Provision of toilets for Bristows Bench

[Paigntonian]

With the large crowds now enjoying the experience at Plainmoor Stadium I hope the club can give some thought to improve the amount of toilets available for both men and women at the corner between the family stand and Bristows Bench . Currently there are too few in my opinion and they are tucked away in the corner. There are long queues quite frequently leading to fans missing big chunks of the game.
With the end of the season a few weeks away hopefully the club can make changes in the close season in this area of the ground.

[UnitedinDevon]

It's a valid point but don't see it changing anytime soon

Thanks to the administrator costs - all down to CO - the new consortium will still be in the red come the end of the season

[Southampton Gull]

Didn't the co chairmen say recently that all creditors had now been paid in full?

[Modgull]

Not sure how this could be accommodated in the tiny space available - the time to have done this was when the Bench was built but the need to maximise the space allocated to Westlands School use made it impossible to build new toilets within the Bench footprint. However, I do agree the substantive point - they are totally inadequate when the crowds are bigger.

[DerekDawkinsJnr]

Could set up a bogshare agreement with Wastelands School?

[Dave]

In the recent Chairmen's chat, the co-chairmen did say all creditors had been paid off in full and the club is now debt free, however they did also say something along the lines of, there had been a number of unforeseen issues left over from the previous ownership , requiring extra spending which could result in the club reporting an operational loss, if memory serves me right think a figure of £300k was mentioned. Think it's fair to say both United in Devon or SG are right in what they've said.

I've enjoyed going in the gulls nest before and after games and seeing it packed, and being squashed in on the popside gives a sense of supporting a real football club, but things like toilet facilities is such a simple thing that didn't occur to me, and is a valid point, when the Bristow's Bench was built TUFC was an EFL club barely scraping 2,400, I'm not sure anyone at the club including us fans could ever believe we'd find ourselves at this point , two divisions lower and consistently hitting 4,000 + gates now, with 3,500 potentially being the new normal.

As for toilet provision for the Bristow's Bench, there isn't a quick permanent fix here, first I think it would fair to see whether the attendance figures remain high over a consistent period of time before the club invests on extending the current toilet block, and there is room to do that.

The obvious quick fix would be in the installation of temporary portaloos not ideal but would help, or maybe consider allowing supporters from the Bench to access the toilets in the Gulls nest maybe ?

[Southampton Gull]

Dave I thought they referred to the unforseen expenditure as an association to the larger crowds itself. For example extra stewards etc but I'd have thought the extra revenues from ticket sales and merchandise alone would more than cover that. If it is a hangover from GI I'd love to know what that is. On the subject of portaloos I know from first hand experience they can be expensive and problematic but perhaps the club could use a local provider and tempt them with some kind of favourable sponsorship deal. great crowd yesterday and hopefully the first in a series of bunper crowds before the season plays out.

[torregull]

Those supporters in Bristow's can and do access toilets in Gulls Nest and some in Gulls Nest use the toilets in corridor between there and The Cove as well.

[Hereford Gull66]

Interesting how we can all pick up or hear things slightly differently. I took it that originally the ground facilities and buildings were in a worse state than anticipated, then the Administrators costs were higher than anticipated in clearing the depts.

I imagine that if the owners were not aware of this problem, they will be now, and it will go on the list. Where on the list is perhaps the question, in relation to, floodlights, scoreboard, etc…..

[UnitedinDevon]

It's pretty clear on the chairman's chat

"The administrator fees were significantly higher than initially set out"

Can only be attributed to GI

[culmstockgull]

A long term review and solution for the facilities in general at plainmoor is required and I am sure has already been cnsidered,having more than basic facilities is a part of the match day experience,we have the capacity to house 6500 but over 2500 and we struggle, a change in the way we do things should be on the table,30 minutes into each match and the pop side begin their annual migration to the bar, why can't the bar come to them,if not delivered to the terrace, a bar by the pop side food outlets,we could also dispense food around the ground in much the same way ice cream sellers walk the aisles in cinemas.
Toilets and food outlets behind the away terrace are hugely under utilised, but with most clubs in this league bringing less than 50 supporters and the majority of bristows bench being on the wrong side of a pension I do not see any issues or potential flashpoints that would come by the intergration for both sets of supporters of these facilities.By the time that a bristows resident considered violence towards an away supporter and had first removed their false teeth and glasses for safe keeping they would have forgot what the issue was in the first place.
Crowds are back to stay at plainmoor to stay, even on the most miserable, freezing tuesday nights when people can stream the match for half the admission of plainmoor supoorters are still choosing the live event in huge numbers,we now need the facilities to match.

[TheYellowFromExeter]

A long term review and solution for the facilities in general at plainmoor is required and I am sure has already been cnsidered,having more than basic facilities is a part of the match day experience,we have the capacity to house 6500 but over 2500 and we struggle, a change in the way we do things should be on the table,30 minutes into each match and the pop side begin their annual migration to the bar, why can't the bar come to them,if not delivered to the terrace, a bar by the pop side food outlets,we could also dispense food around the ground in much the same way ice cream sellers walk the aisles in cinemas.
Toilets and food outlets behind the away terrace are hugely under utilised, but with most clubs in this league bringing less than 50 supporters and the majority of bristows bench being on the wrong side of a pension I do not see any issues or potential flashpoints that would come by the intergration for both sets of supporters of these facilities.By the time that a bristows resident considered violence towards an away supporter and had first removed their false teeth and glasses for safe keeping they would have forgot what the issue was in the first place.
Crowds are back to stay at plainmoor to stay, even on the most miserable, freezing tuesday nights when people can stream the match for half the admission of plainmoor supoorters are still choosing the live event in huge numbers,we now need the facilities to match.

I agree mostly with what you’re saying but the bit about potential flashpoints could become an issue if the away team has a particularly nasty supporter to is trying to start on a home fan in Bristows Bench when getting food and the Torquay fan being unable to defend themself because of their age and possible fragility.

[Abbotgull]

30 minutes into each match and the pop side begin their annual migration to the bar, why can't the bar come to them,if not delivered to the terrace, a bar by the pop side food outlets,

It is illegal to consume alcohol within sight of the pitch in the top five divisions of English football and since we aspire to being in those higher echelons it's a non starter.
Also even if we remain in regional football there is the local licensing authorities to consider.
Personally I'd rather not stand in crowd of drinkers. You can probably imagine plastic beer cups flying all over the place when we score. Anyway if someone can't go without a drink for the two hour duration they are in a football ground then they have got a problem.