STADIUM TAG NO BIG DEAL, SAYS BAILEY

30 June 2005

The man who helped deliver Swansea's new £27 million stadium says there are more important issues than what it will eventually be called. The Morfa ground is due to open in a matter of weeks but still has no name as bosses continue their search for a deal on naming rights.

But Councillor Lawrence Bailey, the man who oversaw the deal that provided the cash for the development, has warned its long-term financial success needs to be guaranteed.

He has called on stadium management firm Stadco to be more open, especially about the sudden departure of former chief executive Tim Howell.

He left the £50,000-a-year post just six months after taking the top job without explanation.

Councillor Bailey said Stadco should tell all.

He said: "Recent history shows that it is a mistake for anyone to think that they can continually trade on the goodwill of the fan base.

"If they are up-front about the issues, then they will find that the support that fans can provide is second to none."

Stadco had said they expected to announce a deal for the naming rights by the end of the month but were remaining tight lipped earlier this week.

Councillor Bailey came up with the working title of White Rock for the stadium, which proved popular with fans but was later ditched.

He says he hopes a sponsor for the stadium can be found soon but says it is one factor in making sure Swansea's biggest asset is a success.

Councillor said: "People need to concentrate less on packaging and spend more effort on making sure Swansea doesn't get lumbered with a stadium that needs public subsidy to survive.

"But if there is a viable commercial package in the offing that can secure the stadium's future, and continue to provide a first-class setting for sport in Swansea, then we should work together to ensure that it happens."

WHO WILL BE THE NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE?

28 June 2005

A new boss has yet to be appointed to run Swansea's £27 million sports stadium. The chief executive post has been vacant ever since Tim Howell sensationally resigned a fortnight ago, just weeks before the first match is due to kick off.

Mr Howell quit his position with the Glamorgan Health and Racquet Club at Llandarcy a year ago to take over the new post at Morfa.

He had been brought in to oversee the opening of the impressive new home of the Ospreys RFC and Swansea City FC.

But his surprise departure left the management team facing unexpected challenges in the run-up to the showpiece opening of the ground.

Swansea Stadium Management Company, which runs the ground, is still in the process of looking for somebody to replace Mr Howell.

In the interim, Swansea Council has provided a project manager and project director to assume Mr Howell's responsibilities, with Swansea Stadium Management Companycontributing towards costs.

The company maintains that all other aspects of the stadium's management remain unaffected.

A spokesman for Swansea Stadium Management Company said: "The board has already put in place a process to appoint a new chief executive and is currently considering replacement options.

"Mr Howell's sudden departure left the company with outdated PR publicity material featuring the former chief executive, which had only been made public 24 hours before his departure.

But the company's spokesman added: "There are no material costs attached to reproducing literature as a result of Tim Howell's departure.

"Swansea City's first game at the 20,000 all-seater venue, against Premiership Fulham, is scheduled to go ahead as planned.

STADIUM'S STEEL QUALITY CHECK AFTER POLICE PROBE

27 June 2005

A Safety review is to be carried out at Swansea's £27 million stadium, it emerged today. Engineers are to check the quality of the steel used in constructing the 20,000-seater stadium after an inquiry at the Llanelli firm which provided some of the steel.

Dyfed Steels is being investigated by police after a former employee made claims of irregularities in quality certificates issued for the company's steel - an allegation strongly denied by the company.

Engineers Rowecord have confirmed they used Dyfed Steel materials for part of the construction of the Landore stadium.

John Blackwell, managing director of Rowecord, said no safety checks were necessary at the time as it did not have to be upgraded steel. But he has confirmed that the company will now look at the issue.

Mr Blackwell added today: "We will review the steel bought from Dyfed Steels.

"We confirm Dyfed supply less than three per cent of our steel with the balance being delivered from Corus.

"Dyfed Steels supplied 4.6 tonnes of steel on the White Rock stadium in Morfa in a total of 2,705 tonnes."

The concerns over the quality of the steel were raised by a former Dyfed Steels employee. He alleges that original impact steel test certificates issued by Somerset-based testing experts Bodycote were later falsified for upgraded passes. Steel industry accreditors UKAS and Bodycote are now investigating along with police.

David Thomas, Dyfed Steels managing director, said: "We have made the facilities of the company available to all parties who may wish to pursue this matter.

"We have been aware of the allegations you refer to for a number of months and would like to refute them in the strongest terms.

"Investigations we have carried out internally on testing since 1996 shows no amended test certificates in our possession."

A police spokesman said: "Llanelli CID are investigating alleged irregularities in respect of quality certificates for steel products supplied by Dyfed Steels."

FANS IN SHOCK AT LOSS OF NEW STADIUM CHIEF

18 June 2005

Swansea City fans have reacted with shock to the Post's revelation that the man behind the city's new £27 million home of sport has departed. Stadium boss Tim Howell sensationally left the as yet unnamed venue yesterday, just a year after being brought in to mastermind its grand opening.

It is not yet known whether he jumped or was pushed but senior councillors moved quickly to insist his departure would not affect next month's big kick-off.

However, the club's main supporters' group reacted to the news by saying it was a "huge loss" to the long-awaited base for the Swans and Ospreys.

Opposition councillor Robert Francis-Davies, who helped put the groundwork for the project in place, said it had plunged the future of Swansea's new arena into doubt.

Swansea City Supporters' Trust spokeswoman Marilyn Croft said: "I have had a few meetings with Tim and he has been to a few fans' forums.

"So when I heard he had gone it took my breath away. He always came across very well and spoke very enthusiastically about the future.

