| Update on the pitch 12:23 - Nov 6 with 50935 views | LeanneConnolly |
Please see the below sent to members of the CAB by Jamie Willoughby who has given us permission to share.
"My main message is to reassure all fans that this issue has the 100% focus of the Club, the board and the ownership group. There has understandably been much speculation amongst fans about what action should or could be taken at this point. We are looking at all available options. Some of the more extreme options have significant technical, logistical and/or regulatory challenges associated with them (and in some cases all three of these!) but we are not ruling anything out.
We are working through all of the possibilities with the various 3rd parties involved to assess feasibility. If we consider that any of the options are feasible / deliverable and will materially improve our position, we have the support of the majority ownership group to proceed with them.
In the meantime, we continue to carry out remedial work to the pitch and manage the current situation as best we can"
[Post edited 6 Nov 12:26]
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| Update on the pitch on 11:29 - Nov 26 with 4693 views | TalkingSutty |
| Update on the pitch on 11:13 - Nov 26 by Bluebottle |
100% agree and I for one am delighted that the games will both be on and at Spotland this weekend.
Communication has been immeasurably better since the Ogdens became involved and if the educated guesses about both the cost of the dome hire and planned remedial works are anywhere near the mark we should all be eternally grateful to them.
Imagine the position we would be in now without them.
It's safe to say we would no longer be in existence and housing developers would be circling like vultures over Spotland.
Things are looking great both now and in the future and I look forward to Mark Hodkinsons follow up to 'The Overcoat men's, there is certainly one hell of a tale to tell about the last decade or so! |
He's probably not even aware he's been commisioned to write a follow up.😀 The best books end on a positive note, probably wise to wait a bit to see how things pan out. |  | | |
| Update on the pitch on 14:37 - Nov 26 with 4314 views | James1980 |
Great news about the Dome I have booked myself into the Hilton using avios points. Match ticket purchased as well so fully locked in. [Post edited 26 Nov 14:47]
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| Update on the pitch on 16:16 - Nov 26 with 4130 views | MAK |
| Update on the pitch on 10:57 - Nov 26 by Bluebottle |
I'm sure he was, but he also expressed his concern at the fact the dome doesn't allow the type of pitch preparation needed for it to be in the best shape possible for his players. We all know how much he thinks about the safety of his players, confirmed by his decision not to play Dev on Saturday so even if he's delighted by getting the game on , his previous comments show he has some concerns. |
The pitch played heavy and slow for at least in the 1st half against Aldershot, following the domes removal earlier in the day. If the manager had any issues, I guess they were based on that. By contrast, the surface seemed fairly decent last night for our faster paced football. Perhaps post dome groundwork is a little more complex than normal? | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 08:16 - Nov 28 with 3280 views | MAK |
Its looking more likely now that tomorrow's weather will be a real test for the current pitch and its protection. The forecast has chopped and changed all week, but it looks to be firming up as quite a wet day at some point. The chances of that wet portion of the day being after the cover is removed is quite high. The game itself could be played in wet conditions.
Following a fairly dry week and considering the cover has been in place for a few days, the pitch should have drained enough to give it a proper chance of dealing with and soaking up a few hours of heavy rain. We just don't get much luck with the timing of the weather. Any other day this week and there'd be no issue at all. | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 12:02 - Nov 28 with 3081 views | James1980 |
| Update on the pitch on 08:16 - Nov 28 by MAK |
Its looking more likely now that tomorrow's weather will be a real test for the current pitch and its protection. The forecast has chopped and changed all week, but it looks to be firming up as quite a wet day at some point. The chances of that wet portion of the day being after the cover is removed is quite high. The game itself could be played in wet conditions.
Following a fairly dry week and considering the cover has been in place for a few days, the pitch should have drained enough to give it a proper chance of dealing with and soaking up a few hours of heavy rain. We just don't get much luck with the timing of the weather. Any other day this week and there'd be no issue at all. |
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| Update on the pitch on 14:51 - Nov 28 with 2826 views | Dale_4_Life |
The last 3 or 4 hours have been terrible in Rochdale with very heavy downpours..
Without the dome tomorrow would have been off already.. without doubt.
lets hope keeping the dome on as late as possible Saturday - and some luck as others mentioned between it being removed and 5pm. | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 14:56 - Nov 28 with 2826 views | BigKindo |
| Update on the pitch on 14:51 - Nov 28 by Dale_4_Life |
The last 3 or 4 hours have been terrible in Rochdale with very heavy downpours..
Without the dome tomorrow would have been off already.. without doubt.
lets hope keeping the dome on as late as possible Saturday - and some luck as others mentioned between it being removed and 5pm. |
Blue skies and sunshine at Cronkey Common for the past hour. More rain expected this evening |  | | |
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| Update on the pitch on 15:11 - Nov 28 with 2786 views | dale1968 |
Rochdale Football Club can provide the following update on the Crown Oil Arena pitch.
