I am very proud to have played a small part in this project over the last few months. The OSC contributed to the graphics. Tigers Trust is a vital part of the community support network and has helped thousands for people during lockdown. We are looking forward to welcoming supporters back with our pre match events. For those who have never been to the arena bar before a game, it is a great place to have a beer or three, meet up with friends and chill before home games. The compere is a bit crap but he tries his best. Chatting to ex tigers and hosting the “Open the Box” competition. In 2019 we had visits from away supporter groups who looked at what we had in envy. This year it will blow their socks off. https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/first-look-inside-tigers-trust-5380887
Its a decent place there actually I used to enjoy taking the daughter there to the school 5 aside tournaments Also the outdoor facilities a few hundred yards away.
I haven't been up for a year, so don't actually know. I believe that the whole floor has to be redone, but not absolutely sure.
Not arguing against that some good work has and is being done, but I'm afraid it's forever tarnished by the despicable way the arena was stolen from the community. At the time it made me literally feel ashamed to be a City fan for the 1st time ever in my life.
It wasn't stolen. It could have been handled better, yes, but those using at the time were not paying the going rate and the arena was £200k in arrears every year, You might ask were those using it only doing so because they were getting it cheap ?. No-one said a word whilst the SMC were picking up the bill and every effort was made by City to find those replaced a new home, some took them up on it and others just ran to the HDM.
That's really good, fair play to you an all that have contributed to it. Out of interest, presumably there has been talk between the Trusts hierarchy and the club to get it this far? And presumably the Allam's must have been involved at some stage to give this the green light? Are you party to any of that, that you can share? Are the Allams surreptitiously bridge building?
Perhaps the SMC should kick out of the Kcom Hull City and Hull FC as going by the ever increasing debt neither are paying the going rate. However you look at it the Arena, Stadium, SMC, ownership situation is a mess and it would be beneficial to all parties if they got together and sorted it out.
"Handled better"?! Crickey, that's an understatement. The way it was done was utterly appalling. Those using it were paying the going rate. They were paying what they were being charged. The pricing wasn't there fault!! Yes, some effort was made to find replacement homes ...... after they'd been kicked out literally over night. If you were kicked out of your house, but then someone tried to find you somewhere else to live sometime later, and in some other part of the city would you be happy? It was built to be a community facility, not a facility purely for the use of the club. The Allams found a way of stretching the definition of the agreement and got away with it. Just because 'our' club has benefitted, other than losing another huge chunk of goodwill and potential support, doesn't and never will make it right. I wonder what we'd be saying if FC had the upper hand in the SMC and had taken the arena over purely for themselves? It was an utterly despicable thing to do, both in principle and execution. Disgraceful.
So the way to deal with a facility losing money, was to get rid of the only revenue it was generating, so it cost a lot more money? And paying what they were being asked to pay, is the definition of paying the going rate.
The Tigers Trust manage the arena now, it is a fully functioning community hub. The Trust worked with 34,000 people throughout lockdown. They are the new operators of the arena. The Trust is the community arm of the football club, it is a registered charity, we the OSC, partner and support the Trust both financially and in its work. IN THE FUTURE, more people will benefit from the arena than ever did whilst the SMC ran it. Learn lessons from the past and move on for goodness sake. In the Arena Bar, every home game we (the OSC) have a raffle and open the box competition, one couple come in and sit in the bar area, drink coffee from their flask and eat their sandwiches, when they are asked if they want to buy any raffle tickets they always say "No. we don't want anything to do with the Allams". It used to anger me, other supporters had to stand whilst these freeloaders spouted their nonsense. One day, I stopped being angry as I realised that I had sold a winning ticket to the very next table and they had dipped out on a £185 prize. **** em. They live in the past and not the present.