In light of the ongoing uncertainty regarding our home of the future I thought I'd poll for fans' views.



If we were able to decide on our future home would you rather move to a sy new, purpose built stadium in Newmarket? Or would you rather redevelop where we are at Belle Vue?

Although I've voted to stay at BV I'm easy either way, however what's swung it for BV was the proximity to the city. NM is too far out of the city limits for my liking. Thornes Park would've been the winner hands down. The benefits of a new development whilst retaining a city centre status.

I've gone for Belle Vue but that is based on the redevelopment being done to a decent standard. If changes are going to be purely cosmetic then I think Belle Vue has had it's day sadly. With some new stands and the facilities that can go with that Belle Vue would win for me every time due to it's history and it's location.

Personally I'd like see BV developed to a decent standard, NM is a long way to travel for a lot of fans without transport and imo would put off quite a few which would negate any new following we might get from the move, and I'm far from convinced that visiting fans' from other clubs' would significantly improve, Two new stands on the east and west sides' of the ground with floodlights' should be achievable so the north stand could be left as it is, also leave the flats for the corporate business and we've cracked it

In my anorak capacity it would probably be the other way around. I would imagine the club would go for an all singing all dancing main stand with loads of corporate and other facilities. This would create a more saleable product with bigger margins and a better revenue stream. Unfortunately in pure economic terms the average standing fan gives the lowest return. To be honest I'd be happy enough, standing on a slightly wonk terrace has never put me off, watching wonky teams certainly has.



The big or extra money we need would IMHO come through the corporate side or at least to start with. Also people and players are impressed by those kind of facilities in a way a nicely maintained terrace never will.



So I would expect a structure rebuild of BV over a number of years starting foist with the grounds biggest inadequacy - it's with noting that those flats have been a god send through the years but they have a shelf life and more importantly a ceiling on what people will pay to use them. We get far less for a box than say Leeds even taking into account the on field product end general bigness of Leeds. That and other lack of modern facilities must be addressed firs.



So again for me - buy the land first - then the main facility - then if there is anything left maybe the away stand (north) so as we don't put off the high spending away fans. I reckon the west stand should be a supporter (supporters trust) run initiative which was common in the past.



Anyway who knows what we will have to play with for now.

Logically NM was always best.



But for me personally and most existing club fans BV is where we really want to be I suspect.

I must be in the minority, but I fear any redevelopment of BV will be marginal and won't take us forward. Redeveloping BV is still just prolonging a move to another stadium. There simply isn't enough land and modern facilities that are now expected at top flight sports.



I love BV, the history heck even how close it is to the city centre, but there will be a time when we must move and so long as the financial support is there to allow a move then I'm behind it.

Even though it would take me three times as long to get NM Id prefer to move there as BV has had its day for me, regardless of any sort of redevelopment. I can't see much being done to improve the stadium other than a bit of paint here and there.

Belle Vue would win for me, even without the development.

If we were talking like for like facilities at either venue, then BV wins hands down.

However, new purpose built stadium over dated crumbling ground, Newmarket wins every time.

So it really depends what the options are.



IF Sir Rodney can get the stadium sorted at NM then that would still be the way forward.

As Vasty has said, the potential for increased income would make it a far better option.



Just to add something else to the debate, how many old grounds would we prefer to go to, out of:



Wilderspool

Central Park

Boulevard

Craven Park

Naughton Park

Knowlsley Road

Fartown

The Willows



Apart from nostalgia, all of the new grounds are a vast improvement on what was there before and in

20 years time, new memories will replace the old.

Although we will all have fond memories of visiting The Boulevard or Central Park etc, the new stadia

are in all cases a vast improvement.

In an ideal world your right, the problem is though as far as I know we don't have those sort of finances available to us and my thoughts' centred on saving money where possible, that's why imo it would have been more realistic to keep the flats' and the partly covered north stand and spend what money we could get on the more important things' like two new stands' down each side even if they are not high spec, if we had them built over two seasons it would greatly improve the ground without trying to achieve something what is probably beyond us assuming of course we could secure the ground.

For me you're right on all counts except Wigan and I can't put my finger on why I don't like it. Maybe it's again a nostalgia thing associated with visiting what was the biggest and best RL club during my early years of supporting. Central Park just holds more memories for me than most of the others but I'm really not sure why.