Deal agreed for Darlington to play at Shildon next season (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Deal agreed for Darlington to play at Shildon next season

12:11pm Monday 7th May 2012 in Blue Square Premier Photograph of the Author By Andy Walker, Chief Reporter (Darlington)

Shildon's Dean Street ground

DARLINGTON FC will play its home games ten miles away in Shildon next season, the fans’ group that runs the club confirmed today.

A one-year agreement was this morning agreed for Quakers to share Shildon’s 2,500 capacity Dean Street ground for the 2012-13 season.

The deal was reached following talks between Darlington FC 1883 (DFC 1883), which last week completed a deal to buy the club, and representatives from the Northern League outfit.

Craig McKenna, DFC 1883 board member and project manager, said securing a temporary ground share was crucial in Quakers' efforts to be awarded a football playing licence by the FA.

Shildon, who finished tenth in Northern League division one this season, will receive £25,000 in rent from DFC 1883, while Quakers will keep gate receipts from their home games.

Mr McKenna said: “A one-year lease to has been agreed for a ground share with Shildon, which we are very happy with.

“Shildon has been great, as has Bishop Auckland, but the deciding factor was that we had spoken to Shildon first and we felt that a degree of decorum was needed.”

The fact that Shildon’s ground has more car parking facilities than Bishop Auckland’s Heritage Park ground was also a factor in the decision, said Mr McKenna.

He added: “The focus is very much on coming back to Darlington next year.

“I do not think there would be a problem if we needed a second year [at Shildon], but this is not a one-year rolling lease.”

Mr McKenna said the financial elements of such deals are normally kept confidential, but a decision to publicise the rents owed to Shildon had been taken in the spirit of DFC 1883’s commitment to engaging with fans.

Shildon will also receive a share of the bar takings from Quakers games.

Fans’ reaction to the announcement is expected to be mixed.

Mr McKenna said: “Some fans did not want to think about leaving Darlington at all, some had a preference for Bishop Auckland, some had a preference for Shildon.

“We knew we were not going to be in a position to please everyone, but we hope that the fans will be fully supportive of this decision and the reasons why it has been taken.”

Comments(57)

hodgie1 says...
12:25pm Mon 7 May 12

to be fair, it was important that an agreement with some club was reached, hopefully we'll get the licence from the FA and move on

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Dean M says...
12:36pm Mon 7 May 12

Yes, this is good news. I'll certainly turn up next year; I've always appreciated Shildon naming this street and their ground after me.

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quakersam says...
1:03pm Mon 7 May 12

Happy with that. Looking forward to next season already. Well done to 1883 for getting it sorted so quickly

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swagger says...
1:32pm Mon 7 May 12

Good news, now that deal is done we can move on.
As soon as the FA let us know which league will be in, we can get the manager and team sorted, well done DFC1883 for keeping us informed.

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freelance says...
1:40pm Mon 7 May 12

Good news, at least part of Darlington will be back where it belongs - in County Durham

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Ross.c says...
2:08pm Mon 7 May 12

How come shildon has better parking when it dosent have any you just have to find a space omewhere on a street, or park in the town and walk. I think the choice should have been between west and bishop auckland, there both better grounds and both have parking facilities.

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Darlo1883 says...
2:39pm Mon 7 May 12

Well done 1883 for getting a ground secureed for next season, however, in relation to a previous article we're debate was with the involvement of fans and shareholders, if both grounds had been accepted and they were of equal standing would it not have been better to have polled the fans and asked which suited them best and then decide where to play next year. As it is you get the feeling that certain fans will feel alienated in the decisions being made.

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loan_star says...
3:23pm Mon 7 May 12

Yes lets waste time and have a poll for the ground choice!! I honestly would have prefered Bishop but I'll trust the judgement of those who have negotiated this deal since time is pressing.

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taffydav says...
3:49pm Mon 7 May 12

DURHAM parks sunday league here we come what a joke this bunch of losers are

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Savant_NE says...
3:56pm Mon 7 May 12

Nip up to B&Q , we might need some turf for good old Feethams next year.

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laughingboy51 says...
4:02pm Mon 7 May 12

Well done in acting quickly.......

