Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: not3bad on April 11, 2018, 02:52:53 PM
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Aston Villa announce shock Bodymoor Heath name change
It will now be knows as the Recon Training Complex
Aston Villa's Bodymoor Heath training facility will now be known as The Recon Training Complex.
The club have announced a five-year partnership that is the club's first ever training ground sponsorship deal.
It sees a shock name change to the training ground which will now lose the Bodymoor Heath name it has had since the 1970s.
Chief Executive, Keith Wyness, today announced that the the club believes the deal will help optimize performances on the pitch.
He said: “This partnership will guarantee that the club continues to develop best in class training facilities. Investment in our training ground is vital to optimising performance on the pitch and we are glad to be working with a long-term partner to create advantage at Aston Villa Football Club.
“The training ground is also one of our key revenue generators as we send coaches overseas to spread the Villa techniques and philosophy forming a key pillar of our international plans.”
Dr Tony Xia also outlined his visions for the newly named facility.
The chairman stated: "The naming of Bodymoor Heath, and the extensive package of marketing rights, provides Recon and our group businesses with a unique communication platform to showcase our services and products.
“We’re very proud to make this announcement and look forward to developing the technological showcase of our offering.”
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-bodymoor-heath-training-14518694
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They can call it what they like if it leads to better performances - however I'm thinking now please don't ever change Villa Park to something else !
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"A shock name change"?
It sounds like a bloody good way of getting money into the club to get around FPP. £200 million should do it.
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"A shock name change"???
It sounds like a bloody good way of getting money into the club to get around FPP. £200 million should do it.
Exactly as I read it.
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"A shock name change"???
It sounds like a bloody good way of getting money into the club to get around FPP. £200 million should do it.
I agree, there's no shock at all to this, if it's been done to get a chunk of Xia's money into the club then so be it, plenty of other sides have done the same. We need to find £20m from somewhere if we're not promoted, this is a simple way to cut a chunk out of that, and if we're promoted it'll still be useful and will probably have a contract clause letting the value of it go up in that case.
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"In addition, the sauna room to the left of the gym at
Bodymoor Recon Training Complex has been renamed "The FFP Avoider". It's a deal believed to be the first of its kind since Manchester City paid a gazillion pounds to sponsor their own corner flags."
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"In addition, the sauna room to the left of the gym at Bodymoor Recon Training Complex has been renamed "The FFP Avoider". It's a deal believed to be the first of its kind since Manchester City paid a gazillion pounds to sponsor their own corner flags."
I thought exactly the same the moment I heard about it - if so then fair play (no pun intended) to someone having the business acumen to do something like that. Presumably then Recon can agree to pay what they feel is a worthy amount for legitimate corporate sponsorship
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It will now be knows as the Recon Training Complex
Some lovely grammar skills by the Mail there.
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It won't be long until they will be calling it The HS2 Training Complex!
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We're about to do the same with the kit and sponsor I believe
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This FFP is utter bollocks isn't it?
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I welcome the revenue but it will always be Bodymoor Heath Training Ground to me.
I remember getting the hump when they changed the name from Bond Street!
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That’s it for me, I’m never going down again.
Bruce out.
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We're about to do the same with the kit and sponsor I believe
From your usual source, Vinnie?
Needs must whilst we're still in this bloody division. It's a shame that football is now not so much about money but so much money.
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"A shock name change"?
It sounds like a bloody good way of getting money into the club to get around FPP. £200 million should do it.
From the Man City book of FFP avoidance.
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"The training ground is also one of our key revenue generators as we send coaches overseas to spread the Villa techniques and philosophy forming a key pillar of our international plans.”
I'm trying to work out who overseas feels the need to learn about our "techniques and philosophy"?
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They can call it what they like if it leads to better performances - however I'm thinking now please don't ever change Villa Park to something else !
My first thought was that the club are testing the water , to see fans reaction. The naming rights to Villa Park would surely be worth a lot more.
