Newcastle Diamonds 2021

[Teromaafan]

The future of the Diamonds is looking rosey. Rumour has it that a certain gentleman is confident of selling a nearby football club to an Arab buyer and is keen to maintain a sporting interest in the area by making Granty an offer for the club that he will not be able to refuse. Can’t say too much more at this stage, but the future ‘Sports Direct Diamonds’ are likely to be awash with cash and ready to recruit Europe’s finest riders. Team manager cannot be named, but we shall refer to him as ‘Brucie’, has no experience in the sport but has blagged his way through football management for years apparently. Box ticked. His tactical approach will be to aim for 3-3s in every heat and wait for the opposition to make mistakes to gain heat advantages.

[Diamondboy]

3 hours ago, Tsunami said:

Yes but we have always been led to believe that our time is limited at Brough and in the long term we need to look for another site. More rumours about rumours at the moment. 

Which makes Rob Grants statement all the more weird.

[TotallyHonestJohn]

On 10/5/2021 at 2:56 PM, leander said:

No it won't. Wolves have publicly stated (in last weeks Star) that they won't run in a six team league next year.

Rob Grant publicly stated in the Star (and everywhere else for that matter) that he was not running next year and he was walking away from Newcastle... So the morale of that story is don't believe everything you read in the Star... Van Straaten will be there next year six clubs or not... it is pre AGM posturing for me...

Could be wrong it has been known but I doubt any of the Super 6 will relinquish what little up front TV monies they get... 

Regards
THJ

[MrP]

Newcastle Speedway reveal new co-promoter: Long-time Diamonds' sponsor, Dave Tinning.

Photos: Steve Brock Photography 

Everyone who has visited Brough Park for speedway action since 1997, will have undoubtedly heard announcer, Barry Wallace, say every week; "This heat sponsored by Dave Tinning, painter and decorator," well now the local craftsman has whipped out his rollers and emulsion to help renovate Newcastle Speedway behind the scenes along with Newcastle Speedway's owner, and co-promoter, Rob Grant to help promote the club he has supported through thick and thin.

Grant was keen to bring new blood having worked out a survival package and plan which has kept the historic club rolling into its 93rd year next season, and indeed beyond, saying: "Dave has been around speedway at Brough Park for many, many years and has supported this club as a very valuable financial sponsor for around 25 of those years, and once we got talking, it soon became apparent that bringing Dave onto our promoting team, he being steeped in Newcastle Speedway, could only benefit this club of ours massively, not just for 2022, but for many years to come. He knows this club well and I can't wait to get started working with him and planning for the future of Newcastle Speedway."

When asked about his appointment Tinning said: "I've been working closely with Rob and helping throughout what has been a very difficult season, and I've seen how much work it takes to run a meeting each Sunday. The opportunity then arose to help out Rob with the day-to-day running of Newcastle Speedway, and as such Rob and I both decided that I should apply to be a promoter with the BSPLtd so I can help out even further.

"I've run my own business as a painter and decorator for over 30 years, and from this I can bring the experience of running a business into my new role as a co-promoter. I'll be continuing in the roles I have undertaken for the past few years , such as looking after the entrance gates, and I will start to help out in the office. I will, as the name of the position suggests, be helping with the vitally important job of promoting the Newcastle Diamonds to other businesses in the area.

"I won't be afraid to get my hands dirty either, as I will help out on the track as well as the pits where necessary. I hope to attend as many away meetings as possible to represent the promotion of Newcastle Speedway, and again assist wherever I can."

[TotallyHonestJohn]

20 hours ago, StevePark said:

So, what was discussed/agreed last night?  Or is it a secret?

Steve there are no secrets as far as I am concerned and never will be; furthermore if it was to be a secret there would not have been an open invite on here and on other media channels such as Facebook and Twitter; then if you consider how fast Rob Grant put his statement out on Facebook you can see there was nothing secret about the meeting or its content as Steve Pate (Team Manager) was in attendance I guess as Rob's (eyes and ears) representative although he did not contribute to the meeting whatsoever.

The meeting was pulled together by Steve Brock and the venue booked when we were under the impression that the club had gone and was closing following comments made by "The Promotion" (I will use this phrase rather than put names down). I was told by "The Promotion" that if I didn't buy the club (with an associate) that the club was gone as the "Stadium Owners" would not accept just any person coming in to promote the club and there would need to be many hurdles to get over before we could run and both "myself and my colleague" were in the opinion of "The Promotion" the "only people" who could take the club forward  and who would be an acceptable alternative.

