THE STONES ARE COMING HOME: WE'VE WAITED 23 YEARS' FOR THIS, SAYS BILL WILLIAMS

Today, Saturday 1st October, is 8,631 days since Maidstone United last played a senior match in their own stadium within the town; 23rd April 1988 against Stafford Rangers.  That clock is still counting, writes Paul Parkinson.  


But now work has commenced on the new ground, the feeling of optimism from the 500+ people who attended the club’s open day is such that, barring the interference of God, the weather, archaeologists or slowworms, football should come home to Maidstone before it reaches 9,000.

Standing in front of the location for the new clubhouse, you can picture the images, that have become ingrained in supporters’ minds since the first stadium designs were released in 2005, taking shape.  

The main stand against the cut away banking, the pitch, the terracing; you can see in the supporters’ eyes as they walk out through what will be the tunnel into the centre circle, look around, and find the realisation that this is finally happening.

With so many false starts since (former chairman) Paul Bowden-Brown first revealed plans for a stadium at Whatman Way and signed a lease for the land in 2006, Maidstone supporters could have been forgiven for thinking that the events this week might never come.  

Following a change of ownership in 2010 though, the new majority shareholder, Oliver Ash, spoke to kentishfootball.co.uk after his first game in charge saying that the success of the new owners would be judged on the delivery of the stadium.

With investors buying shares in a new ground-holding company, Maidstone United Ground Ltd, the investment from Oliver Ash and Terry Casey, and a Football Foundation grant, ground-breaking work on the new stadium started on Monday 26th September.  

The new stadium, with its capacity of 3,000, and space for future expansion won’t just be a home for Maidstone United FC and all of its teams, but a focal point for the community.

With work now underway, maybe Maidstone United fans can all get to the point where they stop saying “If we go back”, or dreaming, as their fanzine is entitled “Show Me The Way To Go Home”, and start believing When.”

I took time to speak to a number of the open day visitors who expressed their thoughts.

“This is up there with the proudest days of my career,” said Bill Williams, the club's chief executive.

“I’ve been more used to winning on the pitch and getting acolades that way, but this has been a long, hard year to get where we are and it’s wonderful.  

“On Monday, when the diggers moved in, it was quite emotional, and we’ve waited 23 years for this.  Sadly, before the takeover, there was really no option.  There was a lack of money, and that is something Oliver and Terry have brought, along with the momentum.  It’s been their generosity and that of others, Pat Gallagher and John Baxter of Britelite especially, who’ve helped us to get here now.”

“People have been waiting through the false dawns, is it ever going to happen, but now they can see it is.  

“I think the first game will be a wonderful feeling.  I have so many memories of the old ground, the wonderful support we got from the town and I think it will be a very emotional day.  But, we’ve got a lot of work to do before then, so we’ve got to get our heads down and get it done.”

“We’ve got Derek Nicholson working with Gallagher’s on this and all the tenders for the stand and clubhouse will go out on Monday.  Next week, the drains go in, then the foundations, the base for the pitch, floodlights; there’s a flow of work that people will see as each week goes by which, due to the tightness of the site, we’ll start at the far (northern) end and work our way back.  The pitch and stand should be finished before the clubhouse can go in.”

“The new pitch will be wonderful.  They play on 3G pitches all over the world, and they will come in because it’s the only way to get a community facility and get revenue in.  We want to keep lobbying the FA and Conference because it makes sense on a small site to get a facility that can be used.

“The old ground, as good as it was, could only be used occasionally.  We couldn’t train on it, because of the weather and conditions.”

Terry Casey said: “As a supporter of Maidstone United, today is wonderful, but every day this week has been wonderful since the diggers moved in and the Gallagher crew started.  This is evidence that we are serious and are actually going to come home.  

“We’ve brought a bit of realism to this project, a steer and some common sense about running the football club, as the club, when we took over, was a business that had failed and was about to go under.  We started by stabilising the finances and demonstrated a bit of honesty and realism to the people who support the club.”

