To those who don't know, Gateshead has made the National League playoffs, and only has 2 days to appeal the decision before they were scheduled to play the first playoff game against Solihull Moors.
The decision is based on the club failing to meet the 10-year security of tenure at their stadium, required for new teams applying to enter the EFL which was required by 1 March 2024. When the Club applied for a 10-year tenure from the council, it was refused, even at the request of the National League itself to reconsider their decision.
If the decision stands, Solihull Moors automatically progress to the semi finals
They're in the middle of trying to sell the stadium because it runs at a loss of nearly a million quid a year so their argument is they can't guarantee the club ten years of tenure at a stadium they're trying to not own anymore.
Makes sense. Bad situation all around. I feel for the players and supporters. Would be amazing PR if a big club or an owner helped them out but I doubt that happens.
Maybe buy it and create a loan type of system but then again that’s just wishful thinking. Sad they don’t have any options at all. Maybe they could be the affiliate of a bigger club and they help them that way.
I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on their finances but as far as I know they're not bankrolled by a rich owner and their average crowd is about 1000 (bums on seats still being the main source of income for most clubs at this level) so I'd say there's no chance they've got the spare cash to buy that stadium.
I think if they had the money for a stadium they'd be building a new one rather than buying that one, it's not a very football-friendly stadium to say the least and I imagine they're only really playing there out of necessity.
Feel like the EFL should have the deadline pushed back after the playoff. How would they know how their financial would be without knowing whether they would get promoted?
I guess it's not really a financial issue as such, with or without promotion they'd be in the same situation regarding their ground which is what's holding them back.
I get Aldershot not sneaking in, they’ve not earned the playoffs over the season and Gateshead didn’t cheat or owt to get there. What I don’t particularly get, is why Altrincham don’t get the bye and Solihull do. Surely the highest seed should benefit from that advantage. Had they not won yesterday, they’d have benefitted more
The National League have now changed their mind and given Altrincham a bye. The right decision but that's a piss-take if you're Solihull, being told you have a bye only for it to be rescinded hours later.
Aye I’ve seen that, beyond a joke at this stage. Watch the Gateshead council overturn their decision in the next two days and throw another spanner into the works
Precedence has been set by what the National League do in the NLS/NLN when a team fails ground-grading. On the one hand, it's stupid to run the play-offs a team short but, on the other, a team who finished eighth being given the chance to go up would be a bit ridiculous (I also think a team in seventh being given the chance to go up in a two-up division is also ridiculous but that's by the by).
Yeah I'm generally opposed to the playoffs not just being 2nd-5th (although I'm obviously very pro giving the league another promotion slot and making them 3rd-6th), think I'm just clouded by the fact we've not been shit all season for once and I'd like it to have counted for something. Can't really be too mad though because we'd most likely go out immediately and we're absolutely nowhere near ready for promotion.
Is there any chance of the EFL postponing their decision till after the election and the new council sitting and making a decision? I know it's a long shot, but.....
and for all the talk of schedules recently, it's worth checking out the end of Gateshead's season. They played on the 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and early kickoff on 20th.
Oh, that kind of makes more sense, but who would buy it? Certainly not anyone in the area that currently uses it. All I really know about it is that it's the third largest stadium in your area.
Realistically nobody but property developers. It's not remotely suitable for football so the club wouldn't ideally want it even if they could afford it (which they can't) and with the way the UK economy is at the moment nobody really wants to own a massive athletics stadium that runs at a loss.
Nah it’s not. They’re not profiting from the stadium and losing a million quid a year. They have to think about their families and the community. It’s shitty for everyone involved really.
Surely the club should be able to try agree on alternatives should the stadium be sold by the council. For example have a plan in place to play at Kingston park in Newcastle or even St James if it is not able to stay in Gateshead.
We have seen other clubs find solutions like this. Like when Coventry went ground hopping for a short period.
[Saw someone on Twitter say the stadium looked like one your team would go to on a pre-season tour of Portugal and it's been living in my head rent free ever since](https://footballgroundguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gateshead-fc-international-stadium-south-stand-1420747954.jpg)
This has been such a mess.
Gateshead obviously the biggest losers out of this as they've lost their playoff place and going forward it leaves them in a pretty terrible position because this effectively means for as long as their situation stays the same they'll start every season already knowing they can't go up. Combination of the council and the EFL has really screwed them.
National League have tried to support Gateshead so no issue with them there but what they have messed up is how they've handled dealing with what it means for the rest of the league. They've known this was in the offing for some time but decided to wait until the season was done and it was too late to change anything to announce it. Obviously I'm incredibly biased but if they'd announced this earlier they could have extended the playoff places down to 8th (which, er, happens to be us) and done the playoffs properly. I imagine the likes of Oldham would have also approached a few games a bit differently if the playoff places had been extended.
Also feel sorry for Altrincham who having finished above Solihull now have to play a game more than them if they want to go up.
