Cup Venue Still Undecided - It's NOT At The Warren

By Matthew Jones
December 9 2004

After being granted permission to host their FA Cup Third Round tie with Newcastle United at The Warren, Yeading FC have been told to find an alternative venue... within 20 miles of the club.

Radio 5Live is reporting that the FA have given Yeading the above instructions.

Statement from Yeading FC:

Earlier this week, Yeading FC met with officials from the local council, police, fire brigade and the Football Association regarding the staging of the FA Cup Third Round tie between Yeading and Newcastle United here at The Warren.

Indications were given by those authorities that providing a number of safety and security concerns could be fully addressed in the next few days, a safety certificate would be issued for the club to stage the tie, albeit with a reduced capcity probably in the region of 2,300.

Following those discussions the volunteer work-force and committee of Yeading Football Club have worked tirelessly to address all those matters raised, to ensure that the match can take place without risk to personal safety of the players, spectators and those fans likely to attend without a ticket.

Yeading Football Club has no doubts as to the suitability of holding a game with a capacity gate at The Warren. Safety inside this ground is paramount and has never been in question. However, fate has drawn Yeading at home to Newcastle United, a club with one of the biggest fan-bases in the world.

With a small fan-base Yeading FC are unable to monitor ticket sales in the same manner that Premiership clubs such as Newcastle United can. As a category 'A' match segregation between the two sets of supporters is necessary. Under such rules any Newcastle fans obtaining tickets for the Yeading end would have to be refused entry and / or ejected from the ground.

Yeading's location is not designed for such high-profile category 'A' games and today Yeading Football Club have had an independent ground inspection carried out by one of the leading Sports Stadia Consultants. Based on their findings and exclusively safety matters, Yeading Football Club regret that they are unable to allow the FA Cup Third Round tie with Newcastle United to be staged here. To go ahead with the romantic staging of the match here at The Warren would be foolhardy and potentially put lives at risk.

By making this decision purely on safety grounds, it appears highly unlikely that Yeading Football Club, a small family-focused part-time club, will not make the 'massive windfall' many have predicted and with the potential lost income and additional expense of hiring an alternative venue, Yeading's historic Third Round game in the FA Cup could in fact see the club lose any profit from this season's glorious cup run.

In recent days many people have asked why for the good football the game can not be switched to St James Park.

Current FA rules state that should such a decision be taken, could put the two clubs future in the competition in doubt. In addition, any profits made in excess of that, that would have been made by staging the tie at The Warren, goes direct to the FA Pool and not the two clubs involved.

Ironically, had the rule not been changed in recent years or had Yeading been drawn away to Newcastle United, Yeading Football Club would now be planning a £500,000 windfall from this match. That money would have been invested into the club to ensure The Warren could be upgraded to host Category 'A' games in future seasons. The legal set-up of this club is such that all monies into the club have to be invested back into the facilities and administration of footballing matters. With a thriving youth set-up of 19 teams across the age-range of 8-18, plus an Academy side, Reserves and successful first team that money would have ensured Yeading Football Club became more than one month headline-makers and ensure the future of the club.