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We're about to do the same with the kit and sponsor I believe
From your usual source, Vinnie?
Needs must whilst we're still in this bloody division. It's a shame that football is now not so much about money but so much money.
No source as such just some whispers i heard a while ago and with the Under Armour announcement im putting 2+2 together. Plus with Recon sports limited being set up in November it seems to be heading that way.
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Good stuff. If we need to play the system then so be it.
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Great, so we DO have some money to spend this summer then. If we do t go up of course! This also shows me that they are covering their bases just in case.
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We're about to do the same with the kit and sponsor I believe
Yep and yep.
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"A shock name change"?
It sounds like a bloody good way of getting money into the club to get around FPP. £200 million should do it.
From the Man City book of FFP avoidance.
And another yep.
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"The training ground is also one of our key revenue generators as we send coaches overseas to spread the Villa techniques and philosophy forming a key pillar of our international plans.”
I'm trying to work out who overseas feels the need to learn about our "techniques and philosophy"?
Erm, Ian Atkins....
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Seems sensible to me.
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"The training ground is also one of our key revenue generators as we send coaches overseas to spread the Villa techniques and philosophy forming a key pillar of our international plans.”
I'm trying to work out who overseas feels the need to learn about our "techniques and philosophy"?
Ah, Lambert's trips make sense now. Taught Klopp and Pep everything they know.
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About time we started playing the system for our own gain, just hope it covers the payments
to be made to Paying off the contracts of our two non performing drains on our resources
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GREAT business sense. Should've done it a year ago mind.
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The traditionalist in me *hates* naming rights, but the realist understands that needs must. "Villa Park", however, is sacrosanct.
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Man Citeh?
That's fine.
But we're Aston Villa. We will get monumentally bummed for this.
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The traditionalist in me *hates* naming rights, but the realist understands that needs must. "Villa Park", however, is sacrosanct.
Is there a likelihood that this will happen?
The Recon Arena!
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There must be something about market value in FFP for sponsorships? It really is a farce.
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We've only been there since the seventies, and it's imaginatively named after its geographical location.
Rather than losing any, I think this'll help me sleep.
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No issue with this, it's just a piece of ground where we train after all.
Now if VP was to have a new change that would create issues.
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There must be something about market value in FFP for sponsorships? It really is a farce.
When Etihad did the deal to sponsor Man City's ground, they paid a world record fee for ground naming.
which says it all, really.
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GREAT business sense. Should've done it a year ago mind.
If we don't go up FFP will bite us hard. So I think the timing of this has been meticulously planned.
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Uh. Has anyone else googled 'Recon'?
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Uh. Has anyone else googled 'Recon'?
Ha, I have now. We might be turning out in a rubber kit next season?
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Wipe clean kit.
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Will be interesting to see what happens with the kit
Does seem a fairly obvious workaround the rules if there’s any sort of serious money in it. Would seem a bit rich to criticise Wolves
But we’re jumping to conclusions
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"In addition, the sauna room to the left of the gym at Bodymoor Recon Training Complex has been renamed "The FFP Avoider". It's a deal believed to be the first of its kind since Manchester City paid a gazillion pounds to sponsor their own corner flags."
“Following da Vile’s sponsorship deal to rename their training ground, da magnificent Birmingham City have brokered an exclusive deal for the naming rights of the glorious Wast Hills training complex, which will now be known as Tony’s News Box recreational grounds”. Birmingham Mail 12th April 2018
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There must be something about market value in FFP for sponsorships? It really is a farce.
When Etihad did the deal to sponsor Man City's ground, they paid a world record fee for ground naming.
which says it all, really.
And I seem to recall the Premier League investigated the deal and gave it the ok.
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Uh. Has anyone else googled 'Recon'?
Ha, I have now. We might be turning out in a rubber kit next season?
Well, I’m as broad minded as the next guy, so willing to give most things a try.
https://www.recon.com/
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There must be something about market value in FFP for sponsorships? It really is a farce.
