EBFC Webmaster view

[ebfclee]

After reading this board over the past few days I now feel compelled to register and make some comments of my own, hopefully to clarify some issues discussed.

1 A general view of the pitch and it's condition.
85% of the pitch is perfectly acceptable for play. There are problem areas, primarily at the wings, that after heavy weather become unplayable. The club has sort the views of various consultants and are enacting the advice they have provided. This includes activity by professionals (GWAZE etc) and various volunteers. There is major work planned, as has been mentioned on the web site and at the Fans Forum, but this cannot be progressed until both a grant is approved and supplied by the Football Foundation and the season is at an end. In summary all that can be done is being done now. There is more major fundamental work planned for the close season, and again and as ever this will be progressed by a mixture of professional resource and relevant volunteer activity.

2 How did we get here with the pitch this season ?
My memory of recent events is as follows. The club was offered a non-league international for February 2006. Following further visits by the FA the club, and the wider Sussex FA, were instead offered the Home Internationals during the summer, a substantial increase in prestige. The club accepted the offer of hosting all 3 England games. However the timing of these events when coupled with the Sussex Senior Cup Final, prevented the major groundworks that were under discussion for the pitch. As has been discussed elsewhere the pitch had performed well over the season and I would hazard a guess that no one at the club foresaw the extremely heavy weather we have experienced over the past few months.

3 Where do we go from here ?
I hope it is plain to all that the club is well aware of the situation, is doing all that it is advised and can do now using contractors and volunteers, and is pursuing funds and specifications to resolve in the close season and beyond.

4 A personal view.
If anyone who views this forum has a serious suggestion to remedy the position please do not hesitate to contact the club via mail, phone or a personal visit. I have read suggestions re: covers etc for the pitch. As far as i am aware this has never been suggested by any contractors or consultatnts and I am not aware of clubs utilising such a solution. If anyone knows any different please contact the club with details. I know that EBFC is not the only club having problems with the weather in Conf. Sth. Indeed, I do not have stats to hand, but I do not believe we are the club who has suffered most postponements. Although this is of no consolation to fans, officers or players I do believe it is an indication that the major issue is the heavy weather which has brought to light deficencies in the pitch. The Met Office and today's Daily Express both discuss 30% more rainfall since December above the long term average. Not an excuse, but maybe a reason!

5 Website update re: Bognor postponement
I read the comments on Saturday morning re: advice of the match postponement. I was at the club from early morning attempting to get the pitch through the inspection. When it failed at approx 10.00 AM I and the rest of the volunteers continued to work on the pitch in an effort to prepare the pitch for Tuesdays fixture. I returned home at 11.30 and updated the site at 12.00. This was my judgement call, with volunteer resources limited, to contribute to the efforts for Tuesdays game. Sunday was not available to me. I have a young family who like to see me at home and away from the laptop on occasions, but I also had a ticket for the Carling Cup Final. I also have a full time job so my only opportunity to work on the pitch was Saturday. I have since been down every evening, including tonight as soon as I finish this post. Other methods were employed to inform supporters (Soverign Radio, telephone). If some feel that they are not kept adequately informed by the website then I feel I can only apologise but make clear that this is what I do as a volunteer (full time jobs at the club are a further debate). Personally i feel the club is updated well in line with others in the Conf. South. Also please be aware that if you load a page and the site is then updated your PC will hold the old page unless you refresh the cache on your machine - the green circular arrows in most browsers. I recall 1 post who mentioned that the site had not been updated at approx 12.20 when I had provided details at 12.00ish.

6 Fixture Poster
There has been recent comment re: the fixture poster and its update.

I quote from the latest news page :

Friday 2nd February 2007
Fixture Poster: As suggested and requested by several supporters, and in an attempt to publicise the club throughout the town, a (Word format) fixture poster will now be provided on a monthly basis for download and printing. The poster is available in the left hand bar and is accessed via the clubs 'Martello' logo.

The poster was February's. The poster for March will be available tomorrow.

7 Criticism
Again this is a personal view. I enjoy reading the various forums, Conf, Conf South, the 2 dedicated to EBFC and many others. I have no wish to criticise any comments which have prompted me to contribute but, with specific reference to the site and it's update if there is something you are unhappy with write to me or seek me out and speak to me at the club. Again, please feel free to post your criticism here but if you have questions or points to make please feel free to talk to me.

I hope this clarifies some points. I do not intend to post again as I aim the website to be the main source of news etc.

Yours
Lee

[sportspool]

Im guessing there further help is required this Saturday? If anyone has a spare fork, please PM me and I will be there to help.

[maz]

Think you'll find that most of the negative posts regarding the pitch was one uninformed Bognor supporter and another poster who supports a team down the road

[sam]

Very informative post Lee - Thank you

[Jim "Convertedeagle" Stewart]

Just a few quick words for you Lee. I personally think that the clubs website has improved this season, and certainly carries more up to date news ( No offence to DB who had been the webmaster in the past, and I know for sure did a sterling job!!) You wont please all the people all the time, and there seem to be some you will never please. At the end of the day we are still a small community club that are rising all the time... The commitee puts in a great amount of VOLUNTARY work and rarley gets the pat on the back they deserve...