Therefore we were in the process of pulling a package together to rescue the club which would have included input from the fans... Now these things do not come together overnight however we were systematically working through the process when low and behold "The Promotion" had a change of heart and decided to run. Great...  As I have stated as an ardent supporter of Rob Grant the Rob Grant is the best person to promote Newcastle Speedway (for many reasons previously outlined) So we were then asked by "The Promotion" if a Trust could be pulled together to support the club following the season "The Promotion" had just endured... because as everyone was aware the club was on the brink of collapse right from the start due to the VAT fiasco and "The Promotion" were telling us continually right throughout the season how bad a state the club were in financially and I for one took it upon myself to religiously and sometimes vehemently  support "The Promotion" and give relevant information on here on how precarious the financial situation was...

Which brings me onto a conversation I had with "The Promotion" on the Friday prior to this meeting where I was basically told by "The Promotion" all they wanted was a Trust like Edinburgh to do similar things like "they do" "up there" and I pointed out to "The Promotion" that this would be fans money and in effect "The Promotion" could not been seen to have anything to do with the Trust and it would be the Trust (Fans) and their committee who would decide what and where any monies would be spent but it would always be spent to the benefit of the club.

However "The Promotion" was not happy with this and stated there was new money coming into the club and when I pressed "The Promotion" as to how much they were expecting from this new money the figure I was quoted was "in excess of £50K" and then I stated to "The Promotion" that did they think it fair to ask fans to put cash in if the Business as a whole was making profit... I didn't get a response and I added if there was profit in the pot at the end of the year did "The Promotion" expect another 10 or 20 grand hand out from the fans which in essence would just be a gift to "The Promotion" for running a business and I did not get a response... I was told it had nothing to do with the fans if "The Promotion" were making a profit and "The Promotion" stated that they would not divulge what the financial status of the company was like... then when I pointed out that "The Promotion" were happy to divulge figures that showed the company were making a loss and it was imperative that fans put into a "Go Fund Me" or that it was critical to the clubs finances that Fans had to attend a double header or the club would fold that this was acceptable in those instances but not if the business was being successful... "The Promotion" reiterated that this had nothing to do with the fans however it was pointed out that the company would be posting financial information on to the Companies House web site and the information would ultimately be available "The Promotion" made no comment...

This brings me on to the meeting itself... We looked at three options to support the Club and "The Promotion" and these were 

1. A supporters Trust... and in running a trust it was envisaged that this would give the Fans a vehicle to support the club financially which came with certain tax breaks and benefits because if you are a charitable trust and donating through Gift Aid it means means charities and community amateur sports clubs ( CASCs ) etc.. can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. However prior to this meeting we found out that you can not support Motor Sports through a "charitable trust" as it is not allowed legally under current laws and regulations in England and Wales governing trusts and we were asked how do Edinburgh do it and the very short answer to this is; they are covered by Scottish Law and it is different. So whatever they do up there is totally irrelevant to what we can do down here so a Trust was a non starter unfortunately following on from the legal advice we received.

2. A Community interest company... A community interest company is a type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies Act 2004, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good; now again this cannot be used to run a motor sport business however it could be used to support that business by other means which we were told we could legally do... Such as purchase a venue and rent it back to the club at a potentially peppercorn rent on say £1:00 per meeting. This was discussed due to the fact that "The Promotion" had expressed at the start of the season that it was imperative that we got out of Brough Park to assist "The Promotion" and their business plan to run training meetings and get free access to the track to allow for pre meeting track prep which was creating problems at Brough... I will add to this regarding the track below. For the CIC to operate we were looking at a larger investment of say £1000 per year per person for 3 years and investing this cash which would have raised interest on the investment which could have been given back to the club for capital investments such as Air Fence; Tractors; Bowsers; Plant and Equipment. Furthermore this capital would have been used as collateral to open up further funding streams to get the new venue off the ground with the guarantee that all monies paid by each person would be handed back to investors in full as a minimum at the end of the loan period of say 3 to 5 years. Legal documentation would have been drawn up to underwrite these investments and due to the complexities involved this would form part of a three to five year plan to support the club and "The Promotion". More on this later...

3. The Friends of Newcastle Diamonds Speedway (FONDS)… which in essence is a beefed up supporters club but with a constitution and a set of articles to operate by and to; that would give the Fans the comfort in the knowledge that their cash was being spent wisely and that everyone who contributed to the fund would be able to at least have a say at a group meeting and to put proposals forward to allow a democratic vote on where the monies were going... I now believe with the Facebook "Important Statement from Rob Grant" this if anything is the way the fans should go... There will be the need for a Secretary, Treasurer and Chair Person and a couple of committee members.. and the Chair Person would liaise with "The Promotion" and "The Promotion" could advise where the help is/was required or the FONDS (depending on available funds) could sponsor say the Medical Cover and Ambulance that runs to around £600:00 per meeting or the Referee costs to around £200:00 per meeting depending on how much revenue they were bringing in... We have an offer to set up the rules governing the FONDS; the terms of association and the constitution to give people the confidence that any monies raised are spent wisely... 

