With plans submitted for a potential groundshare between a Darlington football and rugby club, Kieran Moriarty examines the benefits and drawbacks of such a move

After two years in the wilderness of plying their trade at Heritage Park in Bishop Auckland, Darlington FC could finally be coming home to play their football, following a fan-funded move to Blackwell Meadows.

A figure of up to £85,000 was raised to finance the homecoming, much to the delight of their long-suffering fans. However there are issues with this move. Blackwell Meadows requires a significant upgrade of its stands, pitch and car parking facilities, to comply with the FA’s stringent ground requirements.

The necessary improvements have been proposed and submitted in a recent planning application to Darlington Borough Council. However council approval may be the least of the concerns facing Darlington FC in regards to this move.

Currently Blackwell Meadows is the base of Darlington Rugby Football Club, making this the latest ground share between a professional football club and a rugby club.

The Northern Echo:
ARTIST'S IMPRESSION: How Blackwell Meadows may look if plans for a groundshare are approved

Groundshares between football and rugby clubs have a chequered history in which some have been seen to work, reaping benefits for both sides, while others have caused clubs to suffer greater financial costs as a result of destroyed playing surfaces and tensions between the two tenants’ interests. So do groundshares still work in modern football and rugby?

The foundations underpinning this Darlington groundshare seem more positive than other examples. It is an arrangement in which both sides stand to benefit which explains why Darlington FC and Darlington RFC have been working closely alongside each other.

For Darlington FC, it is the fulfilment of the fans’ romantic dream in finally coming home after suffering the embarrassment of playing their home games outside of Darlington.

If this arrangement is approved, they could be playing their home games in Darlington by the start of the 2015/2016 season.

For Darlington RFC, they stand to benefit from the FA’s strict requirements, as the tenancy of Darlington FC forces Blackwell Meadows to be given a face-lift. The overhaul of the stadium’s facilities will include a new stand with seating, terraced area, as well as a revamped club house, all components that will contribute to commercial director of Darlington RFC, Michael Stowe’s vision “to create a premier sports hub for the community of Darlington and the Tees Valley”.

On top of this, there are optimistic projections of increased attendances for both clubs which could lead to healthy boosts in revenue for each party.

All of these intentions are good but do they work when put into practice? The evidence from ground shares in the past is sketchy in proving these benefits. Reading FC provide a fantastic example of when the arrangement works perfectly, albeit in the opposite way, when they accommodated London Irish RFC.

Since this relationship began in 2000, London Irish have flourished as a club, recording consistent 10,000+ attendances weekly and leading fans to vote in a survey that the stadium is “the best environment in which to watch rugby”.

However, London Irish’s progress has not hindered that of their partners Reading FC, who have ascended to the Premiership twice in recent years and are usually in contention for promotion each season.

In this example, the interests of both parties are properly managed and controlled, thus leading to a successful ground share.

Wigan are another example of a club who have managed to make a ground share work. The DW Stadium is owned by Dave Whelan, the Wigan FC owner but Wigan Warriors are permitted to play their home games at the stadium.

As a result, The Wigan Warriors' average attendance has increased by 32.5% from its first full season at the stadium in 2000. Considering dwindling football attendances in the lower divisions, this extra shot of revenue from rugby ticket sales provides a welcome source of finance for the club.

However, over the years, the state of their pitch has been a bone of contention, leading to the major issue in regards with ground shares.

Due to the nature of rugby and football fixture lists, it is not uncommon for rugby matches to be played on Friday evenings and football fixtures to be played on Saturday afternoons.

Considering the damage done to playing surfaces from 70 minutes of rugby, this is an incredibly quick turnaround for groundstaff to have to cope with to ensure the pitch is to a playing standard the following day.

It is not just the pitch that must be sorted. The whole ground must be transformed overnight from a rugby to a football pitch in a matter of hours, which entails changing of posts, pitch marking, advertising hoardings etc.

Bigger clubs such as Watford and Reading may have been able to make this arrangement work and repair their surfaces in time for football matches (although both have been subject to criticism for poor pitches in the past). However, for smaller clubs it is a far more difficult job.

Oxford, Wycombe and Charlton all struggled, providing an ominous warning to a club the size of Darlington. Especially considering their financial troubles in recent years.

Finally, there is the issue of history and tradition. Although a move for a club to a ground sharing arrangement may make perfect economic sense, it can disregard the wishes of the fans who support the club.

Bristol Rugby, whom have agreed to move into Bristol FC’s Ashton Gate, stand to benefit hugely from the £40,000 renovation of the stadium. Yet despite the clear economic boost though playing in a bigger and more modern stadium, fans are still upset and angry about deserting their legendary Memorial Stadium.

This is one of several examples. Coventry present the other side of the coin, as their fans fear that the proposed residency of the Wasps at the Ricoh Arena can only further harm the club’s already fragile existence.

Therefore ground sharing is a tough issue. It fully depends on the fans and the work carried out by both the rugby and football parties involved. As Stowe stated “Both Darlington RFC and Darlington FC have great potential that can be realised by, not working in isolation, but through cooperation and the forging of talents to create a stable future for everyone; not just both clubs but the town as well”.

Whether this can be achieved through ground sharing remains to be seen.