As all of our supporters will be acutely aware, the playing surface continues to suffer from waterlogging, which has resulted in two postponements so far this season. The pitch has performed worse than expected, sooner than expected, to such a degree that the Club has no confidence that we would be able to complete our scheduled fixtures this season without taking immediate action.
We have been deploying the inflatable MacLeod Cover system for recent fixtures, which has proved invaluable. However, it is not, in our view, a viable solution for a sustained period of time and will ultimately not prevent the continued deterioration of the playing surface over the winter months.
Faced with this situation, the Club has sought, and received, permission from the National League to undertake a mid-season full rebuild of the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena.
With advice from our technical consultants, OBI, this rebuild will involve removing the entire profile of the pitch down to the drains. We will install new drainage and a gravel bed, which will be crucial in ensuring adequate drainage for years to come. The new pitch profiles will then be laid, and finally, a HERO hybrid carpet will form the playing surface, which will then be immediately playable.
Undertaking a pitch rebuild mid-season is not a straightforward process and does place an unwelcome financial burden on the club. We would like to thank all of the third parties involved who have enabled us to get to a position where we can even contemplate carrying this work out.
The build process will take approximately 4-5 weeks. Works are scheduled to commence on Sunday 7th December, immediately after the rescheduled match against Southend United. There are two matches which will be affected by the rebuild, against Hartlepool United (Tuesday 30th December) and Brackley Town (Saturday 3rd January).
The Club is in advanced discussions regarding an alternative location for these games to be played. We intend to update supporters with details of the alternative arrangements prior to the pitch works commencing.
Our planned return to the Crown Oil Arena is for the match against Truro City on Saturday 24th January.
We appreciate that there will be some inconvenience for fans and other stakeholders resulting from these fixtures being played away from the Crown Oil Arena. However, we are faced with little choice but to take action now. The action we are taking will give our team the best chance of playing out the remainder of the season on a suitable playing surface and will benefit the Club for years to come with a pitch that we can be proud of. |  |
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| Update on the pitch on 15:13 - Nov 28 with 2762 views | nordenblue |
Cant fault the club in their efforts to fully rectify the problem, can imagine the costs involved too even more so mid season id imagine. Well done to all concerned | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 15:19 - Nov 28 with 2730 views | judd |
| Update on the pitch on 15:13 - Nov 28 by nordenblue |
Cant fault the club in their efforts to fully rectify the problem, can imagine the costs involved too even more so mid season id imagine. Well done to all concerned |
You would hope that somewhere, lurking in Saddleworth,, there is a fully repentant former official who gleefully announced the last pitch rebuild came with a 10 year guarantee 5 years ago.
What a bell end.
What great owners and directors we now have.
Eternally grateful - thank you. |  |
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| Update on the pitch on 15:25 - Nov 28 with 2677 views | BigKindo |
| Update on the pitch on 15:19 - Nov 28 by judd |
You would hope that somewhere, lurking in Saddleworth,, there is a fully repentant former official who gleefully announced the last pitch rebuild came with a 10 year guarantee 5 years ago.
What a bell end.
What great owners and directors we now have.
Eternally grateful - thank you. |
Didn't the invoice/guarantee go missing? | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 16:01 - Nov 28 with 2488 views | TalkingSutty |
| Update on the pitch on 15:11 - Nov 28 by dale1968 |
Rochdale Football Club can provide the following update on the Crown Oil Arena pitch.
As all of our supporters will be acutely aware, the playing surface continues to suffer from waterlogging, which has resulted in two postponements so far this season. The pitch has performed worse than expected, sooner than expected, to such a degree that the Club has no confidence that we would be able to complete our scheduled fixtures this season without taking immediate action.
We have been deploying the inflatable MacLeod Cover system for recent fixtures, which has proved invaluable. However, it is not, in our view, a viable solution for a sustained period of time and will ultimately not prevent the continued deterioration of the playing surface over the winter months.
Faced with this situation, the Club has sought, and received, permission from the National League to undertake a mid-season full rebuild of the pitch at the Crown Oil Arena.
With advice from our technical consultants, OBI, this rebuild will involve removing the entire profile of the pitch down to the drains. We will install new drainage and a gravel bed, which will be crucial in ensuring adequate drainage for years to come. The new pitch profiles will then be laid, and finally, a HERO hybrid carpet will form the playing surface, which will then be immediately playable.
Undertaking a pitch rebuild mid-season is not a straightforward process and does place an unwelcome financial burden on the club. We would like to thank all of the third parties involved who have enabled us to get to a position where we can even contemplate carrying this work out.
The build process will take approximately 4-5 weeks. Works are scheduled to commence on Sunday 7th December, immediately after the rescheduled match against Southend United. There are two matches which will be affected by the rebuild, against Hartlepool United (Tuesday 30th December) and Brackley Town (Saturday 3rd January).
The Club is in advanced discussions regarding an alternative location for these games to be played. We intend to update supporters with details of the alternative arrangements prior to the pitch works commencing.
Our planned return to the Crown Oil Arena is for the match against Truro City on Saturday 24th January.
