Is It Time To Consider Moving Away From Field Mill?

[DoomMerchant]

Yes we all love the place but has it become unfit for a modern Football League team?

The stadium we've done to death - it's not fit for purpose. No amount of dressing it up or retro-fitting it out can kid anyone along.

Now the pitch itself again. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands spent on it in recent years, yet the first sign of any type of weather and it threatens a match. You could have forecast that the MK game would be off last Monday - it was inevitable. The worst pitch in the Football League just cannot take the severity of the weather that we've been having.
The irony being that Mansfield sits on the finest bedrock of drainage sand in the country, yet clearly the location of Field Mill isn't.

Is It time to source an alternative location and start over again? Of course it costs money but I'd wager that the land Field Mill sits on is worth a few bob itself.

Discuss.

[Costastag]

Thought there was some kind of covenant that the land can only be used for sporting purposes that some stags fans made sure was enforced when jr took over i only remember a comment from him that it was disappointing that they felt the need to pursue it i might be wrong anyway i dont know how much rain youve had over there but its a bit of a knee jerk reaction surely ?

[Richard Cranium]

Can we take the Padel board complex with us

[Bradders]

Quarry Lane is limestone, but the pitch is up a hill and should naturally drain well. I don't understand why it's the worst in the EFL, although clearly it is. I agree that the stadium isn't great, but surely it's all solvable without moving completely.
The weather hasn't been particularly wet compared to other areas where the matches are still on. It's not even raining, but the pitch cannot drain.

[Rob]

I've always been in favour of staying at the Mill, but over the past few years the match day experience has deteriorated so much I'm now more inclined to support a move. I'd love something like Rotherham but we are talking big bucks and given we've done barely a thing to the stadium since it was built I'm not sure JR has that level of capital to spend on the club. Yes there are grants and revenue from the sale of the land (the covenant can be removed I believe) but I bet were still talking £20m.

[DoomMerchant]

The covenant was removed when Field Mill was 'rebuilt' I'm absolutely sure about this board being quite militant about it back in the day. It's how Haslam gained ownership of it, isn't it?

Perhaps time is getting the better of my memory again.

But your thinking is exactly mine Rob. Field Mill is a pale shadow of what it was. Like an old classic car that you love but now looks like it's been left under a tree, unmoved for too many winters.

[ParisStag]

No, it's home.

I went to Man City vs Spurs the other day and felt so sorry for their fans, who have murals of Maine Road and memoirs all around the place. I'd hate to be in some soulless bowl without any of the references that I hold dear as a Stags fan.

I've often felt that for fans of other clubs who have had to move and hoped it would never be us.

[Sneag]

No, it's home.

I went to Man City vs Spurs the other day and felt so sorry for their fans, who have murals of Maine Road and memoirs all around the place. I'd hate to be in some soulless bowl without any of the references that I hold dear as a Stags fan.

I've often felt that for fans of other clubs who have had to move and hoped it would never be us.

I get the sentiment, but Field Mill has been crap ever since Haslam had control over the rebuild.

To really really sort out the drainage once & for all I think they would need to consider digging down 5 - 10 feet & raising the pitch a couple of feet. It would be a massive project.

As well as sitting on limestone & sandstone there is a band of clay that runs across parts of Mansfield about 3feet below the top soil which is totally impermiable.

I made a tongue in cheek comment about drainage at various Sunday League pitches in the area, but I suspect the clay band may be the reason why Field Mill despite being on a hill doesn't drain.

[HitchcocksShins]

Stick it on that plot of land between Bodrum and the old post office. Perfect place for a football stadium

[Sandy Pate Best Stag]

If it’s going anywhere I would suggest Fisher Lane Recreation Ground as a reasonable starting place. That is built on sandstone and is probably big enough to house not only a decent size stadium but also have a large car park and clubhouse. It also has natural protection on two sides to diminish noise for local residents.

It’s relatively close to the town centre and there’s plenty of area around it that is ready for redevelopment so maybe it could help to spark that.

The alternative is to build a new stadium out of town which would lack any type of atmosphere and be a pain to get to.

