I emailed Gary Fawcett about a couple of things , this is he reply
about the new stadium. I didn't manage to get to see the articke
in the programme so there maybe some repeats .

This is a direct copy paste from the email. 3 - 2 - 1 discuss.

Regarding the new stadium development it looks like the best bet is for it to be at Cougar Park with an integrated development with the cricket club 
(a mini Headingley style development, if you wish). We've the backing of Bradford Council, Keighley Town Council, the Co-op (who own the ground), 
the RFL, the ECB, Leeds City College and various architects/building firms. We've some very early plans on the table for a 5,000 capacity main stand 
(with retail underneath) and a stadium capacity of over 10,000. 

We estimate the cost of the development will be £7m to £10m and we are gearing up to put a £5m bid into the Iconic Facilities fund as a first step in 
July this year.  We'll research and bid for other funds along with the partners above to bridge the gap as well as looking for private sector support on 
aspects of the build, e.g. Kone could provide the lifts free of charge. We'd look to deliver the new stadium within a 3 to 5 year time frame. 

I hope this helps. As I said in the programme - it's early days - but our journey has taken it's first few steps. 

We need to make sure we perform on the pitch though!  Including against Hunslet today. 

Many thanks

Gary
------Original Message------

Finally got round to signing up on the site after years of just visiting! Might as well start with a post about this. i have no baggage to bring, and GF's response seems sensible, and probably the most realistic and achievable option. Nothing wrong with some ambition, and if your dont ask you don't get.

A few thoughts before the initial plans are drawn up.

1. I'd like to see a full size pitch 100 metres long plus the two in-goals 10 metres wide, pitch width the max 68 metres and with 5 metres between the touch/deadball lines and perimeter of the stands/terracing. So the perimeter needs to be 130 metres long and 78 metres wide.

2. The stand and terracing to rise at as steep a rake as possible from the perimeter. Not sure what the maximum legal steepness is but i'd like to see 45 degrees.

3. Make sure the seats are wider than average and with more legroom than average. Quality will be more important than quantity for this stadium so people can sit in comfort for concerts etc as well as matches & encourage people to get in early for pre-match entertainment.

4. Given required dimensions, the cricket field would need to be moved as far out to the Royd Way western boundary as possible - so the rugby part of the stadium could pinch a slice of the current cricket field.

5. Need to get the bowling club brought within the scheme. Hopefully the Co-op could be persuaded to relocate its vehicle repair unit so the bowling club could be moved across there so the rugby field could be maximum length, taking over the current bowling club.

6. With a main stand and three sides of terracing, i'd like the corners to be infilled with terracing as well so there is a bowl effect. In fact Aire Valley Cougarbowl (the AVC) has a nice ring to it.

So long as there is terracing that is me sorted , don't reckon much to having to sit down
At a match, At 6'4" with mobility issues I have to move about from time to time.....reckoned
nothing to being told to "sit down it's an all seat no standing venue " by an over zelous
Steward at Mondays Hunslet match !!!
Oh , and good coffee...... Can't have a pint o' ale so good coffee at a reasonable
price in a decent sized cup

There was an indoor machine selling coffee for half price as stand and tasted just as bad....

The little tea bar run by the charity (project 6 ?) at the back of the stand sells great coffee
for a quid .... Bargain !

Woops, i thought you were on about Hunslet for some reason.

Going back to the Hunslet game burley,i was up there stood up at the back, along with the tother 20 cougar fans all tucked away from the weather condition, when we was asked to go and sit on the seats.. it was freezing cold the wind was blowing a gail ... I think it was because we was making more noise than his supporters,, overall we had four times more supporters than hunslet ..... nowt to worry tho, we won.. yee ahhh...

Yes to that alec , did you notice though it was the Head steward that sent the young lad up to tell us
And not himself ......... We must have been causing such a hazard ,all 20 of us shelteringfrom the
bitter artic blast.

I suppose we can say a lot about our Chairman, but in his defence he always answers questions posed to him by the fans. I would love the thought of a developed Cougar Park. If we wait for the Council we'd be waiting forever so I like to idea of looking for other funding opportunities.

Siddal 14 Cougars 10

Good effort at wind up mate.....


On the wrong thread ha ha ha.

True enough Dominance , to me it seemed quite a sensible reply , all quite doable sort of things
with backing from a host of the right sort of people.
The only thing that half bothered was the comment about a 5 million grant.....is that not a
bit of a big ask ? Saying that I know nothing about how those sort of things work ........suppose
if you do'nt ask you don't get lol

We are only having this discussion, because the chairman and the board are trying to get us a new ground.

We have never had this discussion before.

Good on them for at least trying to do something no one else has.

As for the grant. There are loads of grants out there. Its knowing about them and having the right bid in place to get them. Getting the right people behind it and getting the right people to support it.

I am bloody glad we have a chairman and chairman that are willing to give it a go.