RUFC - 'We want to reach the forgotten fans'

Rotherham United Chairman, Tony Stewart sees the new stadium as the 're-birth` of the football club.

With the club moving back to the town next summer, Mr Stewart is hoping to reach out to the missing fans, the one`s who didn`t follow the Millers to Don Valley.

Speaking to David Beddows of The Advertiser, Mr Stewart said, 'We want to reach the forgotten fans - the ones who have forgotten what Rotherham United is about.

'We are going to have modern and comfortable amenities with first class acoustics and we want match day visits to be an occasion for the people of Rotherham as well as families because we sometimes forget that the young people are the fans of tomorrow. We will be banging the drum very hard to get all the town folk interested in what we are doing.

'The dream is to fill the stadium week in and week out.. To do that we have to produce football that is not only played well but is competitive and ambitious too. We`ve got to show that Rotherham United is not just about a new stadium, it`s about a new football club and a team that is going places.`

Mr Stewart bought more land around the stadium saying, 'I did that because we all know what salaries top footballers are getting paid and I do believe this is a good template to create the revenue to support Rotherham United in it`s ambitions to go forward.

'The people of Rotherham will be proud to see not just a great stadium but also something which can help regenerate this part of the town.`

The Millers were given four years by the Football League to move back into the town and the club are confident that they can hit the 2012 deadline. The club had to lodge a sum of money, thought to be around £800,000 with the Football League on the basis that it would be returned when the club returned to the town.

'Everything is going to plan and we are confident that we won`t have to pay the bond.

'We are in regular contact with the Football Foundation and the Football League, and I have to say, they have been very helpful and they understand that in financial climates, like today`s, it is not easy to do what we are doing.`





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