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antagonist1 says...
4:21pm Mon 7 May 12

well let's big it up for shildon !!!

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foss says...
4:27pm Mon 7 May 12

Ross C - where are these 'parking facilities' you speak of at West Auckland? If they exist, why do idiots dump their cars in the nearby housing estate and all the way up the A68? Don't get me wrong, Shildon have no parking facilities either but let's not pretend that West do! Bishop is the only ground with an actual dedicated car park and yet this seems to have been overlooked! Money talks...

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jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. says...
4:43pm Mon 7 May 12

what was wrong with Darlington R.A.? At least the team would have stayed in Darlo

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quakersam says...
5:18pm Mon 7 May 12

What's wrong with it? Hmm..
1) It doesn't have the grading for the EvoStik and probably never will
2) Couldn't cope with likely crowds
3) Parking would be a nightmare

Is that enough?

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doddy2010 says...
5:39pm Mon 7 May 12

Hey - it's just like the good old days, standing in the rain!
Pre-season will be interesting though.

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stiv says...
5:41pm Mon 7 May 12

First game, and any where we are nearing the top of the league will have to all ticket as there will be a lot of local and south durham interest, darlo fans may not get a look in. all we need now is a manager who knows how to attract the best of the local non league clubs to put a winning team together, come one darlo.

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harleyjasmine says...
5:43pm Mon 7 May 12

shildon has public parking behind the factory shop,also ross c west aucklands ground as not got a patch on shildons.what i will say you have to think of people who dont have cars,there is better public services to shildon than bish or west.!!fact

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foss says...
5:56pm Mon 7 May 12

Just because there's public parking nearby doesn't mean that people will use it. There's a public car park on the village green in West but the footy fans are too lazy to use it, preferring to block residential areas.

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jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. says...
6:04pm Mon 7 May 12

The RA ground may still have been a better option, at the moment Darlo don't even know if they are going to get into the Evo Stik.
I'm not sure what upgrades would have been needed though and Darlo don't even know how many folks are going to turn up. Personally I expect the Darlo gates at Shildon to be under 1000. As for parking, or the lack of it, it is no worse than Shildon or West and it is also in Darlo so folks needn't necessarily bring cars. Walking is good for you but walking to Shildon is a bit far.

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TwoSaints says...
6:16pm Mon 7 May 12

Bishop Auckland does not have suitable parking. Yes it does have a car park but its small and not going to take anywhere near enough cars as Darlo will bring. I can't see Sainsburys allowing a couple of hundred football fans to use their car park. Nor should we expect them to.

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monteforte says...
6:22pm Mon 7 May 12

A quick decision taken to satisfy the FA who meet later this month to decide which league we will be dropped to¬...
Mr McKenna said the financial elements of such deals are normally kept confidential, but a decision to publicise the rents owed to Shildon had been taken in the spirit of DFC 1883’s commitment to engaging with fans. ..............

So it should be!,this community based club is using shareholders money so every penny spent must be accounted for!...
Keeping everybody in the loop and fully informed will benefit all...

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foss says...
6:36pm Mon 7 May 12

TwoSaints wrote:
Bishop Auckland does not have suitable parking. Yes it does have a car park but its small and not going to take anywhere near enough cars as Darlo will bring. I can't see Sainsburys allowing a couple of hundred football fans to use their car park. Nor should we expect them to.

A small car park is still more actual car park than Shildon or West have.

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antagonist1 says...
6:43pm Mon 7 May 12

shildon had a train station the last time i looked !!
solves the parking issue !!

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extratime says...
7:12pm Mon 7 May 12

monteforte wrote:
A quick decision taken to satisfy the FA who meet later this month to decide which league we will be dropped to¬...
Mr McKenna said the financial elements of such deals are normally kept confidential, but a decision to publicise the rents owed to Shildon had been taken in the spirit of DFC 1883’s commitment to engaging with fans. ..............

