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

Wednesday, January 03, 2024

Ammonds - The Blackfriars End Of Edgar Street

 

Before kick-off on New Years Day, Hereford chairman Chris Ammonds was interviewed by Trevor Owens for BBC Hereford and Worcester.

During the interview Ammonds spoke about the lease on the ground and in particular the Blackfriars End of Edgar Street which hasn't been used by the football club for well over ten years.

"They are two separate things really but they are linked in many ways because the Council have come to us and are now looking what they can do with the Blackfriars End in terms of making it look better facing towards the retail development and also in terms of what we need on our side in terms of making this a four sided stadium again.

"Hopefully we can tie in getting a lease extention again with that.

"Obviously the Council have been really good to us over the years since Hereford FC was formed.

"But we are down to the last seven years of the lease now, which isn't a cause for any concern because we've always been able to get it extended.

"But what we would like to try and do is get a more significent extension this time.

"Once you have a lease that is beyond 20/25 years you then have options in terms of looking at grant funding and that sort of stuff.

"And that's going to be really important to us if we want to progress to the next level, we need to be looking at those options and hopefully from the two meetings we had with the Council in December, they were very forthcoming in terms of their willingness to agree that lease.

"It was not like we were arm-wrestling them into making us promises or giving us thoughts, they were forthcoming in terms of let's tie the two things together, let's get Hereford FC well and truely settled here for the longer term and tie it in with the work that's hopefully going to be done to make the Blackfriars End look much better on both sides."

Who is going to fund any stand in the Blackfriars End?

"That is open to debate, hopefully it will become part of the development. Clearly funding isn't easy for us at this current stage but hopefully it can all be worked in for the bigger, wider development.That will be part of the conversations we will have with the Council.

"They know our position in terms of the finances available to us at the current time,

"In an ideal world the whole development will be covered in a cost and then over time it will get dealt with and sorted.

"In some ways it's the Council's project because at the end of the day we don't have a lease on that area.

"We're really pleased they came to us right at the very start to say we want you on board with this, we want your support, we want to work for you as well as ourselves."

Seats or terrace?

"I think seats would be the ideal senario but what we have to make sure is that we get the facility that end that has the scope of what we need.

"As long as we have the land that gives us the full width of the pitch then it would be perfect.

"I would be easy either way terrace or stand.

"We just need an upgraded facility at that end to make the stadium four sided.

"These are all the things we need to be discussing over the next couple of months.

"It seems the Council wants to move quickly to try and get things done and that would suit us. Hopefully over the next couple of months there will be some really interesting conversations to be had."

Any thoughts when work might start?

"There is talk whether the Blackfriars End could be demolished over the summer, as soon as the season finishes.

"Darren (Ball) our stadium director has been involved in those conversations.

"The sooner the better and if it's done out of season that would be absolutely perfect. They know that's the time to do it if they are going to do it.

"We will hopefully see movement on that, at least that part of it, come the summer.

"It if drags on beyond the end of the season it doesn't make any difference.

"We might lose a few footballs down holes but apart from that we should be fine."