After several months of procedural delays, Boundary Park has again been listed as an Asset of Community Value, with Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation getting it successfully added to the listings.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, who has been working with the Foundation to get the status for the ground said: “It is a great relief for the listing to go through. It’s by no means perfect protection, but with the previous listing due to expire in the New Year even that protection has been under threat. It has taken several months of chasing to ensure that it has been renewed.”
The listing, which covers Boundary Park and the Little Wembley training ground, means that the owner cannot sell the ground without notifying the Council, and puts a set time period in place during which the Foundation would be able to bid for the ground. It does not, however, guarantee that the owners would have to sell it to the Foundation.
Councillor Al-Hamdani, who last week also successfully moved a motion to support the Football Supporters Association’s (FSA) Fair Game proposals, and the Government’s fan-led review, continued: “Boundary Park is something that people across the country associate with Oldham. The Latics are part of the community, and it is all too easy for owners to forget that without the fans, there is no club.
“I still want to see the Council do more – I believe there should be fan representation on the Safety Advisory Group which issues the safety certificate for the ground – in line with FSA recommendations, and that their minutes should be made public, as other councils do.
“Fans deserve more. They are the constant in a club’s life. The FSA have been saying this for years, and the Government’s fan-led review has backed them. I want to see Oldham Athletic hitting the headlines for the good that they could do, not because they are banning supporters from the stands.”