Steve Brock coordinated this meeting and took some names at the end of it with fans prepared to commit to such an entity like the FONDS and he would be an ideal person to chair this group and would get my vote...

So there you go Steve no secrets hopefully the brief outline and precis above gives you some ideas as to what was discussed at the meeting and can I also add my thanks to everyone who attended (just under 70 souls) on an absolutely awful night weather wise and for all the PM's I have received offering support over the last few weeks... there should be more coming out on this for further discussion...

Also Steve if you wish to take any of this and put it on Facebook I would not have any issue with that...

20 hours ago, StevePark said:

Just spotted this:

Taken off Facebook:

Important Statement from Rob Grant:

In regards to the fan-lead meeting that took place at South Gosforth Social Club last night, club promoter Rob Grant would like to release the following statement,

"Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting at South Gosforth Club last night.

I am sorry I couldn’t attend but I have been told there were a lot of positive suggestions from the meeting.

One suggestion I must address though is that at this present time and in the future as long as I am the owner of Newcastle Diamonds Ltd, we will be racing from Brough Park. I have a very good relationship with the owners and staff of the stadium and see no reason to be looking for, or to build a new stadium.

I hope this clears the situation regarding raising funds to build elsewhere.

As always, I wish to thank everyone for their continued support of Newcastle Speedway and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our end of season celebration on the 12th November. "

On this statement from "The Promotion" I find this personally very disappointing; no one is disputing whose business it is and as such we can all mind our own businesses to be fair if that makes "The Promotion" happy... however at the start of the season I was asked by "The Promotion" to put feelers out on here to see what the appetite would be for moving to a New Venue and this was the case right up to the final few weeks of the season and my enquiry provoked a great deal of emotion from various fans and I sincerely apologise for this upset to those who are most loyal to Brough Park however I was operating under instruction from "The Promotion" and it was only mentioned at the Gosforth meeting because of the continual insistence that we had to get away from Brough Park... However miraculously the position seems to have changed...

19 hours ago, Marshall07 said:

Apart from the press release he made saying he wanted to look for a new place to build the track 

Yep... press release and feelers out everywhere with site visits to look at new venues the lot... Durham Northumberland Newcastle North Tyneside Blyth Valley et al... meetings with planners and councillors the whole shooting match; however two meetings with over a thousand in and a big hard on because there would be no need to supplement revenue streams with paid for training and practice session... As I have always said I have supported "The Promotion" with not only unwavering passion and loyalty (sometimes going over the top) and I have backed this up with financial support... "The Promotion" have all the tools to make Newcastle Diamonds successful at Brough Park they have the additional revenue streams with the food franchise and the backing of the stadium owners which is vital; added to which some fantastic and innovative ideas on how to promote the team the sport and the business in the North East... if anyone can make a success out of this club it is the current promotion...

18 hours ago, leander said:

It was said that Rob wanted a 3 or 5 year agreement, and was told by the Stadium owners "NO. 1 year or nothing!". Relations appear to have improved as, I believe, a two year deal for next season is on the  table.

When I was being courted and actively encouraged to take over the club I was told by "The Promotion" that ARC would be open to possibly looking at a two year lease if certain criteria could be met and in my subsequent discussions with "The Promotion" following their decision to run for "one more year in the memory of Dave Tattum"  in 2022 and not fold the club and that the promotion were potentially looking at 1; 2; 3; 5 more years (not sure why 4 years was missed but there you go) and during this conversation with "The Promotion" it was intermated that there could be 5 more years at Brough Park so roll on we may even see a 100th birthday celebration...

18 hours ago, Diamondboy said:

My point still stands though, the stadium will not allow you to happily source a new venue, they will cut all ties and leave the promotion without anywhere to race.

However whilst I agree with some of your sentiment the stadium owners have stated on more than one occasion that they will only allow certain compliant promoters who they vet and approve to use the facility at Brough Park so what happens in 1;2;3;or 5 years if "The Promotion" decide to walk away again where does that leave anyone else coming in... shafted I would suggest and its starting to look like a Catch 22 situation in that you cant look for somewhere else for fear of upsetting where you are now but if you do upset them or cant meet their requirements you are out on your neck anyway with nowhere to go.

17 hours ago, Diamondboy said:

Of course a miracle could happen and the stadium owners could say ‘look we don’t really want you here but if you source a new ground then we will honour you here at current rates till the new venue it is sorted’ I did giggle as I typed that.