“It comes home to us when we see how many people are genuinely interested in the welfare of the football club.  It proves to me that the town deserves a well-run professional club.  We have to sustain this, sustain it right through to the Football League, given the same common sense approach to finances, expectations, and the future as we have a genuine potential here.”

“The first game will be a seminal moment for me, as what has gone on behind the scenes has been quite traumatic and emotional, as it has taken a while to get to this stage.  When we kick off the first game, that will be a big day for me.””

Derek Nicholson (Prime Building Consultants Ltd) said: “”The club has been working towards this for such a long time.  Personally I’ve been involved since 2005, and now with everything that has happened this week, it’s gratifying and gives a bit of excitement; the fans have got a buzz about them now.  This is an extremely tight, restricted site and I think we’ve managed to get the best we can out of it at this stage.  

“It’s going to serve Maidstone very well for a large number of years.  Imagine, if Maidstone get into the Premiership, we’ll still have an amazing training ground.”

“A couple of years ago, we thought about putting a clubhouse in first for the additional income stream, so people could meet here, travel to Sittingbourne, hold events and so on, because there is a shortage of halls in the Maidstone area that can hold 200 people.  But, we thought we’d be doing so much out of order that it probably wouldn’t be worth spending the additional money at that time.  

“Now the Invicta Rowing Club next door are showing an interest in using the clubhouse as well.  Maidstone has a great sporting tradition.  There are four national rowing events that take place on the Medway every year, and there are Olympic contenders within Invicta, so it’s tremendous that we will have two great sporting venues so close to each other that can share facilities.”

“You can’t always give unqualified thanks.  Some people have been tremendous, others seem to have dragged their heels.  It’s taken such a long time to get the Highways embankment sorted out, and each time we thought we’d got it cracked, something else was in the way.  Whenever you are dealing with large organisations, like Kent County Council, MoD, Maidstone Borough Council, there are so many I’s to dot and T’s to cross, that you can’t just go hard at it.  

“On the planning side, Steve Clarke and Rob Jarman, the two people at Maidstone Borough Council that I deal with have been tremendous in helping me go in the right direction, finding reports for me, to help me move the club forward to the next stage.”

“We’re aiming to get the project 99% complete by the end of April, so we can get the grading from the FA, safety certificates and fire clearance.  We’re already talking to the FA, and have been through their book of requirements thoroughly.  Each time we read it we find another little area we have to comply with, but we’re pretty sure we’ve got everything we need to do on the plans.  But you never know, something may still come as a bolt out of the blue.”

“The supporters can help by buying themselves a seat or a brick.  We’re not asking for loads of money, but loads of money would help push the stadium forward.  Funds are tight.  We’re trying to deliver a £2million stadium for £1.6million, and we’ve found that some organisations are donating their services for free, and if you are a supporter involved in construction, please help.”

Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone, who has been a supporter of the club’s proposals said: “”A great turnout, something to really celebrate, the Stones coming home. It’s what we’ve wanted, been fighting for.  

“The football club is part of the soul of the town, the fabric of the community, and it’s very special.  I’m very much in favour of this project and keen that it happens.  It’s a supporters’ dream, a footballer’s dream, and would love to play on this pitch at some stage in the future if I could be persuaded to kick a ball; I’ve got a sporting pedigree, but not football.  

“I wish them all the best of luck.  I think this brings the town together.  The club do a lot with youth, and I think it will make a big difference to the town.”

Club secretary, Darren Lovell said: “”I’m fortunate that I’ve been privy to a lot of what has and hasn’t been going on as a club official, but I’m also an optimist.  Although it looked as though we may have been banging our heads against a brick wall, as soon as the takeover with Terry and Oliver took place, I was in no doubt that this would happen.  Great credit to them, but even with my amber-tinted glasses, this is a great day.  I don’t recognise many of the people down here this morning just after we’ve opened the gates, with some of the old-stagers as well, so there’s interest.”