When Etihad did the deal to sponsor Man City's ground, they paid a world record fee for ground naming.
which says it all, really.
And I seem to recall the Premier League investigated the deal and gave it the ok.
Which really does say it all.
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Didn’t Wyness recently allude to plans being in place to protect the club against breaching FFP and the dwindling parachute payments?
Of course none of this matters if we go up.
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Didn’t Wyness recently allude to plans being in place to protect the club against breaching FFP and the dwindling parachute payments?
Of course none of this matters if we go up.
I don't recall anything exactly like that but in the fan forum thing a month or so back there was talk about getting the figures reviewed because the parachute payments and general costs int he game have changed significantly since the numbers were devised. I seem to remember that we just need 1 more club to agree for it to get the backing it needed so that seems like it's a reasonable chance as well.
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I'm totally baffled by FFP. Can anyone explain how it operates to a mere simple decorater like what I am?
It seems to be full of loopholes which clubs are looking to exploit if they possibly can.
But I'm happy to say that I struggle to understand and would be happy for some guidance.
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I'm totally baffled by FFP. Can anyone explain how it operates to a mere simple decorater like what I am?
It seems to be full of loopholes which clubs are looking to exploit if they possibly can.
But I'm happy to say that I struggle to understand and would be happy for some guidance.
Have a look here - http://www.financialfairplay.co.uk/financial-fair-play-explained.php
If there's anything that doesn't make sense after that then ask away.
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I'm totally baffled by FFP. Can anyone explain how it operates to a mere simple decorater like what I am?
It seems to be full of loopholes which clubs are looking to exploit if they possibly can.
But I'm happy to say that I struggle to understand and would be happy for some guidance.
If you bung The Authority’s you can do whatever you like.
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The key principle is that you can’t make too large a loss, and plug it with subsidy from the owner
People try to get around this by disguising subsidy as a commercial deal - eg the owners or a related party sponsoring the stadium for a huge amount
I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
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I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
I wouldn't. Man City took the piss and got away with it.
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We've only been there since the seventies, and it's imaginatively named after its geographical location.
Rather than losing any, I think this'll help me sleep.
Can't say I'm too upset about it either. Most people will still refer to it as Bodymoor Heath any way, as they do with stadiums in other sports such as The Oval and Murrayfield which now have sponsors names in them.
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I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
I wouldn't. Man City took the piss and got away with it.
Were they running at a profit when they did? It might be easier to allow such investment through the books when it's less obviously offsetting a loss.
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I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
I wouldn't. Man City took the piss and got away with it.
Were they running at a profit when they did? It might be easier to allow such investment through the books when it's less obviously offsetting a loss.
I very much doubt it given how much of the Abu Dhabi royal family's money they spunked on players.
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The key principle is that you can’t make too large a loss, and plug it with subsidy from the owner
People try to get around this by disguising subsidy as a commercial deal - eg the owners or a related party sponsoring the stadium for a huge amount
I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
This is where the BH deal seems a bit odd to me. Recon is clearly Xia's company.
It will take the powers that be 0.0001th of a second to clock that as well, so in that scenario, he clearly is subsidising the club. (And if that sort of loophole was/is available, why wait until now to exploit it - why the limited spend fee-wise this year, when promotion really was priority 1,2 and 3).
It would make more sense if he got one of the companies Recon trades with to come to the party. A company not actually owned or connected to Xia, but that relies on Recon for trade. Get them to sponsor Villa in some way, shape or form on the understanding that they will benefit from better trade terms elsewhere.
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It would make more sense if he got one of the companies Recon trades with to come to the party. A company not actually owned or connected to Xia, but that relies on Recon for trade. Get them to sponsor Villa in some way, shape or form on the understanding that they will benefit from better trade terms elsewhere.
What, you mean almost like a bribe? Not sure how well that would go down against the UK Bribery Act...
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One man's bribe is another man's favourable terms.
And if they were both Asian companies, good luck in locating the full accounts to prove that either way.
