League Two side Grimsby Town are no longer reported to be interested in moving into a new community stadium, according to North East Lincolnshire Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson.
It was understood that the Mariners were looking to relocate to a new 14,000-seater community stadium under their previous owner John Fenty, with Freeman Street being identified as the preferred location amongst fans and the old regime.
In early 2020, Fenty previously mentioned that moving into a new community stadium down Freeman Street was “All systems go” for the North East Lincolnshire outfit and that it would cost in the region of around £20 million to produce.
However, since Fenty was bought out of the club by Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit in May 2021, those plans have since been put on hold with the intention of improving their current home of Blundell Park, where the club have played their football since 1899.
Before Fenty sold the club to Stockwood and Pettit however, he had already left his position at North East Lincolnshire Council following reports of his business links with convicted fraudster Alex May. with May previously signalling his intentions of purchasing shares at the club.
https://twitter.com/ataw_gtfc/status/1636751770301939712?s=20
On the pitch, Grimsby currently sit 15th in League Two in their first season back in the EFL following a year in the National League last season, with the Mariners sealing promotion back to the fourth division on the back of a stunning play-off campaign in which they overcame Notts County, Wrexham and Solihull Moors.
Paul Hurst’s side have also made history in the FA Cup this season by becoming the first team in the competition’s history to knock out five sides in divisions above them, with a trip to Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion on the horizon in the Quarter-Finals following a shock 2-1 victory over Southampton in the previous round.
In a recent interview with David Burns of BBC Radio Humberside, Cllr Philip Jackson, the leader of North East Lincolnshire Council explains how a new community stadium for Grimsby down Freeman Street is now completely off the cards and mentions how the club are now looking to improve the surroundings in and around Blundell Park, with the council now looking for different uses for the land.
“We are looking at various potential uses for that plot of land on Freeman Street,” said Cllr Jackson to BBC Radio Humberside. “At the moment, a community stadium appears to be off the agenda.”
“They (Grimsby Town) decided at the moment that they want to stay at Blundell Park and make improvements there. Unless there is a willingness from the football club to be part of a new community stadium, it’s very difficult to justify.
“So we are looking for other uses for that large plot of land in East Marsh.”
Writers View
Speaking as a fellow Grimsby Town supporter, I actually don’t think it’s come as too much of a surprise that plans for a new community are now in the bin.
From the first day Jason Stockwood and Andrew Pettit walk through the door at Blundell Park, they signalled that moving into a new stadium has never really been a priority, with work around the training facility for the players with a new training ground on the way and big improvements around the ground were more the here and now and we have to live with it.
As much as I love Blundell Park and never want to leave to move into a brand new stadium, there will be a time in the future when we will have to move away but as of right now, there is not really a need to do that, even with the increased attendances compared to previous years.
