Grays ground sharing meeting

The F.A. rang us to say there was no problem us sharing with you, but your grading meant we could only play at Div One level. They didn't say there weren't ANY problems at your Club.

Best of luck and hope you get it sorted.

If we get put in Div One, not sure if we might ask you again!!

According to the grays forum Tilbury FC are not suspended by the fa, How is that no one at our club can tell us fans what is going on?

From Grays forum
"I would like to make it clear our decision not to go to Tilbury was purely due to wanting to try and play at Ryman Premier level and has nothing to do with the recent problems. The FA were in contact with the club last week and confirmed Tilbury FC wasn’t suspended and we could ground share with them, and we wish them all the luck for the future."

http://graysathletic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?tid=219

And how is it that ET have a better ground grading than us, cant work that one out.

i dont mean that stupid grading i mean our ground is just better than theirs.

If your ground is better why do you not have the grade "C" required for Ryman Premier status which East Thurrock has? We were told your ground is grade "D".

Our meeting last night was clear - if we want to play in the Ryman at Premier level it had to be at Rookery Hill.

The FA will tell us what level we will play at soon.

Old Mutt wrote:Unfortunately its not about which ground is better, its all to do with the grading system which when you read into it is quite a minefield. There are grounds in the Blue Square premier that are worse than some Ryman league grounds but they have been graded for the higher level. I give up trying to work out how the authorities work it out, there is a lot of red tape and grey areas in the FA grading system.

Yep but surely if east thurrock ground has premier league grading then ours should?

Unfortunately its not about which ground is better, its all to do with the grading system which when you read into it is quite a minefield. There are grounds in the Blue Square premier that are worse than some Ryman league grounds but they have been graded for the higher level. I give up trying to work out how the authorities work it out, there is a lot of red tape and grey areas in the FA grading system.

our grounds better than east thurrocks, more terracing.

clarry wrote:

Ground run down, poor parking

cheeky f*ckers, its a damn sight better than their ground

Lets hope they go to East Thurrock...where is that? oh yeah, miles and miles away in the middle of nowhere!

I dont want a sky blue stain on our ground and they can shove the extra income where the don't shine

Yep, it looks like East thurrock for us.

I don't think the comments on our forum were meant in derogative way, its just that the written word doesn't come over in the way it was meant. The main reason for us going to Corringham is the ground grading because we have past the deadline to assist in bringing Chadfields up to Ryman prem level. I feel it's a shame because us sharing at your ground could have benefited both clubs in the short term.

Still, not to be, but I still hope you get your internal problems sorted quickly.

All the best , Steve A

Ground run down, poor parking

cheeky f*ckers, its a damn sight better than their ground

Lets hope they go to East Thurrock...where is that? oh yeah, miles and miles away in the middle of nowhere!

I dont want a sky blue stain on our ground and they can shove the extra income where the don't shine

Any one know the out come of this meeting. Lifted this from their forum

know you are a long-standing Grays Athletic supporter and, for obvious reasons, cannot attend the fans meeting on Monday 10th, I would like to outine the bones of the New Committee’s meeting last Thursday. Please treat this information as not for public airing until after the meeting because, as we are all aware, some elements love to twist the facts!

Committee representations have found that the “goalposts” have moved regarding the choice between Grays groundsharing at Tilbury or East Thurrock. As you may recall, most supporters at the fans meeting, me included, favoured Tilbury but on closer examination:

1. Tilbury—PROS
closer to Grays, better transport links, better catchment, better attendances

CONS
Ground run down, poor parking, NO commercial opportunities e.g bar, ground concessions etc
Ground only holding Grade D (for Ryman 1 North)---insufficient time left to get upgrade to Grade C needed for Ryman Premier, so we would play in Div 1

Power struggle going on at Tilbury between trustees and management(all been sacked)—one side wants us the other vehemently does NOT-- plus there is F.A involvement which could take ages to sort out. With so little time left to apply for next season(13th MAY! the deadline), can we poke our nose into this nest of vipers?



2.East Thurrock---PROS
They want us, short term and possibly long term. Happy to give us own stand, OWN BAR—with facilities, they would take lesser share of advertising boards, plus other negotiable benefits
Has already got Grade C grading for Ryman Premier
Progressive management, better car parking

CONS
Further away, poor PUBLIC access, although we are in a car-based society!
Lower gates, but more professional marketing and a successful team would help our cause!

Needs careful handling to get endorsement from the fans!

After being presented with the above information, the Committee was in total agreement that we want to play at a level no lower than Ryman Prem( still not guaranteed)---recruitment of better players, better attendances, more meaningful matches etc

We will recommend East Thurrock at the meeting---but the fans will have their say!
Feel free to contact me at: