Western Morning News (Saturday)
Argyle put fans first in TV cameras move
New gantry will not spoil the view of 100 supporters after board changes mind on location
Plymouth Argyle have put their supporters first when it comes to the positioning of a new TV gantry at Home Park, according to the club’s head of stadium redevelopment.
Jon Back says it would have been easier and cheaper to hang the gantry off the roof of the Lyndhurst Stand. But that would have impacted the view from around 100 seats so an alternative option has been fa- voured. A temporary gantry has been positioned outside the Lyndhurst Stand but with a view through into the stadium. A permanent facility, twice as large as the current one but in the same location, will be built at the end of this season.
The previous gantry was on the front of the grandstand, which is being redeveloped and expanded as part of a £6.5 million project. It means TV highlights from games at Home Park will now have a different look about them.
Back said: “We were looking to keep the old gantry in place throughout the course of demolition. But you can see the extent of it now how difficult that would have been, and when the amount of asbestos was finally discovered the decision to build the new gantry was accelerated markedly.
“We were going to build the permanent gantry now and move in to it in the next four or five weeks or so. But we are going to keep this temporary one in place now until the end of the season and then build the permanent gantry in exactly the same place.
“The permanent one will be about twice as big as the temporary one we have got up there.”
Back continued: “Credit to the board of directors, the easiest and cheapest solution for us would be to have hung it off the roof inside the stadium. That would have seen about four rows of that middle block go, which is just over 100 seats. What the board decided is that they would fund the additional cost of having it at the back of the stadium.
“We have protected those prime seats that have been held by season ticket holders for years and years and years.”
This afternoon, Argyle are at home against Oxford United in the FA Cup.