Why laugh because that is basically what was said to "The Promotion" "‘look we don’t really want you here" and it has been said on more than one occasion; however "The Promotion" do currently have a fantastic relationship with ARC that has to be pointed out...

16 hours ago, Tsunami said:

Yes but we have always been led to believe that our time is limited at Brough and in the long term we need to look for another site. More rumours about rumours at the moment. 

Correct... we have been told for many a year now that our time is limited at Brough and what did ARC do with the option given to Bellway for the site and what happens if this is still standing and if Bellway offer ARC a new purpose built dog track somewhere else in the city? would the speedway be accommodated? also can I add that I do not deal in rumour and if it is a rumour I will point that out... however I also agree (Jesus twice in one post... I will be getting talked about) that there is a great deal of rumour and fiction posted onto this site but rest assured everything I quote and everything I have posted in the past have and has been in consultation and in full agreement of "The Promotion" sometimes even dictated word for word...

16 hours ago, Teromaafan said:

The future of the Diamonds is looking rosey. Rumour has it that a certain gentleman is confident of selling a nearby football club to an Arab buyer and is keen to maintain a sporting interest in the area by making Granty an offer for the club that he will not be able to refuse. Can’t say too much more at this stage, but the future ‘Sports Direct Diamonds’ are likely to be awash with cash and ready to recruit Europe’s finest riders. Team manager cannot be named, but we shall refer to him as ‘Brucie’, has no experience in the sport but has blagged his way through football management for years apparently. Box ticked. His tactical approach will be to aim for 3-3s in every heat and wait for the opposition to make mistakes to gain heat advantages.

Yes now that the Diamonds are having new money pumped in and from one source alone to a tune of £50k which makes my £3700 contribution last year pale into insignificance... and as I now have next years company sponsorship fund of £20k to consider and not touched yet and a major slice of that (if not all) was earmarked for the Speedway but even that figure does not look very impressive against someone weighing over £50k... So it looks like my cash is no longer required and as I dropped my Season Ticket for St James Park in 2015 when they got promoted to the Premiership which was also the last time I sponsored the Toon (not only the match ball twice that season but the programme as well) which gets you 4 corporate tickets for the full experience and on the premise that I would never go back as long as Ashley was in charge... well now that is looking like it will change very soon I think I will be going to B&M Bargains buying a pack of three of those checked tea towels getting me self some string and fashioning me own Arab ghutra and agal rope for me napper to pay Homage to our new prospective buyers... looks like the sponsorship cash will be going on watching football again next season and at least I will have a list of clients; staff and friends wanting coming to those events unlike me two spare speedway tickets that I cant give away for love nor money...

Never mind good luck to "The Promotion" in 2022 and especially Dave Tinning who is a great guy and not only to Dave but his whole family who all will give 100% to the cause that is for sure....

Finally can I add I think much of the good will and genuine support for "The Promotion" that was there from the fans has taken a bit of a bashing over the last few months with the treats of pulling the plug and the haranguing about the financial mess the club found itself in... and to the final track walk where many of these fans shed genuine tears at what they thought was the loss of there club that the "Important Statement from Rob Grant" post was not necessary in the slightest and there needs to be a concerted effort from "The Promotion" to re-engage with the fan base going forward and especially in 2022...

Regards
John

[StevePark]

Cheers John for the reply.  My "is it a secret" wasn't really a dig at anyone, just I thought a bit more info on what was discussed/agreed, would have come out before now (like yesterday for example), but hey-ho, we know the situation now, so let's all "pull together" and make 2022 and beyond successful for the Diamonds.

[TotallyHonestJohn]

1 minute ago, StevePark said:

Cheers John for the reply.  My "is it a secret" wasn't really a dig at anyone, just I thought a bit more info on what was discussed/agreed, would have come out before now (like yesterday for example), but hey-ho, we know the situation now, so let's all "pull together" and make 2022 and beyond successful for the Diamonds.

It would have come out sooner but I am tied up on a big commission for a client at the minute and I couldn't get a response out as quick as I would have liked to be fair and as you will appreciate there was a fair bit to discuss so the reply wasn't really going to be a one liner reply (not that I am known for my one liner replies)

There wasn't much agreed to be fair as the meeting was made moot by "The Promotion" changing its mind and deciding to stay for next year... and possibly longer (if it doesn't lose money) and I do feel that there possibly will be the need for something like the FONDS that isn't to onerous on the regular fans pocket and something the fans will feel they can support and there were some good ideas and some positive support but the 70 or so who were there were the hard core of the supporters... real fans and genuine people...

