions as I wasn’t involved in dealing with it. Sorry
I’m concerned at the number of members who responded which is similar to the response of the recent kit vote.

[sussexdiamond]

It's good to have these conversations, as long as they don't get personal, although a better place is probably on the members forum on the OWS. However the point I want to make now is, the AGM in July would be a good place to debate the issues. Submit your questions, challenge if necessary the answers. Put yourselves forward for election( I know not everyone is in a position to do so). Most crucially Attend!!. I am assuming this year it will be live. Last year only 20 plus bothered to go on Zoom, that was a pathetic figure and there is no excuse for such a low figure.

[Ricky330]

The outcome of this is now available on the members forum.

Out of date(over a year ago) and out of touch I'm afraid how many members responded?? 65 out of 245???. Why has it taken for me to ask for the response to be posted??

I can’t answer those questions as I wasn’t involved in dealing with it. Sorry
I’m concerned at the number of members who responded which is similar to the response of the recent kit vote.

Thanks for your as always honest response Stacey. Perhaps (as sussexdiamond has asked others to discuss)the membership team can give feedback/insight/take questions at the AGM?

[bozzer]

I have to say this thread and the forum itself has been the most active it’s been all season.

It’s clear we all want the same thing, our club to be the best it can be on and off the pitch. As someone said we’ve kind of lost that togetherness, it would be good to get that back.

We are all diamonds aren’t we

[rdusher]

We are all diamonds aren’t we

Always

[Trek]

I agree we all want the same thing. A lot of the problem from comments made would appear to be the Hayden Road situation and accompanying match day experience and the restraints this tight ground presents complicated by a joint tenancy agreement. I’ve been studying the FA Ground Grading Requirements Category B for Step 2 level if we were to make it to the National North League and pondering over the accompanying finance implications. Clearly we could not expect Rushden & Higham United to automatically contribute to ground upgrading costs particularly if they’re happy to remain playing at Step 6 level.

https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom- ... ashx?la=en

I understand we’ve only signed up to a 5 year tenancy agreement in 2018 so would we be happy to spend money on a ground that may not be fit for purpose? I also understand that R & H have indicated in the past a desire to move away from Hayden Road to a new ground and the area of the football/cricket ground, owned by Rushden Sports (a charitable trust) for over 100 years, has been earmarked in the LA local plan document as a suitable area for proposed residential housing.

This all makes the need for a New Home even more important.

[Formic]

I agree we all want the same thing. A lot of the problem from comments made would appear to be the Hayden Road situation and accompanying match day experience and the restraints this tight ground presents complicated by a joint tenancy agreement. I’ve been studying the FA Ground Grading Requirements Category B for Step 2 level if we were to make it to the National North League and pondering over the accompanying finance implications. Clearly we could not expect Rushden & Higham United to automatically contribute to ground upgrading costs particularly if they’re happy to remain playing at Step 6 level.

https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom- ... ashx?la=en

I understand we’ve only signed up to a 5 year tenancy agreement in 2018 so would we be happy to spend money on a ground that may not be fit for purpose? I also understand that R & H have indicated in the past a desire to move away from Hayden Road to a new ground and the area of the football/cricket ground, owned by Rushden Sports (a charitable trust) for over 100 years, has been earmarked in the LA local plan document as a suitable area for proposed residential housing.

This all makes the need for a New Home even more important.

Some very valid points there. Perhaps it would be good for someone to give a status report on the potential for the new ground, and an estimate of how quickly that might possibly happen. It would also be interesting to consider what contingency plans there might be if a move to a new ground is only a longer term option - e.g. can we make Hayden Road work for the intervening time, or would we need to look at a short term alternative until the new ground is ready. Would an upgraded Dog and Duck be a possibility for that, or would an alternative further afield need to be sought if it is not realistic to hang on to Hayden Road for the required time.

[AFCRD_Dan]

The main stand for me - looks an absolute eyesore and takes away what would be a good vantage point to watch football and having that back in some capacity would enhance the overall matchday experience for fans.

Is there not something we could do to get this back in order with the help of Rushden & Higham?

Any move to a new ground is likely to be a few years away and we need to do something asap to make the matchday experience something like it was in Wellingborough.

There is the issue of asbestos in the stand, which I imagine wouldn’t be cheap to remedy. The club also advertised for a planning manager to assess the stand around 2/3 years ago to which there were no takers, if I remember correctly.

[Trek]

There is the issue of asbestos in the stand, which I imagine wouldn’t be cheap to remedy. The club also advertised for a planning manager to assess the stand around 2/3 years ago to which there were no takers, if I remember correctly.

I stand corrected but the ‘asbestos issue’ that was initially touted about, on later detailed investigation, was not the main problem. A lot of technical work has been been carried out by a club volunteer around two years ago, who is an experienced qualified building surveyor, and the major issue to get it back into operation and install approximately 275 seats is a matter of the cost of satisfying the necessary regulations.