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The key principle is that you can’t make too large a loss, and plug it with subsidy from the owner
People try to get around this by disguising subsidy as a commercial deal - eg the owners or a related party sponsoring the stadium for a huge amount
I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
This is where the BH deal seems a bit odd to me. Recon is clearly Xia's company.
It will take the powers that be 0.0001th of a second to clock that as well, so in that scenario, he clearly is subsidising the club. (And if that sort of loophole was/is available, why wait until now to exploit it - why the limited spend fee-wise this year, when promotion really was priority 1,2 and 3).
It would make more sense if he got one of the companies Recon trades with to come to the party. A company not actually owned or connected to Xia, but that relies on Recon for trade. Get them to sponsor Villa in some way, shape or form on the understanding that they will benefit from better trade terms elsewhere.
There's absolutely nothing to say a person can't own a club and sponsor it with another company they own, all the rules say is that the deal has to be realistic. How you determine the realistic value of sponsoring the training ground is the question. Given they can now add recon to the boards they do interviews in front of and the sheer number of televised games we have means we can probably argue the value up a fair bit.
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The key principle is that you can’t make too large a loss, and plug it with subsidy from the owner
People try to get around this by disguising subsidy as a commercial deal - eg the owners or a related party sponsoring the stadium for a huge amount
I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
This is where the BH deal seems a bit odd to me. Recon is clearly Xia's company.
It will take the powers that be 0.0001th of a second to clock that as well, so in that scenario, he clearly is subsidising the club. (And if that sort of loophole was/is available, why wait until now to exploit it - why the limited spend fee-wise this year, when promotion really was priority 1,2 and 3).
It would make more sense if he got one of the companies Recon trades with to come to the party. A company not actually owned or connected to Xia, but that relies on Recon for trade. Get them to sponsor Villa in some way, shape or form on the understanding that they will benefit from better trade terms elsewhere.
There's absolutely nothing to say a person can't own a club and sponsor it with another company they own, all the rules say is that the deal has to be realistic. How you determine the realistic value of sponsoring the training ground is the question. Given they can now add recon to the boards they do interviews in front of and the sheer number of televised games we have means we can probably argue the value up a fair bit.
The kit and sponsor values will be very interesting to see also. Could be a very large sum over a 5 year contract...........
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This FFP is utter bollocks isn't it?
Unless you are Man City or Real Merde
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The key principle is that you can’t make too large a loss, and plug it with subsidy from the owner
People try to get around this by disguising subsidy as a commercial deal - eg the owners or a related party sponsoring the stadium for a huge amount
I’m sure there’s some form of test and I’d be a bit worried that any deal of this sort falls foul of that
This is where the BH deal seems a bit odd to me. Recon is clearly Xia's company.
It will take the powers that be 0.0001th of a second to clock that as well, so in that scenario, he clearly is subsidising the club. (And if that sort of loophole was/is available, why wait until now to exploit it - why the limited spend fee-wise this year, when promotion really was priority 1,2 and 3).
It would make more sense if he got one of the companies Recon trades with to come to the party. A company not actually owned or connected to Xia, but that relies on Recon for trade. Get them to sponsor Villa in some way, shape or form on the understanding that they will benefit from better trade terms elsewhere.
There's absolutely nothing to say a person can't own a club and sponsor it with another company they own, all the rules say is that the deal has to be realistic. How you determine the realistic value of sponsoring the training ground is the question. Given they can now add recon to the boards they do interviews in front of and the sheer number of televised games we have means we can probably argue the value up a fair bit.
It has to be of market value. We're on TV every other game at the moment, who is to say that the commercial value to RECON isn't collectively across all 3 [potential] sponsorship arrangements worth £50 million a season or £100 million or whatever.
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Just how much can you realistically get from renaming a training ground? It's hardly a major sponsorship opportunity. Smacks of desperation to me.
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Didn't you see the press release? We're going to be exporting our cutting-edge training methodology around the globe - starting with "How to take a throw in"...!