On the CIC I am still keen to push this and I will be exploring the possibilities further in the next few months; however it will be a CIC that pays out a dividend on profits and potentially with a site that will be a viable venture to give returns to the investors and I will be looking for around 10 to 12 like minded people (or businesses)  if the business plan stacks up... we have seven interested parties at present and there will possibly be more on this later hopefully and who knows Steve this time next year we could all be millionaires...

Keep living the dream

Regards
THJ

 

[Jaizer]

Track situation sounds a bit reminiscent of our situation when Brian sands wanted ashfield as a training track. Owners of shawfield got wind of it, wanted the track for greyhounds, kicked us out of shawfield and as I remember kept all the equipment as well.

 

It may have taken 20 years and significant investment of people not looking for financial return but we have a club, promotion, track and stadium to be proud of. Hopefully Newcastle can one day do the same

[Falcon1983]

How about this for a side

1. Steve Worrall 
2. James Wright
3. Simon Lambert 
4. Kasper Andersen 
5. Richie Worral 
6. Danny Phillips R/S
7. Archie Freeman R/S

[Aceslider]

3 hours ago, TotallyHonestJohn said:

Steve there are no secrets as far as I am concerned and never will be; furthermore if it was to be a secret there would not have been an open invite on here and on other media channels such as Facebook and Twitter; then if you consider how fast Rob Grant put his statement out on Facebook you can see there was nothing secret about the meeting or its content as Steve Pate (Team Manager) was in attendance I guess as Rob's (eyes and ears) representative although he did not contribute to the meeting whatsoever.

The meeting was pulled together by Steve Brock and the venue booked when we were under the impression that the club had gone and was closing following comments made by "The Promotion" (I will use this phrase rather than put names down). I was told by "The Promotion" that if I didn't buy the club (with an associate) that the club was gone as the "Stadium Owners" would not accept just any person coming in to promote the club and there would need to be many hurdles to get over before we could run and both "myself and my colleague" were in the opinion of "The Promotion" the "only people" who could take the club forward  and who would be an acceptable alternative.

Therefore we were in the process of pulling a package together to rescue the club which would have included input from the fans... Now these things do not come together overnight however we were systematically working through the process when low and behold "The Promotion" had a change of heart and decided to run. Great...  As I have stated as an ardent supporter of Rob Grant the Rob Grant is the best person to promote Newcastle Speedway (for many reasons previously outlined) So we were then asked by "The Promotion" if a Trust could be pulled together to support the club following the season "The Promotion" had just endured... because as everyone was aware the club was on the brink of collapse right from the start due to the VAT fiasco and "The Promotion" were telling us continually right throughout the season how bad a state the club were in financially and I for one took it upon myself to religiously and sometimes vehemently  support "The Promotion" and give relevant information on here on how precarious the financial situation was...

Which brings me onto a conversation I had with "The Promotion" on the Friday prior to this meeting where I was basically told by "The Promotion" all they wanted was a Trust like Edinburgh to do similar things like "they do" "up there" and I pointed out to "The Promotion" that this would be fans money and in effect "The Promotion" could not been seen to have anything to do with the Trust and it would be the Trust (Fans) and their committee who would decide what and where any monies would be spent but it would always be spent to the benefit of the club.

However "The Promotion" was not happy with this and stated there was new money coming into the club and when I pressed "The Promotion" as to how much they were expecting from this new money the figure I was quoted was "in excess of £50K" and then I stated to "The Promotion" that did they think it fair to ask fans to put cash in if the Business as a whole was making profit... I didn't get a response and I added if there was profit in the pot at the end of the year did "The Promotion" expect another 10 or 20 grand hand out from the fans which in essence would just be a gift to "The Promotion" for running a business and I did not get a response... I was told it had nothing to do with the fans if "The Promotion" were making a profit and "The Promotion" stated that they would not divulge what the financial status of the company was like... then when I pointed out that "The Promotion" were happy to divulge figures that showed the company were making a loss and it was imperative that fans put into a "Go Fund Me" or that it was critical to the clubs finances that Fans had to attend a double header or the club would fold that this was acceptable in those instances but not if the business was being successful... "The Promotion" reiterated that this had nothing to do with the fans however it was pointed out that the company would be posting financial information on to the Companies House web site and the information would ultimately be available "The Promotion" made no comment...

