DAVIES TRIES TO MOVE
LDV FIXTURE TO HAYES FC
From the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle 19 September 2003
QPR have asked the Football League if they can play their LDV Vans Trophy
match on October 15th at Hayes.
Rangers are due to play
Kidderminster at home in the lower leagues competition on the night and expect
to lose £5,000 by just opening the Loftus Road gates.
The poorly supported trophy regularly sees sparse gates in the first round
counted in three figures. Despite imaginative marketing last season, Hoops
could still only attract 4,772 to the home defeat by Bristol City.
It might have been a poor night by R`s standards, but it was still a gate
record for a first round of the LDV Vans.
If Rangers are allowed to re-locate for a one-off game the club could save
administrative costs and other costly outlays by offering a cheaper deal to
the Ryman Premier League club whose homely Church Road ground has a 6,500
capacity.
The corridor along the M4 headed towards Hayes has long been a hotbed of R`s
support, and the unique game for a club that has already seen eight homes in
its 121 year history could set another new record gate.
Ranger chief executive David Davies remembered with dark humour last seasons
match which saw Rangers go out on penalties to the Robins.
He said "when I gave a cheque to the Bristol City secretary, he asked me why I
was giving him a sum of less then £100. I said that`s your share of the gate
receipts".
However it looks as though Davies is going to be disappointed despite
overtures to league officials wednesday night.
Section 4, rules 13 and 13.1 of the Football League handbook make it plain
that "no club shall remove itself from its ground agreed with the (league)
executive."
Officials are privately worried that a one-off move could cause a precedent
for a host of clubs, but are more concerned that the prestige of the
competition would be lessened if it was allowed to be franchised out to more
humble venues