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heh. well there must be a market value on sponsorship within FFP surely? For example a company can't blatantly pay 5m over the odds to sponsor a dug-out without eyebrows being raised. I presume they're getting around this by actually using the facilities in some manner as a sort of "rental" as purely sponsoring the place can't be worth much to any company. I mean i can name about 4 clubs training grounds off the top of my head
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Followed by ten lessons on "corners for us, not them"
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Didn't you see the press release? We're going to be exporting our cutting-edge training methodology around the globe - starting with "How to take a throw in"...!
"Lesson 2: The 'floaty' corner (Westwood method)"
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Didn't you see the press release? We're going to be exporting our cutting-edge training methodology around the globe - starting with "How to take a throw in"...!
"Lesson 2: The 'floaty' corner (Westwood method)"
"Lesson 3: musical statues when your team mate has the ball."
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This is really starting to come together. Lesson 4 could be - "Take the opposition by surprise: Route One with a lone, 5'4" striker"
Edit: Bugger! Risso beat me to lesson 3!
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heh. well there must be a market value on sponsorship within FFP surely? For example a company can't blatantly pay 5m over the odds to sponsor a dug-out without eyebrows being raised. I presume they're getting around this by actually using the facilities in some manner as a sort of "rental" as purely sponsoring the place can't be worth much to any company. I mean i can name about 4 clubs training grounds off the top of my head
Videos of Warnock around the dugout at VP and SB press conferences must be extremely valuable.
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This is really starting to come together. Lesson 4 could be - "Take the opposition by surprise: Route One with a lone, 5'4" striker"
Edit: Bugger! Risso beat me to lesson 3!
Lesson 5 - The Lambert 4-0-6 Formation.
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Lesson 6: keeper, aim for Snodgrass.
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Snodgrass or Adomah are only out wide to stop Johnstone's kicks going out!
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Lesson 7: Everyone back to defend corners.
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No problem with renaming BMH. Is this the pre-cursor to naming VP?
We have heard snippets about the plans for the North Stand and VP, although nothing has actually been seen.
So the plan must be to make money from our training ground secrets, reach the PL, redevelop VP and call it the Recon Group Arena, and then win the CL. Step one complete.
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Didn't you see the press release? We're going to be exporting our cutting-edge training methodology around the globe - starting with "How to take a throw in"...!
"Lesson 2: The 'floaty' corner (Westwood method)"
"Lesson 3: musical statues when your team mate has the ball."
You've not been paying attention. It's make sure you hide behind an opponent and point in the direction of your goalie
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Throw ins. It's got to be throw ins. I can think back to my earliest thoughts, when you start to become sentient about the football as a child rather than the experience. And I couldnt understand why we couldn't take a throw in.
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Given that Man City have never won the European Cup surely our deal with Recon must be worth far more than theirs?
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If they call it Recon Villa Park? Problem?
And to the person who thought the Authorities may twig that Recon is Tony's own company - who do you think owns Etihad Airlines ?
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Didn't you see the press release? We're going to be exporting our cutting-edge training methodology around the globe - starting with "How to take a throw in"...!
Is the world ready for a global Hoofball coaching tour...
Sign up now to play like your favourite stars...Micah Richards, Gabby, Neil Taylor, Pierluigi Gollini - learn everything they know in one, easy morning session with an official Villa Engine coach.
Free afternoon session - getting your hair right on match day with Leandro Bacuna.
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You've just seen Cardiff. You can't accuse use of hoofball.
We're more don't know what to do now ball.
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Lesson 8 - the Pep Lambert inspired Guzan backpass from a goal kick.
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I presume the amount of sponsorship is quite small -not enough for example to give us more leeway with FFP, which in turn could make SB more 'employable' for next season if we don't go up?
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If the amount was negligible then it wouldn't be worth doing in any case would it? No idea what the deal is but it won't be a pittance because it wouldn't make any sense.