We appreciate that there will be some inconvenience for fans and other stakeholders resulting from these fixtures being played away from the Crown Oil Arena. However, we are faced with little choice but to take action now. The action we are taking will give our team the best chance of playing out the remainder of the season on a suitable playing surface and will benefit the Club for years to come with a pitch that we can be proud of. |
I never thought i'd see the day. The best ever Xmas present for the Dale fans and the club. Thank you to the Ogden family. [Post edited 28 Nov 16:03]
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| Update on the pitch on 16:03 - Nov 28 with 2471 views | dingdangblue |
Why don't we just switch the Hartlepool game to away and play them at home later in the season. |  |
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| Update on the pitch on 16:07 - Nov 28 with 2450 views | EllDale |
| Update on the pitch on 16:03 - Nov 28 by dingdangblue |
Why don't we just switch the Hartlepool game to away and play them at home later in the season. |
Would make sense as it’s an evening kickoff. | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 16:09 - Nov 28 with 2439 views | Nerazzurri |
I doubt Hartlepool would give up a bank holiday Monday home game at Easter for a Tuesday night in December. |  |
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| Update on the pitch on 16:11 - Nov 28 with 2416 views | dingdangblue |
| Update on the pitch on 16:09 - Nov 28 by Nerazzurri |
I doubt Hartlepool would give up a bank holiday Monday home game at Easter for a Tuesday night in December. |
Aye I suppose, big crowd for our promotion party 😜 | |
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| Update on the pitch on 16:41 - Nov 28 with 2271 views | Trev |
Amazing, really, what the Ogdens have and continue to do for our little club. | | | |
| Update on the pitch on 17:24 - Nov 28 with 2074 views | TVOS1907 |
| Update on the pitch on 16:03 - Nov 28 by dingdangblue |
Why don't we just switch the Hartlepool game to away and play them at home later in the season. |
Because we would then have two home games over Easter weekend and Hartlepool would have two away, which they and the league presumably didn't want. |  |
| You mean you STILL haven't worked out why some posts get down-ticked? |
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| Update on the pitch on 17:25 - Nov 28 with 2069 views | TVOS1907 |
| Update on the pitch on 16:07 - Nov 28 by EllDale |
Would make sense as it’s an evening kickoff. |
Eh? | |
| You mean you STILL haven't worked out why some posts get down-ticked? |
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| Update on the pitch on 17:28 - Nov 28 with 2040 views | isitme |
| Update on the pitch on 16:01 - Nov 28 by TalkingSutty |
I never thought i'd see the day. The best ever Xmas present for the Dale fans and the club. Thank you to the Ogden family. [Post edited 28 Nov 16:03]
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I was looking into the pitch and the likely price just for the pitch is between £0.5 and £1.5 million. Add on top the works to the drainage etc and this is a massive Christmas present for years to come. Oh and they have also funded another loan player today.
If any of the Ogdens do read this forum, thank you. |  | | |
| Update on the pitch on 17:37 - Nov 28 with 1999 views | judd |
| Update on the pitch on 16:03 - Nov 28 by dingdangblue |
Why don't we just switch the Hartlepool game to away and play them at home later in the season. |
Perhaps they just wouldn't? | |
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| Update on the pitch on 17:57 - Nov 28 with 1883 views | 442Dale |
| Update on the pitch on 17:28 - Nov 28 by isitme |
I was looking into the pitch and the likely price just for the pitch is between £0.5 and £1.5 million. Add on top the works to the drainage etc and this is a massive Christmas present for years to come. Oh and they have also funded another loan player today.
If any of the Ogdens do read this forum, thank you. |
Hopefully fans will appreciate this and that any inconvenience about attending games elsewhere is not put into the club.
Fans may not be able to get there, they might not get the seat they want, but please let’s try not to add to the club’s work and expense if possible. |  |
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| Update on the pitch on 18:04 - Nov 28 with 1834 views | dingdangblue |
| Update on the pitch on 17:28 - Nov 28 by isitme |
I was looking into the pitch and the likely price just for the pitch is between £0.5 and £1.5 million. Add on top the works to the drainage etc and this is a massive Christmas present for years to come. Oh and they have also funded another loan player today.
If any of the Ogdens do read this forum, thank you. |
Cameron Ogden last summer mentioned '£1.5 million cost'.
https://www.rochvalleyradio.com/news/sports/rochdale-afc-co-chair-issues-summer- | |
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| Update on the pitch on 19:26 - Nov 28 with 1589 views | Dalenet |
| Update on the pitch on 17:57 - Nov 28 by 442Dale |
Hopefully fans will appreciate this and that any inconvenience about attending games elsewhere is not put into the club.
Fans may not be able to get there, they might not get the seat they want, but please let’s try not to add to the club’s work and expense if possible. |
I am sure that the fans will understand. I would hope that the club would organise transport for travel to another ground on a not for profit basis. But lets see where the ground will be. I am sure the club has provisional commitments before they agreed a plan with the National League.
As you say, the club debt doesn't need to grow in order to keep everyone happy | | | |
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