U's fans warned by MP: New stadium will be 'worst in the country'

4.51.17pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th Jun 2007

Colchester's new 10,000-seater Community Stadium will be the worst new stadium in the country.

That was the stark warning made today by Colchester MP Bob Russell who revealed that the new stadium was so inadequate that even the Supporters' Association would be homeless.

He said: "Colchester United supporters deserve better than this. Frankly, they have been let down by both the Club and Colchester Borough Council.

"What is to be built is a stadium which will be worse than those to be found at many Non-League clubs around the country, certainly not a stadium worthy of a Championship Club.

"Instead of having a stadium fit for the 21st century - and let's not forget, after last season Colchester United are currently one of the country's top 32 clubs - Colchester is to have a new stadium which will be an embarrassment, not one of which we can be proud."

He asked: "How many people have seen the plans? All that has been published has been an architect's drawing showing a Lego-style structure but without any detail as to what the stadium will contain."

Mr Russell challenged the Club and the Council to publish detailed plans of the layout of the stadium so that the general public could see for themselves what it would provide.

He revealed that for more than two years he had been trying to get the Football Club involved in fund-raising to help with the fixtures and fittings, but the Club had declined - and had even turned down his request for a meeting to discuss matters.

"Officers of Colchester United Supporters' Association had agreed with my suggestion to see what could be done to help, but the Club would not even agree to meet us."

Mr Russell said that the Football Club must have known that the Stadium would not provide the facilities worthy of a Championship Club, and therefore he felt that the Directors had let down the fans by keeping them in the dark and not involving them in seeking to get a much better Stadium.

"The fans - with excellent backing from the Gazette - campaigned long and hard to achieve Council agreement for a new Stadium. But, as things stand, the Club and the Council have not delivered a Stadium which meets the hopes and aspirations of the fans - and what they were led to believe would be provided.

"Quite simply, I feel that the Club has let down the fans by not involving them more and by not doing more to get a Stadium worthy of the Club and the town."

Mr Russell pointed out that although the stadium would cost £14 million to build, what the Club would get was a shell which it would be responsible for fitting out.

"Let us contrast Colchester's £14 million 10,000-steater stadium with the £60 million 22,000-seater stadium which has just been built for League 2 side Milton Keynes.

"This suggests that those behind MK Dons are showing more ambition than Colchester United, and it shows that the Council at Milton Keynes values a League Football Club more than Colchester Borough Council does."

He added: "And let's contrast the £16 million Visual Arts Facility with the Community Stadium. The former will have luxury facilities while the latter will have basic facilities not worthy of the 21st century, and while the former will require an annual subsidy from the public purse of £600,000 to cover operating costs the U's will be paying £300,000 every year in rent to the Council for a stadium which will be the worst new stadium in the country."

Mr Russell said that he had established that there will be discrimination against women. "We are told that this is a Community Stadium to be used for events other than football, therefore the toilet provision should be 50-50 and not the 25 per cent for females and 75 per cent for men as proposed.

"Attracting more women and families to watch the U's, and the staging of pop concerts and other events, will not be helped by such obvious discrimination against women.

"Those who have designed the stadium have also failed to understand modern society by proposing to retain the 19th century concept of turnstiles when modern technology should be used - with ticket machines such as those used on the London Underground, or swipe card machines which are already being used at Southend United's ground."

Mr Russell said that he had written to both Colchester United and Colchester Borough Council to ask about the quality of the seating and the leg room to be provided.

"Having travelled to 15 away games last year with the U's I have experienced how cramped some grounds are for the supporters - as opposed to those who occupy directors' boxes and corporate hospitality seats, the prawn cocktail brigade, who receive the same consideration as those who attend a theatre.

"It is different for the loyal fans who are often treated disgracefully. I fear that this is what will be happening at the Community Stadium."

Mr Russell added: "As a general rule, people today are taller and wider than previous generations - seats need to reflect this. Seating at the Mercury Theatre is good, so will the Community Stadium have seating with the same width and leg room?"

Colchester United Supporters' Association (CUSA) currently has accommodation at Layer Road above the turnstiles at the Barside entrance. From here it operates the "Corner Bar" before and after games, holds meetings and uses it as a departure point for fans travelling by coaches to away games. CUSA raises money to support the Football Club.

In 1991 Mr Russell, in his role as Leader of Colchester Borough Council, played the pivotal role in ensuring that Colchester United Football Club survived as a professional football club capable of playing League football.

The Council bought the Layer Road ground from former owner Mr Jonathan Crisp. Had this not happened, the ground would have been developed with housing with the U's left with nowhere to play other than perhaps ground-sharing with Wivenhoe Town and playing in non-League Football. The following year, when the U's won the Conference, the Council granted the U's a long-lease so that they could return to the Football League after an absence of two years.

This year Mr Russell celebrated his 50th season as a U's supporter by sponsoring a home match in February. He is a season ticket holder and stands on the terraces. While many MPs support football clubs, Mr Russell is believed to be the only MP who travels with the fans on supporters' coaches to away matches.