‘Surprise’ as Knights rugby chairman John Guildford hits out at ‘lack of detail’ in Monks Cross stadium move proposals

He also said the present plans lacked substance and would not benefit York City, the Knights or the community as a whole.

City of York Council this month voted to allocate a further £198,000 to the project, but he said “there is nothing there to agree to”.

“It’s one thing saying nice things about getting a new stadium. I’d love one,” said Mr Guildford, when asked if the Knights – who, along with City of York Athletics Club, use the Monks Cross stadium in its current form – were supporting the idea.

“But there’s no detail. That’s the problem. We’ve got nothing to agree to.

“There are no real plans, there are no drawings. The figures the council are chucking about are anything from £11 million to £32 million. Where’s this coming from?

“We are not pulling out of anything, but I’m not going to agree to something when I don't know what I’m agreeing to.

“What, exactly, have the council agreed extra funding for?

“Nobody knows, other than Monks Cross is a preferred site.”

Mr Guildford sits on the stadium project partnership group along with City chairman Jason McGill, Neil Hunter from the athletics club, and City of York Council’s city strategy chief Steve Galloway, stadium project manager Tim Atkins and city strategy director Bill Woolley.

He added: “Apparently £800,000 has been spent by the council on this – but what on? You could have built a stand with the money that's been wasted.

“The council’s objective was to come up with a stadium plan by July 2010. But all they’ve come up with are four sites, one of which is only a ‘preferred site’, and the other three they know would not work.

“No one had any money to buy land. That being the case, it ruled out the three other sites from the start as someone would have had to buy them.

“There was no option other than here (the council-owned Huntington Stadium). I don’t know what they’ve been playing at.”

‘Move won’t benefit York City’

JOHN GUILDFORD fears York City would not benefit from moving to Huntington Stadium – and believes council expenditure on the scheme amounts to bailing out the football club.

The York City Knights executive chairman said City were keen on the move as it would help them pay off debt, but he believed money from any sale of Bootham Crescent would be swallowed up by that debt, with nothing left for a new stadium.

The football club, however, “expect” there to be a surplus from the sale, which they would contribute, while their £2.2 million Football Foundation loan could become a grant once planning permission was achieved.

Mr Guildford said the football club was reportedly losing £400,000 a year at Bootham Crescent and said those debts would accumulate before any stadium was completed.

“Why then move to a stadium that’s smaller and further out of town,” he said. “How is that going to increase their income by £400,000 per year?

“If it’s a shared stadium, then we (the Knights) should want a similar income. So how are we going to increase income by £800,000?

“The council would probably want something if they’re putting money in. Where’s the £1.2 million profit per year going to come from?

“I don’t believe this is something that will generate that money. In that case, the football club might as well stay where they are.”

He added: “Until somebody tells me what benefits there are to the Knights, all it seems to me is the council are spending all this time and money just to get a private limited company (York City) out of trouble through state aid.

“But where were they when the rugby club was struggling? No one helped John Stabler (the then rugby club chairman) in 2002 when they were struggling.

“My interests are in the Knights and this city of ours. The football club are having a tough time, but I can’t see why they won’t have a tougher time if they come to our stadium.”

Mr Guildford also said there was no community aspect to the proposals, and said there was a danger it would end up less of a community facility than the current Huntington Stadium, which is used by the rugby club, for athletics, and by schools.

He said: “If City come, it’ll be them and us. There’s no room for it to be anything else.”

He added: “How would City coming here benefit the Knights? There’s no reason for us to want to cause more problems for ourselves.

“If somebody comes in to share your house, there are likely to be problems and, until the pitfalls or problems are ironed out, you don’t know what you’re agreeing to.”

Mr Guildford admitted the Knights would be unable to stop the scheme.

But he said: “The Knights have been moving along, paying our rent, paying our bills, living within our means and minding our own business, yet we might end up paying for that.”

York City chairman Jason McGill said: “Dependent on the sale value of Bootham Crescent, the football club would expect to have remaining equity on the ground which we would commit to the stadium project.”

York City boss looks to ‘fantastic’ future

YORK City chairman Jason McGill expressed surprise at John Guildford’s comments.

The Bootham Crescent chief said: “John Guildford has attended the stadium board meetings and has not expressed these opinions before.

“He has made it clear his preference was for the Knights to remain at Huntington Stadium, and what better option is there for his team and supporters than a brand new community stadium facility at Monks Cross, with new income-generating opportunities?

“It is a fact that new stadia attract increased attendances of up to 35 per cent, which would be fantastic for both sports clubs.

“I also think that John Guildford does not seem to be acknowledging the benefits of a community stadium to the city of York and the enormous advantages such a facility would have in encouraging and developing grass-roots sports in the city.

“Without a new facility I would fear the demise of professional sport in York.”

He said the football club’s financial situation was well documented, and said the city council had instructed Deloitte and Five Lines Consultancy to perform due diligence financial checks on the club.

He added: “The prospect of a new community stadium is a good news story for York.

“We are aspiring to have a sports stadium for football and rugby league that everyone can be proud of, as well as new facilities for athletics in the city.

“Surely this is much better than the two decaying stadiums we have at present, which are an embarrassment to sport in York.”

Council ‘has not spent £800k’ on sporting project

Coun Steve Galloway, the council’s city strategy chief, said he was “surprised” by Mr Guildford’s comments.

He said: “He was at a meeting of the partner organisations which took place on June 18 when a full briefing was given. Mr Guildford, at that meeting, confirmed his support for siting the community stadium at Huntington.

“At that time he seemed keen to end the uncertainty over the future of the existing stadium, and adjacent leisure facilities, when the present management contract ends in 2012.

“The council has not ‘spent £800,000’ on the project and professional officers provided a 110-page analysis of the options available prior to the council confirming its preference for the Huntington site on July 15.”

He said work would now begin on a detailed design and on the management arrangements for the new stadium, and said the rugby and football clubs would remain involved, as would the athletics interests.

He said the report made clear that external funding from other enabling developments would be needed and said he hoped the partners could work together constructively.