Welcome
to today's issue of
BOUNDARY
BULLET-zine
The
Daily On-line e-zine for 234
Oldham Athletic Supporters
Worldwide
Today's
Edition for
9th June 2000
Welcome to 2
new subscriber's in London
Today's
Headlines
Boundary
Park to be redeveloped
Oldham
Evening Chronicle
Athletic
are staying put
PLANS
for a purpose-built new stadium in Oldham have been abandoned with bombshell
news that Boundary Park will be redeveloped. Athletic
and Oldham Rugby will share the revamped ground, after shadow members of
the stadium company agreed it was the only viable option for a state-of-the-art
ground in the town. It means that the
Sports Park 2000 scheme will now be scrapped —with amateur footballers
continuing to use the pitches on Clayton Playing Fields. The
development will be called "The Oldham Stadium" and is said to have the
full backing of both clubs. In a joint statement, leading councillors,
council officers, and officials of both professional clubs said: "The redevelopment
of Boundary Park involving significant investment is the best and only
option open for a new Oldham stadium to meet 21st century requirements."
They
added that it is too early to specify timescales, redevelopment costs and
how much will be invested, but confirmed the plans will include development
of the Furtherwood Farm area. Council leader Richard Knowles said today:
"There were three sites on the table, but there was a unanimous decision
as to which site to go for. "The other
two sites were discussed. Although Christopher Hamilton (rugby club chairman)
was not at that meeting, he was consulted separately and he, too, was in
support of the decision." The meeting
included Councillor Knowles, Labour leader Councillor David Jones, Councillor
Chris Hilyer, Athletic chairman David Brierley, directors Peter Chadwick
and Derek Taylor, Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy, and the Council's
directors of Corporate Services and Economic Development, Peter Fenton
and Keith Coates. Councillor Hilyer said: "I am delighted to announce there
has been a solid commitment from all three parties to the redevelopment
of Boundary Park.
"We
are all in agreement that we need a new stadium to meet modern requirements
so that both the clubs themselves and their supporters, as well as the
community as a whole, can benefit." Simon Hewitt, of the Clayton Action
Group, said the development is good news for all Athletic and rugby fans,
as well as his own group. He added: "We
have never opposed a new stadium, just the location on the playing fields.
"I am pleased that Ina Clayton's gift is being respected, and that Athletic
are staying in their ancestral home. "What we need now are some contractual
guarantees for the rugby club, and for the running track to be sorted out
as soon as possible."
Press Association
Oldham
Shelve Plans For New Stadium
Plans to build a
new stadium in Oldham for the joint use of Oldham Athletic and Oldham Rugby
League Club have been abandoned. Instead, the town's existing Boundary
Park ground will be developed and upgraded to modern standards involving
"significant investment". The development, which has the backing and support
of both clubs, will no longer be known as Boundary Park but will be renamed
The Oldham Stadium. In a joint statement, Oldham Council representatives
and officials of both clubs said: "This is the best and only option open
for a new Oldham stadium to meet 21st Century requirements." The rugby
league club meanwhile is still searching for a ground on which to complete
its remaining fixtures this season because essential repair work has been
started on the Boundary park pitch. Several clubs have offered their facilities
but Rochdale's Spotland Stadium has emerged as favourite although the clubs
and the Spotland Stadium company are still locked in talks.
TEAMtalk
Oldham
Boundary
Park to be redeveloped
A decision
was taken at a meeting last night between councillors and the Oldham board
to redevelop the Oldham Boundary Park ground. The local authority will
now be making what they say is a "significant investment" in Boundary Park
- Oldham's home for the last 100 years. This means that the plans for a
new state-of-the-art stadium just down the road on the Clayton playing
fields will finally be scrapped. The cost for that 15,000 all-seater ground
was to have been in the region of £15 million but it is hoped the
new stadium at the Latics' spiritual home will be a lot cheaper as there
will be no land to buy and no relocation costs. The work is expected to
be carried out in stages and could take up to three years before it is
complete and the local council insists that the latest deal is the best
and only option for a new stadium which will meet the requirements of the
21st century. A leisure and hotel complex will also be built nearby and
although planning permission has yet to be sought, there are expected to
be no objections to the deal.
Stadium
plans praised
Oldham
Athletic's plans to redevelop Boundary Park have won favourable reactions
from all quarters. Oldham councillor Chris Hilyer, who was at last night's
meeting when the recommendations were made, was "extremely delighted" with
the decision. He added: "There has been a solid commitment from all parties
to the development of Boundary Park. "We were all in agreement that we
need a new stadium to meet modern requirements so that the clubs themselves
and their supporters, as well as the community as a whole can benefit."
The other club in question is the local rugby league club, who will share
the new facilities. Councillor Hilyer said it was too early to specify
timescales or costs of the redevelopment. Latics chairman David Brierley
and his Oldham Rugby League club counterpart Chris Hamilton also warmly
welcomed the news. Further meetings will take place later this month and
the next stage will be to draw up a development brief to decide the way
forward. It looks that if, at long last, the fans will not have to put
up with the crumbling Boundary Park facilities for much longer.
Blades
deny Graham swoop
Sheffield
United boss Neil Warnock has played down reports linking Oldham defender
Richard Graham with the Blades. The 25-year-old, who is out of contract,
is well known to Warnock from his time in charge at Oldham. The versatile
defender can play in defence or midfield and is highly-rated by Warnock
but the player's fitness record has deterred the Blades boss from making
a move with injury problems restricting Graham to just 30 starts in the
last two seasons.
Pitch
work progressing well
Work on
solving Oldham's well-documented pitch problems are well on target. So
far one-and-a-half inches of the playing surface have been removed and
the ground is now ready for reseeding. The work should be completed early
next week and that will give it eight weeks or so to bed in ready for the
pre-season friendlies. Officials are hoping for a dry and sunny spell before
the August 6 clash with Leeds United.
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