Fair point about the rich businessman bit, but you could hardly blame anyone for not getting involved, at the end of the day what would be the point? what would someone get out of it? (other than probable abuse when they didn't do something the fans wanted!) Having said that Belper only get gates of around 200 (mind you they're always pleading poverty) and I saw an NCEL match the other week with less than 50 fans there!
Truth is the club could probably fund playing at NCEL level with a bit more help but the ground is the drawback and always will be while it's council run and operated for the benefit of one man and his whippet watching cricket. A few years back there was talk of moving the whole ground over to seperate the football pitch and cricket pitch but the council wouldn't encroach on the pitch over the wall because it was used for the school, Which no longer exists!! food for thought!!! or not!

I understand the feelings of earlier posts but if this is the case what is the point of carrying on apart from chasing a few cups?

I would'nt think the likes of Long Eaton, Teversal, Eastwood or South Normanton to name but a few of the local teams who have been promoted recently could muster up the support we get, which by my reconning is greater this season than it was a couple of years ago when everyone appeared to want promotion. Perhaps Heanor's own Statto (Stan) could confirm the attendances.

To mention teams of cloggers and poor grounds I watched the match yesterday against Clippy and you can't get much more brutal than that and playing on the hallowed mud at Sandiacre must be every players dream.

We make excuses for the apparant lack of drive from the current custodians of the club who blame AVBC for lack of progress in upgrading the changing rooms, but to-date noone from the club has responded to this topic to clarify the official position.

Perhaps someone from the committee might find the time to do so?

dont blame amber valley, the problem with heanor town lies soley with the people that run the club. the changeing rooms were passed last year, if the people in charge dont really care why pass it on to the local council. and as for the game being called off a day early, avbc called off all games in our region as a matter of saftey to the players. i wish all the best to all the local teams, but saftey to people who have to go to work on mondays must come first. look in house for the problems, they can be worked out, possibly with sound sponsership. heanor is abundant with national companys (open your eyes their there)

Just out of interest, when the club have to pay the council to use the floodlights and the council have and are revamping the cricket pavillion why is it that the club has to buy and repair the floodlights when the council have taken the money for the phone masts they are mounted on? and why do the club have to pay for changing room improvements that are then used by every man and his dog?

(whilst I admit I'm just being a bit provocative, who is supposed to pay, who then owns the rights to the facility and where has the money given to the club by the phone companies for use on the town ground gone?)

ps I am in no way connected with the committee, I just take the trouble to ask directly sometimes.

Great to hear that someone is working on the lights!!!

I have been digging into the Amber Valley website and found a couple of i items which I think are relevent to the Changing Room saga.

Apart from the planning permission granted in August 2004, I have found an AVBC News Release from September 2002, some 2 years earlier which indicates that the total target of £200,000 pounds, including an anonymous donation of £60.000 had now been reached.

I have also found a minute, No 1278 from the Cabinet Meeting of AVDC of 14th December 2005, entitled "Development at Heanor Town Ground" which states:
1. "That the Director of Environmental Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Members of Regeneration, is authorised to implement the scheme to provide football changing rooms at Heanor Town Ground"

2. "that the Director of Environmental Services and Chief Executive are authorised to enter into negotiations with Heanor Town Football Club"

So, as I see it, but forgive me if I am missing something, money available September 2002, Planning granted August 2004, further meeting 14th December 2005 approving the new changing rooms etc and yet no comment from either the club or council!
What is really going on?

Unless I'm being a bit simple (which is quite possible), what Steve has found and shared with us, does indeed point the finger at AVBC in as much that I have been told several times by various members of the committee that the funding was in place but that there seemed to be a hold up or dragging of heels on behalf of the council (by that I don't mean the elected members but the faceless civil servants who REALLY run the borough) I don't doub't that sometimes the clubs officials through their frustration, have probably contributed to the lack of progress inadvertently by showing the frustration in inadvisible ways at meetings etc. However as Steve has said, funding in place 2002, plans passed 2004, confirmation that the council can "enter negotiations with the club" in December 2005 does suggest that the club has been somewhat towards the bottom of any discussions. Nearly 4 years to be allowed to talk to the club. We should have said that the facilities were predominantly going to be used by Bosnian one legged lesbians, we may have got the go ahead in a matter of minutes!!

I would like to make a couple of points, firstly, unlike Pheasant Plucker, I do not wish to point the finger of blame at anyone or any organisation for that matter, I merely have found information, which I presume as it is in the public domain and is therefore fact and not just someones opinion.

Secondly as I stated in my last post the AVBC Cabinet Meeting was on 14th December yet we are almost a further 3 months down the line and we, the loyal supporters of HTFC know nothing. Supporters turn up week in week out cough a few quid apice and yet we are kept totally in the dark and that, to the best of my knowledge includes Stan Wilton.

All I ask is that either someone from the club or from AVBC has the decency to inform supporters what is going on.

Finally as Pheasant Plucker appears to be so well informed about the club policy (yes I read your original post above prior to the editing this morning) perhaps he or she might reveal their true ID?