“I was in Hempstead Valley yesterday wearing my club polo short and the lady on the till recognised it saying “oh, Maidstone United.  You’re the ones getting your new ground, so the news is out there, and I walked out with a smile.  It’s a red letter day for the club.”

Ian Tucker, the head of marketing and communications at the club, said: “”Gallagher’s have only been on site for about 4½ days and it’s nearly clear.  People who’ve only stood on the roadside when it was quite overgrown think you’d never get a football pitch in there, but I think we’ve proved how it will.  

“The turnout today has been amazing and people are really looking forward to football coming home next season.  

“The history of the club speaks for itself, but Terry and Oliver have come in, taken it forward and we’re able to be here celebrating the start of the work.”

“This is fantastic.  I used to go with my dad and brother up to London Road, then over to Watling Street.  I found the club again in about 2001 and been working with them ever since.  It’s been really exciting, both personally and professionally, but it’s great news for Maidstone.  It’s the County Town and we should have a ground, and we will have one.  You go back to the County League days, and our support was always better than anyone else’s.  The supporters have stuck through everything, thick and thin, and should get their reward next August when they watch their team run out for the first time.”

“The ground is in a perfect place.  It’s close to the town, the railway stations, the motorways.  We’ve got a challenge with the (3G) pitch, but it’s one to take forward as it will probably be the future of football.  That’s how we see it, so by demonstrating it, hopefully people will come round to it.”

Manager Jay Saunders, who lives in nearby Bearsted said: “It’s the first time I’ve seen the site since the work started, and I’m amazed to see how much bigger the site looks.  I’ve seen it from the top of the hill and you think it’s going to be tight, but it’s a big area and the work they’ve done already is unbelievable.

“It’s been a long time coming, but just speaking to people, the excitement is there already, and when they start seeing the stands go up it will be brilliant.  It’s a great atmosphere down here today, and the sooner we move back, the better.”

“I used to come down and support the club as a boy.  When I was offered the job, and told about the plans, you think OK, but you’ve heard it before, but now it’s happening it is a big lift.  In an ideal world, the club will be in a new stadium in a new league (the Ryman Premier League) next year.”

Geoff Chipperfield said:  “It’s a big day for the football club.  We’ve waited a long time and it will be great to be back in the County town.  A lot of supporters are saying, now that the site has cleared, how big it is, how large the playing area is, and people are just sitting round with silly smiles on their faces.  Honestly, I didn’t expect to see this or that we’d have people in a position to bring the club back.  The supporters can only do so much.”

Helen Terrell, Chair of Bring the Stones Home Association said: “I feel really excited, I can’t believe it’s finally happening and I’m really proud of what all the volunteers have been doing.  The supporters are behind us, they’ve donated nearly £32,000, and they’ve said that once the ground starts, they are going to help us more.  We’ve got Buy a Brick, Buy a Seat and the Lottery to help the club, there is a Race Night on 11th November, a Quiz Night and many other ways that people can get involved.  

“Barry Fry has been very supportive of our Sportsman’s evenings, even donating tickets for his club (Peterborough United) matches.  If anyone has any ideas, get in touch, we’re open to suggestions.  Information is on our website (the Bring the Stones Home link on www.maidstoneunited.co.uk or I’m always at the games.”

“I came down one night and there were trees still on the bank, the next day, they were gone, so I can’t really explain how it feels.  It’s moving so quickly now.  The site is bigger than I thought, so it’s going to be great.  I’m very excited.  I don’t care who we play, I just want to see a game here whoever it is.  It’s all for the good of the club.”

Paul Furst, working with the Supporters trust said: “The Buy a Seat scheme is there for supporters to buy a seat with a plaque on it saying whatever you want (within reason).  It’s been really popular, and the funniest ones tend to be the anti-Gillingham plaques, but we’ve even got people buying them for their grandchildren.  The Buy a Brick is going well and they are going to build a wall within the ground to display them.”