"He was always ready to answer any of the fans' questions in a very open and honest way, so I think it is a great surprise.

"He will be a huge loss to the stadium and we are very disappointed that he has gone. We had thought everything was going very well until know."

Lifelong fan Huw Cooze said: "I am shocked, I really don't know what to say at the moment."

Former cabinet member for culture and recreation, Councillor Francis-Davies said: "I'm concerned if Tim Howell has gone. Why has he gone, and what were the differences of opinion? It seems as if things are going from one problem to another."

Swansea Council's deputy leader Gerald Clement, who chairs StadCo, the company set up by the council, the Swans and the Ospreys to manage the new stadium, said: "The new stadium remains on course to give a massive boost to the profile of our city. To suggest otherwise is a gross over-reaction to recent events. This project is far bigger than any one person.

"The management team at the new stadium will continue to make the final arrangements in the run-up to the opening game on July 23."

Bonkers of Morriston strikes again

Extract from Inside Swansea Council
17 June 2005

We understand of course that Councillor Robert Francis Davies is anxious to rehabilitate himself after he closed the Leisure Centre but we are not too sure whether making alarmist, unsubstantiated and ever so slightly wacky claims is the way to do it.

His suggestion today that the new Swansea stadium may be wide open to a Malcolm Glazer-style takeover is just malicious nonsense. As Chris Holley says "Carefully drawn-up legal agreements ensure that it cannot be bought-out without the council's consent. This is the people of Swansea's stadium and will remain so."

We are beginning to think that the loss of power and status he suffered in June 2004 is beginning to affect his judgement.

MORFA BOSS QUITS

16 June 2005

Swansea's new £27 million sports arena today sensationally lost its boss just weeks before its big opening. Stadium boss Tim Howell who was brought in to mastermind the opening of Swansea's long-awaited base for football and rugby has left.

The bombshell has come just five weeks before Swansea City kick off the first match in the new stadium at Morfa.

Few details of exactly why the chief executive has gone are available. But project bosses at Swansea Council insisted today Mr Howell, from London, was simply moving on to "different challenges".

A statement said Mr Howell, who was brought in a year ago, has completed the job he set out to do.Mr Howell, who quit his job at the Glamorgan Health and Racquet Club at Llandarcy to take over at Morfa, also refused to go into any detail.

He said: " Being chief executive of the new stadium during this critical phase has been a fantastic and extremely rewarding challenge.

"The new stadium is now more than capable of establishing itself as one of the best stadiums in the UK and the leading sporting, entertainment and cultural venue in South West Wales.

"With my task now successfully completed, I feel it's now time to take on a new, equally rewarding challenge."

Swansea Stadium Management Company chairman, Councillor Gerald Clement, said: "Tim's done a superb job and will be sorely missed, however we fully understand that this is the time for him to move on to other challenges elsewhere.

"We will continue to build on the great start given to this stadium through Tim's hard work.

"The new stadium remains on course to give a massive boost to the profile of our city and our winning football and rugby teams as they enter their new season of sporting success.

"Stadium bosses also confirmed arrangements for Swansea City's first match at the new 20,000 all-seater venue against Premiership Fulham will not be affected.

Mr Howell's shock departure however is likely to cause some problems in the run-up to the showpiece stadium's opening.

There had been no hint of Mr Howell's leaving with PR publicity material about him and new staff members being released just 24 hours before his departure was confirmed.

A spokesman added today: " A temporary management team will be put in place before Mr Howell's permanent replacement is found.''

Link - New Chief Hails £27 million stadium

NAME SAGA AT GROUND NEARLY OVER

1 June 2005

The long-running drama over what to call Swansea's new £27 million stadium could be over by the end of the month. Bosses of the eye-catching new facility in Morfa say talks with private companies over naming rights are going well and that they expect to be able to make an announcement at the end of the month.

It will end the saga of what the stadium will be called - much to the relief of fans.

The new stadium will be the home for both Swansea City Football Club and the Ospreys.Both teams are currently on a high with the Swans newly promoted to Coca-Cola League One and the Ospreys Celtic League champions.

Stadium bosses are confident of giving the teams a name for their new home.A spokesman for StadCo, the stadium management company, confirmed that progress was being made with the talks.

He said: "Negotiations with companies are ongoing.

"We are still looking to make an announcement around the end of June."

Marilyn Croft, of the Swans Supporters Trust, said she was pleased there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.

She said: "I suppose I just hope that the chosen company is in keeping with a family-based stadium.

"I think there is a mix of reaction among fans. Some want a good name to go forward but a lot of people would like the name Vetch incorporated in it to link our past with our future."

Fans have been in limbo since last July over what the name their new home would have.The council announced it would no longer be using the working title White Rock which had proved hugely popular with fans.

It said that a clean slate was needed to help attract companies interested in taking on the naming rights and that it should be referred to simply as Swansea's new stadium.

Fans called for a rethink but the title White Rock was cast aside.

Mrs Croft said: "There are fans who like White Rock and still use the name, it was very popular with some.

"Whatever the final name for the 20,500-capacity ground is, it can be sure of a rousing welcome when it opens this summer.

Sales of Swans season tickets have been going extremely well with more than 6,400 sold already - 3,000 more than the previous record.

Mrs Croft said: "We are counting down the days. I think the level of support has been marvellous because it shows really the promise that the club has for the future.

"I think it helped that we went up a division. I think a lot of people want to be part of the whole thing."

And she added: "It is a new era, a new stadium and we all hope the team can do well."