Steve,

The company I work for has on occassion provided sponsorship and labour to help the club out, I am also indirectly aware (through an aquaintance) of the motivation (or lack of) of certain council and ex council employees where the club is concerned. I suggest you take up the Chairman's offer of attending one of the committee meetings and ask questions for yourself. I have spoken directly to at least four different members of the committee on many different occassions over the past four or five years and to a man and woman all have said exactly the same things to me on this subject. As I have previously stated, there may be a case for claim that on occassion the committee has not exactly enamoured itself with the people it has dealt with at the council but there must surely be a point when we all feel like we are banging our heads against a wall when dealing with excessive red tape. The committee have repeatedly asked for younger members with fresh ideas to join them, those within the ranks who follow home and away obviously have a great passion for the club I'm sure the committee would welcome any help. Ultimately you will get one side of the story if you ask a member of the committee, you don't have to believe that story, it just so happens that I do. If the council had wanted to put new changing rooms on the ground, as owners of the ground they could have done it years ago (remember your statement that funding was in place in 2002) the fact that the club needs the changing rooms to progress and the council does'nt need the facility in order for the ground to operate to me say's there has been a lack of will within the council. What then does it say to you?

too right pheas me old lad too right! that ok kipper??

wow , congratulations on the most negative reply I have ever heard ! , If you became any less optimistic you could write for the local paper .

All old fans dead ? , no young fans coming forward ?

In my little group of fans alone we have 3 generations of Lions fans from pensioner down to school kids. Heanor has easily the best support of any team in the area playing at this level of footbal , I have travelled almost to Skeggy and back to watch Heanor by car so if we did have to travel further a coach would probably quite easily be filled.

PS

oops , that was a reply to a note on the previous page , didn't notice the second page

Its true though, why should us fans bother when the council or the committee dont seem to bother, several times posts we have asked committee members to comment and they havent to date. Over twenty years our fans have put in as much as belper fans have money wise and still we are at same standard as we have been for ages while , hucknall, ilson,alfreton, arnold, belper, mickleover, long eaton , need i say more have gone up , some with less or no more support than ours, we can never attract the decent players to take us up anyway so mid table cmfl is about best we can hope for, if I ever win the lottery then ill buy our own ground , until then lets dream or be happy to see the lions run out saturday playing radford and the prims!

Pheasant Plucker, Just in case you were not aware I too have raised a substantial amount in sponsreship, provided materials and worked on the dugouts, provided supplies for the physio and been to a number of committee meetings. For my services to the club I was made Clubman of the year 2002/03.

That aside I will repeat what I have said before, I do not wish to point the blame any individual or organisation for that matter. All I wish to know, either from the club and or AVBC, is what is the current position regarding the New Changing Rooms. Not a too difficult question to answer and given that the Secretary, Michael Knibbs has been on the site today shurly he has seen the posts on this issue?

To those supporters who have the attitude of "well this is as far as we are going", I suggest you ask the players and manager of their opinions on playing at a higher level and the possibility of playing in the prliminary rounds of the FA Cup!!!!!!.

I.m afraid PP, having an aquaintance within the club who feeds you snipits of info is no substitute for hearing the Facts from those in the know

Come on Committee and/or AVBC make a definative statement:wink:

This will be my last post on this subject (you will be pleased to hear). I appreciate that you are not looking to aportion blame to one group or another but ultimately someone is to blame whether we aportion it or not.
Earlier posts (not by you) lay the blame squarely at the door of the committe, I merely used your facts allied to the experiences and knowledge of the situation I have through talking to members of the committee and doing some work for the club, to say that from my viewpoint I believe the major culprits in the lack of development are the council, I did concede that on occassions the committee may not have helped the situation. The Town ground is a major asset of AVBC and the people of Heanor and surrounding areas yet over the past 30 years the facility has been systematically run down (remember the stand with seats, the old stand behind the Wilmot street goal, toilets adjacent to the turnstiles, etc). Whether the club ultimately progresses to NCEL status (with it's absolutely ridiculous ground standards criteria) or not, the Town ground can and could be developed without the will of the committee, it cannot however be developed without the will of the council. I'm pleased you have uncovered facts which show that the council is now a willing facilitator and I'm sorry that I seem to have offended you by posting my take on events (it was not my intention) It is however a forum for chat and opinion and I've given you mine.

I'm all for this. God bless the Internet.

The question about the facilities is a question that needs to be asked but we should never forget that, ultimately, the committee are volunteers. They don't have to do the job. The opportunity is there for other people to get involved if they feel progress is too slow. They'd welcome you with open arms. I'm also aware that the club have engaged a sponsorship officer in the past to try to raise money for the cause. You can judge the outcome for yourself, but you can't accuse them of not trying.

I've already speculated that the club may have one eye on the re-organisation of the league as a possible 'back door' entry to Level 6 and thus the FA Cup Prelim round without having to shell out mega bucks. However, conversely, I would also surmise that our 'expenses' budget is one of the highest in the league.

Something that I'm sure we can all agree on is when we see clubs without the tradition or support shooting past us in the fast lane to promotion. Carlton, Gedling, Teversal, Retford, Stavely, Glapwell, South Normanton, Borrowash and in all probability Dinnington and Barton or Gedling MW this season.

Something is wrong somewhere.