So it should be!,this community based club is using shareholders money so every penny spent must be accounted for!...
Keeping everybody in the loop and fully informed will benefit all...

this Mckenna statement worries me as it suggest the this transparency is here for now whilst the push for a community is high on the agenda and they want our cash but will soon be forgotton once things are back to normal

Its not the first time 1883 have given information seemingly against their will couched in these terms - in community spirit or something along those lines

as monteforte says we need this transparancy at all times into the future not just for now -

1883 seem to be paving the way to be less open further down the road otherwise why add the proviso

As for the ground obviously Bishop by far the better option in my opinion - only 250 seats which will no doubt put off those who cant stand for 90 mins, such a shame - we wont be using the jibe of four bike sheds to the poolies anymore - we now only have one - oh dear - talk about a fall from grace:(

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doonhamer says...
7:13pm Mon 7 May 12

quakersam wrote:
What's wrong with it? Hmm..
1) It doesn't have the grading for the EvoStik and probably never will
2) Couldn't cope with likely crowds
3) Parking would be a nightmare

Is that enough?

Glad a decision has been reached and Shildon seems ok to me. R.A. would have been my preferred choice but 1) Does Shildon have Evostik grading ? 2) R.A. couldn't cope with crowds !!!!!!! Newcastle United get CROWDS mate, Darlo have a hard core of loya fans, 3) Parking a nightmare at Brinkburn Road, why would you need to take your car ? excellent bus service(s) and within walking distance for a lot of fans which would make it a lot more accessible for disabled/ invalid cars/pensioners/unem
ployed etc or do you not take them into consideration ?

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The White Feather says...
7:16pm Mon 7 May 12

no mention of helping us to get there, organised coaches would solve any traffic parking problems, a football special train maybe also?

Come on Darlo we really are in last chance saloon here - please dont blow it completely.

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harleyjasmine says...
7:36pm Mon 7 May 12

foss m8 i am a resident right next to the ground and like i said public car park 1 min walk away from the ground ,i no people are lazy but the car park is nearer to the ground than most residents if only they use it.shildon is a good set up and what ever league darlo go in they will be able to deal with it and lets not forget the public transport for people who dont have cars ,trains and buses straight in to shildon ,no transport goes directly into st helens or west........ps darlo fans have a good fan base in newton aycliffe and surrounding areas .

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gvx220 says...
8:28pm Mon 7 May 12

great news....well done all those involved with 1883. full adult price by rail to Shildon is only £3.50 and takes 18 minutes to get there...bring on the football specials! cheaper if not free parking anyway..cheaper food and drink!! Anyone moaning at the way things are progressing and turning out need to give their heads a shake!! C'mon Darlo.

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holmesc1 says...
9:53pm Mon 7 May 12

Darlingtons been good to shildon over years there was pre-season friendlies for years and turnout was good and darlington sent a decent squad. Wonder what George reynolds thinks about the groundshare shildon was his adopted town

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DarloJon says...
9:55pm Mon 7 May 12

OK but get real what price are the season tickets next year? Can we get Darlo Station to do an inclusive match & train day return?

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jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. says...
10:41pm Mon 7 May 12

there is little or no hope of any "special trains. Anyone planning to go to Shildon by train on a Saturday best check the timetables. The trains only run every two hours which means 12.54 from Darlo in Shildon 13.12 then nearly two hours to hang around in Shildon urgh! After the match the first train back is 18.07 so again a long wait in Shildon. I kinda think Darlo supporters will soon get sick of travelling to Shildon and hanging around.

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Friendoffeetham says...
10:44pm Mon 7 May 12

OK - so Shildon it is for next season. But what about the plans for seasons coming after that?!

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extratime says...
8:40am Tue 8 May 12

jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. wrote:
there is little or no hope of any "special trains. Anyone planning to go to Shildon by train on a Saturday best check the timetables. The trains only run every two hours which means 12.54 from Darlo in Shildon 13.12 then nearly two hours to hang around in Shildon urgh! After the match the first train back is 18.07 so again a long wait in Shildon. I kinda think Darlo supporters will soon get sick of travelling to Shildon and hanging around.

