Home Park News (grandstand & Training piches)

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seats on mayflower confirmed

I See in the herald that brent has admitted he copied sandy park model for the new stand. Also gives a nod to us by saying most fans will like his shit vision for a stand but some wont.

I'm expecting it to be shit yet hopeful that it won't

PAUL we are not click bait


JAMES BRENT is hoping that plans for Plymouth Argyle's redeveloped and expanded Grandstand at Home Park will be ready to be unveiled in 'early summer'.

The target is for work on the £5 million project, which is being funded by director Simon Hallett and his wife, Jane, to start 'in quarter one of next year'.

Brent believes most of the Green Army will be impressed by the designs but accepts there will be some dissenters.

The Argyle chairman would not go into much specific detail about the plans, which will raise the capacity at Home Park to 20,000, but he did confirm some information.

The terrace at the front of the Grandstand will be made steeper to improve sight-lines for new seats which will be installed.

A banqueting and conferencing centre will be incorporated as part of the Grandstand, which Brent admitted was an 'embarrassing facility' and 'not reflective of where we want to be'.

There will also be new seats in the upper tier of the Grandstand, the interior of which will be 'totally different'.

Brent told Herald Sport: "The plans are progressing. The budget is tight and we always knew it was tight.

"I think when we publish the plans, which we are hoping to do in the early summer, that supporters will be impressed with what we are proposing.

"I'm sure there will be some who think we should have done better but I think the core of the supporters will recognise that it will be a great asset."

The initial architects' plan have been shared by Argyle's board of directors with a group of supporters who have formed the Green Army Grandstand Working Group.

They have been asked for their observations and what they would like to see included.

Brent said: "The current terracing will be all-seated but there will be flexibility going forward to look at standing.

"I want to get away from the principle of safe-standing because I don't think there is evidence that any of the modern standing is unsafe.

"We can't do it now under EFL regulations. I think there is a move towards introducing standing but we don't want to delay this project.

"We will look at whether we can accommodate that going forward.

"The current terracing will be all seated but we are having to raise the bank of it to improve the sight-lines.

"I think the majority of supporters will be quite impressed with what it looks like, but that's a bit of a dangerous statement."

Brent continued: "I'm totally confident that we will get comments that we should have tried hard, and so on.

"And, frankly, if I was worth £3 billion I probably would have spent £20 million on it rather than £5m, but I'm not and I can't.

"I think most people understand the principles of budgeting. We all live with our means.

"We are very fortunate Simon and Jane have put this money up and we will use it as wisely as we can to provide a great facility.

"People will continue to recognise Home Park as being unique relative to any other stadium in the country, and in this great setting that we have."

Retaining the character of the Archibald Leitch-designed Grandstand, which was built in 1953, is a central part of the plans.

Copying an approach adopted by the Exeter Chiefs rugby union club at their Sandy Park ground is another principle.

Brent said: "The pitchside, other than the new seating, will look very similar.

"The guts of the building – the interior – will be totally different, and it will be extended out the back to provide a big conferencing and banqueting centre.

"It's very much the Sandy Park model, and it will be a similar scale to Sandy Park."

Brent added: "We are exhorting our staff to excellence and yet they are working in dilapidated temporary buildings that aren't fit for purpose.

"So, as part of this, we are going to have new offices for the staff, we are going to have a new retail shop and a new ticketing office. It's a new start."

Brent confirmed there would also be separate supporters' bars within the footprint of Home Park.

No lighthouse, then?

Brent and the Ballet's aren't funding all the £5m. The club is paying for it..

The club isn't paying for it, the fans are.

beesrus wrote:

Brent and the Ballet's aren't funding all the £5m. The club is paying for it..

I mite be wrong i thought that 5million loan was to pay off the loans to jimmy & the exsisting directors and that left about just under a mill well about 980k for the manky makeover

PatDunne wrote:

The club isn't paying for it, the fans are.