Angela Reed said: “The Supporters Association have been involved right from the beginning, helping out with fundraising to keep the club going.  We’ve donated in the region of £30,000 over the years to various projects, planning and legal fees to get the project going.  The supporters have been fantastic and this day is absolutely amazing.  To see old faces you haven’t for a while come back to the club finally, it’s a dream come true; or it will be in a few months’ time.  It’s the first little steps to the final dream.”

Kitman and supporter Barry Fenn said: “”Over the last 23 years, I never thought I’d see this day.  To be down here today and see all the supporters coming in is exciting.  The actual size of the ground, now that it is clear, is amazing.  Terry, Bill and Oliver have put so much in, there’s so much work involved, that having been away 23 years, another year to the first game won’t make a lot of difference.

“I was down here Monday morning watching the bulldozers take up the first sod of earth thinking that in 12 months time we’ll be here watching matches.  It brings a lump to your throat.  Looking now, it’s only four or five days’ work that they’ve done, but the site is cleared, they’ll start pinning the bank, putting down foundations for the buildings and changing rooms, and hopefully by the end of October it will look more like a football ground.”

Russell Card  of StonesLive said: “To be honest, I didn’t think this would happen.  There’s been so many false dawns over the years and a year ago it looked like this might be the same.  The club was running out of steam, out of money, and what a transformation it has been.  Terry and Oliver have been very careful to manage people's expectations, but they’ve probably exceeded those over the last year by getting the finances back on track and find the funding.”

“This is an incredible feeling.  I’ve got two grown-up sons who’ve never seen the Stones play in the town and the ability to just walk down and see your local football team is what every town should have, and I’m really looking forward to August 2012.”

Dave Matthews said: “I came down here 2-3 years ago taking photographs of the site.  I’m well chuffed, absolutely chuffed.  We’re coming home! I’ve waited 24 years for this, it’s just fantastic.  We’ve got to get all the old boys back out and supporting the team again, but (joking) I probably won’t get a ticket for the first game ‘cause it will sell out.  I’ll have to come down and camp out to get in.  I’m over the moon, it’s a fantastic day for Maidstone.”

Tony Saunders said: “This is great.  It’s been too long, nearly 24 years and it’s actually happening.  There have been times when I’ve doubted they would return, so to see this is great.  It’s all positive, good news for the club.”

Ernie Munn said: “I believed this would happen because I remember back to Jim Thompson’s scheme at Hollingbourne and really thought that would happen until we went to the ill-fated planning meeting.  I did have faith, but didn’t know whether it would happen in my lifetime.  I’m slightly concerned that the site might restrict future plans, but it will definitely suit the club for now.  I’ve been told I’m the first to buy a seat in the new stadium, and as my parents were supporters before me, I’ll name it after them.”

Finally, Oliver Ash, speaking after Maidstone United’s 3-2 defeat in the FA Cup to their Ryman League Division One South rivals Bognor Regis Town summed the open day up, saying, “We’re very pleased, it was an excellent turnout, and I believe quite a number were people who have never been to the club before, or not for some time.  There were new groups that might be potential followers.  

“We’re pleased that they are taking a real interest in the club, looking at the plans, so it was worth having the open day.  I think we saw that people in the town are interested in the club coming back when there is just a pile of mud on the site, so when it’s built, and we’ve got the pitch in there, having the club in the town will be like a snowball effect; it will be enormous.”

“To go down this morning and see the field levelled, it starts to look as though there will be a football ground there, it’s enormous progress.  Obviously on the field we are still below the level we want to be, but the main thing is to get the ground ready; it’s absolutely crucial.  We’ve made great progress.”

“If and when we get to the stage of the first game, in about a year’s time, the ground ready and the team playing on it, and we see the supporters then that will be the first key step in getting football home to Maidstone.  Then we’ve got to climb up the leagues, and do lots more work; it’s just the start.  We’re certainly looking forward to it; it will be fantastic.”

Visit Maidstone United’s website: www.maidstoneunited.co.uk