From the overly confident prediction on attendances then it may take 2 hours to get in the ground - somehow I don't think so - other than the first game I'd expect crowds of less than 1000 dropping to 500-600 for night games in the winter (or whenever the weathers bad)

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quakersam says...
4:21pm Tue 8 May 12

Give em a break people, for christs sake. They took over on Thursday and we've got a ground sorted, now everybody is already wanting season ticket prices / manager in place / whole squad of players / next seasons plans / buses / coaches / extra trains / the world moving etc etc

Things don't happen overnight

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doonhamer says...
5:04pm Tue 8 May 12

quakersam wrote:
Give em a break people, for christs sake. They took over on Thursday and we've got a ground sorted, now everybody is already wanting season ticket prices / manager in place / whole squad of players / next seasons plans / buses / coaches / extra trains / the world moving etc etc

Things don't happen overnight

I'm sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong but I understand a rent of £25,000 for the use of Dean Street has been agreed for next season ?. No things don,t happen overnight, but a new Manager and Players are something we will obviously need and they cost money. Season tickets can wait until we find out what League we are in, then there is all the Admin fees, League costs, Entry into FA Comps etc, etc, I would like to think that people have been working on this. As far as I can ascertain all 1883's forecasts are based on monies that we do not already have, but on monies that they "hope" to achieve off fans, sponsors, businesses in the coming days/weeks/months, not a GUARANTEED source of income then Quakersam, speculative and hopeful to say the least. Most posts on this site are from loyal fans asking sensible questions and get fobbed off with trivial snide remarks as if they didn't matter. 1883 would be wise not to alienate to many people during a long close season when interest may wane. For example, in Northallerton, where I live, people are excited about the prospect of League Football coming back to York City (20 minutes on the train, a comfortable one at that) and don't fancy a day out in Shildon where you can be out for about eight hours (re train times). These are floating supporters not hard core, but if Darlo are to survive you need this type of fan in abundance and it looks to me that you have managed to upset a fair section of the fan base by gambling that the Newton Aycliffe/Shildon/Bis
hop Darlo fans will compensate for any short fall. For Darlos sake I hope you are right.

[quote][p][bold]quakersam[/bold] wrote: Give em a break people, for christs sake. They took over on Thursday and we've got a ground sorted, now everybody is already wanting season ticket prices / manager in place / whole squad of players / next seasons plans / buses / coaches / extra trains / the world moving etc etc Things don't happen overnight[/p][/quote]I'm sure you'll correct me if i'm wrong but I understand a rent of £25,000 for the use of Dean Street has been agreed for next season ?. No things don,t happen overnight, but a new Manager and Players are something we will obviously need and they cost money. Season tickets can wait until we find out what League we are in, then there is all the Admin fees, League costs, Entry into FA Comps etc, etc, I would like to think that people have been working on this. As far as I can ascertain all 1883's forecasts are based on monies that we do not already have, but on monies that they "hope" to achieve off fans, sponsors, businesses in the coming days/weeks/months, not a GUARANTEED source of income then Quakersam, speculative and hopeful to say the least. Most posts on this site are from loyal fans asking sensible questions and get fobbed off with trivial snide remarks as if they didn't matter. 1883 would be wise not to alienate to many people during a long close season when interest may wane. For example, in Northallerton, where I live, people are excited about the prospect of League Football coming back to York City (20 minutes on the train, a comfortable one at that) and don't fancy a day out in Shildon where you can be out for about eight hours (re train times). These are floating supporters not hard core, but if Darlo are to survive you need this type of fan in abundance and it looks to me that you have managed to upset a fair section of the fan base by gambling that the Newton Aycliffe/Shildon/Bis hop Darlo fans will compensate for any short fall. For Darlos sake I hope you are right. doonhamer

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Idontknowaboutyoubut says...
7:10pm Tue 8 May 12

What's with the attitude,Quaker- sam?
You know,we have a lot of questions,and concerns,and we want answers.We do not want smart arse comments,from you or anyone else connected to the club (official or otherwise)Your attitude seems to be," Take what I say as gospel,or you can clear off".It wont do.It's our club too,not just a chosen few.You only seem to want to know when money is involved.Ours!

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IonlySpeaktheTruth says...
7:58pm Tue 8 May 12

Idontknowaboutyoubut wrote:
What's with the attitude,Quaker- sam?
You know,we have a lot of questions,and concerns,and we want answers.We do not want smart arse comments,from you or anyone else connected to the club (official or otherwise)Your attitude seems to be," Take what I say as gospel,or you can clear off".It wont do.It's our club too,not just a chosen few.You only seem to want to know when money is involved.Ours!

