Wimbledon Stadium: Some Important News

[arnieg 3,638]

Interesting read here

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/27/wimbledon-greyhounds-afc-plough-lane-stadium

 

But not a mention of speedway.

[customhouseregular 1,651]

I spoke to a chap on Tuesday who breeds Greyhounds for racing and currently has 16 racing dogs kenneled.

He told me Plough Lane is definitely coming down, though I can't verify that information.

[Triple.H. 1,986]

I spoke to a chap on Tuesday who breeds Greyhounds for racing and currently has 16 racing dogs kenneled.

He told me Plough Lane is definitely coming down, though I can't verify that information.

Let's face it the owners have let the place go to rack and ruin.

Maybe the Racing Post or similar papers should do a bit of investigation into why the GRA who are supposed to promote dog racing are so good at shutting tracks down.

We know the answer

Get it out into the public domain.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Triple.H.

[Beckford Boy 6]

Article in last night's Evening Standard suggested that London Mayor Sadiq Khan may make a final decision on the future of the stadium in the next few weeks.Seems that he could give the nod to the AFC Wimbledon/Housing option by giving L.B.Merton permission to rubber stamp their already given approval ,although the rival scheme put forward by Pascal Taggart and his consortium offers much more affordable housing and greater consideration to local needs.I believe that some month's ago the risk of flooding on the stadium site was suspiciously downgraded ,makes you think doesn't it ! Also don't let us forget that as M.P.for Tooting Mr.Khan showed no interest in helping the speedway promotion to fight their eviction from the stadium.Short of a miracle the Greyhound and Stock Car people will join us speedway supporters in having only memories of Wimbledon Stadium.

[iris123 20,979]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/sadiq-khan-accused-over-afc-wimbledon-stadium-plan-a3314206.html

[iris123 20,979]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/37155008

[Ommer Mon 381]

So one sport's gain is several sports' loss!

 

Footy wins again - nothing else seems to matter.

 

I've enjoyed many meetings at Plough Lane. Nothing for me will beat the sight of Ronnie Moore in full flow. Poetry in Motion.

 

Sad day for the dogs, stocks and speedway fans.

[Little Thumper 528]

So one sport's gain is several sports' loss!

 

Footy wins again - nothing else seems to matter.

 

I've enjoyed many meetings at Plough Lane. Nothing for me will beat the sight of Ronnie Moore in full flow. Poetry in Motion.

 

Sad day for the dogs, stocks and speedway fans.

 

My friend, you are so very correct in your assertion.

My loathing of football is immense.

 

Just my opinion, obviously.

[Hot Shoe 58]

I don't loathe any sport. If i don't like a sport i don't watch it but the problem is that football at Premier League and Football League means money nowadays and that attracts people like investors and developers.

 

I'm not sure why a football club with attendances of 3,500 to 4,000 needs such a big stadium but the developers obviously like the flats and retail outlets that go along with it. The football bubble will inevitably burst one day and it will probably all end up as a flats one day.

[Little Thumper 528]

I don't loathe any sport. If i don't like a sport i don't watch it but the problem is that football at Premier League and Football League means money nowadays and that attracts people like investors and developers.

 

I'm not sure why a football club with attendances of 3,500 to 4,000 needs such a big stadium but the developers obviously like the flats and retail outlets that go along with it. The football bubble will inevitably burst one day and it will probably all end up as a flats one day.

 

The trouble is, Hot Shoe, there is only so much money to go round whether it be in the form of corporate/tv money or Joe Public money.

Football sucks up so much that there is not much left for the less favoured sports such as speedway.

 

There comes a point when something stops being primarily a sport and instead becomes a money-generating business where the bulk of the money flows upwards to the few rather than downwards to the many.

 

Football and Formula 1 motor sport are probably the worst offenders and I suppose that is why I have no interest in either.