This brings me on to the meeting itself... We looked at three options to support the Club and "The Promotion" and these were 

1. A supporters Trust... and in running a trust it was envisaged that this would give the Fans a vehicle to support the club financially which came with certain tax breaks and benefits because if you are a charitable trust and donating through Gift Aid it means means charities and community amateur sports clubs ( CASCs ) etc.. can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give. However prior to this meeting we found out that you can not support Motor Sports through a "charitable trust" as it is not allowed legally under current laws and regulations in England and Wales governing trusts and we were asked how do Edinburgh do it and the very short answer to this is; they are covered by Scottish Law and it is different. So whatever they do up there is totally irrelevant to what we can do down here so a Trust was a non starter unfortunately following on from the legal advice we received.

2. A Community interest company... A community interest company is a type of company introduced by the United Kingdom government in 2005 under the Companies Act 2004, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good; now again this cannot be used to run a motor sport business however it could be used to support that business by other means which we were told we could legally do... Such as purchase a venue and rent it back to the club at a potentially peppercorn rent on say £1:00 per meeting. This was discussed due to the fact that "The Promotion" had expressed at the start of the season that it was imperative that we got out of Brough Park to assist "The Promotion" and their business plan to run training meetings and get free access to the track to allow for pre meeting track prep which was creating problems at Brough... I will add to this regarding the track below. For the CIC to operate we were looking at a larger investment of say £1000 per year per person for 3 years and investing this cash which would have raised interest on the investment which could have been given back to the club for capital investments such as Air Fence; Tractors; Bowsers; Plant and Equipment. Furthermore this capital would have been used as collateral to open up further funding streams to get the new venue off the ground with the guarantee that all monies paid by each person would be handed back to investors in full as a minimum at the end of the loan period of say 3 to 5 years. Legal documentation would have been drawn up to underwrite these investments and due to the complexities involved this would form part of a three to five year plan to support the club and "The Promotion". More on this later...

3. The Friends of Newcastle Diamonds Speedway (FONDS)… which in essence is a beefed up supporters club but with a constitution and a set of articles to operate by and to; that would give the Fans the comfort in the knowledge that their cash was being spent wisely and that everyone who contributed to the fund would be able to at least have a say at a group meeting and to put proposals forward to allow a democratic vote on where the monies were going... I now believe with the Facebook "Important Statement from Rob Grant" this if anything is the way the fans should go... There will be the need for a Secretary, Treasurer and Chair Person and a couple of committee members.. and the Chair Person would liaise with "The Promotion" and "The Promotion" could advise where the help is/was required or the FONDS (depending on available funds) could sponsor say the Medical Cover and Ambulance that runs to around £600:00 per meeting or the Referee costs to around £200:00 per meeting depending on how much revenue they were bringing in... We have an offer to set up the rules governing the FONDS; the terms of association and the constitution to give people the confidence that any monies raised are spent wisely... 

Steve Brock coordinated this meeting and took some names at the end of it with fans prepared to commit to such an entity like the FONDS and he would be an ideal person to chair this group and would get my vote...

So there you go Steve no secrets hopefully the brief outline and precis above gives you some ideas as to what was discussed at the meeting and can I also add my thanks to everyone who attended (just under 70 souls) on an absolutely awful night weather wise and for all the PM's I have received offering support over the last few weeks... there should be more coming out on this for further discussion...

Also Steve if you wish to take any of this and put it on Facebook I would not have any issue with that...

On this statement from "The Promotion" I find this personally very disappointing; no one is disputing whose business it is and as such we can all mind our own businesses to be fair if that makes "The Promotion" happy... however at the start of the season I was asked by "The Promotion" to put feelers out on here to see what the appetite would be for moving to a New Venue and this was the case right up to the final few weeks of the season and my enquiry provoked a great deal of emotion from various fans and I sincerely apologise for this upset to those who are most loyal to Brough Park however I was operating under instruction from "The Promotion" and it was only mentioned at the Gosforth meeting because of the continual insistence that we had to get away from Brough Park... However miraculously the position seems to have changed...

Yep... press release and feelers out everywhere with site visits to look at new venues the lot... Durham Northumberland Newcastle North Tyneside Blyth Valley et al... meetings with planners and councillors the whole shooting match; however two meetings with over a thousand in and a big hard on because there would be no need to supplement revenue streams with paid for training and practice session... As I have always said I have supported "The Promotion" with not only unwavering passion and loyalty (sometimes going over the top) and I have backed this up with financial support... "The Promotion" have all the tools to make Newcastle Diamonds successful at Brough Park they have the additional revenue streams with the food franchise and the backing of the stadium owners which is vital; added to which some fantastic and innovative ideas on how to promote the team the sport and the business in the North East... if anyone can make a success out of this club it is the current promotion...