So a final message to those who like to moan... STOP GRIPING!!!

[shadwellarmy]

Think you'll find that most of the negative posts regarding the pitch was one uninformed Bognor supporter and another poster who supports a team down the road

Oh dear Maz. I suppose there will always be some who think that irony only ever refers to something made out of metal

I think we all agree that the weather has been dire, and we all feel frustrated about the games being cancelled - especially when Boro are on a roll - but in the cold light of reason, we are not doing that bad. I've posted the stats somewhere else on another thread, but most teams have played the same, or fewer, home league games than us so far.

Hindsight is great, nobody expected this weather, or these postponements, at the start of the season, and I don't think anyone foresaw a problem. Nobody wrote about one, so far as I can recall.

Let's see how things pan out for the rest of the season, and, maybe more importantly, over the close season. But I for one retain the right to moan, gripe, groan, cheer, curse applaud, criticise and (just maybe) apologise, as the need arises and/or the mood takes me - it's what makes forums such fun!

[Robert Parker]

ebfclee said:

After reading this board over the past few days I now feel compelled to register and make some comments of my own, hopefully to clarify some issues discussed.

1 A general view of the pitch and it's condition.
85% of the pitch is perfectly acceptable for play. Their is major work planned, as has been mentioned on the web site and at the Fans Forum, but this cannot be progressed until both a grant is approved and supplied by the Football Foundation and the season is at an end.

2 How did we get here with the pitch this season ?
The club accepted the offer of hosting all 3 England games. However the timing of these events when coupled with the Sussex Senior Cup Final, prevented the major groundworks that were under discussion for the pitch.

Yours
Lee

Excuse me for being mystified webby but I would contend two points you raise on the above pitch subject are at odds with one another.

Point 1 describes necessary work being completed this coming close season, and I quote ' this cannot be progressed until both a grant is approved and supplied by the Football Foundation and the season is at an end'

Point 2 says and again I quote, 'the timing of these events when coupled with the Sussex Senior Cup Final, prevented the major groundworks that were under discussion for the pitch.'
Not a mention of grant money being required is even hinted as being needed.

If this money is now imperative and work then was simply in discussion stage, how would essential work ever have reached completion last summer, whether a Senior Cup Final or Home Internationals took place here or not?

As you further state in your informative post ' the pitch had performed well over the season and I would hazard a guess that no one at the club foresaw the extremely heavy weather we have experienced over the past few months.'
Are you honestly trying to say for a club situated on marshland nobody in charge of Eastbourne Borough could envisage such an event occurring?
If so, Taffy with his ark seems a man of vision.

I am very sorry for having a feeling of wool being placed over my eyes.

[ebfclee]

I apologise if my post appears at odds with itself. I had attempted to clarify points covering a wide range of issues and am happy to attempt to clarify.

Grant money was required for envisaged works in 2005/2006 close season. When it became clear that the club would not be in a position to progress work close season 2005/2006 (SSCF/Home Internationals as described in my original post) then a grant request was no longer relevant for that timeframe. The grant process can be protracted and prolonged and requires various multiple quotes for work that will be progressed from various multiple parties. My understanding / memory of the time (and this is a view only as I was not personally involved with the actual grant process) is that it was no longer relevant to obtain a grant approval in 2005/2006 with quotes no longer relevant due to age (2005/2006 quotes for work in 2007) and specifications possibly no longer being relevant for works in 2007. Hence the reason the work was not progressed 2005/2006 was the events on the pitch, not the lack of grant. The grant process has hence been under progress for close season 2006/2007 with quotes/surveys/specifications obtained for works planned for this summer.

I quote 'Are you honestly trying to say for a club situated on marshland nobody in charge of Eastbourne Borough could envisage such an event occurring?'. My view is that the club was offered a prestigious event that provided visibility nationally and enhanced our reputation throughout the Non-League game. The pitch had performed well during that season and the opportunity to progress a grant request for the following year (2006/2007) was still available. It was a judgement call. I certainly did not envisage a 30% increase in rainfall this new year.

I quote 'I am very sorry for having a feeling of wool being placed over my eyes.' I'm sorry you feel that way. I had been warned against contributing personally to an open forum as 'You are always on to a hiding to nothing'. I decided to ignore this advice in an attempt to inform with regard to specific points raised. I chose to do this here as opposed to the official site as the issues were raised on this forum and it appeared relevant to respond here .... I now regret that choice as your final comment appears to question my motive and / or my honesty. I will not leave myself open to this any further. I had not intended to post again, as my original post indicates, and this is my final post and will progress info via the official web site only. Indeed I will no longer visit the forum in order to prevent the temptation to respond further.

Lee.

[maz]

As the problem area is just in front of the north stand what about getting some 5m x 4m tarpaulins to cover the problem areas as a downpour on friday night could spoil all the goodwork this week . They arent very expensive only about £5 each , just a thought