Will continue to do so for many years to come if its shit while brent coins it

RegGreen wrote:

beesrus wrote:

Brent and the Ballet's aren't funding all the £5m. The club is paying for it..

I mite be wrong i thought that 5million loan was to pay off the loans to jimmy & the exsisting directors and that left about just under a mill well about 980k for the manky makeover

There isn't a £5m loan.

There was a £900,000 purchase of new shares and a loan of £4.1m secured against the freehold - effectively a mortgage.

Exactly how that money is to be spent is unclear but it did go towards paying off the existing directors' loans but I'd imagine far more than £980,000 remains and loans to external bodies such as PCC probably remain.

Obviously some or all of the above may be slightly inaccurate because the club does not publish accounts and all we have to go by are the truncated Natatomissam accounts, press reports and official club statements.

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

RegGreen wrote:

beesrus wrote:

Brent and the Ballet's aren't funding all the £5m. The club is paying for it..

I mite be wrong i thought that 5million loan was to pay off the loans to jimmy & the exsisting directors and that left about just under a mill well about 980k for the manky makeover

There isn't a £5m loan.

There was a £900,000 purchase of new shares and a loan of £4.1m secured against the freehold - effectively a mortgage.

Exactly how that money is to be spent is unclear but it did go towards paying off the existing directors' loans but I'd imagine far more than £980,000 remains and loans to external bodies such as PCC probably remain.

Obviously some or all of the above may be slightly inaccurate  because the club does not publish accounts and all we have to go by are the truncated Natatomissam accounts, press reports and official club statements.

Unclear? Really?

Well, rumour has it they're 'building' a new Grandstand!!

"The new share issue will be used to repay all the existing shareholder debt, which aggregates to £2.116m and to raise £965,000 of the funding required for the new grandstand.

In addition, Mr Simon and Mrs Jane Hallett have agreed to lend PAFC an amount of £4.1m."

Read more at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

So the new share issue cleared the loans made by directors and the surplus was added to Hallet's loan meaning there should be £5m for the refurbishment.

I suppose it will be a "new grandstand". Loosely speaking it is as good a descriptor as any until we get to see what is actually planned.

Hello - avid reader of the site, first post has come out of frustration to be honest at the lack of understanding of the grandstand funding. It is pretty straightforward

The Hallets have put up 4.1 m via a long term loan
Simon Hallet has put up a further 900k cash in return for 900k worth of shares
Richard Holiday has put up 65k in cash in return for 65k worth of shares

Prior to the above the club owed money to Brent, Wrathall and Holiday. None of these loans have been repaid in cash, Brent, Wrathall and Holiday allll agreed to convert their loans into shares.

The end result is that the club have just over 5 m to develop the grandstand and the 2m odd that it owed Brent, Wrathall and Holiday has been wiped out, with the three receiving shares rather than cash.

What's important to remember is that shares are created proportionately to what an individual invests in the company i.e Wrathalls 97k loan has = 97k worth of shares.

I think that's pretty much what I said ("the new share issue cleared the loans made by directors and the surplus was added to Hallet's loan meaning there should be £5m for the refurbishment") so I'm not sure what misunderstanding you are referring to.

We're still not debt-free though because other loans via non-directors such as the PCC £800,000 (or what remains of it) still exist and the lack of transparency regarding the club's accounts means that we don't know what others there may, or may not, be.

MAK wrote:

Hello - avid reader of the site, first post has come out of frustration to be honest at the lack of understanding of the grandstand funding. It is pretty straightforward

The Hallets have put up 4.1 m via a long term loan
Simon Hallet has put up a further 900k cash in return for 900k worth of shares
Richard Holiday has put up 65k in cash in return for 65k worth of shares

Prior to the above the club owed money to Brent, Wrathall and Holiday. None of these loans have been repaid in cash, Brent, Wrathall and Holiday allll agreed to convert their loans into shares.

The end result is that the club have just over 5 m to develop the grandstand and the 2m odd that it owed Brent, Wrathall and Holiday has been wiped out, with the three receiving shares rather than cash.