When I was being courted and actively encouraged to take over the club I was told by "The Promotion" that ARC would be open to possibly looking at a two year lease if certain criteria could be met and in my subsequent discussions with "The Promotion" following their decision to run for "one more year in the memory of Dave Tattum"  in 2022 and not fold the club and that the promotion were potentially looking at 1; 2; 3; 5 more years (not sure why 4 years was missed but there you go) and during this conversation with "The Promotion" it was intermated that there could be 5 more years at Brough Park so roll on we may even see a 100th birthday celebration...

However whilst I agree with some of your sentiment the stadium owners have stated on more than one occasion that they will only allow certain compliant promoters who they vet and approve to use the facility at Brough Park so what happens in 1;2;3;or 5 years if "The Promotion" decide to walk away again where does that leave anyone else coming in... shafted I would suggest and its starting to look like a Catch 22 situation in that you cant look for somewhere else for fear of upsetting where you are now but if you do upset them or cant meet their requirements you are out on your neck anyway with nowhere to go.

Why laugh because that is basically what was said to "The Promotion" "‘look we don’t really want you here" and it has been said on more than one occasion; however "The Promotion" do currently have a fantastic relationship with ARC that has to be pointed out...

Correct... we have been told for many a year now that our time is limited at Brough and what did ARC do with the option given to Bellway for the site and what happens if this is still standing and if Bellway offer ARC a new purpose built dog track somewhere else in the city? would the speedway be accommodated? also can I add that I do not deal in rumour and if it is a rumour I will point that out... however I also agree (Jesus twice in one post... I will be getting talked about) that there is a great deal of rumour and fiction posted onto this site but rest assured everything I quote and everything I have posted in the past have and has been in consultation and in full agreement of "The Promotion" sometimes even dictated word for word...

Yes now that the Diamonds are having new money pumped in and from one source alone to a tune of £50k which makes my £3700 contribution last year pale into insignificance... and as I now have next years company sponsorship fund of £20k to consider and not touched yet and a major slice of that (if not all) was earmarked for the Speedway but even that figure does not look very impressive against someone weighing over £50k... So it looks like my cash is no longer required and as I dropped my Season Ticket for St James Park in 2015 when they got promoted to the Premiership which was also the last time I sponsored the Toon (not only the match ball twice that season but the programme as well) which gets you 4 corporate tickets for the full experience and on the premise that I would never go back as long as Ashley was in charge... well now that is looking like it will change very soon I think I will be going to B&M Bargains buying a pack of three of those checked tea towels getting me self some string and fashioning me own Arab ghutra and agal rope for me napper to pay Homage to our new prospective buyers... looks like the sponsorship cash will be going on watching football again next season and at least I will have a list of clients; staff and friends wanting coming to those events unlike me two spare speedway tickets that I cant give away for love nor money...

Never mind good luck to "The Promotion" in 2022 and especially Dave Tinning who is a great guy and not only to Dave but his whole family who all will give 100% to the cause that is for sure....

Finally can I add I think much of the good will and genuine support for "The Promotion" that was there from the fans has taken a bit of a bashing over the last few months with the treats of pulling the plug and the haranguing about the financial mess the club found itself in... and to the final track walk where many of these fans shed genuine tears at what they thought was the loss of there club that the "Important Statement from Rob Grant" post was not necessary in the slightest and there needs to be a concerted effort from "The Promotion" to re-engage with the fan base going forward and especially in 2022...

Regards
John

Absolutely cracking post if I may say!!!

[Diamonds85]

Just taken me a good 15 minutes to read it, but I must agree, cracking post, and thank you very much THJ for all the hard work you have and do put in to the club... It would be nice if all of us with Diamonds in our lives could group up and work together as a team to make this club the best in the country

Onto 2022 where I will be putting my financial support in, whether "The Promotion" want it or not  Cheers everyone

57 minutes ago, Falcon1983 said:

How about this for a side

1. Steve Worrall 
2. James Wright
3. Simon Lambert 
4. Kasper Andersen 
5. Richie Worral 
6. Danny Phillips R/S
7. Archie Freeman R/S

There's only 2 in that team who I'd want in my team, and I think they both will be, Archie and obviously James

Steve, Richie - Been there, done that, need some refreshing faces

Simon - Brilliant rider, just not at Brough, no thanks

Kasper - Would be amazing, but I feel he'll be elsewhere

Danny - Think that would anger more people than please people, and we need a strong reserve to go with Archie, not a level one, I'm thinking a Jack Thomas as a minimum... Connor if he's eligible?

[Chewbacca]

1 hour ago, Falcon1983 said:

How about this for a side

1. Steve Worrall 
2. James Wright
3. Simon Lambert 
4. Kasper Andersen 
5. Richie Worral 
6. Danny Phillips R/S
7. Archie Freeman R/S

Have you ever watched  Simon and Danny trying to get around Brough?

