Last Sunday I thought I'd pop along and see what all the fuss is about at Huntington Stadium, while at the same time taking in the York City Knight v Barrow Raiders game. My expectations weren't exactly high, but when I actually got there I was absolutely amazed, in fact almost appalled that our Council can really think that this stadium can ever be brought up to the same standards as our current beloved home at Bootham Crescent. Not only that but in time for the start of next season, you have to be joking!

Clearly the main area of contention at the moment is the running track. Now I can see that the Council don't want to just rip it up. And to be honest, quite rightly so. I don't think anyone at the Football Club would want the athletes to lose their facility, especially since that's exactly what we're trying to stop a certain person, who I won't name, from doing to us. But I really can't see how it can stay. There just isn't the room. Building stands around the track would not only affect the view and the atmosphere, but would more importantly mean that the stands that could be built in the space behind the track would be tiny. I would like to know if any of the councillors have actually walked around the edge of the stadium and seen just how little space there is.

The two stands that are there at the moment are not exactly comparable with what we've got at Bootham Crescent either. Although from a distance the main stand, with seating, looks fairly new, when you actually stand there and count the number of seats, there aren't really that many. And as for the terraced stand at the other side, cramped is an understatement. For Sunday's match the stand wasn't exactly heaving, but I felt claustrophobic and I don't get any of that standing week in week out on the Longhurst. I think I counted about 12 or 15 rows in the stand and the steps were so steep and narrow that even my size six feet felt as though they were going to fall off.

Segregation at the match on Sunday was none existent. OK so it was rugby, but I can't see the Football League taking too kindly to us sharing a stand with Hull or Boston or Lincoln or anyone else. You get the point - something needs to be set up. I also think capacity is going to be a big issue too. There were only about 1300 at the match on Sunday and the stadium looked about the right size for that number. Our average attendance is about 4000. For a Hull game you can pretty much double that and if we draw anyone big in the cup where are they all going to go?

Talking about a big crowd, the car park at the ground was absolutely heaving on Sunday. I gave up looking and parked over the road at the Monks Cross shopping centre, but on a Saturday afternoon I really can't see there being room for fans to do that. And if the council really think that people won't drive they really don't know their electorates very well at all. Yes there were a few buses running people from the city centre to the ground, but they seemed to stop running half an hour before kick off. And yes there's no parking at Bootham Crescent itself, but parking in town is not that far away (and don't forget the council charge us to use these spaces, so they'll lose money there) and the proximity to the station means at lot of fans (many of them away fans) can come on the train. If the stadium isn't within easy reach of the station then surely this will put a lot of people off coming by train and force more into their cars.

I'm afraid in my eyes York City Council only seem to care about one thing - tourists. Anything the residents (you know those people who actually pay the council tax) want or need they either don't want to know or are always looking for the quickest, easiest way out and I think that's what's happening here with the issue over Bootham Crescent v Huntington. They seem to be avoiding doing anything about the current problem, almost hoping it's going to go away. Well I'm afraid it's not going to go away unless they do something about it and time is very quickly running out. 

It really makes my blood boil to see some other councils going out of their way to help their local clubs. Nottingham Council, for example, I take my hat off and salute you. You've shown that you care about your residents and are willing to help them out in times of need to maintain their current leisure facilities. So come on York City Council, take a leaf out of Nottingham's book. Stand up and show you care and sort out this mess before it blows up in your face. Huntington Stadium is never going to be a suitable alternative to Bootham Crescent. Not unless the whole place is knocked down and millions and millions of pounds is spent over a number of years and let's face it you're not going to spend that amount of money and there's no way the Football and/or Rugby club can afford or will be able raise the money to. So please, stop delaying things and just refuse planning permission on Bootham Crescent.

Pictures of Huntington Stadium:

View of the Terraced Stand from the main entrance

Looking across the ground from the far corner of the site

View of the Main Stand from the far corner of the site

View of the Main Stand from another corner of the site

The Main Stand from the terracing