The New Club House - what should it be called? What should be in it?

I know that the club has done a lot of work on the design of this and hope to share details soon.

But here's a big question - should it still be called Charlie's? Or Randall's? Or both?

Fozzie's bar, or a variant of, might be a nice touch?

We could go up market and call it The Taberna

Bladud's - A link to Bath's (legendary) origins plus the mascot is a legend and deserves recognition for being consistently entertaining for what, 10 years or more now.
As to what should be in it, It would be great to have some framed memorabilia.  Surely there is a big archive of Simon Howe's fab photos like the one of Noah Keats glorious strike, crying out to be seen.  I'd be happy to contribute to the costs that would incur.

2weirdtown wrote:
As to what should be in it, It would be great to have some framed memorabilia.  Surely there is a big archive of Simon Howe's fab photos like the one of Noah Keats glorious strike, crying out to be seen.

Agreed! The Club has a long proud history and we need to show it off. It's interesting to see how other clubs do this - although the ground itself gets a lot of stick, the bar and club rooms at Chelmsford really have the feel of a club which wants to celebrate its history with some great photos of past players and matches. They certainly haven't forgotten where they've come from and the old ground at New Writtle Street is well documented. The stairs leading from the upstairs bar at Bromley down to the car park is flanked by a huge photo of their team parading the Amateur Cup down their high street in an open top bus.

A few of us from the Club visited the very new facility at Dings Crusaders Rugby Club in Frenchay - already it has the feel of a base for rugby fans and it was no surprise that it was really busy on the non match evening when we visited. I particularly liked the time line going along one wall which showed in dates and photos the club's proud history.  

In contrast some of these new grounds are pretty stark and you could be drinking in an airport departure lounge.

Hopefully this is an area where supporters can have a real say in what they want.

Agreed as well. Obviously we have to think about making it attractive as a rented space, but there must be ways to celebrate our heritage at the same time.

comrade powell wrote:

2weirdtown wrote:
As to what should be in it, It would be great to have some framed memorabilia.  Surely there is a big archive of Simon Howe's fab photos like the one of Noah Keats glorious strike, crying out to be seen.

Agreed! The Club has a long proud history and we need to show it off. It's interesting to see how other clubs do this - although the ground itself gets a lot of stick, the bar and club rooms at Chelmsford really have the feel of a club which wants to celebrate its history with some great photos of past players and matches. They certainly haven't forgotten where they've come from and the old ground at New Writtle Street is well documented. The stairs leading from the upstairs bar at Bromley down to the car park is flanked by a huge photo of their team parading the Amateur Cup down their high street in an open top bus.

A few of us from the Club visited the very new facility at Dings Crusaders Rugby Club in Frenchay - already it has the feel of a base for rugby fans and it was no surprise that it was really busy on the non match evening when we visited. I particularly liked the time line going along one wall which showed in dates and photos the club's proud history.  

In contrast some of these new grounds are pretty stark and you could be drinking in an airport departure lounge.

Hopefully this is an area where supporters can have a real say in what they want.

Following on from Martin's comments, the clubhouse at Wealdstone I always like for it's history of the club/cosiness. There is a large programme front cover from the Anglo-Italian cup, a similar programme cover from an FA Trophy Final (I think final, been a few years since I've been) and then a few photos of famous ex-players Pearce, Wise, Jones etc., Definitely agree we should aim to have more stuff about the club up, even if it is something that could be easily hidden to allow other events to decorate as they desired.

As long as the new ground is nothing like Slough's, that whole day from bar to ground was like spending a Saturday at a not particularly appealing leisure centre (minus the chlorine smell).

Agree with the sentiments raised by Powell and Jon. I would love to see dome City related stuff on the walls, to make it feel like a football club.

Funnily enough, I was having a conversation with a fellow City supporter yesterday about what made Dulwich's bar so popular. Granted they have double the crowd we do, but it was hard to place why it felt more appealing. I guess anything that doesn't feel you're in a school refrectory (or airport) is way better.

As for the name, I would be more inclined to keep the name. I like that club legends are remembered this way.

For those that used the Dulwich toilets located at the end of the stand you might have noticed that the urinals were named after a business or former players, not sure which, with a sign over them. You can imagine that conversation ' I'm afraid our stand and bars have already been named, but here is an idea...'.

So lets not lose sight of any branding opportunity, certainly if it means improving our toilets !

Randall's and Charlie's don't mean much to me as only(!) been supporting City for 20 years. Would be nice to regonise some more recent legends like Martin Paul, Jim Rollo etc

COMMENTS FROM 30 NOV SESSION:

- Please make sure kitchen is accessible to all function rooms (NB that was from a member of staff)
- Cafe for events in the day time? e.g. walking footie