Two trips to Torquay this season

Many football clubs groundshare successfully with rugby clubs; most notably Swansea City, who are renowned for their passing football, who have shared with the Ospreys since the move to the Liberty Stadium. The following have groundshared with rugby teams.

Wycombe Wanderers/Wasps
Bristol City/Bristol Rugby.
Darlington/Darlington F.C.
Sheffield United F.C./Sheffield Eagles
Wigan Athletic F.C./Wigan Warriors
Gateshead/Gateshead Thunder
Huddersfield Town/Huddersfield Giants
Hull City/Hull Rugby
Doncaster Rovers/Doncaster Rugby
Reading/London Irish
Notts County F.C./Nottingham R.F.C.
Wrexham/North Wales Crusaders
Rochdale/Rochdale Hornets
Halifax Town/Halifax RL
Oldham Athletic/Oldham R.L.F.C.
Cardiff City/Cardiff Blues
Stockport County/Sale Sharks
Brentford/London Broncos
QPR/Wasps
Bristol Rovers/Bristol Rugby
Halifax Town/Halifax RL
Watford/Saracens

As I say, there will have been differing results and the silly northern game doesn't have proper scrums (where most of the damage is done) but you can't make a blanket statement like rugby pitches aren't good enough. Pitch technology has changed dramatically for both sports. There was exactly the same argument made about pitches when Cardiff City started to share with Cardiff Blues and, at the time, Cardiff City were playing some of their best football (very much anti-Warnock). This didn't stop when they moved to the new stadium and groundshared. Obviously, Wales' football and rugby teams have shared the Millenium for ages but that is a different situation.

Midsomer-steve wrote:We wouldn't want to groundshare with a rugby team - their pitch would not be good enough to play good football on, especially in mid-winter.

If our redevelopment is completed first, perhaps they could share the ‘Stadium for Twerton’ especially if we have a 3G pitch by then!

I didn't make myself clear enough for you Mark - by saying "a rugby club" I meant the Bath Club. Their pitch gets very boggy in mid-winter. I cannot comment on the grounds you have listed of course.

I see that with the initial concept plans for the proposed new stadium on the Rec being released this week they are making a big play on it being a 'Community Stadium / Stadium for Bath'.
If they are truly committed to this sort of initiative then surely they should be willing to assist the football club with a short term ground share - or is this merely a ploy to assist with gaining planning permission?
Perhaps now would be good time to be making a formal approach to the rugby club and the council regarding a ground share so that they can turn this apparent community commitment into actions.

Midsomer-steve wrote:I didn't make myself clear enough for you Mark - by saying "a rugby club" I meant the Bath Club. Their pitch gets very boggy in mid-winter. I cannot comment on the grounds you have listed of course.

Yes, I appreciated that you meant Bath. I can't see why Bath's pitch or their style of play would cause any more of a problem than any of the other rugby union clubs mentioned. Of course, it may be that, during a time of ground sharing, a new surface would need to be looked at to accommodate both clubs' matches - not 3G but there are pitch technology is such that such sharing isn't a problem.

SteveS wrote:I see that with the initial concept plans for the proposed new stadium on the Rec being released  this week they are making a big play on it being a 'Community Stadium / Stadium for Bath'.
If they are truly committed to this sort of initiative then surely they should be willing to assist the football club with a short term ground share - or is this merely a ploy to assist with gaining planning permission?
Perhaps now would be good time to be making a formal approach to the rugby club and the council regarding a ground share so that they can turn this apparent community commitment into actions.

Exactly.

I'm reliably informed that Bruce Craig has no interest whatsoever in football. So I can't imagine that he would agree to us sharing the Rec, despite the community angle which Steve mentions and which should make interesting reading. Our fixtures are published well in advance of rugby's - would Bath Rugby be happy fitting their lucrative home games around ours?

Also we should be careful about applying the logic "they say it's a community initiative, we're the community, therefore they should give us something", as that can and will be applied to us as well!

Good point, Oliver, but our pitch is owned by us not by a trust that maintains the pitch as a recreational facility available for the benefit of the public at large used for games and sports of all kinds, tournaments, fetes, shows, exhibitions, displays, amusements, entertainments, or other activities of a like character with no undue preference to or in favour of any particular game or sport. Of course, it could be said that we are hypocritical to want to use the Rec while we have private land but I am sure we could offer our pitch to Bath Rugby while they are redeveloping - especially as it will be 3G by then.

comrade powell wrote:I'm reliably informed that Bruce Craig has no interest whatsoever in football. So I can't imagine that he would agree to us sharing the Rec, despite the community angle which Steve mentions and which should make interesting reading. Our fixtures are published well in advance of rugby's - would Bath Rugby be happy fitting their lucrative home games around ours?

My point is that it shouldn't be in Brice Craig's 'gift' to 'allow' us to use the Rec. If the Rec Trust says "no", then that is one thing but not the tenants.

As far as the fixture lists are concerned, many other clubs that I have listed have made it work.

Oh dear. Could there be a chance of a visit to Truro after all?
https://www.cornwalllive.com/sport/football/truro-city-poised-end-ground-2101152

Although it's not great logistically for supporters, it is much better for a club to be back in their natural habitat. Too many clubs have gone to the wall in such circumstances.

Todays news from Truro:

Six-point update from Helical Retail...
WE HAVE today received a six-point update from Jonathan Cox representing Helical Retail.

1. LidI do not now propose to terminate their Agreement. They helpfully changed their position Tuesday afternoon.
2. Lidl want to give the Treyew Road stakeholders the opportunity to deliver the scheme including their unit, as it is the most deliverable site in Truro for them.
3. Any other site for Lidl will involve the full planning process and contractual negotiations, which in our opinion are likely to take at least 12 months.
4. The Helical Retail team have had active discussions underway with several potential funding parties and the key retailers including; Wren, Sofology, Tapi and we are waiting for feedback from them.
5. Given the delays caused by the headwinds we have been facing, the HR team think the earliest realistic time for a start on site is May 2019 and therefore as a principle we do not have an objection to TCFC returning to Treyew Road, subject to the football club being able to play at Torquay United FC's ground next season whilst the S4C is being built. Lidl and the other retailers will want to know that the start of construction can commence in the second quarter of next year.
6. A considerable amount of effort is ongoing to deliver the project and we remain optimistic that a way can be found through the current situation.

At this point in time Truro City FC have not had the opportunity to discuss Helical’s latest position with JIL, the ground owners. We will, however, take the six points into consideration whilst making the decision to continue to play our matches at Torquay or apply to the League to return to Treyew Road.
Given that the situation appears to be fluid no date has been fixed to discuss the possible return.

Updated 13:21 - 18 Oct 2018 by Truro City Football Club

So.......will we, or won't we, be going to Torquay in 12 days time?

Whatever the League regulations allow about clubs playing their home matches at more than one ground in the same season, I hope they will insist that they can't change at such short notice. Supporters of clubs who were scheduled to play at Truro in August were suddenly informed that instead they would be going  to Torquay, despite travel arrangements and hotel accommodation being booked.

comrade powell wrote:Whatever the League regulations allow about clubs playing their home matches at more than one ground in the same season, I hope they will insist that they can't change at such short notice. Supporters of clubs who were scheduled to play at Truro in August were suddenly informed that instead they would be going  to Torquay, despite travel arrangements and hotel accommodation being booked.

You can hope...