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Only if we genuinely think recon are so great at technology it will give us a real advantage. Or more to the point, Dr Tony does . . .
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Its a means of pumping extra revenue into the club. How much remains to be seen, but as others have said, if it is a negligible amount, it wouldn't be worth it.
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Aston Villa have submitted a planning application to extend their training ground facilities and ‘meet the ever-growing needs of their squad’.
Bodymoor Heath’s gymnasium facilities are said to be “insufficiently large” and as such the club is planning an extension to improve the gym and sports science area.
They have applied to North Warwickshire Borough Council for planning permission on a 1,190 sq.m gym building with a first floor of 570sq.m.
The current building including the indoor pitch is 7,000 sq m so the extension to the building is about 17 per cent.
Simon Chadwick, director of wyg, said: “The club is carrying out a review of its training activities both for the professional squad and its academy – particularly on the context of the impact caused by the decision to route the HS2 railway immediately to the north of Bodymoor Heath.
“Whilst those considerations will continue to take place, the club has identified that the existing gymnasium facilities in the main building granted permission on the site in 2002 have now, with the passage of time, proved to be insufficiently large to cope with the requirements of the professional squad and academy.
“It is regularly overcrowded and there can be difficulties in managing the facility where young academy students might be using equipment alongside adults. The extension of the provision of a new larger gymnasium is required to meet the ever growing needs of the professional squad. Since 2002 the advancements in sports science and indoor training have been very significant.”
The site is green belt land however Mr Chadwick says: “Any green belt harm is very small, mainly relating to the increased footprint of the building.
“It is clear that the facilities being proposed are for outdoor sport – albeit a particularly high level of outdoor sport – and that the facilities will preserve the openness of the green belt. The additional built footprint of the building compared to the overall size of the training ground is very small.
“As far as any other harm is concerned this would normally relate to issues such as visual impact; ecology; traffic etc. Given where the main Bodymoor Heath training ground is located, it is screened from long distance views by mature trees. There are no ecological or technical constraints to the development. So, again, the level of any other harm would be minimal.
“Other considerations which could outweigh the harm would relate to the benefits of providing more up to date and larger facilities for the training ground in the interests of elite sport – specifically the need to provide high quality training facilities for Aston Villa given its aspiration to return to the Premier League and compete with similarly high profile football clubs in England and in Europe.
“A number of leading professional clubs who obtained permission for their training centres at a similar time have had to seek to extend those facilities including providing additional gymnasium space.”
A public consultation, ending on May 16, is open online searching for reference number PAP/2019/0181
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I'm puzzled - the route now goes North of BMH ??
particularly on the context of the impact caused by the decision to route the HS2 railway immediately to the north of Bodymoor Heath.
OR do they mean the settlement ?
Currently the route passes within 50 yds of the main entrance to BMH - on the southern boundary of the property.
(https://i.imgur.com/feq7h9l.png)
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We should ask them to put a station in so we can get to London away games in no time.
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Hasn’t the name reverted back to Bodymoor Heath?
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The plans are interesting. 50m indoor running track, a sandbox (whatever that is) and a whole floor of sports science. I wonder if Deano has been involved in speccing this out?
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Presumably the sandbox is to allow long / triple jumps from the running track.
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The plans are interesting. 50m indoor running track, a sandbox (whatever that is) and a whole floor of sports science. I wonder if Deano has been involved in speccing this out?
Sandbox adds resistance to any training undertaken.
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It looks like this is meeting an immediate need, in that the current facilities simply don't have the capacity to deal with the demand from the first team and academy players simultaneously. I would hope though that it is part of a coherent long term masterplan for the site that seeks to anticipate future needs. The end result of adapting or extending facilities in a piecemeal fashion is never great.
