13thmar05

Dartford excited with stadium plans

SATURDAY was a very emotional and special day for everybody connected with Southern League Division One East club Dartford, writes Stephen McCartney.

Over 100 fans packed into the clubhouse at Gravesend & Northfleet's Stonebridge Road ground to view the presentation by Dartford Borough Council on their new stadium at Princes Park - which should be ready in time for the 2006-07 season.

Club officials will be speaking to the council in two weeks time to finalise the arrangements but one thing is for sure, football is coming home to Dartford in August 2006.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for everybody connected with the club since the club were forced to withdraw from the Southern League after just four games into the 1992-93 season.

In the wake of the Bradford fire and Hillsborough disaster Dartford, like so many clubs, needed to relocate or upgrade their facilities at their old ground in Watling Street and the board went for the latter option.

Large sums of money were spent on planning and design fees, which burdened a manageable financial deficit with crippling interest charges.

At the same time Maidstone United, who had sold their own ground, needed a suitable home to launch their ill-fated foray into the Football League and the Dartford board at the time agreed to let the Stones ground share at Watling Street, the rent income providing a welcome boost for finances.

However, within a few years the Stones had gone into liquidation, most of their cash being taken up to gain the eagerly-sought Football League place.

Ground improvements, which Maidstone United had paid for, were sold to Dartford at a cost of around £500,000, which pushed Darts' debts at the time beyond manageable proportions.

Their ground at Watling Street was sold to pay off creditors and Dartford withdrew from the Southern League in the early part of the 1992-93 campaign.

However, the club's Supporters' Association, around 400 strong, came to the rescue.  A private limited liability company was incorporated in November 1992 to manage affairs which meant, primarily, keeping the youth team operating, an action which was rewarded when the youth team beat Maidstone Invicta (the club rising out of the ashes of the old Maidstone United) in the John Ullmann Cup final 2-0 at Stonebridge Road in front of a gate of 562.

The contributing existence of the youth team enabled Dartford to maintain both its senior status and full membership of the Football Association.

In February 1993 former player and current manager Tony Burman was appointed manager and with the club being offered a groundshare arrangement with Cray Wanderers at their Oxford Road ground in Sidcup, Dartford were able to make a successful application to join the Kent League.

With a view to the future the Darts negotiated another groundshare deal, this time at Erith & Belvedere's old ground at Park View, adjacent to Belvedere train station, which is now a superstore, in time for the 1994-95 season.

In May 1996 came the welcome news that the Darts had gained promotion to the Southern League, exactly 100 years after the club first entered the competition.

However, in September 1997 a disastrous fire at Erith & Belvedere put the club's future and standing with the Southern League into serious doubt and with this in mind, a new ground sharing arrangement was met with Purfleet (now Thurrock) in time for the 1998-99 season.

Since the 2001-02 season, the Darts have groundshared at Stonebridge Road - which has been a burden on the club's finances - but they can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But on Saturday, everyone saw the plans for their new stadium at Princes Park.

The club also attracted the division's highest attendance of the season with 348 flooding through the turnstiles at Stonebridge Road.  The club are also the best supported in the division, averaging 250.  Just imagine how many fans will flock through the turnstiles at Princes Park in August 2006?

"It was full of excitement and there was well over 100 people turned up for the presentation, which was well presented by the Council," said Burman - the club's current manager and director of the club.

"This was the first insight into their plans for the future and the ground and the facilities, to be fair, just look fantastic."


Those plans are:

*    Council Leaders have commissioned a new kind of community stadium

*    Princes Park will be one of the most ecologically sensitive stadiums ever built

*    A new stadium for Dartford Football Club

*    Venue for festival and outdoor events

*    Community space and banqueting revenue generation for the Darts

*    A home for Princes Golf and Dartford Road Runners

For Supporters:

*    Fully covered terraces and stands

*    Seating for 978

*    Standing for 4,159

*    Terrace tea bars

*    Club bar

*    Club shop

*    Quality food and match-day dining

*    Social facility for fundraising and leisure

*    Easy access from a dedicated fastrack bus stop

For Players:

*    Full sized all-weather training pitch

*    Quality changing facilities

*    Fitness and weights room

*    Seminar and strategy room

*    First aid and health facility

*    Club and manager's office

*    New links with the community

For Education and Young People:

*    A commitment to junior soccer

*    Summer schools

*    Kids fitness/skills training

*    A venue for schools finals

*    New links to schools

*    Building on football as a family activity

The Environment:

*    A unique "living roof" reflects the park setting

*    Sunken design will nestle into surrounding land

*    A low-energy, sustainable design

*    High quality lighting to reduce light pollution

*    Enhanced parkland setting

*    Green parkland setting

*    Green transport plan to minimise traffic

For Golfers and Road Runners:

*    A new home for Princes Golf Club and Dartford Road Runners

*    Golf course protected and enhanced

*    Quality locker and changing rooms

*    Secure layout means no-pay, no-play

*    Bar and dining

Special Occasions:

*    Banqueting facility for 250 - a landmark location

*    Catering and receptions, parties and celebrations

*    High quality landscaped grounds

*    Parking for 300+ cars

*    Quality function room and bar

*    Special views and quality environment for guests

Reflecting on the presentation, Burman added: "There were a few tears shed.  A few of the older supporters looked in disbelief.  I am just pleased for everybody involved."

Dartford are just months away from playing football matches in a stadium - they can finally call home.

"Its just so pleasing for everyone whose been involved with the club, financially, supporting and members of the council who WANT to see this project go through," said Burman.

"I think we will have the best ground in Kent and it will be fantastic for the community in Dartford as they will be there to use it.

"I've been told it will be run by Dartford Football Club but we want to help the community as well.  We will talk to schools for them to use the Astroturf and the clubhouse will also be used for conferences and functions."

Dave Skinner, whose supported the club since the 1960s and has been chairman since the club went under 13 years ago, added: "Everyone was impressed by the presentation. I was talking to someone and it was similar to when the announcement was made last year before the King's Lynn game, which we won, and they were top of the league.

"There were a few tears shed by the fans in the bar and everyone was so happy that everything,  our promises and thoughts for the future are going to come true."

Skinner, however, revealed club officials will be meeting with the council in two weeks time to finalise the details of the stadium, but one thing is for sure, Dartford will be playing at Princes Park in August 2006.

Skinner added: "It's a council built and council owned but we will have it on a long lease.  The whole facility will be leased by Dartford Football Club.

"This will be one of the best stadium's in non-league football and the intension of the council will put Dartford on the map.  People will come to the stadium and say "wow, Dartford must be a good place."

Fans, however, must be patient, as the chairman hasn't guaranteed a return to former glories in their first season back in Dartford.

Skinner added: "I am hopeful for one or two seasons of consolidation in the new stadium and we will then be able to work out what the finances are and push for promotion from there.  From my own point of view, it will take a year or two to settle down."

To visit the presentation photographs, please visit the unofficial website:

www.dartfordfootballclub.co.uk/ground

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