[CUFC_Brummie 132]

Wimbledon only get 3.5k to 4k because that's the capacity of their current stadium. Away support is restricted to c.900 tickets, there are plenty of teams even in the bottom 2 divisions that would take over 1.5k there for a game. At their current level I have no doubt AFC Wimbledon would get 7-8k on average in a new facility, numbers speedway can't get close to at club level. The reality is that football will draw in crowds across the country, at all levels of the game, that other sports can only dream of. Bigger crowds doesn't only mean more money into the local area on a matchday, it means bigger stadiums, which means more quality non-matchday facilities available to business and the community.

 

Plough Lane has been falling into disrepair for years, there must've been ample opportunities for it to be redeveloped for the benefit of greyhound and speedway racing long before AFC Wimbledon first started properly proposing to use the site, but like most speedway clubs and facilities, nothing was done and the price has been paid.

 

The hope for speedway is that Belle Vue is the catalyst for other areas to take on similar projects, far too long in coming (in the sense of British speedway as a whole) and far too late for Plough Lane though.

Edited August 23, 2016 by CUFC_Brummie

[Little Thumper 528]

 

The hope for speedway is that Belle Vue is the catalyst for other areas to take on similar projects, far too long in coming (in the sense of British speedway as a whole) and far too late for Plough Lane though.

 

Well, that's a nice idea but can you think of any other authority which might be open to this idea?

Manchester has always been a bit of a pioneer when it comes to spending it's money on sporting facilities but I'm struggling to think of anywhere else in England that this idea might gain traction?

Perhaps you know something that I do not.

[Hot Shoe 58]

 

The trouble is, Hot Shoe, there is only so much money to go round whether it be in the form of corporate/tv money or Joe Public money.

Football sucks up so much that there is not much left for the less favoured sports such as speedway.

 

There comes a point when something stops being primarily a sport and instead becomes a money-generating business where the bulk of the money flows upwards to the few rather than downwards to the many.

 

Football and Formula 1 motor sport are probably the worst offenders and I suppose that is why I have no interest in either.

I presume by 'football' you mean the Premier League and Football League as there are hundreds more football clubs that struggle to survive week to week.

 

The fact that football 'sucks up so much' shows how successful the game has become. I'm sure speedway would like to suck up the same amount football does if they could but speedways demise has nothing to do with the success of football. If speedway ever became a money generating business do you think that the bulk of the money would flow anywhere but upwards because i don't.

 

Rather than being a less favoured sport i'd say it was more like unpopular. It's a shame but that's the way it is.

Plough Lane has been falling into disrepair for years, there must've been ample opportunities for it to be redeveloped for the benefit of greyhound and speedway racing long before AFC Wimbledon first started properly proposing to use the site, but like most speedway clubs and facilities, nothing was done and the price has been paid.

 

...and like nearly every stadium is/was held in the speedway promotion don't own the stadium which has been a major reason why speedway has never had a solid footing in the world of sport in the UK.

[Little Thumper 528]

I presume by 'football' you mean the Premier League and Football League as there are hundreds more football clubs that struggle to survive week to week.

 

The fact that football 'sucks up so much' shows how successful the game has become. I'm sure speedway would like to suck up the same amount football does if they could but speedways demise has nothing to do with the success of football. If speedway ever became a money generating business do you think that the bulk of the money would flow anywhere but upwards because i don't.

 

Rather than being a less favoured sport i'd say it was more like unpopular. It's a shame but that's the way it is.

...and like nearly every stadium is/was held in the speedway promotion don't own the stadium which has been a major reason why speedway has never had a solid footing in the world of sport in the UK.

 

Yes Hot Shoe, those are two very well-made points.

I thank you for your insight,

[salty 2,202]

Football isn't the enemy here. The second that Luke Johnston and his gang at RCP got their hands on the GRA, Wimbledon was always going to developed. Up until recently the RCP website had a load of old tosh about its plans to re-energise the dog tracks, whereas the more prosaic truth was that they just borrowed a load of money to buy GRA knowing that there would be nice profits when they knocked them down for development.

Seeing as Speedway has been lost to Plough Lane for over a decade it is the greyhound fraternity that will feel the loss the most.