A new fan zone could be coming to Priestfield Stadium if Gillingham FC gets planning permission from Medway Council.
The club submitted documents before Christmas to create a new space that will enhance the fan experience.
It would see the demolition of the existing former sports centre adjacent to the club car park to create a new covered space with benches, a performance stage and a food court.
If approved, it will enhance the matchday experience for home fans and be the most significant update to the fan experience since the Galinsons took majority ownership of the club two years ago.
The application to Medway Council has been made by Brad Galinson on behalf of the club. Mark Carter Associates, an architecture firm based in the stadium, has created the scheme and created a fact pack for the planning department to follow.
In it, it states: “The Club was acquired by the current owners, Brad and Shannon Galinson, at the end of 2022, with significant investment into the club, comprising of ground improvements and footballing budget, which has seen large growth in terms of the fan base and the increase in matchday attendances.”
The club points out the lack of facilities for fans using the Gordon Road stand and the Rainham End, including toilets as well as the limited space for half-time refreshments. As anyone who sits in the stand knows, there is large queuing and overcrowding on matchdays – many of us have missed a goal because we were still waiting to be served when the second half kicked off.
Where is the fan zone being planned?
The club is intending to knock down part of its site that is no longer being used and sits between the entrance to the Gordon Road Stand and the back of the Rainham End.
It says the empty sports hall includes squash courts and a gym and is no longer structurally sound.
Building the new fan zone would remove three car parking spaces, taking it down from 90 to 87.
What is being planned for the Gillingham FC fan zone?
The application’s formal language is: “proposed demolition of existing former sports centre and the creation of a new external fan zone, which will be able to provide entertainment/ food and beverages.”
It states that the area would be 968 sq m, which is about the size of a terraced house similar to those surrounding Priestfield and use five specially designed shipping containers around the perimeter, with service hatches for serving up to 900 fans.
They will not be any higher than 2.5m tall, and the roof would be flat.
In addition to the benches, there will be podium tables, and it is envisaged that the space will be usable across the year with the marquee style covering keeping fans dry.
And there will be additional toilets installed, including one for disabled fans.
The aim of the fan zone is “to relieve congestion, and health and safety concerns being experienced in the concourses on matchdays”.
It would be steward operated and be a replacement for the existing vacant building at the rear of the Rainham End Stand.
The document notes the location is perfect for solving overcrowding and improve the matchday experience.
“The key aim for the Club is to provide a safe and user-friendly experience for all supporters, new and old, returning to the Club for what will be a hugely exciting future. This planning application is a key step in the Club’s development to ensure the facilities meet the high standards expected of the supporters and local community,” it continues.
Street food snacks
It sounds as if Gillingham FC is proposing a similar set up to one that is in place in Reading’s Blue Collar Corner, a street food venue in the Berkshire town’s centre, and works brilliantly as a destination area for people looking for unusual eats.
Hugely popular, organisers invite different food companies to come in on a visiting basis and offer specials. This means that one week fans may be offered gourmet hot dogs, the next jacket potatoes with specialist fillings, another week could be pizza, and another could be custom burgers.
This variety will be a reason alone for fans to visit the stalls on matchdays.
However, the club says all food would be cooked in its central kitchens within the stadium, as currently happens. There would be no direct cooking within the shipping container and therefore no requirement for extraction equipment.
Draught beer will also be available.
When would the fan zone be open?
Essentially, Gillingham’s fan zone would open 90 minutes or two hours before kick-off and remain open after the game.
- 12.30pm kick-off: the hub would open at 11am and close at 8pm.
- 3pm kick offs, it opens at 1pm and closes at 9pm.
- 5.30pm kick offs, it would start welcoming fans from 4pm and also close at 9pm.
- 7.45pm evening kick offs, it would open at 6.15pm and close at 10pm.
The club says fans would be able to enter the fan zone before the game and enjoy the entertainment but cannot enter the stadium before it opens.
When it does open, they will need to enter the stadium via their usual turnstile access as they currently do.
But at half-time and after the game, they will be able to enter from the Rainham End or the Gordon Road stand area. Entertainment is promised after the match to encourage fans to stay on.
“The proposed operational times are designed to offer the best experience when visiting the stadium, but also to protect the surrounding residents as the stadium is positioned within a residential area, and the relationship the club has with their neighbours is an important consideration when formulating a workable solution to the times of use,” the documents note.
Who would be able to use the new fan zone?
Unsurprisingly, the club is limiting access to the area to home fans who have a ticket for that day’s game.
Away fans will be able to enjoy the hospitality available in the Brian Moore Stand.
Stewards and security will be on hand to ensure fans respect the club’s neighbours, something that is important in a residential area: the club is one of the last in the 92 to still be situated in an urban area and being a good neighbour matters.
What do the neighbours think?
Gillingham FC says it held consultations with residents on a regular basis, and at its last meeting in October feedback suggested general support for the idea with people satisfied with measures planned for matchdays to control any inappropriate behaviour such as fans drinking too much.
What will happen next?
The application is now open for comments from residents and the public. All comments submitted are publicly available and are published on Medway Council’s planning website.
These will be taken into consideration by the planning officers when they make a report to councillors, but they will be looking for technical reasons rather than people saying they don’t like it.
Their report could be taken to a planning committee meeting where councillors must make a decision to either accept officers’ recommendations or reject them. This is a public meeting, and people can attend in person or tune in online if it is webcast on YouTube – the council usually does this as a matter of course.
At this meeting, the club will be able to make a short statement, as will ward councillors and any interested parties. These are time limited statements and at the discretion of the chair.
After a debate, councillors on the committee will then vote. Their decision will be based on planning considerations and national policy frameworks, not feelings.
It is possible that decisions can be deferred if they feel they need more information before voting one way or the other.
If permission is granted, then the club has three years to get a spade in the ground. If they fail to do so, then the process has to start again.
However, given the Galinson’s desire to see Gillingham FC progress, upgrading the fan experience is going to be a priority for them … especially if we get promotion.