[Diamondboy]

The bit that worries me is if we make a loss we want your money, if we make a profit we want your money but don’t dare ask us what profit we made. I’m sorry but no way would I give to this.

[leander]

1 hour ago, Diamonds85 said:

Just taken me a good 15 minutes to read it, but I must agree, cracking post, and thank you very much THJ for all the hard work you have and do put in to the club... It would be nice if all of us with Diamonds in our lives could group up and work together as a team to make this club the best in the country

Onto 2022 where I will be putting my financial support in, whether "The Promotion" want it or not  Cheers everyone

There's only 2 in that team who I'd want in my team, and I think they both will be, Archie and obviously James

Steve, Richie - Been there, done that, need some refreshing faces

Simon - Brilliant rider, just not at Brough, no thanks

Kasper - Would be amazing, but I feel he'll be elsewhere

Danny - Think that would anger more people than please people, and we need a strong reserve to go with Archie, not a level one, I'm thinking a Jack Thomas as a minimum... Connor if he's eligible?

Connor is unlikely to be eligible. He wasn't this year (although the promotion hoped he would be), and his end of season average is on a par with James. I would still like to see Max and Connor back in the middle order as they will both continue to improve. They realistically improved over the season, whereas James and Adam were on assessed averages to start with, and they both averaged 5 -6 from the start to the end. It would leave room for two decent average heat leaders . With James already confirmed as captain it would seem that Matty won't be returning. Maybe he's decided to retire, I don't know.

[tyretrax]

4 hours ago, Jaizer said:

Track situation sounds a bit reminiscent of our situation when Brian sands wanted ashfield as a training track. Owners of shawfield got wind of it, wanted the track for greyhounds, kicked us out of shawfield and as I remember kept all the equipment as well.

 

It may have taken 20 years and significant investment of people not looking for financial return but we have a club, promotion, track and stadium to be proud of. Hopefully Newcastle can one day do the same

You surely don't believe the training track story? The equipment belonged to Shawfield in lew of rent owed by the previous promotion and was loaned to Brian Sands.

[Jaizer]

2 minutes ago, tyretrax said:

You surely don't believe the training track story? The equipment belonged to Shawfield in lew of rent owed by the previous promotion and was loaned to Brian Sands.

I was but a fresh faced teenager at the time so believed what read in papers. However bot surprised by that judging by sands other dealings

[Justgotmecpc]

4 hours ago, Falcon1983 said:

How about this for a side

1. Steve Worrall 
2. James Wright
3. Simon Lambert 
4. Kasper Andersen 
5. Richie Worral 
6. Danny Phillips R/S
7. Archie Freeman R/S

How about 1 Steve worrall .2 Adam roynon 3 Tero arnio 4 James Wright 5 lewi Kerr 6  Kyle Bickley & 7 Archie .. just a thought 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Justgotmecpc

[ruffdiamond]

1 minute ago, Justgotmecpc said:

How about 1 Steve worrall .2 Adam roynon 3 Tero arnio 4 James Wright 5 lewi Kerr 6 James sarjent  & 7 Archie .. just a thought 

Would have 4, 5, 6 & 7 

[Fromafar]

2 hours ago, Diamondboy said:

The bit that worries me is if we make a loss we want your money, if we make a profit we want your money but don’t dare ask us what profit we made. I’m sorry but no way would I give to this.

Does seem a rather senseless comment.IMO.

[Diamonds85]

I would love to see something like this, now that I've gotten over the rose tinted view of the end of last season, can't see Adam, Connor (or Max tbh) being back unfortunately, so they need to be replaced by good options. Assuming Matty Wethers is retiring then:

1. Danny King - Big out and out number 1 who knows and rides the track well

2. Max Clegg - Brilliant number 2, especially at home, hope he improves on some of the bigger away tracks

3. James Wright - Experienced number 3, can hold that position in a good team imo

4. Paul Starke - 110% trier and rode brilliantly for us when guesting last season, rides Brough very well too

5. Richie Worrall - Solid performer, one of the better number 5s in the league, also knows the track very well

6. Jack Thomas - Seems to have came on a lot last season and will be one of the stronger rising stars

7. Archie Freeman - Local hero and was getting closer to the pace each meeting last season, no pressure on him in this team

I have built this team with 2 rising stars at reserve and the 1-5 to a limit of 35, just a guess at what may or may not happen, but I love the look of that team, solid all the way through, all British and all lads who give their all on track.

The only one I would swap out would be Richie, leaving 8.69 to play with at a 35 point limit, so take your pick from any of the heat leaders last season (Charles Wright, Josh Pickering, Kyle Howarth, Chris Harris)

Hope we put a competitive team out...