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Screen grab of the proposed plans:
(https://i.ibb.co/NtLDJNH/Screen-Shot-2019-05-09-at-21-55-54.png) (https://ibb.co/NtLDJNH)
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Bodymoor Heath’s gymnasium facilities are said to be “insufficiently large” and as such the club is planning an extension to improve the gym and sports science area
Or too small if you are not Joda ::)
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The plans are interesting. 50m indoor running track, a sandbox (whatever that is) and a whole floor of sports science. I wonder if Deano has been involved in speccing this out?
Sandbox adds resistance to any training undertaken.
I've used sandbox for run training in triathlon. All I can say is, it's evil, the devils work.
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The plans are interesting. 50m indoor running track, a sandbox (whatever that is) and a whole floor of sports science. I wonder if Deano has been involved in speccing this out?
Sandbox adds resistance to any training undertaken.
I've used sandbox for run training in triathlon. All I can say is, it's evil, the devils work.
Resistance training is a big thing at the moment, it's why you see so many pictures of players with the massive elastic band things or harnesses as well, it's fantastic for improving leg drive and lateral movement.
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https://www.avfc.co.uk/News/2019/07/19/bodymoor-heath-access
Aston Villa would like to advise supporters that we are making important changes to supporter access arrangements at the club’s Bodymoor Heath Training Ground.
Following a full safety review, we can confirm that entrance to the training ground will no longer be available for fans.
The club recently trialled new supporter access arrangements limiting the number of fans who can access Bodymoor Heath to 25 at any particular time.
This followed an initial assessment which raised safety concerns about the number of people both within the training ground and the environs around Bodymoor Heath Road.
Traffic flow numbers - especially of Heavy Goods Vehicles into and out of the facility - have risen markedly in the last year and are expected to increase substantially this season and for the foreseeable future as the HS2 construction project in the current training ground becomes fully operational.
Therefore the club has been advised that it would be inappropriate to maintain the current access arrangements, and furthermore, no access to Bodymoor should be made available to the general public with immediate effect.
Supporters are also advised that parking in the private lane leading up to the training ground will also not be permitted following the same safety advice.
The current matchday opportunities for supporters to collect autographs and take pictures with players as they arrive in the players’ car park will remain for each home game and we are also working on proposals to hold an open training session at Villa Park this season.
The club would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank supporters in advance for their understanding.
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That’s not going to go down well with the regular youth team watchers.
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Looks like the end of my Saturday mornings at Bodymore. There aren't many supporters that go and watch as most of the crowd is made up of Players families but there are a few guys that have been watching for 30 years or more.
The club are not interested in the people who support the Academy and Reserves etc, no longer giving out Team sheets and changing kick off times without notice so I shouldn't be surprised at the latest development.
A few of the older fella's only watch the kids as it's free and I suspect they can't stretch to a Season Ticket so they get their Villa fix by attending the Academy games. We all park in the car park so not sure what the concerns are really.
Oh well !!
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Plus the access road is as well traffic calmed as is possible, and they cant restrict general freedom to that road as it is also only the only entrance to the well attended nature reserve. Surely they can stretch to issuing permits to a set number of watchers so they can control numbers as they see fit.
One for the Fans Consultation Group thingy.
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If they're upgrading bodymoor heath anyway, couldn't they alter it to make better provisions for the few spectators at the same time? Block off one pitch by the gates, build a wee 100 seater stand like you'd find in the Midlands Alliance league or something. Know it's not a money spinner but in terms of fan engagement and generally giving the impression to youngsters that were a big enough club that even the training pitch is a bigger ground than they've ever played at ...
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We are no longer in same league as Leeds so don’t need to be worried about spying.
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I agree with you Larry, i feel the club are not interested at all in the few fans who like to watch the reserves and the youth team. It has been getting harder to actually know when they are playing .It all started when we actually last won the reserve league and they played the last vital game against i think it was Fulham and they played it at Bodymoor of a afternoon on a week day .As someone who had seen every home reserve game it was very disappointing to miss the title clinching game Oh well as you would say
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Shame for those who like to go and have pics with players as they drive out and get signatures too. No matter what the statement says there will still be opportunity at VP on match days, who wants a pic through iron railings ?