What's important to remember is that shares are created proportionately to what an individual invests in the company i.e Wrathalls 97k loan has = 97k worth of shares.

That much is obvious, and it is quite clear the £5m is coming from a £4m loan ( hey, let's call it a mortgage secured on the stadium, just as before ) and £1m of share input.
I'm happy that at last there's some ordinary  "share capital" in a modern day limited company. What I did find interesting is the amount that was considered fair share capital for Hallet's percentage of the club. That is the first real indication of what these people value the club at between themselves, as I'm sure Mr Brent isn't in the business of giving Mr Hallet a freebee from his "hard work" of the last 5 years.
In the end, all these "fundings" are catered for by the revalue of the stadium purchased for £1.8m or whatever. They're quids in, and some.

James has a holding valued at 3.5 million ponds but fair enough, e' saved us.......

Quote :

Brent believes most of the Green Army will be impressed by the designs but accepts there will be some dissenters.

Brent knows it's going to be ultra shit

Quote :

A banqueting and conferencing centre will be incorporated as part of the Grandstand, which Brent admitted was an 'embarrassing facility' and 'not reflective of where we want to be'.

Clearly where >90% of the loan is being spent

Quote :

Brent said: "The current terracing will be all-seated but there will be flexibility going forward to look at standing.

So kicking on from L1 is not in anyone's plans then

BRENT OUT
HALLETT OUT

Freathy wrote:

Quote :

Brent believes most of the Green Army will be impressed by the designs but accepts there will be some dissenters.

Brent knows it's going to be ultra shit

Quote :

A banqueting and conferencing centre will be incorporated as part of the Grandstand, which Brent admitted was an 'embarrassing facility' and 'not reflective of where we want to be'.

Clearly where >90% of the loan is being spent

Quote :

Brent said: "The current terracing will be all-seated but there will be flexibility going forward to look at standing.

So kicking on from L1 is not in anyone's plans then

BRENT OUT
HALLETT OUT

The mankover is going to be shit of epic proportions,same Asbestos roof and no cover from the elements for the non wealthy fans though the Prawn Sandwich gang should be cosy!
If its going to be done on the cheap in true shit gash style then ffs dont bother.
Its not going to be a Grandstand but a Skankstand making the club look Mickey Mouse and Village..... Brent Twins out!

The conversion of debt owed to Brent et al into shares at least saw them taking some risk instead of saddling the club with that ongoing noose. Maintain that the 5m makeover is broadly good news unless the material plans prove otherwise. It's not a solution but looks to be progress. We'll see.

New Home Park stadium revealed on Twitter:

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Innocent Egbunike wrote:

The conversion of debt owed to Brent et al into shares at least saw them taking some risk instead of saddling the club with that ongoing noose. Maintain that the 5m makeover is broadly good news unless the material plans prove otherwise. It's not a solution but looks to be progress. We'll see.

It is broadly good news. If only ( as far as any normal fan is concerned) because it put seats on the current eyesore Mayflower terrace. It's also been said before by me and others, that because it is only a relatively cheap stopgap upgrade, there won't be a huge issue flattening the lot and doing it properly in the future, should we ever get owners who truly see the potential of the club.

I'd have been far more pissed off if any version of Brent's HHP boxed in mini stand had somehow come to fruition.

Czarcasm wrote:

Innocent Egbunike wrote:

The conversion of debt owed to Brent et al into shares at least saw them taking some risk instead of saddling the club with that ongoing noose. Maintain that the 5m makeover is broadly good news unless the material plans prove otherwise. It's not a solution but looks to be progress. We'll see.

Should we ever get owners who truly see the potential of the club.

Wont be as simple as that. Hallett has a 30 year mortgage/loan in place now

X Throbbers suggestion for the existing roof not covering the new Mayflower seats......

"There may also be some sort of 'plastic poncho' arrangement for wet days"

Jesus Wept...

Rickler wrote:

New Home Park stadium revealed on Twitter:

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Speccy Twat will never have seen so many bricks.