Ridsdale: We need to improve links with fans

Mar 1 2008 South Wales Echo

PETER Ridsdale has pledged to improve liaison and communication between Cardiff City and the Bluebirds fans.

City chairman Ridsdale accepted the need for better links between the club and supporters, which is due to start with news on the new stadium to come out this week.

Club director and former chairman Steve Borley said detailed plans and images of the new stadium, which will be built and ready for the start of 2009-2010 season, are expected to be available within the next seven days.

The first part of the steel frame for City’s stadium is now up – and Borley said the building programme is currently around two weeks ahead of schedule.

Laing O’Rourke is building the new stadium, which will cost £42.3m, and the capacity when it opens will be 26,000 which can be extended.

“Cardiff City will do everything we can to improve lines of communication,” said Ridsdale. “Everything is about the supporter base. We may not say that often enough. We must play our part in keeping supporters informed and getting the right message out.”

Ridsdale and Borley met three long-standing fans – Vince Alm, Paul Corkery and Keith Morgan – in the Ninian Park boardroom along with several members of the club staff.

Borley showed images of the seats to be installed in the stadium and the new wider, more comfortable seats are going to be the same quality as those at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Finances for the new stadium are all in place and that project will not be affected by the summary High Court hearing which is scheduled for March 10. The case involving Cardiff City and Langston, who issued £24m in loan notes to the club when former owner Sam Hammam was in charge, is to be heard in London the day after the FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough.

Ridsdale said Cardiff City are still hoping to resolve the situation over the loan notes before it goes to court.

On the new stadium, Ridsdale talked about the naming rights and the need for competitive pricing on beer.

“We have to get fans arriving at the stadium early in the future,” said Ridsdale. “The task is to find every incentive possible for people to be in the ground and not walk in five minutes before kick-off after having a drink in a local pub.

“In the new stadium the aim is to have an attractive beer deal and ensure the cost of a drink is set at the right levels to attract people.”

The naming rights, being handled by an outside company which secured Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, offers to help sort the Langston debt, bringing in £9m from naming rights.

Ridsdale’s meeting with fans lasted almost three hours and the view of Alm, Corkrey and Morgan was: “Let’s see what happens from here.

“The messages coming out from Ninian Park have too often been negative from various points including only having four substitutes for the Championship match at Sheffield Wednesday,” they said. “Better liaison and communication is needed between club and fans.”

City fans are working towards forming a club trust with the aim of having a supporter on the board. The next meeting will be at the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, on March 29 (11am). All welcome.

terry.phillips@mediawales.co.uk