RUFC – New Ground Announced January?

Rotherham United Chairman, Denis Coleman has said that the club are close to announcing plans for a new ground

BUT

he says nothing will happen unless we get more bums on seats.

Speaking to The Advertiser, Mr Coleman said, ‘There are positive things happening at Rotherham United and my fellow directors are putting a lot of time into the club. But, we can’t do it alone and we need the fans to prove to us that if they want a club in this town they have to get behind it.’

He went on to say, ‘We aren’t having a go at the fans that are already coming because we appreciate the support we are getting.

‘We are at a stage where we have identified a site we want for the new stadium and within the next few weeks we should be in a position to make an announcement.

‘But, to get to that stage, we need the folk of this town to get behind us.

‘Twenty months ago the town was in turmoil because they were going to lose their football club. I said I’d take over the reigns and give it a go – well, we’ve steadied the ship and stopped the slide and we have a team which we think is capable of taking us back into Division One.

‘We had a five year plan of getting into the Championship. What we didn’t know was that it was going to involve finding a new stadium and developing a new ground.

‘We really need crowds of over a thousand more than what we are getting. I think with the football the team are playing at the moment, we have a right to expect that.’

Off the pitch functions haven’t been going as well as expected and when the recent England-Croatia game was screened at the Rotherham United Suite only ONE person turned up. And last weeks business forum was also poorly attended.

‘We know people have been repeatedly kicked in the guts and that there’s a lot of apathy,’ Mr Coleman said, ‘but we need those people to put the past behind them. Come and back us for a couple of seasons – if you do that then I promise that we’ll be in a new stadium in three to four years.

‘If people don’t do this then the other scenario is that we might not have a football club or we might have to cut down according to our means which could mean we become a conference side.

‘We are talking to several potential investors who it is hoped can put money into the club and it might lead to new people coming on the board.

‘The council have been fantastic and we have had a lot of support from them but there are still some doubters saying we are only getting around three thousand fans.

‘We want to prove them wrong and see the people of Rotherham filling Millmoor. We need to start taking this club forward. After all the club doesn’t belong to me or the directors – the club belongs to the town.’