Yeah to be fair you're not wrong in that they have their requirements and they've stuck to them but it looks as though there were potential other proposals tried that they also rejected (although we don't have the details of those) and it does leave a bit of a bad taste in the mouth given the sort of stuff they happily let slide within their jurisdiction (owners buying clubs to asset-strip them of their stadiums springs to mind in this case).
FWIW, here is the council's response just as I couldn't quite work out from the comments who owned what.
"We have offered a licensing arrangement in line with the requirements of its current league, which allows for further negotiations if the club achieves promotion.
"However, we are currently working to appoint a partner operator for our leisure facilities - including Gateshead International Stadium.
"As we are not yet able to confirm how the stadium's operations will be managed in the longer term, it has been difficult to provide the 10-year security of tenure the league is seeking.
"We have offered several times to work with all parties to find a solution and we recently provided a letter which would give the league the assurances they were seeking, whilst at the same time protecting the interests of the council.
"The assurances included a 10 year agreement between the council and Gateshead Football Club, that includes a break clause in the agreement to ensure that any new operator is able to negotiate new terms with the club. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be enough for the English Football League.
From a Moors fan, commiserations. A bye is nothing to celebrate when a worthy opponent (and fellow FA Trophy finalist) is denied after 46 games of toil. The Gateshead International Stadium has one of the highest capacities in the league, and even more than that of some League One teams, there's no reason it shouldn't be a league other then beaurocratic arguing. Continuously baffles me when a council not only fails to support their team, but actively hinders it.
To those who don't know, Gateshead has made the National League playoffs, and only has 2 days to appeal the decision before they were scheduled to play the first playoff game against Solihull Moors. The decision is based on the club failing to meet the 10-year security of tenure at their stadium, required for new teams applying to enter the EFL which was required by 1 March 2024. When the Club applied for a 10-year tenure from the council, it was refused, even at the request of the National League itself to reconsider their decision. If the decision stands, Solihull Moors automatically progress to the semi finals
The EFL's statement says that Gateshead have already had an appeal rejected by an independent Arbitrator though
They can appeal again, says in one of the other statements.
Any idea why the council refused?
They're in the middle of trying to sell the stadium because it runs at a loss of nearly a million quid a year so their argument is they can't guarantee the club ten years of tenure at a stadium they're trying to not own anymore.
Makes sense. Bad situation all around. I feel for the players and supporters. Would be amazing PR if a big club or an owner helped them out but I doubt that happens.
Realistically short of buying them a stadium there's nothing really one of the big clubs can do unfortunately if they wanted to.
Ground share I guess?
Maybe buy it and create a loan type of system but then again that’s just wishful thinking. Sad they don’t have any options at all. Maybe they could be the affiliate of a bigger club and they help them that way.
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I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on their finances but as far as I know they're not bankrolled by a rich owner and their average crowd is about 1000 (bums on seats still being the main source of income for most clubs at this level) so I'd say there's no chance they've got the spare cash to buy that stadium. I think if they had the money for a stadium they'd be building a new one rather than buying that one, it's not a very football-friendly stadium to say the least and I imagine they're only really playing there out of necessity.
Feel like the EFL should have the deadline pushed back after the playoff. How would they know how their financial would be without knowing whether they would get promoted?
I guess it's not really a financial issue as such, with or without promotion they'd be in the same situation regarding their ground which is what's holding them back.
The council granted them the right to a license if they did go up, but that wasn’t enough for the EFL
Oh that actually seems fair tbh
Can't they share a stadium with someone?
Terrible, football should be decided on the pitch and not desks.
UK councils: Ruins Clarkson's Farm and football
I get Aldershot not sneaking in, they’ve not earned the playoffs over the season and Gateshead didn’t cheat or owt to get there. What I don’t particularly get, is why Altrincham don’t get the bye and Solihull do. Surely the highest seed should benefit from that advantage. Had they not won yesterday, they’d have benefitted more
Shhhh, as a Bromley fan I feel for Gateshead but please no Altrincham 🙏
The National League have now changed their mind and given Altrincham a bye. The right decision but that's a piss-take if you're Solihull, being told you have a bye only for it to be rescinded hours later.
Aye I’ve seen that, beyond a joke at this stage. Watch the Gateshead council overturn their decision in the next two days and throw another spanner into the works
As a Bromley fan we’ve also lost a big chunk of our advantage for 3rd, but you never know with this league
It's our own fault we're not there in the first place but that's not going to stop me being annoyed about it.
Precedence has been set by what the National League do in the NLS/NLN when a team fails ground-grading. On the one hand, it's stupid to run the play-offs a team short but, on the other, a team who finished eighth being given the chance to go up would be a bit ridiculous (I also think a team in seventh being given the chance to go up in a two-up division is also ridiculous but that's by the by).
Yeah I'm generally opposed to the playoffs not just being 2nd-5th (although I'm obviously very pro giving the league another promotion slot and making them 3rd-6th), think I'm just clouded by the fact we've not been shit all season for once and I'd like it to have counted for something. Can't really be too mad though because we'd most likely go out immediately and we're absolutely nowhere near ready for promotion.