[bear 73]

I dont live in Mansfield but drive up Quarry lane to the ground and water always runs down hill so water should drain from the pitch down Quarry lane.
Also from the railway station were sometimes i park the road runs down hill.
When it rains heavy why cant we cover the pitch and make the water run away from the playing surface.
Football is a winter game and snow-frost-rain are the elements we have to deal with.
And once more the basis of all clubs financial, and back to basics money has to come from the club, and Mansfield town FC needs money in many directions,
The fan base is the key, that is were revenue can be increased, but again takes time, Rob estimates 20 million to move the ground and for Mansfield that keeps the club running for x number of years,
we know the owners finance the club but that can only go so far, Ground=Stadium-players=Staff running a football club aint easy or cheap.
Many clubs move and it can work but is very expensive and needs more than 5000 plus season ticket holders,
Plans still on hold for a cheap Bishop st, so the home fans can have the North Stand back and open the Grabbitas gate.
Oh and a proper fans concourse and club shop, skip the Hotel.
Being a community club it moves forward and times are positive and the well being off the football club comes first
If Mansfield could move to a 12000 all seated stadium well im sure it has been considered,

[HitchcocksShins]

If it’s going anywhere I would suggest Fisher Lane Recreation Ground as a reasonable starting place. That is built on sandstone and is probably big enough to house not only a decent size stadium but also have a large car park and clubhouse. It also has natural protection on two sides to diminish noise for local residents.

It’s relatively close to the town centre and there’s plenty of area around it that is ready for redevelopment so maybe it could help to spark that.

The alternative is to build a new stadium out of town which would lack any type of atmosphere and be a pain to get to.

You can't build on Fisher Lane park, that's why they haven't already. It doesn't even have street lamps

[Amber Andy]

I had been thinking the same. I think it is worth considering. Not sure where though.

[part time pete]

The covenant was removed when Field Mill was 'rebuilt' I'm absolutely sure about this board being quite militant about it back in the day. It's how Haslam gained ownership of it, isn't it?

Perhaps time is getting the better of my memory again.

But your thinking is exactly mine Rob. Field Mill is a pale shadow of what it was. Like an old classic car that you love but now looks like it's been left under a tree, unmoved for too many winters.

I am sure the covenant has been bought out, but I think the biggest stumbling block is that Haslam had a clause in the sale to JR, that uncle Keith would get 50% of any sale.

[Amber Andy]

The covenant was removed when Field Mill was 'rebuilt' I'm absolutely sure about this board being quite militant about it back in the day. It's how Haslam gained ownership of it, isn't it?

Perhaps time is getting the better of my memory again.

But your thinking is exactly mine Rob. Field Mill is a pale shadow of what it was. Like an old classic car that you love but now looks like it's been left under a tree, unmoved for too many winters.

I am sure the covenant has been bought out, but I think the biggest stumbling block is that Haslam had a clause in the sale to JR, that uncle Keith would get 50% of any sale.

Mmm a big fat no then.

[Richard Cranium]

What’s changed because it wasn’t that many seasons ago we went 3/4 seasons without having a home game postponed? Thought there was constant drainage work being done to every summer

[part time pete]

What’s changed because it wasn’t that many seasons ago we went 3/4 seasons without having a home game postponed? Thought there was constant drainage work being done to every summer

If I was putting a theory up of why the pitch seems to get waterlogged so much, I would suggest that sand is partly blocking the drains due to sand having being washed out of the ground from leaking sprinkler pipes under the pitch.

[CassellsCap]

Knock down the west stand and move it back 20 yds and make it fit for 5000 fans with proper facilities . Move the pitch so bishop street has more room to develop . A big cost but cheaper than moving to a heartless bowl with no history.

[wink68]

No

[adamstag]

If we moved would we still close the gate?

[stagmanrob]

I can't see us ever moving just for the simple fact of "The Oldest Professional Ground in the World"

[BigGuy]

Discuss.

Thanks for pointing out what a forum is used for, I was always wondering what all these replies were.

[Amber Andy]

What’s changed because it wasn’t that many seasons ago we went 3/4 seasons without having a home game postponed? Thought there was constant drainage work being done to every summer

Climate change maybe ?

[adamstag]

Where else could the club go where they’d be so local to to attract fans, would be a disaster for me

[DoomMerchant]

Discuss.

Thanks for pointing out what a forum is used for, I was always wondering what all these replies were.

Aww, forum's grumpiest poster in grumpy post shocker