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Post by Robo10 on Feb 4, 2004 13:46:00 GMT
They appear to have survived the best attempts of their former owners to sell their ground from under them - They are now owned by the fans, survived administration and now seem to have a rosy future - Fan power eh!
Story from the BBC:
Timeline
Today's terrific news of the saving of Bootham Crescent comes after two years of uncertainty and worry for fans. To remind you, here's how it all started:
December 2001
York City's Chairman, Douglas Craig announced he was putting the Club and the ground up for sale.
As a result, the Supporters Trust formed to try and save the Club.
Mr Craig said if the fans were to take over, he would help them with a move to the Huntington Stadium, where the York City Knights play, and is also the home of the Nestle Rowntree Athletics Club.
In 2002
A buyer for the football club was found. John Batchelor took over the club, but didn't buy the ground which was priced at several million pounds.
He signed an agreement with Bootham Crescent Holdings, who owned the ground (the chairman of which is also Douglas Craig) that the club would be out of Bootham Crescent by the end of the season, in 2004.
Plans for a new ground from Batchelor never got off the starting block.
December 2002
Iit became clear that the club wasn't in a healthy financial state, and it went into administration.
By now, the Supporters Trust were in a stronger position, and after some massive fundraising they kept the club alive on more than one occasion as deadlines to find a new owner came and went.
March 2003
Eventually, after more fundraising, the Trust became the owners of the Club.
However, they only took over the club…the ground still belonged to Bootham Crescent Holdings, so plans were put together to upgrade the Huntington Stadium to Football League Standards.
But complications, such as what would happen to the athletics club if they got rid of the track, and needing to find half a million pounds to relocate caused problems.
Planning permission was never granted by the council, which the club accused of dragging its heals over the matter, and going back on what they were originally told.
The City of York Council said they were doing all they possibly could.
November 2003
A planning application was finally submitted by the club, and the landlords of BCH were approached for a years extension to the tenancy as it became clear the ground wouldn't be ready in time.
However, with an estimate of April being given before planning permission would be given by the council, and Douglas Craig refusing to discuss the matter until then, time wasn't on the side of the club.
With York City having to let the Football League know by the end of February where they would be playing next season, time was really against them.
January 2004
At the AGM of Bootham Crescent holdings, Douglas Craig said he would accept 2.6 million pounds for the ground.
This amount of money, the Supporters Trust clearly didn't have.
At that time, with planning permission not granted, the land wasn't worth as much as it would have been with planning permission.
But the land had been earmarked for building previously, permission had been granted to Persimmon Homes, who have a 10% share in Bootham Crescent Holdings.
Clearly, they had to be reimbursed somewhere, which added complications to the Trust's desire to buy the ground.
Wednesday 4 February 2004
In a joint statement, all three parties (York City supporters' Trust, Bootham Crescent Holdings Limited and Persimmon Homes Limited) announced that Bootham Crescent was now secured as York City's football ground for the foreseeable future.
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