Empty Promises!

Just read an article in the local papers that three Intermediate clubs, namely Clough Rangers, Raceview and Wakehurst are to get grants for upgrading of their facilities. These grants will in fact go straight to Ballymena Borough council, who will then submit plans for the work to be carried out. I would like to caution these clubs about having a written undertaking from the council of the exact nature of the work to be carried out. I'm sure many United supporters recall the 'empty promises' made verbally to Ballymena United when our club handed grant money straight to the same council. Two of the main points were, the removal of the Stock car track and a new entrance for supporters through the E.C.O.S. centre. Admittedly there were other stipulations and these for the most part have been carried out, but what's the point of having a ground the envy of most other clubs, but being unable to stage European football, because of the proximity of the Stock car track to the playing surface. There's also the thorny question of access to and from the ground, by Warden street, Summerfield street and Suffolk street, three streets which were in existence long before the amount of vehicular traffic that we have today. In fact these three streets should possibly be on a one-way system, as movement in both directions on match days is a nightmare. In fact with such a narrow ground entrance and exit, where home and visiting fans converge, this is surely a catastrophe waiting to happen. We did have limited access by the E.C.O.S. last season, but this was not widely advertised and with the amount of activity going on in the complex on a Saturday parking close to the ground was not an easy task. That option has been denied to spectators now as the council is constructing two more pitches which will probably reduce parking spaces yet again. There's three points I'd like to make here, first and foremost there's the club, denied the possibility of playing European football on their own ground, secondly there's the supporters, denied seeing their team and possibly representative games at their own ground and then there's the 'bad publicity' that this 'shoddy' management gives out about our Borough council and our ground. This is after all the 21st century, is there any chance of us being able to embrace it, at least before 2010!