Text at top (next game etc)

Next Game: Away At Bishop Stortford In The FA Cup On Saturday 28 September at 3.00pm

Friday, November 17, 2023

Club get another licence to use the Blackfriars End

Away supporters, housed in the Len Weston, could have greater facilities on offer in the Blackfriars End

Hereford have been given further permissions by Herefordshire Council on how they use the Blackfriars End.

The derelict stand is currently not included in the Edgar Street lease but, earlier this year, the council as landlord gave the club permission to use some of the buildings there.

That was for "access and welfare purposes" to benefit away fans, the council's strategic asset delivery director Sarah Jowett said.

That was the council "granting a licence to occupy land and buildings at Edgar Street Football Ground".

Now though, another decision has been made by Ms Jowett.

She has granted a "temporary licence to occupy land at Edgar Street Football Ground for away fans".

It may seem the same, but, according to council documents, this latest move will allow the club to put up additional temporary fencing and provide mobile welfare facilities in this area for the benefit of away supporters.

That's on top of the existing permission for the club to use the toilets and snack store for the benefit of away fans, usually housed in one half of the Len Weston Stand.

The council said the fencing will benefit away fans for "a number of potentially large fixtures during the current season".

As before, it's only a temporary licence while the club work on a permanent solution.

The club will also be responsible for all costs associated with this application and it must satisfy the requirements of the safety advisory group.

There will be no cost to the council and the temporary licence will end at the end of the current football season. It will not prejudice any future plans for the use of this area.

What the future use of the Blackfriars End might be is still up in the air.

For years, there have been discussions over the stand's redevelopment.

The last public mention of talks between the club and council was in February when it was said Ross Cook, corporate director at Herefordshire Council, showed "a genuine mutual appetite to get things done".

The football club was also invited to "submit a proposal for a club and community facility at the Blackfriars End, which would provide additional revenue streams in years to come for Hereford FC to be invested back into the club".

The club also said the council is "open to conversations about other areas of the ground that could, one day, be in need of upgrade or refurbishment".

Chairman Chris Ammonds was then due to sit down with the council last month to talk about the lease.

He was under no illusion as to what his job was, telling Bulls News before the meeting: "It'll be my job to say to them listen, if we can get this lease extended then we have some real opportunities out there to improve the facilities here at Edgar Street and help the financial aspect of the club as well."

While the Blackfriars End might not be used by fans, it's still an important part of Edgar Street.

Not only does the land house two of the ground's four floodlight pylons, but it also houses water tanks used for the pitch sprinklers. Both scoreboards are housed there and it also provides access to the pitch for vehicles from Blackfriars Street.