Well said Mate.... the line from QuakerSam and his cronies is put your money up but don't ask any awkward questions! The fans deserve answers after all they will be bankrolling the Club from now on.

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harleyjasmine says...
8:22pm Tue 8 May 12

quakersam is not been smart,just telling people how it is people.things dont happen overnight the new board or whatever have secured a ground and a decent one at that ,probably done a good deal with shildon over money than probably bishop wanted,so even say they saved 10 to 20 grand by going to shildon who have better transport in to the town with bus n trains,that amount of cash will go along way to getting your decent players...

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IonlySpeaktheTruth says...
8:59pm Tue 8 May 12

extratime wrote:

monteforte wrote:
A quick decision taken to satisfy the FA who meet later this month to decide which league we will be dropped to¬...
Mr McKenna said the financial elements of such deals are normally kept confidential, but a decision to publicise the rents owed to Shildon had been taken in the spirit of DFC 1883’s commitment to engaging with fans. ..............

So it should be!,this community based club is using shareholders money so every penny spent must be accounted for!...
Keeping everybody in the loop and fully informed will benefit all...
this Mckenna statement worries me as it suggest the this transparency is here for now whilst the push for a community is high on the agenda and they want our cash but will soon be forgotton once things are back to normal

Its not the first time 1883 have given information seemingly against their will couched in these terms - in community spirit or something along those lines

as monteforte says we need this transparancy at all times into the future not just for now -

1883 seem to be paving the way to be less open further down the road otherwise why add the proviso

As for the ground obviously Bishop by far the better option in my opinion - only 250 seats which will no doubt put off those who cant stand for 90 mins, such a shame - we wont be using the jibe of four bike sheds to the poolies anymore - we now only have one - oh dear - talk about a fall from grace:(

If only we could bate Pools for their 4 bike sheds...then at least we would know that the 3,500 they bring to the arena would pay the gas bill for the season. How we have fallen indeed. If only we could have got 3,500 home supporters then this sorry situation would have been avoided.

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harleyjasmine says...
9:26pm Tue 8 May 12

does any darlo fan would think hartlepool would give darlo a preseason friendly to boost your funds ?????????

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quakersam says...
11:30pm Tue 8 May 12

What a load of fannies. I'm a fan just like the rest of you, in no way connected to 1883 or the club so don't even try that one.

What I'm trying to say is that you want these questions answering already after a few days. Wake up to reality that things take time to sort out and they can't give answers to everything straight away, no doubt once those are answered you'll be straight back with something else.
You have as much right to an opinion as the next person and I understand you want the answers, we all would like to no more but you can't expect to have everything done by now, it would be nigh on impossible to have everything sorted since Thursday. Answers will be provided when they are known.

I only want to know when money is involved? What is that meant to mean exactly?

You want answers to questions that can't be answered right now. It is our club yes but you have no patience whatsoever, do you have any idea how much work is to be done to get this football club back on its feet? Obviously not.
I'm not trying to be awkward or provide smart-arse comments but what do you honestly expect within a few days. You need to wake up to the real world that not everything can be answered how you want it, when you want it.

Either come on the messageboard where your questions will try to be answered or...
There is an open evening with the 1883 board on Friday night at the Blackwell Grange Hotel with a start time of 7pm, I'd advise you get down there

But I think people need to start thinking before they post. All board members have day jobs and families. They are doing this not for themselves, but for our club. Cut them some slack

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quakersam says...
11:51pm Tue 8 May 12

Doonhamer, I've tried my best to answer as many questions as I can over the past week or so but some I just don't have answers for.
25k is the rent for the season, correct. We take 100% on gate receipts and 50% on bar takings.
The entry fees for the FA competitions has been sorted as the deadline for applications was a few weeks ago afaik.

I know people on here are loyal fans, so am I doing nearly 50 games last season and 36 this season.
I'm not trying to alienate anyone but you've got to appreciate answers can't always be given. However to the questions you've asked I'm sure answers will be given on Friday. If for any reason anyone can't make it I can offer to ask some questions or report on the answers given out.