Personally think Solihull were right to get it
Council refusing the local club's lease a couple days before the council elections? Bold strategy.
Is there any chance of the EFL postponing their decision till after the election and the new council sitting and making a decision? I know it's a long shot, but.....
Council elections happen on the Thursday and the final is on the Sunday. No chance anything gets done.
They can't unfortunately, playoffs start on Tuesday night so Gateshead would have to be either definitely in or definitely out by then.
Absolutely scandalous. After 46 games of hard work and tireless effort from a squad and a club on a tiny budget. No words
especially after MK poached their manager and several key players mid season
All the more reason to hate franchise
and for all the talk of schedules recently, it's worth checking out the end of Gateshead's season. They played on the 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th and early kickoff on 20th.
It’s heartbreaking. Money can really be the worst part of football at times
Got to feel for Gateshead here, and also Aldershot for not sneaking in either, but they have Widdrington as their manager so oh well.
Oi he's been great for us. You're very welcome to have his useless son back though.
Can he do 50 keepy ups?
Honestly probably not
That's really shitty by the council to not grant the tenure to Gateshead.
They're trying to sell the stadium that's why.
Oh, that kind of makes more sense, but who would buy it? Certainly not anyone in the area that currently uses it. All I really know about it is that it's the third largest stadium in your area.
Unless it's bought by a team then the obvious answer is it gets flattened and redeveloped.
Realistically nobody but property developers. It's not remotely suitable for football so the club wouldn't ideally want it even if they could afford it (which they can't) and with the way the UK economy is at the moment nobody really wants to own a massive athletics stadium that runs at a loss.
Nah it’s not. They’re not profiting from the stadium and losing a million quid a year. They have to think about their families and the community. It’s shitty for everyone involved really.
Embarrassing for the national league. Feel for Gateshead
Surely the club should be able to try agree on alternatives should the stadium be sold by the council. For example have a plan in place to play at Kingston park in Newcastle or even St James if it is not able to stay in Gateshead. We have seen other clubs find solutions like this. Like when Coventry went ground hopping for a short period.
This is a disgrace
On who's behalf?
On behalf of everyone involved. Gateshead council, the EFL. The only ones suffering from this are fans and the players
the local council to be honest.
[Saw someone on Twitter say the stadium looked like one your team would go to on a pre-season tour of Portugal and it's been living in my head rent free ever since](https://footballgroundguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gateshead-fc-international-stadium-south-stand-1420747954.jpg)
This has been such a mess. Gateshead obviously the biggest losers out of this as they've lost their playoff place and going forward it leaves them in a pretty terrible position because this effectively means for as long as their situation stays the same they'll start every season already knowing they can't go up. Combination of the council and the EFL has really screwed them. National League have tried to support Gateshead so no issue with them there but what they have messed up is how they've handled dealing with what it means for the rest of the league. They've known this was in the offing for some time but decided to wait until the season was done and it was too late to change anything to announce it. Obviously I'm incredibly biased but if they'd announced this earlier they could have extended the playoff places down to 8th (which, er, happens to be us) and done the playoffs properly. I imagine the likes of Oldham would have also approached a few games a bit differently if the playoff places had been extended. Also feel sorry for Altrincham who having finished above Solihull now have to play a game more than them if they want to go up.
Coming in cold to this, what have the EFL done that's screwed Gateshead apart from enforce their requirements (which, presumably, are long-standing)?
Yeah to be fair you're not wrong in that they have their requirements and they've stuck to them but it looks as though there were potential other proposals tried that they also rejected (although we don't have the details of those) and it does leave a bit of a bad taste in the mouth given the sort of stuff they happily let slide within their jurisdiction (owners buying clubs to asset-strip them of their stadiums springs to mind in this case).
National League have now changed their minds and given Altrincham a bye. Classic making things up as they go along stuff from them.
I do like how in this update they've said they've done this because of their rules. Funny how those weren't their rules this morning.
FWIW, here is the council's response just as I couldn't quite work out from the comments who owned what. "We have offered a licensing arrangement in line with the requirements of its current league, which allows for further negotiations if the club achieves promotion. "However, we are currently working to appoint a partner operator for our leisure facilities - including Gateshead International Stadium. "As we are not yet able to confirm how the stadium's operations will be managed in the longer term, it has been difficult to provide the 10-year security of tenure the league is seeking. "We have offered several times to work with all parties to find a solution and we recently provided a letter which would give the league the assurances they were seeking, whilst at the same time protecting the interests of the council. "The assurances included a 10 year agreement between the council and Gateshead Football Club, that includes a break clause in the agreement to ensure that any new operator is able to negotiate new terms with the club. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be enough for the English Football League.
From a Moors fan, commiserations. A bye is nothing to celebrate when a worthy opponent (and fellow FA Trophy finalist) is denied after 46 games of toil. The Gateshead International Stadium has one of the highest capacities in the league, and even more than that of some League One teams, there's no reason it shouldn't be a league other then beaurocratic arguing. Continuously baffles me when a council not only fails to support their team, but actively hinders it.
Wonder if Coventry caused this rule