And you're quite right, there is always something that can be improved. But not to the extent planned and it can be done under council ownership.

I would have thought that was for the Councilors to decide , I cannot see them being dictated to as to what they are going to have to do down there .

And I'm sure when the time comes they will deliver, as they have done with the North Stand.

At the end of the day though Geoff you and I have no real say in the matter, it's not our money and even if we did have why would our prefferences be any better or more acceptable to anyone other than ourselves.
It's just what we think based on our own bias and prejudices.

Back to simple logic again and down to choices depending on if the council decide to sell or not.

Option 1. The council keep ownership and it will not improve much more than it is now as they do not have the money, nor will it generate any other income from other uses or areas.

Option 2. Reactiv takes ownership and develope it well beyond what it is now and open up a number of opportunities to generate income from other uses or areas.

These stadiums can and need to be so much more than just the home of the local sporting teams so don't just think of development and improvement in those terms, those days are in the past if you want to stay alive in 2013 and beyond.

Option 3. Some unknown party with unknown intentions takes ownership.

Make your choice with a balanced unbiased view.

I walked past today and the Skircoat Road side always looks a mess and then there are all the trees inside the ground, I don't know of many grounds that have this. There is potential to make the ground generate a decent income but it needs investment from a party that really does want to do rather than just do the basics which the council are doing.

If you really are not Bubba, same IP address then you are a bubberette.

At the meeting TA said he would be able to make money from the Shay from day 1. Can't remember his exact wording but that was the jist of what he said. If that is true then does that not mean that he knows something that nobody else does about making money from the ground?

At the moment there is nobody else, just TA and CMBC and from the two it would seem reasonable to suggest that he knows more about making money.

Not surprising really as he is a Businessman who happens to have the best interests of both clubs to heart and CMBC are of course a council who have to have the best interests of the rest of the population of Calderdale in mind.

One, CMBC sees the Shay as a serious overhead, the other, TA sees it as an oppourtunity that would benefit all currently concerned (the clubs) whilst opening up extra jobs for dozens of other people and developing it.

I don't think he would have publicly said it if he wasn't confident of doing so and with the other proposals clearly set out there must have been a lot of thought on the direction he would be going in.

Again down to choice who would we choose to take it forward.

Unfortunatly a Council does not think it has to make money at all , what they do is spend ours on what they perceive to be priorities and funding peoples hobby whilst nurseries and schools are having cutbacks does not constitute as a priority.
Quote from a Councilor tonight
"If the Council decide to sell the Shay it will be all tied up with legal clauses so both Clubs are guarenteed to continue to use the Shay .Whoever it is sold to it will include clauses to stop it being sold on for supermarket or similar .The Council have done a good job for the Shay but we can`t afford to finish it"
Well that will do for me ,I will now just sit back and wait for the Councils due diligence and what they decide.

It is funny that you say that, because over the years the council have had the best interests of both clubs at heart. The people of Halifax might not have massive interest in their clubs, but I'm sure they'd miss them both if thy were gone.

Another thing I firmly believe is that the council member's heads have turned as a result of the World Cup. They have now seen the scope for opportunity and interest at the Shay, which leads to moneymaking potential.

You have to also remember that they Shay is not the only overhead that they have. The Piece Hall, NBLC, the Swimming Baths etc. All are a burden on the council.

I wouldn't be too sure of some of those parts of your statement. Brighouse sports centre has 7,000 & Sowerby Bridge 5,000 average users per weeks. NBLC & the Halifax pool users would simply transfer their membership use to one of those other sites. Those figures BTW were quoted to me at the weekend by one of the Sowerby Bridge gym instructors, pretty impressive numbers i'd say, maybe cos the council spent some money on the new facilities eh ?

Not sure what that has to do with what I said, and I also think that a lot less people would visit out of town facilities than you expect.

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