New Ground is no false dawn!!

Last updated : 04 January 2008 By Bigrich.....

needs filling..

As the rumours of a new ground gather real pace, the Millers have launched plans for a special day at Millmoor for the game against Wycombe Wanderers called United Rotherham day, in a bid to prove to the council that the Millers deserve a new ground.

Admission for the game has been slashed to £15 for adults while concessions get in for just a fiver, under 16's a quid!!

Todays Rotherham Advertiser reports that a site has been earmarked for the projected £25million new stadium for both the Millers and the Titans.

Commercial director, Gary Hall told the 'Tiser that after hopes had been raised so many times before, this time the chance of a new groudn was real; "This is not a false dawn. This is the real deal. The question of whether this new stadium idea is pursued is in the hands of the people of Rotherham."

"We want everyone to turn out for the match against Wycombe and prove there is a real appetite for league football in this town. All four sides of the ground will be made available to our supporters and we'd love to see it full."

Meanwhile manager Mark Robins also joined in the call for more bums on seats at Millmoor, Not just for a better atmosphere but to help him achieve promotion this season; "We've had a hard core of support this season but we've not had a full house, even for the Sheffield Wednesday cup tie"

"I know it's just after Christmas and I know moneyis tight, but we really do need more people to come along and buy into what we are trying to do here."

The Millers board have released the following statement in both the 'Tiser and the clubs official website.

As we welcome in 2008, our football club starts its 124th and most important year ever. At the end of this year the club will either be looking forward to a brand new state-of-the-art stadium— or will be looking at a bleak existence at Millmoor.

However, this choice is not only in the hands of the club and the Rotherham Borough Council, it is down to the public of Rotherham.

Just before Christmas, Mike Cuff, the chief executive of Rotherham Borough Council, announced that the council are fully supporting the plans for a new community stadium. This was the first time this had actually been made public and we at the club saw this as an immense step forward with our plans to move out of Millmoor and continue the club's growth back up the Football League structure.

The council have made it clear they want a Football League club in Rotherham as it creates huge awareness for the town and extra revenue on match days. This was especially true during our recent time in the Championship.

As our fortunes have dwindled over the past four seasons, the club is now experiencing a good run of form and we need YOU, the people of Rotherham, to back us and show any doubters that the people of the town still have an appetite for league football.

On Saturday, January 19, the club and the Rotherham Advertiser are promoting a UNITED ROTHERHAM match against Wycombe. The target is simple. We want a full Millmoor for that game.

We are sure that you are thinking "here we go again, they want our money." Yes, it will help the club on the day, but there is more to it than that. We have to show we have the support to move to a new ground and that more than just our loyal 3,000 supporters care about the club, which we know they do.

To help with this, the club are offering special prices for the match and we hope the savings, plus the excellent football that Mark and the lads are producing, will give you the incentive to get yourselves down to Millmoor. All tickets will be £15 and fans can pay on the day, although we would urge supporters to purchase in advance to avoid queues on the turnstiles. Senior citizens and juveniles will be £5 and under-12s are £1 anywhere in the ground.

The Advertiser will be providing hold-up boards for fans to show their feelings about the future of Rotherham United.

We have tried many ticket offers over the past season and, although we have had some success, it is still our loyal fans who take them up. We thank them for that, but this is a call for all of those who came to watch us against the likes of West Ham and Sunderland a few years ago, or those who went to Hillsborough.

It would be easy to stop reading this and carry on doing what you do now on a Saturday afternoon. But we really do have a chance of moving away from Millmoor and providing our supporters with excellent facilities in the future. However, we can't get there on our current crowd levels. Our loyal supporter base has to be one of the best in the land.

Which other club regularly takes over 35 per cent of its home support away from home? Very few! We are calling on those people to get your friends and family down to Millmoor. You know more than anyone that we have a quality team, playing for their shirts. We don't currently have fantastic facilities but we do have a football club that wants to move forward.

So please, on January 19, let's make the Wycombe game a really special occasion, with a packed house and a new ground our target. The council are willing to work with us, so let us show them our support. Who knows, the glory days may not be too far away again.

Thank-you for your continued support and let's make 2008 a promotion year. We are Rotherham United, but we must also be United Rotherham.