club looking into extending this to 60000+ some of the structure will be getting looked at over the summer, this if for euros also for the music world the want a stadium to be 60000+ in the northeast and the don't believe ST james has the right acoustic for the music industry club looking to become the hot bed of the north east for music
Could be a bit of a double edged sword. Good that the club are looking at bringing money into the club via concerts but do we really need a 60,000+ stadium at the minute?
no personally, if we get the euros i think you get a grant of 20m + to update and do any maintenance to the stadium
With the improvement plans in place for the general and exciting upgrade of the City,a huge music venue would no doubt fit in. We've always been a hotbed of music going back to the Bay,Locarno etc. in the 60's. However, our stadium is for us to play football.....we're a football club.....and any development/alternate usage of our stadium has to have that at the forefront of it's mind. Nothing must interfere with our football.....and I'm not sure we can put 60k bums on seats.
Depends. Last time we extended it quickly became a case of doing it at the expense of investment in the team, which ultimately meant we didn't need it in the first place. If it's part of an overall plan to be in a position where we're getting 50-55k a week and 60k for big games (which would mean pushing to win things), then have at it.
suppose 1 way of looking at it are last couple of seasons in the championship i think are average attendance was 27000 it's now 38000 that's an extra 11000 if you take that in to the prem with them extra numbers your looking at 55000* compared to are last average in the prem but doesn't always work like that i personally would leave it
The extension last time was an attempt to cash in,which did work to a degree,although you're right, it diverted already limited resources from the team. However, Bob Murray's plan was always that we would be able to expand at a relatively low cost per seat,so in modern day terms,it would be eminently affordable to an investor. We would have to be consistently at the very top end of the PL to put 60k in the ground every week imo.
The proposed FPP deal had this at the forefront of their planning along with improvements to the Metro station, approach to the stadium, Sheepfolds, etc. Money coming into the town, hotels, restaurants, pubs, etc, can only benefit match goers and other visitors. That would mean more visiting fans would stay over and bring more money in. Trains from the south need to be routed directly into Sunderland, more often, and not Newcastle. This was another part of the FPP feasibility study. (Edit FPP wanted to encourage the council, Metro, local businessmen, etc, to spend money, not necessarily use their own. But they'd have taken the credit,) TBH the approach from town, St Peter's, past the Deaf Club and the back alley and the rat run across the road from Tesco/Wheatsheaf is poor for a club of our size. As long as the lower bowl is full, for matches that would be fine for me ... ... and I believe/hope KLD, and the family, are looking to leave a legacy of a great stadium that can be filled with us watching a good PL team.
We know we can fill it as it stands....we've done it many times,not just when we play the Mags. I would leave it and see how the next few seasons go on the pitch. we could take it to 54k without too much relative expense if our progress demanded it. That is still a good size music venue!
The North stand extension had to be done when it was though. Not just for extra capacity, but it needed doing before the aquatic centre was built for logistics . I'm sure that if the aquatic centre went up first, they wouldn't be able to extend the north stand.
I don't think KLD and family are looking to leave that legacy at the minute marra....hopefully they're looking to create it!
True. Bob Murray has confirmed that if the aquatic centre went up first then we couldn't extend the north stand.
If this leads to improvements to the stadium in general (bigger concourses, bigger kiosks serving people faster etc) then I'm all for it. The auditorium at the Fire station is busy, there is an indoor arena planned for Crowtree so this would tick the box for the big outdoor venue.
I don't want to see us having to cancel our home matches because our pitch isn't ready after having thousands of music fans pounding into it. Any outside activities on our pitch have to fit in with our desire to have a pristine carpet to play on.
If the ambition on the pitch is going to match this extension then it’s a yes from me. Get this club and the top end of the Prem and being competitive for cups,euros etc and it’s a no brainier. As Kevin Costner once said…”build it and they will come “. Watch this space.
We have an absolutely fantastic fanbase considering the comparative size of the city etc. I don't see a scenario currently where there are 20,000 fans out there just waiting for a bigger stadium and a Premier League team before coming back though. Maybe 10,000 at a push.
I expect they'd have a section mothballed most of the time. They'd have to do it so it didn't look silly.
Agree - the huge flaw in the stadium design was the concourses. Even with 30,000 crowds they are packed and inadequate. Having been to grounds like Coventry, Bolton, Doncaster and even Bradford they have massive areas for fans. Not sure how much could be done without major construction work, but I hope any expansion would take this into account
