@Magnus I dont post at all on here anymore but follow all of yous who get good info - I just keep to RTG so im not posting over both, Ive took your info and posted over there - its opened up some debate as you would expect
I can see why they will be looking at this when the whole area is being redeveloped. Also if they are sensible with the ticket pricing, and of course we are performing to a good standard on the pitch, it would encourage more fans to sign up. The ticket pricing may feature into the model we have of being self sufficient too. Whatever happens I trust the bloke in charge now.
Thinking of the lock down the stadiums used screens to look like crowds so I'm sure properly engineered screens could be used to hide the empty zones plus using acoustic design to improve the volume during games. Then the ground could be opened up quickly for music concerts. I also agree the playing surface needs to be protected from the music animals. Could be a brilliant addition to the city if done correctly.
I'd heard this a couple a weeks ago, but was told it was to 55k. Effectively the expansion we were going to do under reidy. I didn't get the impression the club were in a great hurry, but they think they could make it work just through concerts. I was also told the club had bought some more land by the stadium.
Personally I'd go for it. I know 60k plus might seem too big now, because we're in the Championship, but we're already pulling in the high 30,000s regularly and that's in our first season back. Push on to be in the top two next season and we'll easily top 40k regularly and 45k if we got back to the premier. Even being moderately successful (mid table and a few cup runs) could see us average over 50k and that extra revenue could be vital going forward. When the SOL was built, it was the second largest club ground in England and a lot thought then it was too big, as we'd average between 16k and 18k. How much the extra revenue that generated helped us to the two 7th place finishes under Reid, I don't know, but I'd guess it did to a degree. I know it's a risk and we got it wrong with the north stand extension at the expense of the first team, but I think it's a correct option.
Didn't Murray buy the steel for the extention of the whole ground at the time it was built? I'm sure I remember reading it was all bought. No idea what sort of nick it will be in now.
I have always said if match tickets were more affordable e.g, German model, we would get thousands more each game. Same match day ticket revenue but greater revenue from inside stadium match day sales.
I wouldnt increase it. Yes, if we were a regular premier league side, constantly gunning for Europe for best part of a decade whilst playing entertaining football, we would be capable of topping 60K. However, one bad season in the top flight and it could all come crashing down and we could be getting 25K in the Championship again. We need to establish ourselves in the Championship first. Then if we get promoted I still wouldnt even think about extending the capacity. We need to be the hottest ticket in town, tickets like gold dust, before we do. I'd rather have a 49K stadium bursting at the seams than 49K supporters in a 60K stadium. It would certainly be more intimidating for the opposition.
Spot on. Get it built, reduce ticket prices to encourage more people to attend means more people spending inside the stadium as well. Even if it only increases overall revenue by a small percentage, it’d be worth it to get 50k plus crowds again. Not to mention the extra from other activities such as concerts and the prestige it would generate for the city. The place is virtually in a slum area at the minute, I’d like to think that once the Sheepfolds has been developed, new footbridge built, etc.., then these would help attract more supporters to return. If they do, we’d need to be in a position to cater for them. It’s about time this city started thinking big and believing in itself.
I can understand this from a music point of view and from hosting an international competition point of view, but both of which are reletively rare events compared to bread and butter of the league. From a week in week out point of view then anything above 49k is not realistically required, neither now or in any realistic future good times. So it all sensible likelihood, we would have a 60000 stadium with a factual 25 year average crowd per game of something like 37k??? It would look **** apart from concerts in the summer and hosting 1 - 3 games in a tournament.
You can't change the concourses I'm afraid. It's to do with the height , and the fact that the first section of seats -around fifteen rows I think - is below the ground as you walk up to it. This just means much less space, and the ground looking much bigger once you're inside it than when you're outside. New visitors often mention this. The only way to make the concourses bigger is to build them externally. Personally, I see no reason to increase the size of the ground. If they are thinking of hoying money at it other than in a cosmetic way, I'd say a roof, which is tenable with today's materials and methods, would be the thing to do, if concerts and so on are a big part of the plan. It might even be that which they mention is impossible at the hotch potch, due to the uneven roof line.
Yep. I suppose all fans mock team grounds only being half full, we always have done. Maybe it's time we stopped all that petty stuff. If you had a stadium only 3/4 full that's still 45,000. Also, the Club might be in a position to slash the prices of season cards, to fill that size stadium. Now that would be benchmark for the UK... Other fans would say something like....At least they have a massive turnout again.
Yeah my opinion aswell The concerts and the other uses would be well accepted However if out team is not performing at the top level I couldn’t give a dam about the rest