I Apologise if the subject appears harsh but i wanted to tell my story of today and how i feel as a lifelong Trinity fan at the moment.
So it's been a while since I've been to a game (and posted on here). Usually working away or simply not had the funds or always being otherwise engaged.
It's great to see on the field things Really are on the up we gave a really fancied saints team a huge scare.Best Playing and coaching staff the club has had in years. Off the field We are seeing great continuity and stability. We are becoming a modern thinking club, our new app is a great step forwards into a modern young crowd base.
However there are a few simple things off the field letting us down which I find slightly embarrassing. First of all the litter outside the game pre match in front of the ticket office and Donny road turnstiles was horrendous I know we can't do anything about the footpaths and main roads around the stadium but you would think we would at least clean up the mess on our own front doorstep. On the subject of litter is it me or is there a serious lack of bins especially on the north stand couldnt find anywhere but the floor or the wifes bag to put my empty cups and coke bottles in. Speaking of drinks Bottles stewards taking bottle tops from soft drink bottles really ffs there are more important issues to be sorting surely. I mean trading standards would have a field day with some of our price signs. I got 2 sausage rolls from the little kiosk in front of the seats east stand near Donny road end. These are advertised at 2 quid however charged at £2.50 because the signs are out of date (2 years out of date the lady advised me) I dont mind spending the money i mean £22 per ticket plus food and drink for me and the Mrs today means a day out costing just over £60. (where can you get programmes from i couldnt find anywhere today)
I feel the club gets enough critisicm in the public eye and with away fans for its facilities and as a Trinity fan i will defend our Belle Vue home til im blue in the face Its got Character ill say or perhaps mention that its a piece of RL history, but we simply have got to get these simple things right. Ive been a Trinity fan for 25 years now and it gets harder to defend our facilities when we dont do ourselves any favours with getting the simple things right. Performances like that from the squad on the pitch is what keep us coming back i know but our image away from home might keep some away fans fromcoming. i spoke to a Saints fan today and he said that it gets worse here every season and he wouldnt be coming back again until things improved.
I will however be back and the wife will too but would like to think a lot of todays silly things were due to it been the first home game of the season if not it really could sour some peoples matchday experience this would be a shame as off the field the social media experience like the app and trinity tv is ever improving. On a positive note though like i said the squad looks good and if we play like that every week i agree with Chester we will win more than we will lose.

You won't get a match day programme anymore. Wakefield Express are providing an insert in their paper instead.

You won't find a bin as they are deemed a safety hazard as a terrorist could place a bomb in one, saying that it someone could blow up below belle vue it might be a blessing in disguise

I've stopped defending Belle Vue, it's a dump. It has very few redeeming features. Visibility is poor from large sections of the ground, especially the east and west stands, facilities and amenities are shocking, the area looks scruffy, paint chipping, signs falling down.

I'm sure the playing surface is lovely, and I'm led to believe that the food in the hospitality section is acceptable for the cost, but we can't expect to be taken seriously in the sport when Belle Vue is all we have to offer. We (along with some other clubs) are really holding the sport back when it comes to match day experience. It can cost upwards of £100 for a family day out, that's a lot of money, and it's hard to justify spending that amount of money on what we have to offer.

The thing is im not slating Belle Vue here we know how dated the old girl is getting. What i am saying is the club isnt doing the best with what we have. i know it has been windy but a couple of hours the litter directly outside the ground and ticket office could be cleared.price boards updated in an hour. If we cant have bins because of safety fears (which is a load of tosh by the way ive been to many stadiums all of them with rubbish bins in them) then surely rubbish bags attached round the stadium would be better. And as for no programme i am very disapointed at this as i have a programme from every single Trinity game, England game in fact Sports fixture i have ever been to. then the things you elude to chipped paint signs falling down the area looking scruffy etc like i say we know Belle Vue is dated but at least lets do the best with what we have and smarten things up a little bit for not a lot of effort or cost.

I'm sure the club would snatch your hand off if you offered your services prior to home matches.

I sit in the East stand and yesterday there was no PA system working, slightly worrying because that is a safety issue.

We stand in the East and heard several announcements from scores to a Saints fans name and the usual warnings about behaviour plus music. Obviously I've no idea if there was something I didn't hear but it seemed to be ok

I'm sure we used to do this when I was younger. Always had the old girl painted up and cleaned before the season. Maybe we as fans should take some responsibility as well.

To be fare Kitch, whenever MC has asked for volunteers for whatever reason we’ve turned out in numbers to help, I like so many other lifelong fans would also wish for a lovely BV stadium, one eh

I'm sure you're right about litter - but I didn't notice; I walked up, bought 2 tickets with card and went and stood at the barrier right next to the pitch because the North Stand was jam-packed; it was freezing cold, but I can't say that the dilapidation of BV impacted in any way on my enjoyment of the game - and this is from someone who spent 3 seasons as a box-holder, where there is no doubt added luxury, but a distinct lack of atmosphere.

I don't disagree in any way that we need a new stadium - ideally at NM as promised, because I think BV has structural problems that no amount of tarting up will fix - but I genuinely can't find any reason that litter and peeling paint can stop you from enjoying the game. Unless you need a slash of course - that is, admittedly, a bit of an ordeal - hence why I don't drink at matches.

I agree it doesn't spoil my enjoyment either I would follow us even if we just played in a field. This topic wasn't another we need a new stadium topic. What I'm trying to get across is that nowadays sport is about the experience as a whole and I just think we are falling behind other clubd in terms of what we offer in regards to value for money. This won't affect the die hard fans they will always be there but surely when it comes to attracting new fans or even visiting away fans we must be falling behind.

Don't disagree with any of that - which is why I don't fall for the BV revamp - it's simply not fit for purpose in so many fundamental ways, that no amount of spit and polish will fix; if we want to deliver a modern, pleasant experience to attract stayaway fans, we need a new stadium - which is exactly what we were promised, but appear not to be getting.

Totally agree !!!. All this nudge nudge,wink wink Ball cocks on the stadium thread about getting Belle Vue back could be a poisned chalice, if it ever happens.

The place is a dump and the immediate vicinity around the ground is even worse. We may get the freehold back but the vast amount of money to put it right is something else.

Like you, I believe we have been short changed if it happens, but the again qute a few accept that but feel something is better than nothing. What ever happens I really don't see how we can carry on much longer playing out of BV in its current state.