As for the Bishop/Shildon debate, yes we have fans coming from Barney, Northallerton, Bedale etc etc. I go from Stockton week in week out to watch the lads.
Either way some of our fans were going to lose out on the ground that was chosen.
If you pick Allerton the fans north of darlo suffer, pick Shildon, fans south suffer. You can't win either way unfortunately.

They've got a good deal from Shildon and they actually wanted us which is positive.

As I've said I'm not trying to be smart, just saying it how it is. Everyone wants all the information, we'll be given them in time, we've just got to be a bit patient guys

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doonhamer says...
7:59am Wed 9 May 12

quakersam wrote:
Doonhamer, I've tried my best to answer as many questions as I can over the past week or so but some I just don't have answers for.
25k is the rent for the season, correct. We take 100% on gate receipts and 50% on bar takings.
The entry fees for the FA competitions has been sorted as the deadline for applications was a few weeks ago afaik.

I know people on here are loyal fans, so am I doing nearly 50 games last season and 36 this season.
I'm not trying to alienate anyone but you've got to appreciate answers can't always be given. However to the questions you've asked I'm sure answers will be given on Friday. If for any reason anyone can't make it I can offer to ask some questions or report on the answers given out.

As for the Bishop/Shildon debate, yes we have fans coming from Barney, Northallerton, Bedale etc etc. I go from Stockton week in week out to watch the lads.
Either way some of our fans were going to lose out on the ground that was chosen.
If you pick Allerton the fans north of darlo suffer, pick Shildon, fans south suffer. You can't win either way unfortunately.

They've got a good deal from Shildon and they actually wanted us which is positive.

As I've said I'm not trying to be smart, just saying it how it is. Everyone wants all the information, we'll be given them in time, we've just got to be a bit patient guys

Appreciate your honesty and undoubted loyalty and yes, if any body can't attend meetings I'm sure they'll be grateful for your observations. Thank you in advance. All fans want is a bit of clarity, you have provided that and outlined your circumstances which puts you in the same boat as most who post regularly on this site I guess. A word in the shell of an 1883 member would not go amiss and if they can keep the rank and file updated on say a regular weekly basis, then I'm sure all the bickering/negative comments would stop. Over to you to see if you can use powers of persuasion.

[quote][p][bold]quakersam[/bold] wrote: Doonhamer, I've tried my best to answer as many questions as I can over the past week or so but some I just don't have answers for. 25k is the rent for the season, correct. We take 100% on gate receipts and 50% on bar takings. The entry fees for the FA competitions has been sorted as the deadline for applications was a few weeks ago afaik. I know people on here are loyal fans, so am I doing nearly 50 games last season and 36 this season. I'm not trying to alienate anyone but you've got to appreciate answers can't always be given. However to the questions you've asked I'm sure answers will be given on Friday. If for any reason anyone can't make it I can offer to ask some questions or report on the answers given out. As for the Bishop/Shildon debate, yes we have fans coming from Barney, Northallerton, Bedale etc etc. I go from Stockton week in week out to watch the lads. Either way some of our fans were going to lose out on the ground that was chosen. If you pick Allerton the fans north of darlo suffer, pick Shildon, fans south suffer. You can't win either way unfortunately. They've got a good deal from Shildon and they actually wanted us which is positive. As I've said I'm not trying to be smart, just saying it how it is. Everyone wants all the information, we'll be given them in time, we've just got to be a bit patient guys[/p][/quote]Appreciate your honesty and undoubted loyalty and yes, if any body can't attend meetings I'm sure they'll be grateful for your observations. Thank you in advance. All fans want is a bit of clarity, you have provided that and outlined your circumstances which puts you in the same boat as most who post regularly on this site I guess. A word in the shell of an 1883 member would not go amiss and if they can keep the rank and file updated on say a regular weekly basis, then I'm sure all the bickering/negative comments would stop. Over to you to see if you can use powers of persuasion. doonhamer

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Idontknowaboutyoubut says...
8:07am Wed 9 May 12

OK Quackersam,Another sneering remark is one too many for me.I have as you suggest,woken up to the real world.Stuff your club.I'll keep my money.If I want to watch non-league football,there is plenty to choose from,and league teams aplenty.

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quakersam says...
11:58am Wed 9 May 12

Well idontknowaboutyoubut I'm guessing your not much of a committed fan if that's all it takes for you to run a mile. God help if you ever came on the msgboard, you wouldn't know what's hit you.
I've been open and honest answering questions in my own time with uni exams on the way. If you can't take a bit of criticism then that's your fault. Pick your dummy up off the floor, if your in it for the long run like the rest of us then lets do this together, if not then fine

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gvx220 says...
2:52pm Wed 9 May 12

Quakersam..dont let the mongo's get to you....theres a few of them on here....who love moaning. You can guarantee they wont be attending no meeting to air there views.....they just like to tap tap tap on there keyboard and whinge to make themselves feel better. Any one that isn't impressed with the effort 1883 are putting in...and the way things are moving forward with the club so fast...then blimey these people should give their head a shake and get in the real world. Things DO NOT happen overnight. Another thing....i dont reckon we'll have a new ground ready for the season after next....god knows what the plonkers on here will make of that!!!!..they'll probably say something like..oh i cant be arsed waiting....i think i'll go and watch Hartlepool...or watch the football on Sky.
Thank you again people who are putting a lot of effort in new beginnings. C'MON DARLO!!!!

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quakersam says...
4:17pm Wed 9 May 12

Amen to that brother. Thanks for the support

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Allanopie says...
3:12am Thu 10 May 12

Whatever , the council , bled the club dry ! It,s there loss ! Buses n coaches will probably ber organised ! If there,s enough fan,s !

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mrrealist says...
10:56pm Thu 10 May 12

How soon will we know which league we'll be in?

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doonhamer says...
8:00am Fri 11 May 12

mrrealist wrote:
How soon will we know which league we'll be in?

Not 100% on this but current season ends on May 31st, eg after all play-offs, cup finals etc. Most Leagues have their AGM's early June and composition of League's is normally finalised by approx June 18 when fixtures are released. FA will decide Darlo's place. Because of events Blue Square North is a no no, and the club will face further demotion. The Evostik (Northern Premier, Premier Division) is the next stop down but their member clubs won't take kindly to Darlo entering at that level so their First Division looks a better bet, providing clubs can be moved sideways (eg to Midlands and South)to accommodate us. This means we will have descended a further two divisions but looks the most likely outcome given experiences of clubs like Boston, Chester, Halifax, Rushden etc. However, there is an outside chance that the FA could take Darlos not too clever track record into account, and, although circumstances were slightly different, the fates of Maidstone, Scarborough and Wimbledon could parallel ours and (I personally think highly unlikely, but as I said it's only me hazarding a guess) we could end up in the Northern League.

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mrrealist says...
10:32pm Fri 11 May 12

Thanks, doonhamer. Concise, and as always helpful.

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mrrealist says...
11:08pm Fri 11 May 12

doonhamer, sorry to be a pest. Do you have any idea what DFC's colours will be for next season? What have you heard, if anything about merchandise for 2012-13. Darlington's on-line shopping has been non-existent, in comparison to Mansfield for example.

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Darlo1883 says...
11:38pm Fri 11 May 12

Mr Realist - the online club shop was non existant when we were in business never mind now during so much uncertainty. We dont even know what league we will be in never mind merchandise. According to the firum people's preference is for Black and White hoops, thats all I know of. Once 1883 gets turned round I'm sure they will explore every avenue to create turnover to keep the club going. If you havent joined the forum try googling Darlo Uncovered. you will be kept up to date with everything as far as the club is concerned, just be careful not to ask a 'dumb question' as you will no doubty be ripped from limb to limb :) only joking!!

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mrrealist says...
11:55pm Fri 11 May 12

Thank you Darlo1883. I think you'll find theres no i in forum.

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quakersam says...
12:55am Sat 12 May 12

Black & white hoops it will be. We find out on Wednesday what league we're placed in as the FA are having their board meeting

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Shildon Casual says...
2:18pm Sat 12 May 12

A message to the Darlo fans twisting on about having to play at Shildon - Don`t come !!! - Welcome to all the other non twisters.

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